Pray for humanity

The world was shattered when the news on the Nov. 13 terror attacks in Paris broke. It was pure horror—a massacre of more than a hundred people. Imagine you were there at Bataclan concert hall and having a good time, when suddenly gunmen started shooting. You could play dead, but there was no assurance of survival.

The reign of terror has begun. Actually, it has always been there, lurking around and waiting for the right moment to devour this vulnerable human society.

Social media become the hotspot of all sorts of issues and opinions. And, I have to admit, there were different points raised on the matter. Facebook activated its Safety Check feature, and there were shameless people who marked themselves safe even if they were not there in Paris. We should really be more responsible when engaging in social media.

Many immediately changed their Facebook profile picture “to support France and the people of Paris.” Some lambasted the sudden outpouring of emotion over the terror attacks in Paris and questioned why there was silence over other killings in other countries during the past months. The newsfeed got really hot at one point, and was filled with hate and arguments. It’s heartbreaking to know that other European countries closed their borders to Syrian refugees after the Paris terror attacks.

Maybe we need to make a photo of our pay slip highlighting the income tax as our profile picture, to protest our high taxes that usually end up in the fangs of corruption. Or maybe a photo of a bullet to show our outrage over the “tanim-bala” scam at the airport. Maybe there’s a brilliant mind behind this, some sort of Gus Fring in “Breaking Bad.” If so, then we need Walter White.

Name all the other issues we face today—traffic, crime, and many more. Don’t forget the latest celebrity breakups and trending hashtags on Twitter. Sometimes it’s easier for us to ignore the world and spend our time thinking about what’s the best “ootd” (outfit of the day) for tomorrow, taking a selfie with the new rose-gold iPhone, or shopping for the next item on the wish list. We can’t deny that we think the world is so toxic and we deserve some idle moments from all the stress in our veins. And yes, we are more than this. We end up caring. We end up taking a stand. We end up showing our support and love. We end up bending our knees and praying for the healing of this land.

This year we looked up above.  I was filled with excitement over humanity’s advancement in astronomical exploration. We witnessed the most awaited Pluto flyby of New Horizons since it left Earth more than 3,000 ago. Say goodbye to artists’ depiction of that dwarf planet and say hello to the real photo. Have you seen the “heart of Pluto”?

The United States’ Nasa (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has confirmed the presence of liquid water on Mars. But the rover Curiosity can’t touch it because it’s impossible for that robot to reach the Martian cliffs where water is found, and there’s a treaty not to contaminate it. I was surprised about the latter. I find it amusing.

The Esa (European Space Agency) comet lander Philae woke up. I thought it was a big astronomical flop after it landed on the undesired surface of Comet 67P and underwent hibernation when its solar panels couldn’t reach sunlight for energy.

Scott Kelly, who captures great photos from above, breaks the record for the longest consecutive time in space by an American astronaut.

I’m into astronomy lately, thanks to “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” presented by the astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. This TV series has a lot to explain to us beyond the world around us. The universe is so vast and there are an immense number of questions that linger in our minds. Maybe it’s time we found a new home for the human race. If that Mars rover has life, maybe it’s crying out and convincing itself that Mars can be our new home. Maybe that robot thinks we deserve a better planet.

In this time of terror, we became scared and we wept together with the rest of the world. Now it’s hard to string a series of words to define a human being. How can a human being be so ruthless and kill innocent civilians? There are a lot of whys. But if we reflect on it, maybe we are to blame. We allow hatred, instead of unconditional love, to prevail. We love according to color. We choose the race we care about. We care according to faith. Some people blame religion for all of this. But what do different religions say about all of this?

The world is a complex system run by different governments trying to unite under one banner. Is there really such a thing as “unity in diversity,” or will it always be an old-school slogan?

Last week, the Philippines hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit to cap the yearlong meetings and activities, with a whopping P10-billion budget. The issue of the territorial dispute among Southeast Asian nations was not discussed. With the terror attacks out there, I hoped that the world leaders who attended would be safe here.

With the May 2016 national elections fast approaching, we are hoping for change, progress and development. It may sound corny, like in the talent shows on TV, but the power lies in our vote. Philippine politics is a great circus, and it’s that time again.

But let me ask: What happened to the case involving the pork barrel scam? What happened to the corruption case filed against high officials? These are just like big stones in the river: As the water currents flow, the stones are broken into pieces until they are not noticeable anymore.

It seems like yesterday when we were blown by Adele’s “Hello.” But now the other side of the world is in pain. Pray not only for Paris but also for every person who is sad, scared, discriminated against, and hated. Pray for humanity.

Christian Abagat, 24, completed a bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of the Philippines Visayas as a DOST-SEI scholar. He now works as a science teacher.