Friday, February 8, 2008

The Month of Love

Came across this hilarious song that makes light of the "plight of the singles." Hehe. It made me crack up.

MABUTI PA SILA (Words and music by Gary Granada)

Mabuti pa ang mga surot, laging mayroong masisiksikan

Mabuti pa ang bubble gum, laging mayroong didikitan

Mabuti pa ang salamin, laging mayroong tumitingin

Di tulad kong laging walang pumapansin…

 

Mabuti pa ang mga lapis, sinusulatan ng papel

At mas mapalad ang kamatis maya’t mayay napipisil

Napakaswerte ng bayong, hawak ng aleng maganda

Di tulad kong lagi na lang nag-iisa

 

Ano bang wala ako na mayron sila?

Di man lang maka-isa habang iba’y dala-dalawa

Pigilan niyo akong magpatiwakal

Mabuti pa ang galunggong nasasabihan ng mahal.

 

Kahit ang suka ay may toyo at ang asin may paminta

Mabuti pa ang lumang dyaryo ay yakap yakap ang isda

Mabuti pa sila, mabuti pa sila

Di tulad kong lagi na lang nag-iisa.

 

Mabuti pa ang simpleng tissue at laging nahahalikan

Mabuti pa ang mga bisyo, uma-asang babalikan

Mabuti pa sila, mabuti pa sila

Di tulad kong lagi na lang nag-iisa.

 

Pigilan niyo akong magpatiwakal

Bakit si Gaby Concepcion lagi na lang kinakasal

Mabuti pa ang mga snatcher, palaging may naghahabol

Ang aking luma na computer meron paring compatible

Mabuti pa sila, mabuti pa sila

Di tulad kong lagi na lang nag-iisa.

So much for this humorous take on a universal, human need. Over and over, the psychology/ guidance text books I've been scanning for EDCO 101 all say the same thing: "The primary human need is to love and be loved."

It's a pity how the media influences us to a large degree to focus only on one kind of love, and that is eros. But there are other forms of love, and the Greeks had different names for them.

There's affection (storge), which is the most "natural" kind of love because it is a direct result of familiarity. Then there's friendship (philia), which exists between people who share a common interest. And there's the purest, most beautiful form of love which is charity (agape). This is unconditional love, the love that God has for us, and the love that all of us are called to have in turn. The difficult thing about this is that we are called to love our neighbors AS THEY ARE... dislikable traits, bad vibes and all.

This coming Valentine's Day, let's not be distracted by the twelve inch roses (and matching twelve-inch Toblerone's... I kid you not! I saw them for sale in the supermarket!!), the barrage of special events, and ubiquitous romance movies. Romantic love is all very well and good, but as C.S. Lewis pointed out, "love begins to be a demon the moment it begins to be a god."

For all the couples out there, I think it's a good time for them to renew their relationship with the necessary Third Party... He who is the "Augmenter of all our loves."

And for us singles, let us rejoice in our blessed state! :) And be thankful for the vast opportunities that singlehood allows us to have. Let us be happy in expectation, and keep our eyes focused on our heavenly lover... He who proved his love for us by no less than suffering torture and death... and wait patiently for the time when our partners will be revealed to us. :) I am soooooo excited for that day!  But in the meantime, there's lots of things to be done... so much preparation to do!

Have a wonderful Valentine's, everyone!

10 comments:

  1. "There's affection (storge), which is the most "natural" kind of love because it is a direct result of familiarity. Then there's friendship (philia), which exists between people who share a common interest. And there's the purest, most beautiful form of love which is charity (agape). "


    true!=)

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  2. "love begins to be a demon the moment it begins to be a god."

    - yikes! that's such a subtle danger! especially for hopeless romantics (like me!) who love love. hahaha

    patience patience...

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  3. Feliz!! The inspiration for this post came from C.S. Lewis' FOUR LOVES.

    Mika!! That sentence struck me the most. Haha ako rin, sobrang hopeless romantic... must be all those junk romance novels. Ick. How wonderful for us that we can tap into our romantic, passionate natures to love Him!!!

    Thanks so much for THE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL SON... I finished it this morning. I kept going, "Can relate! Can relate!" haha! Especially with the "elder son" chapter. Ang galing, thanks so much for lending it to me.

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  4. me too!!! i super related with the characters too! you read really fast huh? you're most welcome ate gabi, i wish i could lend you more books, but i don't have many. i'm rereading miracles now, it's getting clearer.

    hopeless romantics.. i wonder if it has anything to do with being musicians. we're sort of sensitive to aesthetic experiences (being in love - one of the best!). it's the poetic soul in us! hahaha

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  5. I'm not that fast a reader, Mika, hehe, mabagal ako compared to the real McCoy like my sis (she doesn't read books, she gobbles 'em. Gobbles 'em down like candy, I tell you!)

    When you're done with MIRACLES I'll lend you Ravi Zacharias' CAN MAN LIVE WITHOUT GOD. It's a very thought-provoking read... type na type mo, hehe. ;) It even has an appendix on the philosophers who were "mentors to the skeptics" and also a Q&A part on Atheism and Theism.

    Tama ka... I've yet to meet an unsensitive musician, haha! Oxymoron ata yun. It goes with the territory... the dangerous thing is, since we're trained to tap into our emotions to fuel our craft, sometimes it can get too extreme. Wallowing in certain emotions isn't healthy.

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  6. hahaha, you know na my type of book huh? :) cge cge, thanks so much for your willingness to share!

    i dont know with you, but listening to music gets me moody sometimes. if i'm LSS with a certain song, that's the mood i will usually have during my day. if im LSS with Beethoven, i feel a bit yabang. if im LSS with rachmaninov, i feel rly sentimental. if im LSS with the beatles, i feel distant. hahaha

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  7. Ako rin!! I treat my mp3 player like a medicine cabinet. I listen to certain songs to get me in a particular mood. Haha! Right now I have pick-me-uppers like "Somewhere over the rainbow/ What a wonderful world" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, and the upbeat choruses from Bach's Christmas Oratorio. Ooooh and there's also the Pastoral Symphony by Beethoven, and the predominantly piano soundtrack of Pride and Prejudice for when I want to feel happy and peaceful.

    Beatles music = distant, haha! Would never have thought of that particular adjective. LSS talaga ako with their "Come together... right now... over me...."

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  8. distant, cool, space-out... many of their songs give that feeling, though not all. some make me feel bubbly, such as yellow submarine. some make me feel super-nostalgic, such as in my life. so much variety in the 'medicine cabinet'. hahaha

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  9. LOL. haha nice to be single, pero iba talaga kung merong special someone!! i wonder how it's like. haha obvious ba, nbsb?

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  10. Apir tayo, NBSB - clubmate! ;) Hehe. Here's looking forward to the day when the both of us have met our "partners-in-(and hopefully, FOR)-life."

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