My Daughter’s Take on Human Rights

We are in perilous times once again. The world is in the winter of discontent. Just when we’ve thought globalization and mobilization, almost all citizens of the world connected through a five inch cellular phone, then we realize we are caught off guard by the seeming rise to power of despicable forces that threaten whatever peace we have enjoyed so far.

Sadly, many a collateral damage couldn’t be undone. And the inevitable war against evil is upon us. That is reality. And all is written in our history books. My mistake, I did believe that somehow, after the little contribution I participated in for my country, I would be spared of the harshness of brutal deaths and inhuman disregard to life that sporadically terrorized the world.

Yesterday, I was surprised by an article written by my own daughter, about human rights. I hope the write-up reaches the United Nations, the New York Times, the European tabloids, the Middle East, our own Asia especially China and Indonesia. because this is a youth’s perception of why we are fighting. We have allowed the bullies to tramp on us. And we need sanity, understanding, information and logic. So please read and pass. For our children.

In my ‘burgis’ opinion

I am very proud of you, Jean.

Bourne Again

I was asking Jean and Tish what the title of the sequel to the Bourne series was, and they simply said Jason Bourne. Oh well, being a Ludlum fan, I was particular about those titles:The Bourne Identity, Bourne Ultimatum (film), The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Legacy. I was thinking about a word with a letter Y at the end that would be appropriate for the latest Bourne movie, one that came rather long from the last Matt Damon starrer. I was hoping, after Erin Cross with Jeremy Renner, the two assets would team up for a spectacular revenge against the covert CIA program that used and abused government special forces for their self-serving purposes. Thus, there was much excitement on my part to see Jason Bourne, even if I Knew Matt Damon would not be dashingly slim nor young anymore.

So it was a date, yours being truly thankful Tish got a Sunday to spare, and Jean willing to shoulder the tickets, the buko juice and the steaming dimsum and mami later,

Oh it was Jason Bourne all right, and after several years, he still has not remembered his own identity fully, has gone to physical brawls, as if it is the only solution by which he could deal with an elusive past, and it took an original character, Nicky Parsons, a CIA clerk, who hacked on the program files and saw the David Webb file, Bourne’s real identity, to prompt Jason to be who he really was.

Thus, the movie Jason Bourne,

It was all right, as I said. All the Bourne trademarks are there: the plot, the sound effects, the script, an all original Bourne, including the deception and the betrayal, the chase,the fast action, and all the super Bourne intelligences: driving cars and motorbikes, natural intuition on impending danger, map reading, direction, wire skills on creating sirens for diversion, etecera.

It was a good movie, our cup of tea. But over cups of tea at Hap Chan, for lack of more things to talk about, just sad on losing Nicky, and agreeing her character needs to go, the movie was simply all over, a Bourne again.

On a response to the difference between the world’s two most practiced religions.

I responded to a social media question, if we know the difference between the world’s two most practiced religions.

Last time I checked, there are 2.3 billion Muslims, and 1.7 billion Catholics. I do not know the figure for all Christians. As to the Catholic Bible, Jesus is God, in the Muslim Koran, Jesus is a prophet. Nevertheless, in the Koran, Mohammed, I think, was mentioned 3 times, and Jesus, 23 times. Mohammed died, Jesus resurrected. There is one woman mentioned in the Koran, her name is Miriam. That’s as far as I know.

Someone replied:

  It’s Mariam and not Miriam.

I answered:

Thank you. I stand corrected.

And there was a clarification. I did not include the lengthy explanation because the text is not mine.

 Mariam or Maryam – is it an arabic name for Mary the mother of Jesus (i.e. Eesa) (peace be upon them), there is one whole chapter in the Holy Quran name after Virgin Mary (Maryam) chapter 19 with 98 total verses . . Mohammed (pbuh) was mentioned 5 times and Jesus (Eesa) (pbuh) 25 times. . . In Quran, Jesus (pbuh) is a prophet 

 And this was my response.

Thank you very much for this profound information. I sense that you are very keen in your study of the Koran. I was surprised at the one whole chapter, all with 98 verses devoted to Maryam, the Virgin Mother of Eesa, or in our Christian language, Jesus. The Born Again Christians do not regard Her with much honor as we do Catholics. The divisiveness in Christianity happened in the last few centuries, ironically, when in the 13th century, towards the end of the Dark Ages, the Blessed Mother started inspiring people from all walks of life in Europe, thus the magnificence in that continent’s architecture, literature, music, the arts, such as painting, sculpture, and most importantly the mystics, or what we Catholics call saints, such as Francis and Clare of Assisi. Anyway, I’d like to know if there is also a background on Mohammed’s family in the Koran, since Maryam is the lone woman mentioned. And why was Mohammed minimally mentioned, as compared to the prophet Jesus? As to Eesa being a prophet, I googled some of the verses you wrote there, and the word prophet was used to describe the seeming wonder the people felt about a mystifying Man in their midst. The people were in awe of Someone Who narrated beautiful parables about the Kingdom of God, and healed the sick, and rose the dead. It was the people’s perception. They didn’t know yet He was God. But I am also curious as to what instances, in the five times Mohammed was mentioned, was the references to him was about. I will surmise that the 25th time Jesus was mentioned was about the resurrection. For us Catholics, that is the triumph over sin, in the very long history of salvation, spanning 3(?) millenniums of Bible stories. Jesus was the Messiah, the Savior, the Christ. He sacrificed His Life to save man from sin. As to His Divinity, with God, all things are possible, most especially, making Himself Man. Thank you very much for responding to my comment, and may the good God bless you, too.