Wednesday, May 27, 1998

"Instant" Mentality

We are living in an “instant” world of media.

We are actually the products of an instant generation. We believe in everything instant. We want instant relief, so we take wonder drugs. We want to get rich immediately, so we buy lotto. Even if we work up late in the evening, we are not worried to get up late because we will get awakened instantly as soon as the alarm clock goes off. And so we drag ourselves out of bed with one eye half-open and make a cup of instant coffee to shake the cobwebs out of our brain. Great! Our day has begun.

Today’s generation has little patience for anything that is not instant. And nobody can blame them. This value system has been imbibed into our psyche by the media ever since we were born. And we have absorbed everything as a matter of fact.

When I was living in Australia several years ago, I observed how “instant” everything was being done. They had all the technology that provided anything you need in an instant. Obviously, a fast paced way of life is something they were used to. It was a common sight to see people eating their sandwich on their way to work or taking their lunch while going to meet another appointment. It really piqued my curiosity. When I brought up this observation to a friend of mine, she quipped: “People here do not eat their food, they gobble ‘em up. They have to hurry, you see. They cannot waste their time.”

I guess this scenario is already very much part of our everyday lives. The effect of global media have transformed every country in the world our virtual neighbors. So it is very easy for us to just peep and see what they are doing, how they do it. And long before we knew it, presto! We are in the same boat they are in.

Ironically, exposure to media does not assure us of becoming good communicators. On the other hand, it can lead us create a wall of isolation if we let it control us. In a household where television and computers play a significant role in the life of the young members of the family, this reality is keenly felt.

Whereas before we usually enjoyed the luxury of eating leisurely and spent time communicating with our loved ones at table, now most of us maybe find it more and more difficult to initiate a meaningful exchange of words because we are always such in a hurry to meet an appointment.

Wednesday, May 20, 1998

Communicators of Hope

In most countries, World Communication Day is usually celebrated on Ascension Sunday or sometime in the second half of the month of May. However, in other countries, the National Bishop’s Conference can set a date other than May when it is usually celebrated by the Church, or leave the diocese to determine the month when to celebrate this annual event.

For pastoral reasons, the Archdiocese of Davao opted to celebrate World Communication Day sometime in mid-August.

Although, the Archdiocese’s celebration of World Communication Day is still in August, I thought I should not pass this opportunity to write something about it, at least to set the tone and to remind us also that we will be celebrating this event two months from now.

This year’s theme is Sustained by the Spirit, Communicate hope - which also echoes the Church’s preparation on the great jubilee – this year being dedicated to the Holy Spirit.

The Pope affirms that “Christian communicators will communicate hope credibly if they first experience hope in their own lives, and this will happen only if they are men and women of prayer.”

The experiential approach in communicating Christian values proves to be a very effective way of reaching out to people. We cannot communicate something we do not believe in, or something we do not possess in ourselves. Even if we succeeded in doing so, we know we sounded hollow even to our own ears.

We can only be effective communicators when we allow the Spirit to lead us and take hold of our lives. The environment we live in is constantly changing; the means of communication is continuously evolving. Though the Gospel remains the same, its manner of proclamation should go with the changes of the times.

The message of the Holy Father is a challenge for us Christian communicators to make us even more aware and committed to this great responsibility entrusted on us.

When we speak of communication, we cannot but speak also of media, since media are means used in communication supposedly meant to enrich our lives and bridge the gap that divide us from other people. However, we are also conscious of the fact that it is not always so. Media oftentimes isolate and manipulate us and promote in us a culture of consumption and waste.

Again, the challenge is ours. In the hands of a Christian communicator, media are effective and necessary means to make the Good News more alive and appealing to people.

As the Holy Father further stressed, “it is the task of communication to bring people together and enrich their lives, not to isolate or exploit them. The means of social communication, properly used, can help to create and sustain a human community based on justice and charity; and, in so far as they do that, they will be signs of hope.”

Wednesday, May 6, 1998

Election Fever

These past few days have given me quite a headache. I was tempted to pack my bags and retreat to a place where I could enjoy a little bit of quiet. With all the noise that keeps on bombarding me from all sides, amplifiers going on full blast I was ready to call it quits. As if my headache is not enough, I came out of the front door one morning to discover our wall transformed aesthetically with a collage of smiling faces looking at no one in particular.

It is not only the political candidates who are having a grand time. The media are biting at every bit of news and amplifying it to the nth degree. So the people are left confused what is to believe and what is not. Others would probably shrug their shoulders and say, “what does it matter, anyway?"

The trouble is it matters a lot. The political exercise that we are going to do tomorrow will shape our future, our children’s and our country. It is important that we should be guided by our conscience, not by any political affiliations or “utang na loob” when we go to the precincts tomorrow to cast our vote.

When we read or hear the news about this and that political candidate, it is very important to read between the lines. Analyze what is being said and what is not. It also helps to know who the one writing the article is.

We had this exercise in our community sometime ago. We did this to hone our skills in critical reading. We lifted up several articles on the presidentiables from different newspapers and analyzed from whose point of view a particular article was written, whether the news was significant or not, whether it affects society or not, and whether the reader believed the news or not.

The sharing that came out of it was very revealing and informative. You know, news are always reported with a certain slant, that is why it is important to have a critical eye in reading.