the heart

it is only now that i was able to see the Pirates of the Carribean 2: Dead Man's Chest (late!!!)

the sequence that set me off thinking most was the near the end scene where they were on the shore fighting for all they are worth. Jack Sparrow needed the heart so that he will be saved from death, Will Turner needed it to save his father, and Ex-Commodore Norrington had to save himself too, by presenting the heart back to Lord Beckett, he is able to free himself and gain his position (and dignity and pride).

politics. and just like real life government politics.

in the Philippines, during and after the Martial Law, there existed a pro-Marcos wing, and an anti-Marcos wing. when the Edsa I happened, it became pro-Marcos or pro-Aquino. Marcos loyalists were exceptional as they stood by Marcos still. pro-Aquino's consisted of the late Senator Ninoy Aquino's allies, those who despise the Marcoses, and those who needed the Aquino's specifically, when Pres Cory Aquino became the leader of the transitional government (redundant to say that I regarded her as the Pres). before this transitional government, there were only 2 major political parties, the Liberal Party and the Nacionalista Party. After the 1986 Constitution, there was a "free for all" type of making Political Parties. There was a huge sprout, a forest of political parties, and it continued until now. However, in 2000, when then Pres Estrada was under boiling water, there was a movement in the continuum. With people taking sides, it seemed to be divided. Edsa 2 happened and the Senatorial plus Local Elections happened in first half of 2001, everyone was in lax mode that they were on their right sides. Then, after months and months, and the installed Pres Arroyo, before she was re-elected was starting to be boiled, the sides seemed clear still, though there were some notable rifts already from major players who defended her. And with her election as officially the President (for those getting lost, ask me later how I phrased that), the continuum is again shifting.

There is however something in the continuum again, and this is where Jack Sparrow comes in.

The interest or interests. Philippine politics has the same players over and over again, but some of the things that change in them are (1) how they entered the scene, (2) when they entered the scene, (3) how they act on the scene. The shift in the conitnuum right now is pro-Gloria or anti-Gloria. pro-Gloria are those who support GMA as a president, and those who need to support her to support themselves. but the anti-GMA side, since I think they have grown in number, consists of (1) the Marcos supporters, still; (2) the Estrada supporters, still; (3) the FPJ supporters; (4) the Lacson supporters; (5) the Villanueva supporters, (5) maybe some of the Roco supporters; (6) the Aquino supporters; (7) the ones who lost their power; (8) the ones who lost most of their wealth; (9) the ones who got challenged in some other way; (10) and the always left-winged. with all these political actors on the scene, the question is do they really have the heart to stand by where they stand today?

lets go back to after Edsa 2. to point out again, it seemed that the continuum broke down because the poles were far apart. but slowly, as people waiting for promised positions, and other kinds of favors got disappointed, the characters on the poles were slowly walking away, slowly shifting to the other side. and this is now what makes of the poles in the line.

are we doing the right thing? right away we say "of course not!" but then why do we keep doing it anyway?

the heart. we do not have the heart. we do not have the a goal to work for to make everyones lives better. we only have too much interest, we are mere humans who work our brains to get what we want, to get what we need, and we use the word heart to make other people believe that we have it. Fact is, we do not have it. We only have our stomachs to worry about, we only have our body to care for. we live for the selfish interests, and we say that is politics. sad thing is politics now is becoming the government system.

the government system should be the heart. the act of politics as the means. governments should work for the interest of the people, not building another political group telling about the nifty gritty tales to get support (only to find out later on that they have aways been allies with this member from another party from the beginning, or they are the ones who broke off from another group), because that is gluttony.

in the end, realizing that elizabeth was right, he only cared for himself, left too with no choice, Jack Sparrow held his sword mightily and aimed for the insides of that creature (the super-ultra-gigantic octopus).

in the very end, inspired by their sorrow for losing Sparrow and the Black Pearl, they vowed to fight back.

in the very-est end, Mr. Norrington has brought the "thump2" to Lord Beckett, got his parole and will no longer be called the former Commodore. he is the perfect political actor. the one who does everything for selfish reasons even if it means the life of others.



related lit: ELECTIONS IN A DEPRECIATED DEMOCRACY by Alex R. Magno
(a very good insight on, what makes the political arena a jungle? the weeds!)


*** i do apologize for not having that easy access link for the site. highlight, copy, and paste will do. thank you!