The Keyboard

The Articles

The Keyboard

Episode 1 – The Unlit

The measure of true humanity is the ability to encode the words of circumstances and courage to continue or to delete it, hence the use of backspace button.

It was a cold and rainy evening in the tropical country of the Philippines. A middle-aged woman celebrating her 40th birthday on that day, April 1, 2020, was walking alone on the sidewalk leading to her house where she lives since the day she was born until she blew her birthday candle a few hours back in her first cousin’s house by the sea.

When she finally reached the front yard of the house, she noticed her father who is a widower for twenty-four years now was not inside considering the absence of the motorcycle usually parked in the front yard and the darkness that enveloped the dwelling.

The sight of the unlit house brought her back to the day when her mother committed suicide more than two decades ago. At two o’clock in the morning of that fateful day, when she and her three siblings were in deep sleep, her mother poured muriatic acid into a small drinking glass and drank it whatever amount she could manage to pour at that time. Having suffered the burning sensation of the acid at it slid down her esophagus to her stomach, she tried to hang herself using a plastic rope. She was not successful in hanging herself because her younger sister was awakened by the urge to pee and managed to stop her mother. It was too late though because the muriatic acid already damaged her mother’s digestive system.

She was awakened by the shout of her younger sister. Upon seeing her weak mother, she immediately check the items on the table and it broke her heart to see the glass beside the muriatic acid bottle.

He father was not around at that time because he only goes home every weekend to bring provisions for the family since he was working in the big city of their province which is more than two hours away by bus. Being the eldest in the brood, she ran towards the house across the street to seek for help because her family could not afford to buy a car.

They have a neighbor who owns a tricycle, a Filipino public transportation means compose of a motorcycle , a side car which can accommodate 4 passengers , and a third wheel. The driver managed to bring her mother to the nearest hospital which referred her to a bigger one in the city where her father works. Her mother was given medical attention but died after a week.

While her mother was still fighting for her life, she and her three siblings were asked to go the city to see their mother before she finally gives her last breath. Indeed, her mother passed as soon as they arrived in the public ward where her mother was stationed. The nurses said that their mother waited for them before dying.

Before she could relive the her mother’s vigil, she perceived a cold touch on her shoulder. When she turned her head to check who it was , she could not believe what she saw!

***

Episode 2 – The Rumor

The cold hand she was so scared to sense was her mother’s sister who traveled from  different island which is one day away from their province. Her aunt who is her mother younger sister greeted her calmly as in she is just asking a casual question.

It is surreal that her aunt is here to celebrate her birthday although she sensed that there is a more important reason for the long-haul trip. She said thank after the greeting was said, and went on to ask the other reason for visit. Her aunt before even uttering a word sobbed and asked if they could get inside so that she can drink water.

While she was getting water from the dispenser in the kitchen, she relived again the nights when they had to host a vigil before her mother’s funeral. When her father was not there to run some errands, some of her relatives told her that the reason for her mother’s depression was her womanizing father. One of them was even confident that her mother caught her father canoodling and doing other intimate actions with his mistress. She could not believe what she had heard, but it really accumulated a feeling of hate for her father which is still intense until now. She was almost teary-eyed by the recall and tried to control the tears from rolling down her cheeks until she heard the holler of her aunt in the living room already begging for the water she requested to quench her thirst.

After drinking water, her aunt asked where her father is. Then, she blurted, “I don’t know! We do not inform each other our whereabouts! We are more like a tenant of the same building rather than members of a family!” She became distant from her father since the day she learned about her father’s violations in his marital relationship with her mother.

Then, her aunt initiated the conversation about the day of her mother’s funeral. She stared at the floor upon remembering the black-and-white ensemble with the mourning pin. It was raining that day which made the interment dramatic and they became emotional because they thought the raindrops were her mother’s tears which were showered from heaven.

Many old folks would say that the ghost or souls of a person who died by committing suicide could never enter heaven and acquire eternal salvation. She was really sad about that belief but she hoped that God would forgive and would understand the reason for the suicide. After the burial ceremony, she went home drenched in rainwater. Then, her aunt held her hand and shook it to catch her attention to ask about her siblings.

Episode 3 – The Dawn

“My siblings are doing very well,” she asserted. Her aunt was delighted but seemed to remember her dilemma because she became teary-eyed again. Then, the aunt shared about her marital problem to. She said it is already bothersome to be with someone who is judgmental and insecure. The trip, then, she stressed is an escape from the obvious problems that is threatening their marriage. Hearing her aunt tell her sad story, she could not help remembering those times when her parents argued about different family stuff . Feeling a bit heavy in the heart, she requested her aunt to stop and pacified her by telling her that what does not kill her will only make her stronger. Fortunately, there was no resistance coming from her aunt. The, she blurted, “Let us just talk about the stuff that makes life good!” She continued by sharing that all four them are already professionals and are holding stable jobs offered by the government. Indeed, she convinced her aunt that they are stronger than what they thought because amidst the loss of a mother, paternal problems, financial challenges, and the typical problems of life’s various transitions, they survived!

After listening to her pride speech, her aunt said that it could have been better if their mother was given the chance to witness their achievements and celebrate with them. Then, she thought everything has a silver lining and it is the one which will keep people afloat in the middle in the ocean named endless-problems-while-you-are-still-alive!

! Before she could ask her  aunt in whose cousin’s place she would like to spend the night with, they heard a knock on the door which shocked them out of their wits because of the loudness of it. The initial thing to do is always to check who the one knocking is before opening the door. The person on the other side is one of her first cousins who is very close to her since their childhood years.

It was already 10:00 o’clock in the evening, so for sure the cousin did not go there knocking so hard just for a non-sense chat. That thought gave her profound anxiety on what going on . She just celebrated her birthday when the evening was young and now her humanity is enveloped in anxiety.

Before her cousin could finally break the news , she suddenly thought of the time when she was informed by her maternal grandmother that her paternal grandmother died. It is truly a manifestation of a negative mindset but she was not able to help it. Now, she is not sure if she is ready to take another passing of a significant person in her life. For her, it was too much for a news like that to be known on her very birthday. She was really silently praying for a better news although she already had a strong feeling. Then, the conversation was interrupted by a blackout. She is now trying to figure out how she can retrieve the candles and lighters from the kitchen drawers.

Episode 4 -  The Ray

She excused herself from the two visitors to locate the temporary lighting source until the cousin was not able to control herself from saying that my sister-in-law is pregnant with her second child.  She was relieved by the news of blessings and not course. At least, an immersion n a depressive is not neutralize by the news of a blessing of another baby. It was such a refreshing news to hear after being melo-dramatic with may aunt earlier. She became lighthearted at that point and promised to call her to share her happiness.

For some reason the cousin left a few minutes after sharing the good news, then the aunt flowed with an advisory that she will stay for the next two weeks and will spend the night in a different niece’s house. When she was finally alone in the house, she realized it was almost midnight. So, she decided to hit the shower and performed her evening facial skin care regimen. Then, while she was lying in bed waiting for herself to fell asleep, she remembered that she needed to write an essay for the school publication. The composition should be submitted early in the morning of the following day. Since she was already exhausted she fixed herself a cup of coffee although she did not intend to consume the whole cup. After three hours, she came up with this essay.

It’s Right Where the Heart Is

            Saints…revolutionary leaders…national artist…political prisoners and activist…brave and courageous journalist…noted political leaders…charitable celebrities, family breadwinners…! In views of conventional mentality, they are members of society who traditionally characterized heroism. I beg to disagree. There should not be a list for the modern times, for everybody regardless of gender, s****l orientation, religious affiliation, cultural exposure, skin color , and socio-economic status in capable of bringing out heroism from within.

            Every individual has a hero within himself or herself. Therefore, each one of us is capable of showing heroism in more ways than one. We manifest heroism every time we give up personal interest for the benefits of the common good, when we do something worthwhile without expecting for something in return, when we spare our precious time to lessen and empathize, when we join community extension programs without thinking of possible compensation, when we give something out of our own being for free, when we strive to correct misconceptions and immoral acts, when we strive for family unity, when we contribute something to national progress, when we value world solidarity, when we observe self-integrity  and right values, when we live in a culture of excellence, when we extend or extra time at work without additional pay, when we put a smile in somebody’s face, when we provide a nurturing touch to those who are in pain, when we console a grieving soul, when we light a spark of hope to victims of exploitation and a***e , when we reach to our enemies for reconciliation purposes, when we respect the decision and opinion of other people to achieve a more favorable outcome, and the list is endless.

            The aforementioned scenarios will prove that you do not have to display big scale courses of action to be a hero. A simple expression of selfless love and generosity will go a long way, because those will improve the lives of our fellowmen. Eventually, making a positive difference in other people’s lives will neutralized the social problems which are dragging us down to the pit of misery and keeping us in the foxhole of indifference and death of our spirits.

            Indeed, it does not require us to draw supernatural powers and be endowed with extraordinary capabilities to be a hero. Your heart will start it all.

After doing the final editing, she sent a private message to a friend whom she expected to really take time to reply the very important message.

Episode 5 – The Denouement

She woke up the following  day with a slight headache. So, she thought of coffee right away to kickstart her long day. It is still 5:00 o’clock in the morning so she thought to herself that she still has one hour to write one more article for the school paper. Luckily, one hour and a cup of coffee helped her compose this.

Advocacy on Children’s Rights: A Legacy for a Brighter Future

The energy, the faith,the devotion, which we bring to the endeavor will light our country and all who serve it and the glow from that fire can truly light the world. Those words from John F. Kennedy ring true on how essential  it is for every resppnsibele and active citizen of this world to be an advocate in the exercise of children’s rights. Indeed,  these rights entail great responsibilities which are herculean but not impossible to attain. This is the first step in response to  a call for transforming society for the sake of our children.

As cliché as it may sound, the children are our future, and that future depends on how well we educate the succeeding generations. This genuine form of education does not only mean increase in knowledge but also training in the display of values and competence. These values that will be inculcated in the mind and hearts of our  successors will sustain them in the middle of endless challenges. With that, we can say that values are lasting amidst a changing world filled with social evils. Therefore, moral decadence is a form of evil that drags people to a hellish life on earth. We should strive hard to prevent this decay from ruining the future of our young minds. That is what we call essence of how we prepare students for  life.

Our responsibilities in molding the youth to  become dynamic citizens in the coming years is definitely difficult. Thus, it requires everyone to be a hero, a feat everybody thought is so difficult to achieve . Conversely, heroism is where the heart is. As long as you have done something good for other people at the expense of your own vested interests and happiness, then you have become a hero in your own right. With that, we can consider that motivating our children to manifest heroism is a kind of legacy that is priceless  and invaluable.

The modern men are very much capable of setting all circumstances right for our  children. We are all profoundly capable of fighting white s*****y, child labor, child exploitation, sexualabuse, child trafficking, corruption, moral damage, racial discrimination, gender inequality, and a myriad of other equally destructive  social maladies. If every soul is vigilant and courageous in reporting anything that is criminal in nature, then we will gradually eradicate the prevalence of crime on this planet. This will definitely make a denouement characterized by a world that is safe and tranquil to live.

An environment that is free from negative elements will  allow young people to achieve self –integrity. It will be easier for them to observe the virtue of prudence and industry . From there, they will learn to value family unity. They will realize that the family itself is a basic institution that provided them th avenue to learn the basic things in life . Cosequently, they will be ready to contribute to national progressas efficient citizens of our country. From their experiences in the realm outside the home , they will realize that they have to conquer the international scene.They shall have actualized their potential and equipped themselves to be functional yuppies who are already capable of passing their skills and knowledge to the younger ones. They had the right then, and they’re now ready to take the responsibility in nurturing the next generation. That is the  beauty of life. You get to share what you have as longas you are willing to sacrifice and to show compassion. At that point, you can say that your life has a purpose.

The world has been a global village because it paves a way for easy communication and transportation means. With the sophistication and advancement in science and technology , we are definitely  living on top of a borderless society. That is the reason why we need our children to be always prepared in living up to a legacy of excellence.

I would like to culminate this discourse by sharing toyou a line from carlos P. Romulo’s essay entitled I Am a Filipino. He wrote in that iconic literary masterpiece that

“… out of the first cries of babies newly born  and the lullabies that mother sing; out of the limitless patience of teachers in the classrooms  and doctors in the clinics… I shall make a pattern of my pledge … for myself and my children’s children – forever.”

It really pays to have undergone so many experiences in life that truly teach a lesson. She was so happy to be able to compose something socially significant in an hour. At least, she scan contribute two valuable articles for the school paper. She thought all her works are products of her humanity. Without the various experiences, she could not have the flair to write her thoughts. Then, before preparing herself, she remembered her mother who taught her how to write when she was still alive!