Care Bears

On Greatness and Destiny
Rey Barcelon - sa lahat ng mga nakamit niya, alam ko isang titulo ang pinakamatamis: Tatay

a: I think greatness is a destiny...

b: what are you saying? You think some people cannot be great?

a: I think greatness is not something willed... i think when you have passion for what you do then and only then can you hope to be great....


Earlier this year, Rey quoted this in one of our conversations. While checking out pictures of him and Juan Carlos, I saw his blog, and read the conversation quoted above. I'm sure I've seen it before. But I'm reading them now differently.

I hate cliches and I hate feel-good statements, since they're too optimistic (nothing wrong with that though) to the point of being naive. While I did watch the Care Bears, I know as you will agree too, that you can't survive with Care Bear philosophies. I feel cliches tend to simplify things too much, because the reality may be too painful, or too hard to grasp. Weird lang ako. Ganun lang yun.

But the ideas above resonate with me. Ang galing. Nasabi niya, at napayaman pa, ang sentimyento kong dati ay di ko kayang biglang linaw gamit ang aking mga salita. O akala ko nasakop na ng aking mga binitawang salita ang lahat ng nais kong sabihin tungkol sa mga ideyang ito. Hindi pa pala. May mas mahusay na paraan pa pala. Pero sino naman kasi akong hambog para isipin na ang paghabi ko ng mga salita ang siyang pinaka-mahusay?

We deserve a lot of things, some of which we really work hard for. It doesn't mean though that just because we deserve them, and that we worked hard for them, that we will get them. The next guy will probably work 10 times as hard as me, who's only willing to exert so much, but I might still end up getting it (whatever it is) instead of him. He may need it more than I do. He may deserve it more than I do. It may even be his birthright. But this is all irrelevant. I could still be the one ending up with all the spoils of war. The tragedy is that I could be in his shoes, and he in mine - reversal of fortune. Point being - there's no guarantee we could get all the things we deserve in life.

Ngayon naman iniisip ko kung defeatist ang attitude na ito. Na, kaya ko lang iniisip at nararamdaman ang ganito, para hindi masakit ang pagbagsak kapag di ko natupad ang gusto kong mangyari - kasi sa pamamagitan ng pagkilala na pwedeng mangyari ang di kanais-nais, nagiging "katanggap-tanggap" ito kahit paano. Dahil hindi na anomalya ang pagkabigo kahit pa pinaghirapan mong hindi ito mangyari, nagiging isa na siya sa mga options sa ating multiple-choice exam. Nabibigyan na rin siya ng equal weight na gaya ng ibang options na ibibigay ng Care Bears.

Let's nitpick a little. Equal weight? Siyempre kahit paano may favorable bias pa rin sa ibang options, depende sa personal circumstances mo. Parang kapag manghuhula ka sa multiple-choice exam, pwede kang mag-eliminate ng ibang options kasi napaka-ridiculous nila so sigurado kang wrong answer yung mga yun. Pero et ceteris paribus (naks, natutunan ko sa economics dati: with all things being equal), itong "hindi na anomalous na option gaano man siya ka-unjust" ay, a priori (napick-up ko naman sa math dito: a priori knowledge is something independent of the actual outcome or result), kapareho pa rin ng weight ng ibang options. Kung baga, even before you take the exam, before you read and analyze the options, may equal probability pa sila of happening. Kapag nabasa mo na ang options, saka na magbabago ang odds (but this would come after).

So defeatist nga ba itong point of view? Hindi pa rin eh. I don't think it's necessarily defeatist. Pragmatic? Realistic? Maybe. The thing is, we're "seeing" things for what they really are. Side noteS: Ang question naman na biglang nag-pop-up ngayon, paano ko pwedeng sabihin that this is what things really are? Bakit ko nasabi na itong "masaklap" na scenario ang siyang tunay? And by masaklap na scenario (yaya, make me timpla orange juice because I'm conyotic), I'm referring to a world where we don't get what we deserve. Where we don't end up being what we want to be - to be great - however much we will it to be. I'm claiming this is the kind of world we live in. Actual experiences and observations are my justification. Pero malay mo rin, baka mga Care Bears nga tayo, at may nanonood sa atin na 7 year old kids?

So defeatist nga ba itong attitude na ito? Let's assume my claim that the world we live in is really cruel (i.e. we eat Care Bears for breakfast). I was about to say, how could accepting reality be defeatist? I guess, if we see results and outcomes as enemies we need to conquer, then yes, this is defeatist attitude. But if you see results and outcomes as immovable impersonal forces, who are not necessarily out to defeat you and compete with you (walang personalan, trabaho lang), then I don't see how that could be defeatist.

The operative word is HOPE. We can still hope. Di ko kayang bigyang justice yung last line sa post ni Rey, so uulitin ko na lang: I think greatness is not something willed. I think when you have passion for what you do, then and only then can you hope to be great.

We can't claim greatness. We can only hope to be great. But this is not the stupid hope where you hope against hope that things will fall into place (another cliche). This is the hope that is informed by the hard work you support it with.

Reassuring, di ba? Nandun yung humility, at pagtanggap na kahit malaki ang impluwensiya mo sa mangyayari sa iyo, may bahagi pa rin na labas sa kontrol mo. Hindi absolute ang hawak mo sa kahihinatnan ko. Para sa mga naniniwala sa Diyos, maaaring ang lack of control na ito ay isa sa mga ipinapaubaya nila. Theist na ako, at tapos na ang mga araw ko ng pagiging agnostic, pero secular pa rin ang point of view ko. Siguro di ko lang inaamin na paminsan-minsan, nagpapaubaya ako. Pride is one of my sins.

Wait - paano naging reassuring ulit iyon? Didn't I just mention that there are some things you just can't control? That's supposed to be a scary thought. However, I am comforted by the fact that even though this world could go to the dogs for all we care, not all is lost. Unless we give up, our (reasonable) aspirations could still prop us up.