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There are ladies in the clouds if you squint hard enough, and—oh is that a letter 'M' on that cat's forehead?! Indeed, the human mind seems inclined to see patterns, real or not, in nature. For our survival and the continuation of the next generation, we must recognize that if something hisses and slithers, it must be dangerous. But strangely, we are blind and amnesic to the patterns of history.
A student knows their allowance is tailored to fit the budget, but they'll splurge it on the first day, leaving them to survive on chicken pastil. A woman knows her boyfriend is a chronic cheater, but she'll forgive him after exposing him on Facebook. And of course, the Filipinos themselves have a penchant for voting for corrupt politicians. If asked, they will reply in a blasé manner: "All politicians are corrupt anyway."
The saddest thing is they always had a choice to escape. Observations were made, and advice was given. But they're trapped by their own design in the pit of history, condemned to repeat the same old hurts because 'bygones are bygones' even if they're unresolved.
Is there hope? Sure. It is difficult to change overnight, but change is not impossible. Plenty of people are comfortable in the cycle, finding any action futile. However, in order to change, we must commit to always remembering and revisiting past experiences and actively moving against them. If we do not commit to unraveling patterns, we will never move forward as a whole.
The past is here, but do we ever wanna learn it? Or do we choke at the thought of ever dealing with it. Instead we choose to forget, because who wouldn’t want to bask in ignorance? Who wouldn’t want to know the joy of being complicit with everything? Our freedom is dependent on what the present entails, yet we let it all slip away in the glimpse of an eye.
So, the student will forget their week of hunger once they receive their allowance. The woman will always forgive her boyfriend because she'll remember their happy moments together. And of course, the Filipinos are still going to vote for the corrupt and the convicted because they remember the funny advertisements, and not their stolen tax. That is until they remember to never forget and to never again.