Entry #3 - To the Victors

To the Victors

By Rem Dela Cruz and Francisco Vista III

Not man enough.

I wake up every day to the deafening silence accompanied by these words – words that escape the lips of my own father, brother, teacher and basically every other kid in school. © Francisco E. Vista III

Gaylord!

Every time I parade these halls, these

Comfortably Alone ______________________________________________ We are all victims, enslaved by titles and names that will never define our true worth!

streets, I am praised by the throngs of people that come across me, seeing me as some kind of freak – a misplaced, poor soul, forgotten by God as to leave her in the body of a man!

much as a whole country can consume. The same way it reminds blacks that they should keep their dreams of freedom and equality locked away in a box. The same way it reminds women that they’ll never be free from the

Faggot!

Yes, a noun used to describe a homosexual being. That six letter word is a reminder written on a colourful post-it of what I really am and what place I have in this wretched society.

Society loves me in that way – the same way society reminds obese people that they eat as

bounds of the cupboard and stove.

Society loves me that way. Every single day.

Reminding me of what one should be and what one should not be. Embracing me real tight in the hopes that I will conform to what is “in” and shunning me whenever I tend to give in to the

enemy named “Imagination” and his twin

“blood-thirsty” and have been pictured as

“Individuality”. Oh yes, that’s the ever-caring

“warmongers” from the social media down to

society alright – judgemental, influential and

the morning news people drink coffee to and talk

ignorant.

about. It’s disappointing how the media plays a

This “loving” culture, built on a foundation of what the ideal human should be, revolves around superficial qualities – skin color, beliefs, size, sexuality, among many others – and it’s quite sad to witness that the apex species, what the pages of a book call Homo sapiens sapiens, bases its stratifications on something as petty as being homo. The culture that we have embraced is a culture based on the nouns labelled onto people

role in the rapid spread of not only good news, but the bad side of news as well. As one would see in the newspaper, one would see tragedies as headlines, hatred on the front pages and controversies at the back. Where is that little space left for stories of love, respect and heroism? These stories are again left to rot, with none interested or hopeful enough to read it, lost in the middle of pages ridden with apathy.

rather than the true definition of an individual –

All I see whenever a new dawn breaks,

one’s inner workings and soul. Nowadays, so

whenever a new leaf is turned – apathy. A wise

easily are people deceived by the appearance of

man once told me, “The opposite of love is not

a book’s cover that they simply remain oblivious

hatred, it is apathy.” The refusal to care, or

to the other ninety-nine percent of the book – the

ignorance, is even worse than discrimination

contents.

itself. How can a person deceive his own eyes

Rarely have I seen a Christian company hiring a Muslim employee and vice-versa because either one is “too self-righteous”.

Africans and Arabs are deemed “violent”,

and ears from the truth, when it is happening right in front of him? When he sees discrimination and refuses to recognize it, he discriminates the truth! What a child he must be,

closing his eyes and covering his ears from the reality in which he walks in!

Perhaps, he himself is a victim. Maybe, he doesn’t want to be a victim.

Victim. Another six letter word that defines us all – unless we break from the chains of our own misconceptions and judgements. Vigilance and action against the real enemy called discrimination! This is the unheard battle cry of victims! We are all victims! We have been enslaved by titles, names, nouns that will never define our true worth! What’s truly depressing is that this ululation is rarely heard and has been replaced by the screams of the enemy. We’ve lost ourselves in this stupor that instead of fighting for equality and justice, we instead fight our own selves – victims dragging each other down – a true tragedy! Alas, we finally sit down, thinking that this battle is over. No. Newsflash – the war has not even started.

Which leads me to thinking – how exactly do we turn the tide in this war? How exactly do we turn from victims to victors?

This Earth that we live in is a world that keeps turning – constantly changing. It’s amazing to see how this race resists and repels change, when in fact the world that surrounds us keeps changing with every second, every minute we breathe!

Change. Something to love. Something to embrace. Something that we should work for.

A change in culture is what we need! Embrace the different, open one’s eyes to what is real, open the book and read a little more – and maybe, just maybe, our poor misplaced souls can find their own place in this small world divided by conflict. Bridge the gaps with respect and heal our ailing world! “Love one’s neighbour,” as the Lord would say! Speak the words, “Assalam Alaykum” to the person beside you and ask him to pay it forward! If there is one thing that is stronger than words and war, then it

would be something that cannot be neither sought nor stolen, but only felt – love.

Love every single day. Love every single person. You’ll love every single moment of your life. You don’t just invoke change in your life; you choose to invoke change into other’s life as well. You choose to lend a hand to a fellow victim like you and me, mocked by the circumstances every day which haunt us every night. You choose to be victors.

Victors. People who had defeated an opponent and came out as better. People who have embraced change and used it to one’s advantage. People who have made a change and a lasting impact on this Earth. Soon, something that will define us as a people.