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Quid rides? Mutato nomine, de te fabula narratur - A quote from Horace, one of the more popular Roman poets (65 B.C.). Let’s parse that simple Latin phrase. Rides, 2nd person, singular, present tense, fromridere, to laugh (whence comes “ridiculous”). Mutato nomine – mutato, past participle, ablative case, masculine, of mutare, to change (whence is derived “mutate” or “immutable”); nomine, ablative case of nomen,nominis or “name” the root word of many “nomenclatures.” Fabula, almost an English word for fable, story. Narratur, 3rd person, singular, present tense, passive, of narrare, to narrate. Hence, literally, “Why do you laugh? With a name change, the fable is about you.”
In other words, it’s the story line or moral of every anecdote, parable, or homily. Don’t laugh now. Just change the name of the main character and you’ll realize the story is all about YOU after all. The trouble of course with a parable is that it’s mostly just a fable, i.e., a fairy tale. It’s apocryphal. So, we dismiss it as just another funny story, not to be taken seriously. It was never supposed to have really happened. You may wish it did but it ain’t necessarily so.
Did you hear the story about the pig and the cow?
The villagers didn't believe him. He said, "Do you think I'm immortal? I'll die like everyone else, and then my money will go to charities." He couldn't understand why they didn't believe him.
One day he went for a walk. All of a sudden it started raining heavily, so he took shelter under a tree. Under this tree he saw a pig and a cow. The pig and the cow started talking to each other, and the man overheard what they were saying.
The pig said to the cow, "How is it that everybody appreciates you and nobody appreciates me? When I die, I provide people with bacon, ham and sausage. People can also use my bristles. I give three or four things, whereas you give only one thing: milk. Why do people appreciate you all the time and not me?"
The cow said to the pig, "Look, I give them milk while I'm alive. They see that I am generous with what I have. But you don't give them anything while you're alive. Only after you're dead do you give ham, bacon and so forth. People don't believe in the future; they believe in the present. If you give while you are alive, people will appreciate you. It’s that simple."
One day he went for a walk. All of a sudden it started raining heavily, so he took shelter under a tree. Under this tree he saw a pig and a cow. The pig and the cow started talking to each other, and the man overheard what they were saying.
The pig said to the cow, "How is it that everybody appreciates you and nobody appreciates me? When I die, I provide people with bacon, ham and sausage. People can also use my bristles. I give three or four things, whereas you give only one thing: milk. Why do people appreciate you all the time and not me?"
The cow said to the pig, "Look, I give them milk while I'm alive. They see that I am generous with what I have. But you don't give them anything while you're alive. Only after you're dead do you give ham, bacon and so forth. People don't believe in the future; they believe in the present. If you give while you are alive, people will appreciate you. It’s that simple."
From that moment on, the rich man gave all he had to the poor.
The following news story really happened quite recently.
CLEVELAND – A contractor who found $182,000 in Depression-era currency hidden in a bathroom wall has ended up with only a few thousand dollars, but he feels some vindication.The windfall discovery amounted to little more than grief for contractor Bob Kitts, who couldn't agree on how to split the money with homeowner Amanda Reece.
It didn't help Reece much, either. She testified in a deposition that she was considering bankruptcy and that a bank recently foreclosed on one of her properties.
And 21 descendants of Patrick Dunne — the wealthy businessman who stashed the money that was minted in a time of bank collapses and joblessness — will each get a mere fraction of the find.
"If these two individuals had sat down and resolved their disputes and divided the money, the heirs would have had no knowledge of it," said attorney Gid Marcinkevicius, who represents the Dunne estate. "Because they were not able to sit down and divide it in a rational way, they both lost."
Kitts was tearing the bathroom walls out of an 83-year-old home near Lake Erie in 2006 when he discovered two green metal lockboxes suspended inside a wall below the medicine chest, hanging from a wire. Inside were white envelopes with the return address for "P. Dunne News Agency."
Many speeches and sermons nowadays begin with a heart-rending Cinderella or sob story (makabagbag damdamin) or some silly joke just to break the ice, or to get the audience to sit up and think they just walked into a comedy central or SNL set. It seems many people cannot relate to, much less understand, a learned presentation couched in sober, pragmatic or philosophical terms. Many people are not interested in a topic that is addressed to everyone in general. They will however lean forward and cup their ears, the better to catch every word, when the preacher relates the personal story of just one man. They are hoping that perhaps a bit of that story relates somehow to their own personal life.
Many preachers and philosophers, columnists and propagandists are master fabulists or parable weavers. It’s also known as argument by anecdote. It may not be admissible at law since lawyers are mostly bound by the ruling case or “stare decisis;” and not by some work of fiction or a hypothetical case. Since the law is dependent on the facts of the case (“jus sequitur esse”), very often the lawyers will pound on or quibble over the facts. However, if they are weak on the facts, they will fight over the applicable law or jurisprudence. Otherwise, they’ll pound on the table.
Jesus Christ was a master “parabolist.” His name is almost synonymous with parables. He spoke in parables. Noticeably so. Too frequently so. His disciples at one point had to ask him: “why do you speak to them in parables?” Mt. 13:10. Who has not heard about the parable of the Prodigal Son? When Jesus resorted to parables, however, he never tried to be funny, trite, much less seek nor fish for approval.
Let me relate to you again my favorite story about the frog and thescorpion.
Si Mamang Palaka at si Kuya Scorpio. One day, there was a great flood and everyone needed to head for higher ground. But to do so, they had to cross a mighty river which had become swollen because of the rains. Nakita ni Kuya Scorpio si Mamang Palaka na patawid na sana ng ilog. “Mamang Palaka, Mamang Palaka, baka naman pwedeng makisakay na lang sa iyo hanggang sa kabila ng pampang?”
The frog hesitated. “Ayoko nga, baka sa kalagitnaan ng ilog ay bigla mo akong kagatin. Sori po.” Sagot naman ni Kuya Scorpio, “Bakit ko naman gagawin yoon? Malulunod tayong pareho.” Nakapag-isip-isip si Mamang Palaka. “Oo, nga naman ano. Sige na nga, sakay na at tayo na.”
Noong nasa kalagitnaan na sila ng ilog, biglang tinuka ng scorpio si palaka sa leeg. Nang silang dalawa ay papalubog na, ganoon na lamang ang sisi ni palaka at bago ito tuluyan nang malunod ay dumaing pa “Kuya, kuya scorpio, baket, baket mo naman ginawa yoon?” Sagot naman ni scorpio habang nalulunod na rin: “I cannot help what I am. Talaga yatang ganoon ako.”
Napakadalas daw mangyari ito sa ating buhay. Sinabi na sa atin, alam na alam na natin makakasama sa atin. Hindi tayo makapagpigil. Gagawin at gagawin pa rin natin ito. Hence, a very popular term nowadays among the bagets: “PASAWAY.”
Nagsimula pa ito kay Adan at Eva. Gawin na ninyo kung ano ang gusto ninyo. Sa inyo nang lahat ang paraisong ito. Kainin niyo na ang ano mang bagay dito. Huwag niyo lang pakialaman, huwag niyo lang kainin itong frutas na ito. Ito’y makakasama sa inyo.
Kumain pa rin.
Ang tao ay marupok. We cannot seem to help what we are. Time and again we have been reminded to avoid “the occasions of sin.” Every time we say the Lord’s Prayer, we remind ourselves even as we pray, “at huwag mo kaming ipahintulot sa tukso” (‘and lead us not into temptation”); yet something deep within seems to keep on whispering back: “tukso, kapitan mo ako.”
As St. Paul lamented: I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. Romans 7:14-25.
What is it that keeps us from doing the right thing, from leading a life pleasing not only to God but to those who love us and expect us to be good, to be responsible and be able to follow the straight and narrow and to avoid the lure of the flesh, the trappings of power and the desire for great wealth, fame and power?
What is it that keeps us from forgiving someone who has hurt us deeply?
Is it weekly homilies and sermons that we need, more lessons on theology, spirituality? But we know too much already as it is, maybe that’s part of the problem.
I don’t really have the answer. I am reminded of an old teacher in religion. Whenever one of us confronted him with a question he could not answer, he would always say:
“It’s a mystery, boy.” - JAMES L.
Man is as enigmatic as Yhwh is mysterious. Mysterium fidei.
From the depths of his life, comes the wisdom of the ages. He presents the serious as funny, and what is funny as serious, leaving you in a quandary, which is which? Is he a fool speaking the words of the wise, or a wise man masquerading as a fool? Read for yourself and enter the depth of your soul, Be wary, though, as you may discover your true self and never be the same again. |
elmersarmiento wrote on Nov 11, '08
I like the portraiture, the reflections and the kid's stare. The play of colors looks like a Warhol art (similar as the Mao faces of Andy W). Nice, except the smirk.
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Kuya, you asked: Why can't we forgive one who has who hurt us deeply? Sapagkat tayo'y tao lamang. Sapagkat mahirap talaga magpatawad. Sapagkat mahirap tayo makalimot ng ginawa sa atin, na, sa una nating palagay, ay di natin dapat naranasan at hindi natin "deserved". Pero, sa bandang huli: matututunan din nating mapatawad; matututunan din nating kalimutan; at ang pinaka-mahalaga, matututunan din nating tawanan! |
elmersarmiento said
 I like the portraiture, the reflections and the kid's stare. The play of colors looks like a Warhol art (similar as the Mao faces of Andy W). Nice, except the smirk.
tnx, Kuya ELMER. 4 out of 5 is not bad. you are a connoiseur, indeed.
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