The Unbroken Reverie

...the spirit never ceases to flourish.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Batingaw (The Bell)

Written by Mike Gallego


The “Batingaw” is a short film about a man who is in search of oneself. It is a story of a man who is looking for the perfect place where he can be genuinely free, serene, and happy; but ends up, to the same, where plastics, bottles, broken vessels, empty containers and the like stops. It is a place where the people, who live there, rely on the wastes of Metro Manila. My impression of the place, as someone who is used to comfort, is hopeless. I will never want to live there, because I do not think that I can ever be happy in that place. It is amazingly astonishing to see someone who is there smiling and laughing; happy. It makes me think on what can make a person truly happy.

There is a popular saying that states that the people, in order to be happy, only need to have bread and circus. Having bread and circus could mean having all the things that you need (nourishments) and want (entertainment). The people in the dumpsite may not or may only have a little of those things, but we can see the smiles and the laughter in their faces, and call them happy. There are some people who are not happy even if they have much of these things. They are closer to modernization than the people in the dumpsite, and so the affinity for them to get the factors of alienation of modern people is larger. They are bombarded with so many new trends and innovations everyday, that they already forget the sounds of their own hearts; what they really want. They lose their focus because of so many needs and wants that the world offers them. Greed and arrogance blur their main purpose in life. That is what makes them unhappy.

People can have bread and circus, but still be unhappy. Some people do not have much in life, but they are happy. Happiness only depends on how a person perceives life. The more a person seeks out for material things, the unhappier he becomes. “The Beatitudes” (Mt. 5:3-11) speaks about the perfect happiness and inner peace that is supposed to be enjoyed by the soul in heaven. It speaks about simplicity and focusing on God. Simplicity means having the ability to live with bread and circus without asking much, and putting God in the center of your world; surrendering your all to Him.

Thanks to Jesuit Communications Foundation for the video.

2 Comment(s) -:

Unknown said...

Hi mike, the video is from the Jesuit Communications Foundation. Please acknowledge in Youtube or in the blog. The credits have been deleted. Thanks.

Mike Gallego said...

i think it's at the end of the video? anyway, it's done already. :) thanks too.