Breathing Space

 
By: Rev. Osmundo ABAKAN de los Reyes  
Wednesday, 23 February 2011 

      Bahrain and Yemen in the Middle East…Egypt earlier and now Libya in Africa…
      What is next?
      The radical Left will once again blame it on the West—the United States, in particular. They will see it as a purely socio-political game again. That the West wants to own and control everything.
      As I have observed, many of these Arab nations want to change and become “democratic”—democratic from the point of view of the West. Be it as it may, these educated Arabs, the Youth in particular, are learning that all humanity needs a breathing space! It may be Western in nature, but who doesn’t want to buy his own snacks in-between work? Who doesn’t want to buy a perfume, shampoo, or soap for his bath? Who doesn’t want to relax a bit and feel the gentle breeze of the grasslands and the cool mountains? Who doesn’t want to own a car or a house and lot of which the Arabs could easily afford?
      Above all, who doesn’t want to be heard? Freedom is the key word here. The monarchs of the Arab world are no gods! They eat. They laugh. They sleep. They enjoy life just like all Arabs need to enjoy in life!
      The new generation of Young People are beginning to be aware that the monarchies of the Arab world is not “the all and be all” of life. If I may add, the West is trying its best to make Iran and Iraq to be more human and humane at the same time.
      The radical left may call it materialism, consumerism, or even imperialism —as they always love to say. But these things are not equivalent to freedom. When Commodore George Dewey arrived at Manila Bay, he had with him a group of Methodist missionaries. In other words, freedom of religion came along with American Imperialism.
      These are the realities of life. One may be happily married, but the difficult demands of life come along with it. One may be gainfully employed, but there are annoyances at work. One may be physically and mentally healthy, but he still have worries in life.
      There is no perfect life…but there must be a breathing space…