* – from “Wake Up” by Rage Against the Machine
I was walking around Ortigas Center awhile ago after putting in another day at work when I felt a stabbing pain in my wrists and fingers. I don’t know if it’s carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive stress injury, bone spurs, or the remnants of neuralgia from years past. Unless I’m typing, the most comfortable position for my hands right now would be to clench them. I know that if I buckled and cried from the pain, not a soul in any given building in Ortigas Center or the Republic of the Philippines will give a damn. So I guess that for the lack of money to pay a chiropractor, I might as well clench my hands.
Clenched fists mean a lot of things, not the least of which is fighting. The clenched fist is a symbol of resistance. To clench your fist means to stand up for what’s right because you believe in it, not because you feel like it.
One thing that has not been hurting, though: my conscience. You can beat up my hands, but you cannot beat up my conscience.
I think that when you blog about political issues and social issues, you cannot treat citizenship, political participation, and social obligation from your blogging. When we say something or write about something, we should be able to act on it when the situation calls for it. Our words shouldn’t be empty; we should be able to stand by our principles. It’s not a matter of winning or losing, revolution or insurrection, cost or benefit.
Fairness, justice, and freedom are more than just words; they are perspectives.
- V, V for Vendetta
