Dapat Bang Nagpa-Participate sa Undas ang mga Christians? || John Pesebre || Kaliwanagan Kay Kristo (November 2, 2017)

Hear my apologetics teaching twice a week at 702 DZAS Kaliwanagan Kay Kristo (a segment of Tanglaw sa Landas ng Buhay of Back to the Bible Philippines) every Tuesday and Thursday 7:00PM.

Se-segue muna tayo sa isang napapanahon na usapin about undas. Ang tutugunan nating argument ngayon ay, “Christians should not participate in undas because it is rooted in a non-Christian tradition.”

Ang Pilipinas ay may mayamang kasaysayan ng mga pygmies, trade at banyagang colonialization. Bago pa man dumating ang mga colonizing nations like Spain and America lalo na yung period ng early 1000 years AD, marami nang records ng mga migrations at trades from aetas, Chinese, Malay, Middle East atbp. Ayon sa Historical Dictionary of the Philippines ni Guillermo at Win,

First arrivals were the Aetas or pygmies, who crossed the land bridge from Asia about 30,500 years ago. After the disappearance of the land bridge, the early Malays, who came by barangays from the Indonesian Islands, accomplished human migrations via sea. Hence, the majority of the Filipinos are of Malay descent.*

Galing sa early pygmy migration na ito nagsimulang bumuo ng sibilisasyon at kultura. Tuloy pa ni Guillermo at Win,

Philippine society is the product of eastern and western cultural influences, which blend into a distinctive entity. Four cultures and two major religions have shaped the modern Philippines. Early exposure to Chinese cultural and commercial influence, more than three centuries of Spanish colonial rule, and almost 50 years of American tutelage have appreciably altered, but not obscured, the Malayan character of Philippine society.† 

Kaya di na siguro kayo magtataka kung bakit halo-halo na rin ang ating mga norms and practices ng kultura, tulad ng pag uusapan natin ngayon tungkol sa undas.

Sa ating most recent na colonial past ng mga Kastila at Amerikano tayo ay may mga practices na natutunan at ating na integrate sa ating nakasanayan nang mga gawain. Tulad ng rin ng jeepney na namana natin sa mga American jeeps, pinahaba natin ito, linagyan ng mga kolorete, pinangpasada at ngayon ganap na Pinoy na Pinoy na ang mga jeepneys.

Ang undas ay ganon din. May tatlong pinaghuhugutan o inapply na mga sources ng cultural practices around October 31-Nov 2 o yung malimit nating tinatawag na undas. Ang tatlo pong sources na iyan ay 1) yung Roman Catholic holidays, 2) Day of Dead ng mga Mexicans at 3) Halloween ng mga Celts na naging dominant sa modern Western culture. Depende na rin ngayon sa nakagisnang paniniwala ng isang traditional na family kung paano nila aalalahanin ang undas. Lahat na ito ay masasabi natin na may mga major conflicts sa paniniwalang ebangheliko subalit sa karanasan nating mga evangelicals, may mga aspect nito na ating na retain minus yung mga sa tingin natin clear violations ng Scripture.

Roman Catholic Holidays
Unang source natin ang Roman Catholic holidays. Sa isang article sa Philippine Star nagpapaliwanag:

The feast of All Saints and All Souls Day started in the 4th century and celebrated first in Antioch, where St. Ephrem the Syrian mentioned it in his sermon in the year 373 AD. The final date of Nov. 1 was instituted in the time of Pope Gregory III (731-741) when he consecrated a chapel to all the martyrs in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and ordered its annual celebration. While it was first ordered only for the Diocese of Rome, Pope Gregory IV (827-844) extended the holding of this feast to the entire Catholic Church . . . [A]t least millions of Filipinos still continue to mourn their friends and family who have gone ahead of us and to remember the times when they were still alive… and . . .  pray for their souls who are either in purgatory or in heaven… and we pray that they are not in hell because if they are there, then we can no longer do anything for them.‡

Mexican Day of the Dead
Sa tingin ko napakalaki ng naging impluwensiya ng Galleon Trade or Manila-Acapulco Trade sa pagdevelop ng kultura na ito.

In 2012, Fr. Joaquin Bernas wrote an article wondering where we got the word "undas" for our Oct 31 to Nov 1-2 holiday. Rigoberto Tiglao concurs in a 2013 article in The Manila Times. Ayon sa kanya ang word na undas ay bastardization of the word "hondras" sa  "Hondras de Funebre [transl, funeral]" with "hondras" translated in English as "honor". Tiglao argues that in Batangas it is pronounced as "hondras." Yan ang ating pangalawa nating source; related yan sa Day of the Dead ng Mexico. It is said to be a Christianized practice from the Aztec tradition na nag resonate sa ating pagbibigay ng honor sa ating mga ninuno. Paliwanag pa ni Tiglao,

Contrary to what most people think, Undas wasn’t a creation of Catholicism nor is it a practice among Catholics all over the world. Only Mexico, the Philippines, Brazil—and in less-intense forms, a few Latin American countries—celebrate the Day of the Dead in the way we know it, that is, one day of the year when everyone goes to the cemetery to honor their dead. Our Undas was an import from Hispanic Mexico, the reproduction here of its El Dia de los Muertos.§

Hindi natin ito tinuturing na ancestral worship bagaman may mga practices na tila ganon na rin kasi may mga pagkakataon na ang mga pamilya would ask the intermediary role ng mga namatay nang mahal sa buhay  na to look after them and to intercede for them in heave. This is probably how we got associated with having elaborate preparations for mausoleum o yung mga puntod, at mga family gatherings for prayer and novena sa araw ng undas.

Halloween
Ang pangatlo po ay yung “halloween” na mas “in” sa mga nakababatang generation at namana natin yan sa tingin ko sa mga Amerikano kasama ang kanila "Trick or Treat" at pagsusuot ng mga witches at mga nakakatakot na mga mukha o mag costume ng mga representation ng mga patay. Galing po ang gawaing ito sa mga Celtic Druids bago masakop ng Roman Empire ang parteng Inglatera at later on nang ma-Christianize ang Roman empire, naipagpatuloy ito ng Roman Catcholic. Subalit nang ito ay ma-transport sa US at kinalaunan na secularize ito kaya naman ang dominant na cultural practice ngayon doon ay Halloween, at malimit related sa mga horror at nakakatakot na mga anyo. Malayong malayo sa pagdadasal para sa mga patay ng Roman Catholic teaching at pagbibigay ng karangalan sa mga namatay nang mga pamilya. Sa Halloween, nagkakaroon pa ng mga Halloween Costume Party.


Dalawa ang maaring attitudes na na nakikita ko na response ng mga Christians.

May attitude na idismiss lahat altogether and just ignore the event. This I think is part of a Christian’s liberty to do. May kalayaan siyang gawin kung ito ay naaayon sa kaniyang conviction.

Subalit may mga Christians din naman na gustong mag alala ng mga namatay nilang mga kapamilya sa mga araw na ito, kaya naman sa kanilang mga tahanan nagkakaroon sila ng pagsasalu-salo at pagpapanalangin ng pasasalamat -- hindi nga lang sila nagpapadasal o nagpapa-novena. Ang iba namang Christian families ay pumupunta sa sementeryo, nililinis ang puntod ng kanilang mahal sa buhay at ino-organize ang araw na ito para makipag family reunion -- hindi nga lang sila nag aalay ng pagkain o nag aalay ng panalangin para makawala ang kanilang mahal sa buhay sa purgatoryo Yet ang iba naman ay nag oorganize ng Halloween fellowship sa church para mapag usapan ang ebanghelyo -- hindi nga lang sila nagwawala at gumagawa ng mga elaborate constumes to represent corpse, vampires and even Satan.

So bilang tugon sa argument na “Christians should not participate in undas because it is rooted in a non-Christian tradition” sa tingin ko dapat maging, una, cautious at, pangalawa, huwag maging judgmental by being too dogmatic about remembering departed loved ones and others especially kapag mga Christians ang gumagawa neto na may simple remembrance and honoring lang. Oo kailangan nating iwaksi o maging cautious bilang mga Christians ang pananalangin sa at para sa mga namatay na, o yung excessive na partying and debauchery at yung paggawa ng mga elaborate na mga horrific activities and themes that exemplify the power of darkness, pero kailangan din natin wag maging mapag kondena kung ang mga kapatiran natin ay may values na nakikita sa holidays na ito na related sa pagmamahalan ng pamilya, pag alala at pasasalamat sa Diyos sa mga nawala na at pagte-take advantage ng tema ng kamatayan at saints by organizing evangelistic or fellowship events to uplift our faith.

Ika nga ng GotQuetsions.org, “As with celebrating any holiday, the decision should be between the individual and God. Some people feel very strongly that observing any secular holiday is wrong, while others see it as harmless. The important thing to remember is that celebrating or not celebrating holidays should not be a cause for pride or division among Christians.”||

(C) Photo Credit

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* Artemio Guillermo and May Kyi Win, Historical Dictionary of the Philippines (Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2005), 1.

† Guillermo & Win, 3.

‡ Bebot Avila, "The significance of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day," Philippine Star (website); accessed at http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2013/11/02/1252076/significance-all-saints-and-all-souls-day

§ Rigoberto Tiglao, "Did Undas originate from ancient Aztec beliefs?" The Manila Times (website); accessed at  http://www.manilatimes.net/did-undas-originate-from-ancient-aztec-beliefs/50000/

|| "What is the origin of Valentine’s Day, and should Christians celebrate it?" GotQuestions.org (website); accessed at https://www.gotquestions.org/Valentines-Day.html

Other People's Stories || John Pesebre

We get acquainted with a lot of stories from watching them in TV and other media. We discover the elements of the stories and how these elements weave within a narrative towards an end. Ang mga stories na ito ay napaka makapangyarihan kasi we acquire their language, their goals, their purposes, etc.

Nakadevelop tayo ng construct na need natin siya.

However, puna ng isang author* nung 90s kaya daw natin gusto ang mga kwentong ito is dahil HINDI SIYA DEMANDING sa atin -- walang demand na buuhin ang kwento, sulsihin ang mga bahagi, pagsumikapan ang mga kailangang abutin. Nakaupo ka lang jan at nag aantay mag unfold ang kwento.

Our lives contain very similar (or even identical) na mga bahagi din ng kwento na nakikita natin sa mga teleserye atbp na ito. The problem is DEMANDING siya sa atin -- kailangan nyang mabuo, sulsihin, at pagsumikapan.

Kaso oftentimes we numb ourselves sa DEMAND na yan and we'd rather watch a flood of narratives on a screen and entertain ourselves to futility.

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* “Human beings are narrative animals: every culture countenances itself as culture via a story, whether mythopoeic or politico-economic; every whole person understands his lifetime as an organized, recountable series of events and changes with at least a beginning and middle. We need narrative like we need space-time; it’s a built-in thing.... The narrative patterns to which literate Americans are most regularly exposed are televised. And, even on a charitable account, television is a pretty low type of narrative art. It’s a narrative art that strives not to change or enlighten or broaden or reorient—not necessarily even to “entertain”—but merely and always to engage, to appeal to. Its one end—openly acknowledged—is to ensure continued watching. And (I claim) the metastatic efficiency with which it’s done so has, as cost, inevitable and dire consequences for the level of people’s tastes in narrative art. For the very expectations of readers in virtue of which narrative art is art.

Television’s greatest appeal is that it is engaging without being at all demanding.” quoted in Wyatt Mason, “David Foster Wallace Thought Readers Are Smart And Tolstoy Was His Role Model,” in Huffington Post; available at  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/01/david-foster-wallace-thou_n_631183.html

Pinoy Culture Warzone || John Pesebre

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So I walked under a bus, I got hit by a train.
Keep falling in love, which is kinda the same.
I've sunk out at sea, crashed my car, gone insane.
And it felt so good, I want to do it again.
-- "Busses and Trains," Bachelor Girl 

"I tried so hard and got so far,
but in the end it doesn't even matter."
-- "In The End," Linkin Park

Late 80s at 90s pa nung magkaroon ng nihilistic na self-reference ang kultura. Kasabay din nito yung self-inflicted wounding ng marami sa Pinoy Goth.

Etong cultural motif na ito na usually mga kabataan nag-thrive sa postmodern bracketing na "You do your stuff, I do mine." Kaya naman yung mga Pinoy youth, would consider self-expression na championed ng awitin ng Bachelor Girl at Linkin Park as "authentic expression" -- devoid of any adult and institutional meddling.

May continuity/discontinuity na nangyari decades later. Naka survive yung self-reference, pero nawala yung self-infliction as expression of authenticity. Naka survive yung legitimacy ng conscience ng autonomous individual pero nawala yung walang paki-alaman.

Ngayon, lalo na ngayong napaka political ng Pinoy  -- naging socially aware ang pinoy sa mga political realities niya. Gusto nya nang mag absolutize ulit sa mga self-referenced rules niya. Hindi na siya nihilistic bagkus meron na siyang social narratives at tuturo siya ng mga tao o grupo ng mga tao na magdi disrupt ng narrative na yan. Ang matindi pa neto, yung katunggali nya ganyan din ang mindset.

Nag full circle kasi di nakuntento sa pangako ng kultura nung 80s at 90s.

Self-Criticism and Democracy || John Pesebre

Self-criticism has withstood as one of the enduring ideas of democracy. . . and it might have snowballed with the help of Xtianity.

It is expressed by many community actions in Christianity such as rebuke, admonition, call to repentance, confession of sin etc. It has a continuing story from the Bible such as of the prophets, apostles and Jesus himself. Jesus himself censured pharisees as fellow Jews; Paul rebuked; The prophets warned their own . . . albeit oftentimes without success but nonetheless such prophetic actions were divinely mandated.

Why #AfterModernity and #neighborology just need to shut up || John Pesebre

It is not hard to think that #AfterModernity is a castaway bastard child of evangelicalism's attempt to create a postmodern marionette in its community. Bastard child because while true postmodernity thrives in self-reference and second guessing its confidence, these emergent "evangelicals" are like over-demanding, over-confident millenials who want to set the tone of how an epoch should behave.
A pomo has a unique sense of insecurity not because of any behavioral crease but an awareness of the yeast of absolutism and coercive effect of metanarratives in finite creatures like you and me. They have experienced the pressure of the abusive corporate West and the discontent in colonial hegemony. A true pomo understands that his mission to complain and to create a motif of incredulity against modernity are rooted in his displeasure on abuses of modernity and not in its contributions to freedom of knowledge (cf. Kant's "Was ist Aufklarung?) and the "affirmation of the ordinary life" (cf. Charles Taylor) and the higher order of knowledge in science (cf. Polanyi) and many more.

Kaso the very thing you least expect to see sa #AfterModernity marionettes (aka postmodernist evangelicals kuno) are the very thing that characterizes them -- over-confident, smug, pedantic and dismissive of the linguistic communities such as those who developed creeds or confessions.

All I can say is that if these marionettes chauffeuring themselves in caravans of a new order of thinking for evangelicals are going to believe that they are not on their way out of town, they are, as David Foster Wallace puts it, no longer --

self-conscious, self-conscious of itself as text, self-conscious of the writer as persona, self-conscious about the effects that narrative had on readers and the fact that the readers probably knew that

and that, as Wallace continues,

a lot of the schticks of post-modernism — irony, cynicism, irreverence — are now part of whatever it is that’s enervating in the culture itself.

Then it's time for these naive but sly modernists called #AfterModernity, to SHUT UP and stop making quasi-tyranical amorphous or nebulous statements and just do what they are good at: shallow #neighborology and social gospelling.

Epal Thots sa Self-Referentiality ng mga Noyp || John Pesebre

 "[Artur] Sandauer traced the problem of self-referentiality from Romantic irony and Byronic auto-irony. . . Sandauer simultaneously linked the origins of self-referentiality in modern prose with the secularization of art, the idea of progress and the potentializing of the creative personality."* 

It will remain to be a realization for much of the Filipino populace (and in particular the Christian) to uncover the value and reproach of self-referentiality -- eto yung ang consciousness mo, ang mga foundation ng morality, ang bracketing mo ng mundo, ay naka reference sa'yo. Nasa sentro ka non. Na secularize siya kaya naman yung humanism niya oftentimes walang real spiritual foundation. Sabi Nietzsche hindi na jan madala kasi "there's a monkey standing in the way." Kung meron ka mang metaphysics, tinitingnan mo lang siya as metaphysical terms, not objects (cf. "metaphysical nominalism," William of Ockham). Ontic na lang siya, hindi na ontological IMHO.

Valuable siya kasi ngayon hindi mo na pwedeng lantarang alisan ng dignity ang individual kasi that individual will reference ang kanyang karapatan na ika nga nung isang pilosofo na si John Rawls na maski estado hindi pdeng alisin. Alam na niya ang potency ng self-reference niya. So pag may na-bully, yung taong tutulong sa nabully -- doctor man o magulang o counselor -- mag-a-appeal yan sa stregnth ng self-referential value sa pagkatao nung na bully para marunong siyang tumayo at mag uphold. If you want this to be even more a collective behavior of a people, pde mo siyang tawaging methodological individualism (f. Max Weber, Ludwig von Mises, Talcott Parsons).

Ang reproach naman is that self-reference can claim to be the foundation or ground ng realidad (metaphysics). Ire-reference niya ang sarili niya tulad ng sinabi ni Henley sa "Invictus" na "I am the master of my faith,/ I am the captain of my soul." So kapag may umaapi sa kanya he will destroy other people by deposing yung umaapi as less ang worth compared sa kanyang self-referential value & dignity. How he does that is true self-aggrandizing or buhat bangko na moral arguments or virtue signalling. Uulanin ka niyan ng moral argument dahil ang pinag uusapan niyo or ang authority ng kausap nila threatens yung kanilang self-referential propositions of worth. Naging atomistic or radical individualist na.

Kinakapitalan ng economics yung una; ng secular man yung pangalawa. By secular here I nuance it in its temporal or time aspect as "here and now" (Latin, "hic et nunc"). Kinakapitalan siya kasi yun ang pundasyon ng kanyang narrative. Naka self-reference ang kanyang meaning-making; how he views existence or being niya at iba pa like relationships, materials, belief in God atbp as self-referentially bolstering. Ini-instrumentalize niya para sa kanyang sarili lahat ng existence -- abstract man yan (like love and virtues) o physical (like wealth, parents, etc). In short naging self-perpetuating invictus or unconquerable soul.

Pero come to think of it saan galing yang hugot na yan ng self-referentiality? Di ba sa consciousness mo din lang naman as you look at the outside world? At san galing yang lingwahe ng cobsciousness mo? Di ba dahil lang sa mga naibigay sa'yo na pamamaraan ng pag-iisip? At dahil di mo rin alam kung san galing at gusto mo ng stable sa tingin mo na pundasyon, you will conceive what the secular age individual will conceive -- SELF-REFERENCE.

So ang moralidad mo, happiness mo, value mo, narrative mo, cultural purpose, etc will all be self-referential.

This is the postmodern condition that has run its course as David Foster Wallace would put it. Dati ang postmodernity helped facilitate the escape from tyranny of structures, language, grand stories, and universality. Ngayon it has become a structure of tyranny where each individual or community tries to enervate and envenom another with their own tyrannical structures, language, grand stories, and universality.

What is the chief end of man?
To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

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* Joanna Grądziel-Wójcik, "Literature’s Perpetuum Mobile, or A Few Words on Self-Referentiality," Forum of Poetics_, (Fall 2015): 86-95.

Jollibee drama || John Pesebre

Among the many advantages ng commercial that revolves around particular cultural themes like family, unrequited love, mga ala-ala, parental authority, etc ay maaring nababago ang inclinations ng isang kultura. By inclination, I mean yung direksyon ng puso at isipan. Ilagay mo yang napaka-intimate na setting na yan sa isang collective context like isang kultura, you will probably see yung cultural inclination na yon will THEN become cultural motions or exercises . . . I hope. Zeitgeist papunta sa Aktionsarten. Kung dati bwisitin sa pag-ibig, ngayon hindi na -- thanks dun sa "Vow" ng Jollibee.

Sa mga pockets of social action na yan nabuo ang maraming tema upang maitaguyod, after the collapse of the ancient Gaeco-Roman empire, ang Western civilization like compassion as social virtue, dignity of the individual, role of women (chivalry), abolitionism, etc. na namana nating demokratikong Pinoy. Themes like that of the Jollibee commercial. Hindi niya lang ibibring up na na i-evaluate ang inclinations ng heart/mind mo, it will naturally move you to visible exercises nung theme. Phronesis ika nga ni Aristotle. Or yung "think about such things" ni Paul sa Philippians 4:8.
Yan ang isang natural outrgrowth ng modern notion ng freedom ng reason (cf. Kant, "Was ist Aufklarung?) -- na yung tema will have its own laissez faire -- yung kalayaan niyang mamuhay at mag grow sa topography ng culture. Ganun daw lumalatag ang aspeto ng kultura sa isang lipunan. Parang yung tatakpan mo yung buong kama mo ng kumot, nag iiba itsura niya.

Ang critique naman na valid din jan ay yung makabuo siya ng culture of industry na we will only be reminded of these themes lang around context of the market and selling, o kung pano nila tayo gustong mag isip. Slowly nade-desensitize tayo to acquire things which either we do not need or destructive sa ating sarili. We became alienated further sa non-market na pag iisip -- yung makipag exchange ng goods ang laman ng kokote natin. All the while thinking na we are making motions derived out of cultural themes.

Ang trope o paghahalintulad na maaring mabuo sa isipan kasi ng tao is either "love=motions to love" or "love = motions to chicken joy." Wala sigurong problema kung from time to time lang kaso napaka pervasive ng effect ng industriya na kultura ang sini-simulate. Maya-maya tataas incidence ng mga health problems. Mamaya wala ka nang sariling bait at nag aantay na lang ng stimulus galing sa merkado para sa iyong kaligayahan. Sabay bili.

Tila baga nasa sosyudad ka ng kontrol.

Anti-Duterte Intellectuals' Meltdown || John Pesebre

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Nang manalo si Duterte at nagkaroon ng malaking following si Mocha Uson, may tumipak sa realidad ng public discourse -- eto yung bukod sa nawala na ang kapangyarihan sa mga intellectual elites ang pag create (or manufacture) ng narrrative, they are also running the show on the periphery.

Kumbaga yung mga nasa hegemonic status dati, nasa periphery na. Na subvert.

At mukhang ngayon nangangapa pa rin sila sa kung saan sila magsisimula ng phenomenolohiya nila. Gusto nilang mag analyze ng consciousness ng ibang tao, kasi tila yata hindi nila alam kung paano nila ia-analyze ang consciousness nila.

So heto ngayon ang application nyan:

1) when they engage yung katunggali nila, sasabihin nila na mga "baliw," "dutertards," "brain damage." Yan ang analysis nila malimit. Tandaan ninyo ha, mga intellectuals yan.

2) dahil ayaw nilang i-subject ang consciousness nila kasi nga nakakahiya kasi intellectuals sila na natalo, they will stick with their old post-EDSA tactic of upholing their moral uprightness and intellectual virtues. Tulad ni Randy David at mga Inquirer opinion makers, ang reference na naman ay yung Martial Law. na istak na ang taktika doon kasi nga akala nila sila yung nagpanalo doon at yun yung LAURELS nila.

to summarize in one word yung dahilan kung bakit napaka-mediocre ng diskurso nila: NAWALAN NA SILA NG KAPANGYARIHAN TO CONTROL NARRATIVES.

Death penalty in current Philippine discussions || John Pesebre

One of the ways the the democratic discourse takes an unfortunate turn is when those against the death penalty characterize those who are in favor as idiots and blood thirsty orcs from Lord of the Rings. I have seen a number of this social rhetoric in social media and heard a few conversations.

This statement quoted above from the book Is Death Penalty Just? by Carla Mooney gives you an idea that your pro-death-penalty opponents are also after justice and an efficient justice system in the country.

It is all too common in democratic discourse dito sa Pinas to see people present CHARACTERIZATIONS rather than ARGUMENTS. You characterize when you just portray a dissenting view (and oftentimes dismiss him/her as lacking intellectual virtue); you argue when you present conclusions based on premises.

The great French Renaissance philosopher Michel de Montaigne said,

I find I am much prouder of the victory I obtain over myself, when, in the very ardor of dispute, I make myself submit to my adversary’s force of reason, than I am pleased with the victory I obtain over him through his weakness.

I do not for a moment affirm that there are no trolls and irritants. Of course there are. However, I hope it is not the case that we imbibe the vices of our opponents and then start a domino effect -- displaying our rage as the end-all-be-all of our existence for people to see despite the presence of competent counter-argument.

The award-winning American writer Neil Stephenson, author of the critically acclaimed novel Cryptonomicon where he humors us with this,

Arguing with anonymous strangers on the Internet is a sucker's game because they almost always turn out to be—or to be indistinguishable from—self-righteous sixteen-year-olds possessing infinite amounts of free time.

Why do we forget? Reflection on Jeremy Lin and Marcos' burial at LNMB || JPP

When you look at Jeremy Lin now, you will not see traces of the craziness of 2012's LINSANITY. It was a glitch in the normalcy of the NBA. No, it was a glitch in reality. Words cannot describe that strange thing.

But that is the past. We move on to the next. Lebron moved to the Heat. Kanye married Kim. Psy had Gangnam Style. Neri and Chito had a sex tape. And life goes on.

People forget the intensity of Linsanity. The commerce it generated. The Knicks website that shutdown because of traffic. The facts speak for itself.

"As the unheralded, undrafted point guard from Harvard electrified the crowd." - Ernie Johnson on Jeremy Lin's 38-pt performance as Knicks beat Lakers on Feb 10, 2012.

I don't want to belabor the point of the correlation but let me just show you one of the many reasons why there was a thing called EDSA People Power Revolution. Here http://star.worldbank.org/corruption-cases/node/18497

And before I end this, please look at this pic  and probably help me understand how another glitch in reality has happened again now.