Fourth of July

The fourth of July is near, and everyone is recharging their digital cameras or buying age-old films at the counter. Well, in the U.S., but not here in our country. Though others say and we even believe it that Filipinos are good imitators, I guess we too will celebrate this occasion even if people here are not Americans. Here, we always love to have fiestas, parties, day-off, and celebrating every event that comes just to have some form of relief from day-to-day drudgery from work. If people here have one wish and that is to win the lottery and become millionaires and quit their day jobs, open their own business and be their own boss and have their picture taken and get published in newspapers for others to see their glory and how God blessed them because they are faithful and lucky. This is the same dream for everyone. I guess, we are never satisfied. It's like that song, “We are all on drugs, yeah, never get enough.” Always searching for that elusive happiness. If they can't find it, they'll find it from others. There is this film I watched before about a young woman who dreams of becoming a boxer. She is poor and even saved all she had just to buy boxing gloves. She has done everything she could by practicing very hard everyday at the worn out gym, for she believed that she has what it takes to become a boxer. A boxing coach saw her determination and began to train her even the coach doesn't accept women like her. After her training, the coach gave her a chance to fight and prove herself as a true boxer. And she won. Fight after fight, she won victoriously, knocking her opponents without too much effort. Finally, she got her break and made it to the major match. She got cheated by hitting her during the time-out. Her head slammed to the wooden chair, broke her neck and got paralyzed from the neck down. So, what am I driving at? You see, people watch boxing and loves to see their opponent to lose and suffer, not even caring for that other person even if they get hurt, for I too feel the same way before. I hated watching that cruel sport, but people still love to watch it even bet on it, brags and loves to see a knockout if it happens, or blood gushing out from their cheeks or eyes. Sadly, this sport became someone's dream to win it and call themselves lucky.