It's something I made for my sister, but I was struck with the gravity of what I wrote that I need to keep a copy for myself to slap with every so often.
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...it is
important to understand that the different ‘ages’ are marked by developments in
Philippine culture and history, rather than specific dates. The evidence left
behind in prehistory gives us a glimpse of life and times of the people in that
era. The shift from the crude, jagged Paleolithic blade to the smooth, shiny Neolothic
one was an event that occurred in infinitesimal steps, not one that can be
pinned down to a specific date and time
That being said, we can extend that
line of thinking to events beyond Philippine history, both past and present.
That the Spaniards discovered the Philippine Islands still stands whether we
say they discovered it in 1512 or 1513 is irrelevant the overall : what matters
is that the event happened in a specific point in our history, created by
infinitesimal events and created a multitude of events itself – each fixed only
in its relationships with other events.
Moreover, what we gleefully ignore
when we think of history as an event that happened on a specific date is that we are creating history as we speak. All
of our thoughts, words and actions contribute to what will be perceived as
history, may it concern those close to us or shake the consciousness of many. All
it takes for something momentous to happen is for enough people to move in a
certain way, our own People Power have shown this as truth. Now the only
remaining question remaining is this: what
history are we going to create for ourselves?
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What history will I create for myself? Will I look back and smile? Or will I cringe at the destruction my actions have taken me? Only my decisions at which paths to take will decide, and in the end, I hope to say to myself, "What you wrote ain't too shabby, not too shabby at all."
