Transgender Contestants 2

Transgender Contestants (April 11, 2012)

The biggest folly just occurred yesterday.  The very prestigious Miss Universe contest just recently changed its most important rule – starting next year, they are going to accept transgender contestants.  I might sound narrow minded but there is a reason why the contest is called a “Miss Universe”.  It is strictly for women only (and beautiful women at that).  Opening the door for transgender changes the very nature of “Miss Universe”.  It is no longer a “Miss Universe” contest; it is now an open transgender universe contest.

But since the die is already cast, it is really very possible that in the next decade or two, we might have our first transgender “Miss Universe”.

Now if such a thing does occurs, then the very fabric of reality as we know it will finally be changed for something that we are not totally ready.

Truth be said, if the transgender contestant just want a psychological validation, he or she could just simply join a transgender beauty contest.  Why destroy the “Miss Universe” contest?  I am a tolerant individual but there must be a delimitation for tolerance.  And allowing a sexually changed individual in an operation join a contest just ruin the cake and the set-up altogether.

A woman is not a man, regardless of its desire or sex-change operation.  Pitting a man in a contest exclusively for women is just not right.  It is like pitting a women’s basketball team against men’s basketball team.  It is just not right and besides, if the organizer did it for media mileage, nobody in his right mind would watch it.

Before, any or all beauty contest was a travesty, with this current scenario, it has mutated into the level of pornography.

No to this brand of pornography and no to this brand of stupidity.  If they are seeking validation for their mutation then let them find it somewhere else other than the “Miss Universe” contest.

Somewhere, somehow, someone will have to pay for this kind of stupidity.  And I am glad that it is not me…

Weekends

Weekends (April 14, 2012)

Weekends is a double edged sword, it gives you time to catch up with your life, with your family or whatever pursuits you are chasing.  A weekend also is a time for depression because in this window, you get to realized just how shallow and trivial your life is.  After all your hard work, you still amount to nothing.  All your material possessions seems to depreciate and even your relationship tends to depreciate over time and in a stand still you are back where you started, from nothing.

Maybe nothing is not that bad, maybe when you embrace your nothingness, something would come out of it or maybe one is just jaded and is just feeling the usual threshold of depression.  Clinically, depression is extreme sadness – but you are not sad, just tired.

Maybe that is the purpose of weekends, to unwind.  To take a casual assessment of your life and to rest.  To recharge your energy and to gather your depleted fortitude to plod along and survive another work week so that when you reach the weekends, you are back where you started.

Or maybe, you need to find a diversion, a hobby, that is far different from you work week pursuits to keep things in balance and in perspective.  Now I know why so many people are into gambling, they have nothing better to do.  They are bored with their life hence they are gambling their lives away.  To them, that is the thrill, the thrill of losing everything regardless of the cost to the people around them.

But our time here is limited; we do not even know when the day of reckoning is going to come.  Carpe Diem, seize the day.  It is precisely because of the unknown day of reckoning that we need to strive and make the most of our day.  To make an impact on the lives around us and to make a dent in this earthly plane.

I have been in the academe for almost a decade now, assuming that under me I have personally educated a thousand students a year, that is around nine (9) thousand students educated so far.  And nine thousand individuals is not something to sneeze at.  Not all of them will be a success but some of them will achieve more than I could possibly imagine hence a casual assessment of one’s life is supposed to be a joyful occasion.  So instead of feeling down and low during weekends, we need to celebrate life, that we are privileged to make a contribution and that we really need the extra boost of energy to survive another day, another week, another month and another year.

Weekends (April 14, 2012)

Weekends is a double edged sword, it gives you time to catch up with your life, with your family or whatever pursuits you are chasing.  A weekend also is a time for depression because in this window, you get to realized just how shallow and trivial your life is.  After all your hard work, you still amount to nothing.  All your material possessions seems to depreciate and even your relationship tends to depreciate over time and in a stand still you are back where you started, from nothing.

Maybe nothing is not that bad, maybe when you embrace your nothingness, something would come out of it or maybe one is just jaded and is just feeling the usual threshold of depression.  Clinically, depression is extreme sadness – but you are not sad, just tired.

Maybe that is the purpose of weekends, to unwind.  To take a casual assessment of your life and to rest.  To recharge your energy and to gather your depleted fortitude to plod along and survive another work week so that when you reach the weekends, you are back where you started.

Or maybe, you need to find a diversion, a hobby, that is far different from you work week pursuits to keep things in balance and in perspective.  Now I know why so many people are into gambling, they have nothing better to do.  They are bored with their life hence they are gambling their lives away.  To them, that is the thrill, the thrill of losing everything regardless of the cost to the people around them.

But our time here is limited; we do not even know when the day of reckoning is going to come.  Carpe Diem, seize the day.  It is precisely because of the unknown day of reckoning that we need to strive and make the most of our day.  To make an impact on the lives around us and to make a dent in this earthly plane.

I have been in the academe for almost a decade now, assuming that under me I have personally educated a thousand students a year, that is around nine (9) thousand students educated so far.  And nine thousand individuals is not something to sneeze at.  Not all of them will be a success but some of them will achieve more than I could possibly imagine hence a casual assessment of one’s life is supposed to be a joyful occasion.  So instead of feeling down and low during weekends, we need to celebrate life, that we are privileged to make a contribution and that we really need the extra boost of energy to survive another day, another week, another month and another year.

The Neurotic Need to be Right

July 6, 2011

The Neurotic Need to be Right

Karen Horney and her theory of personality talked about the 10 neurotic needs of man:

1. The neurotic need for a partner.

2. The neurotic need for affection.

3. The neurotic need to restrict oneself within narrow borders.

4. The neurotic need for power.

5. The neurotic need to exploit others.

6. The neurotic need for recognition.

7. The neurotic need for achievement.

8. The neurotic need for admiration.

9. The neurotic need for self-sufficiency.

10. The neurotic need for perfection.

Now, these are classified as a neurotic need because they are irrational, illogical, unreasonable and superficial. To make a long story short, they are not that important. The fixation or the mindset of the individual to artificially accomplish the abovementioned is what makes it a neurosis.

Over time, there appears to be a creeping neurotic need that is plaguing man’s behavior. Such is the title of this article, the neurotic need to be right.

People tend to believe that they are right - that what they are doing, that their advocacy is infallible. They seem to be under the delusion that they are right and therefore cannot be wrong. And taken to an extreme, people afflicted with this neurotic need tend to be fanatics. And just like any fanatic, they have no qualms about shedding literally and figuratively – some blood to get their way.

The sad reality is that people commit mistakes, and that more often than not, we are wrong. The redeeming part about being human is that we can mend our ways. We can change. We can alter our current scenario to correct what was previously perceived to be an infallible path.

Truth be said, humans are prone to commit mistakes. To be wrong however is not a deplorable situation, because from our mistakes, we learn and take corrective actions and remedies. From our mistakes, we become a better individual.

To err is glorious because after such, we evolve into a better person.

The God of Fury

Somewhere in the realm of Olympus, there is a god of fury. Though there is much focus and stories expended on the exploits of Zeus, Athena, Loki or even Mercury, there is a god that is seldom mentioned and whispered only when necessary, among trusted friends.

He is the god of fury. Now this god doesn’t even have a proper name but all of the named and famous Greek gods have played host and most assuredly played second fiddle to his ploys, whims and exploits. Behind every godly tantrum, his signature is always found and established. In fact, only a handful is aware that the first Great War in Olympus that eventually banished the titans bears the signature of this unknown god.

Yes, there is a god of intrigue, a god of deception and even a god of lies. The god of fury however is very subtle. He doesn’t take the credit but his creation is there to see for those who are willing to see and appreciate his tapestry of creation.

And now, in this era, time and age. The age principally dedicated to the advancement of science, pleasure and comfort. This god lives amongst us. He is unknown, he is seldom noticed, but he is always lurking within the fringe of our psyche.

Crimes of passion are his usual handiworks, but the more subtle art of bearing grudges is his masterpiece.

Humans have committed crimes in his name. Death, injury and chaos are the usual derivative of his work. Sometimes, people wake up angry – sometimes, people sleep with anger in their hearts. But regardless whether one is sleeping or waking up, one’s anger always lead to something regrettable later on.

So how do we control and contained this destructive god? An effective mantra was devised to counter his influence. “It is not right to be angry, if you are right – you do not have to, if you are wrong – you cannot afford to”.

We really have to control our fury, because if we don’t? We will always be under the influence of this crafty god.

There is a battle for supremacy that is being waged in his name. We really ought to triumph over this challenge or we will be forever under his rule and whims. He who controls his anger wins. He may gnash his teeth, beat his chest or even shout inside your mind – but if you don’t give in to his impulse and influence, one is usually able to tame him. And he might leave you alone. But such is no guarantee that he wouldn’t be back later.

If you listen hard enough, you might even hear the whisper of his name… He goes by the name of Temper…

Gravity bends light

Einstein postulated that gravity bends light. The ramifications of this thought are mindboggling. Up to this date, science is still reaping the dividends of such an assumption. Looking back, the more significant thing here is that Einstein did his experiments in his head, without any aid from any computer. I could just imagine how much more productive he could have been if he have a computer to assist him in his thought experiments.

Last night, I watched the film Green Lantern. And from the film, it was pointed out that the ring is limited only by the imagination of the ringbearer. Simply put, the ring does the bidding of the ringbearer. The ring is only as good as the will, the imagination, the determination, and the knowledge of the ringbearer.

From the above mentioned conditions, we could extrapolate that though the ring is powerful; the direction from which power is exerted is dependent on the one who wields the ring.

Humans are gifted with life. The ring is the symbol of life. Life is what we make it. We point the direction and the ring has no other option but to obey the will of the ringbearer. Our life is only as good, as beautiful, as rich and as fulfilling as we determined it to be.

The secret lesson here is that all of us are Green Lanterns.

Theory of Exceptionalism

There really must be something wrong with the spending priorities of the government, yesterday; a privilege speech was given in the House of the Representatives about the government spending about the budget for the prisoners of this republic. Barring any distortion and misinterpretation of facts it seems that the average government budget for the prisoners is 68,000 php as opposed to the government budget for students in the elementary and secondary level which is 8,800 php.

I am not asking for the lowering of the national budget for prisoners, but I am for the increase of budget and subsidy of students in the elementary and secondary level.

The similar irony here is that for this week, the MMDA have been accosting pedestrians who are smoking in public places. The bigger threat is even issued that next time; there would be a bigger penalty. The question now is that if smoking in public places is prohibited then why is the president allowed to smoke in the palace which is not privately owned but owned by the public hence, could also be considered as a public place.

The president is a known smoker and this campaign against smoker should also cover him.

The trouble here is that Filipinos tend to subscribe to “exceptionalism” where there is a general feeling that rules and regulations cover everyone else except themselves. This is apparently true for the president and generally true for majority of the Filipinos.