RAIN OF FIRE

A gunless society
CESAR G. BONILLA

LAOAG CITY -- Striving for a gunless society is not only a crusade to preserve life but also a campaign to free the country from fear. This is not a dream if all of us will cooperate to keep people aware of this issue. Our commitment to a gunless society is rooted not only in political or environmental premises.

Unstable is the society where political or personal differences are stilled by blazing guns, where lawless elements are free to strike terror whenever they choose and where guns and violence are glorified as desirable culture.

A society which does nothing to counter violence cannot hope to survive. The best defense against armed law-breakers is not to arm the law-abiding and thus turn the cities into unrestricted shooting galleries, but to disarm the lawless.

Public security is best left to the police. Only men in uniform, on duty, and with proper authorization of course have to carry firearms while sportsmen or individuals can, of course, keep their licensed guns at home. We must promote a non-violent environment governed by love, peace and harmony instead of hatred and violence. ***
Children equate love with the amount of time and attention given them by their parents. There are many cases where young people get hooked on drugs because they cannot feel the happiness, inspiration or the love which should be abundant in their own home shared by their parents.

It is the parents also, who determine the quality of interaction between the grandparents and their children. Grandparents provide a sense of family continuity.

They impart knowledge of the past, the family history, which the young should be well acquainted with. In this relationship with the young, the grandparents gain new strength, mutual support and affection.

Marriage, whether for parents or grandparents should never be taken for granted, simply because there is so much material satisfaction from business, occupation or profession. Even social action work cannot be used as an excuse for neglecting family relationships. No matter how important one’s career or other obligations might be, the most important investment a person will ever make is human connections.
In the Philippines, many families do not have the means to decent housing,
unemployment is becoming widespread and increasing the poverty of entire sectors of the population. Many young people roam the streets, seek refuge in drugs, alcohol abuse or violence. This destroys the family, the basic unit of society.

Christians and all people, not only politicians, have the duty to help families in difficulty, providing them with spiritual and material help. This means, when we give to the poor, we give to Christ. Poverty of an ever-increasing number of our brothers and sisters is destroying human dignity and humanity.

People are urged to pray because with prayer, we are one with our savior, Jesus Christ. It seems that the poverty-alleviation programs by the government would not be enough to lessen the miseries of the poor. With prudence and austerity, we can face the battle with hope and vitality notwithstanding problems facing this country. ***
Viewing an artwork evokes emotions and recalls past experiences. By presenting colors, lines and shapes from a particular perspective, art harnesses human sensitivity to forms and colors, and their significance to visual design. It opens our eyes to the abundance of shapes around us and to the multitude of colors produced by light.

Art increases awareness to both the natural or cultural environments. Although often associated with art, creativity which is the ability to produce through imaginative skill is an essential tool for advancement of all disciplines like physics, biology, chemistry, mathematics, sociology history among others.

In many schools, however, it is only in art classes where imagination and exploration are encouraged. Artists like Juan Luna and Felix R. Hidalgo proved to be equal to the world’s best. Art is an expensive creativity and skill. Skill is the ability to use one’s knowledge effectively and readily in execution or performance.

In art, skill is often tool for expression of ideas and emotions. An artist needs discipline and practice to perfect his or her skill like an athlete who trains for the Olympics. Skills combined with creativity and experiences make the artist’s individual style. Art is a product of patience and fertile imagination.