The big jolt

The October 15th earthquake that jolted Bohol and the neighboring islands calls for our deep reflection. It's the latest in the series of horrible tragedies that have befallen our country in these past months alone. Perhaps all these misfortunes are trying to tell us something.

The recent quake had a magnitude of 7.2 - a force equivalent to 30 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs exploding simultaneously! It occurred without the slightest sign that it was coming. People were caught unprepared and unable to react quickly, the experience too overwhelming to grasp fully right away.

It took a while before people could figure out what happened. Authorities first announced that the quake's epicenter was located in Carmen, Bohol, and later changed the location to adjacent Sagbayan. A week later, on October 22, the seismic activity was traced to have emanated from Inabanga town. In the face of the devastation, the questions: Why did it happen? Why Bohol?

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) explained that a geologic fault was previously charted in the area. Yet while it was known that an earthquake was a real possibility, there was no way to determine when it would actually occur. As it came to pass, the Catholic Church advised the affected localities to take it as simply an unfortunate event, and not in any way as symbolic of divine displeasure or punishment. 

Unlike other natural disasters - like floods or typhoons, for example - earthquakes are not directly blamed on people. Floods happen because people denude the forest covers or clog up the waterways. The weather turns crazy because of global warming, caused by the destruction of the planet's ozone layer due to people's widespread use of fossil fuels that release noxious fumes into the atmosphere.

Earthquakes are viewed as a different case. They are bound to happen even if the whole land mass of the earth were forested and all excess inland waters were allowed to exit freely to the sea. Earthquakes still happen even if global temperatures remained ideal.

Experts, though, are seeing a connection between global warming and the close frequency of earthquakes. In which case, it would appear that people are still to blame for this dreadful natural force. That by their reckless ways, people provoke nature to go wild.

Our present generation may seem innocent of any involvement in setting off an earthquake. But as a species, we have been bringing it on, starting from many generations past. Our collective lack of care and foresight has caused the earth's climate to begin to shift by several decades sooner; hence, the more frequent earthquake strikes these days.

Perhaps it is about time that we are jolted to come to our senses. Perhaps a horrible experience is a means to make us realize our follies. The resulting hurt may shock us, enough to make us stop for a moment and ponder on our possible, albeit inadvertent, contributions towards our own sad fate.

Geologic and climatic catastrophes can also bring us face to face with personal issues that have been making our lives heavy. As we realize that everything can perish in a blink of an eye, we may be prompted to be more sensible in our ways. We may begin to approach life in a more careful, yet more involved, more fervent, way.

My friend Steven Ling, a Buddhist monk, asserts that the virtue of benevolence requires more than mere superficial rhetorical poetics. He explains that the human person is by his very nature selfish and self-centered. But that he can rein in his primal instincts by serious efforts that spring from solid determination and good intentions.  

Conversely, Mr. Ling points out, the human qualities of willpower and discretion can also work to feed to the person's basic egocentricity. The person can choose to be more selfish and unmindful of others instead, believing that he has only himself to rely on and look after. He may become coldhearted.  

Minutes after the main quake, a neighbor who lost a son in a recent sea tragedy came out of their house, shrieking at every succeeding residual tremor. She was not shrieking out of fear; she was in a playful mood. She was, in fact, having great fun.

Suspecting that the woman might have cracked, considering her current sorrow from her son's death, I called a psychologist friend of mine. "Misery loves company," my friend said. "Your neighbor is probably feeling some relief in her grief thinking that the quake must have caused more people to be in as bad or maybe even worse situation than hers."

The woman's own burden causes her to deny due sympathy to others who are as heavily laden. I am not judging the woman; I'm not sure how I would have held myself together if I were in her situation. Still, I find her reaction rather disturbing.

In the end, perhaps the biggest jolt we need to experience is within ourselves. Why do we take on harmful habits? Why do we tend to envy others' happiness and celebrate their misery? Why do we cling on to hurtful relationships?

For sure, there are other issues to resolve about ourselves. Perhaps the most essential mission in life for each of us is to make ourselves whole. Then we become a precious gift to the world. (e-mail: [email protected])