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Ab omnibus malis, libera nos, Domine. – I used to have an Indian client whose daily morning prayer was “Lord, spare me of doctors and lawyers today!” I did not give it much thought back then. Indeed, I thought the man from Bombay (Mumbai) was merely being facetious. Nowadays, however, I find that this shrewd (aren’t they all) businessman was so wise to pray as he did after all.
It’s also a prayer of thanksgiving. If you find that today you think you will not need to see a doctor or a lawyer, you’re still in good shape. You’ll survive. Otherwise, there’s always the great possibility that you’re in danger of losing your life, limb, your liberty, and most of the things you need in your futile attempts at pursuing the elusive dream called happiness.
I kid you not. How many friends have I lost who looked perfectly hale, normal, hearty and strong and decided somehow to go see a doctor. The next thing we heard this guy went from one expensive hospital into a government one (it was cheaper), for a “medical procedure” and died on the operating table. His widow was left with a medical bill for P750,000 (cheaper by at least P150,000, she was told).
Another diabetic neighbor I know who was bed-ridden for years had his legs cut off one after the other. One can only imagine the medical bills he had accumulated before he mercifully passed away.
Why or how did they think of inventing “lethal injection” in the first place? Incidentally, do they sterilize the syringes used in lethal injections? If so, why? If not, why not?
Why is it that nowadays many middle-aged persons I know who complain of chest pains and who happen to look prosperous are immediately if automatically scheduled for a heart by-pass? Why is it that none of the poor people I hang out with these days (jeepney drivers, auto mechanics, lateros, tuberos, carpenters, etc.) have never had any such procedure done on them? Is it a medical or a financial condition? Why is it that before one is admitted into a hospital, the receptionist asks and looks for his medical health card?
Is this why they call it high-stakes medicine?
Should we be grateful that we can now routinely undergo outpatient hernia repair, or have a heart valve replaced, a spinal tumor removed or some inflammatory bowel disease dealt with? Or, should we simply just pray and be grateful that we do not have to undergo such medical procedure? Incidentally, why don’t they call it “an operation” anymore? Is it because it is, in more ways than one? Just asking.
When it comes to lawyers, we don’t have to say very much. As they themselves love to say: “res ipsa loquitur.” Loosely or locally translated: “Obvious, ba?”
Our Supreme Court has also seen to that. Free access to the courts, one of the most basic of constitutional guarantees in any civilized society, is a thing of the past. You need a lot of money nowadays to run after an embezzler who ran off with your money. Aside from your lawyer’s unconscionable “acceptance fee,” you will have to pay up front filing fees in such an amount that it’s much cheaper to hire some motorcycle-riding assassin to shoot the bastard. It’s your classic case of throwing good money after bad.
Incidentally, the so-called “acceptance fee” is a Filipino invention. There should be no such thing as attorney’s fees paid in advance. Instead, western civilization coined the phrase “retainer” or “retaining fee.” While you’ll hear an elaborate explanation or justification for this invention, it’s basically the same thing. It’s about money paid up front. With lawyers, there is clearly no such thing as a “no cure, no pay” for services rendered or to be rendered.
The best thing that can be said about lawyers has already been uttered in the time of Shakespeare in Stratford upon Avon.
“The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers!” (“King Henry VI”).
Another curious thing common among lawyers and doctors (and people in religious garb) is that they love to keep their trade a mystery, to keep you in the dark. They’ll throw in a Latin phrase here and there, e.g., res ipsa loquitur or ignorantia legis neminem excusat. Actually, there’s no mystery there. People are more willing to pay good money on things they know nothing about, like,trypanosomniasis gambiensis. Why do you think doctors scribble all sorts of illegible mumbo-jumbo on their prescription pads? It’s just as true with expensive late model cars, electronic equipment, computers and cellphones. Why do you think the Pope still says mass in Latin?
Indeed, jokes about doctors and lawyers are so common they aren’t funny anymore.
But that’s not what this blog is about. It’s supposed to be about evil people, swindlers, embezzlers, con men - and how to spot them, and if you are wise, how to avoid them. However, why I immediately thought of doctors and lawyers in the same breath is anybody’s guess.
Indeed, who can you trust these days?
The first rule should be: whenever you hear anybody tell you “TRUST ME,” your first instinct should be to run for your life. Unless you’re waiting to be screwed.
When your friend tells you TRUST ME (with your money) – run. Never go into business with a friend. Friendship should be based on business and not vice versa.
When your lover tells you TRUST ME (with your virginity) – run. Why do you think condoms are now labeled “TRUST?”
When a politician or presidentiable promises jobs, lower taxes, or to take care of your electric bills – run. Politicians (and lovers) invented promises.
When a TV preacher promises to take you to heaven by quoting some verses from the Bible (especially from the Old Testament of which you know nothing about) – run. He is engaged in the vilest form of name-dropping or blasphemy (taking the name of the Lord, our God, in vain).
When somebody suddenly claims to possess some mysterious healing powers – run. It only means that he has realized he has no future as a preacher.
And, most recently, whenever some prestigious financial institution, investment house or trust company spends millions of dollars on TV commercials or sponsoring golf tournaments essentially saying “TRUST ME” (with your life savings) – run. Otherwise, they will have MADE OFF (Madoff, get it?) with all of your money. Incidentally, why is it that big-time swindlers and embezzlers handling other people’s money in Wall Street are called “brokers?”
This is the age of scams, scandals, and schemes. Bad guys are everywhere. These days they don’t just simply rob you of your money. They will go into rather sophisticated and elaborate schemes, ploys and devices all designed to fool you … eventually. Nowadays, legacy no longer means an inheritance. It’s billions lost to another Ponzi scam, apparently in connivance with some government regulators. Some of those so-called “budol-budol” or “dugo-dugo” gangs are so convincing many victims believe they were hypnotized.
Who was it who said “A fool and his money are soon parted?”
Why do you think that the Filipino these days no longer uses “goodbye” as a parting word? Now, it’s “ingat.” In big bold letters“ingat.” You can’t be too careful these days. There are wolves out there, some in sheep’s clothing, others in coat and tie, some men in black, some others in uniform. We’re not even talking here about reckless drivers, DUIs, or drug-crazed addicts or syndicated bank robbers.
Or, terrorists? Good Lord!
Is it any wonder then that the Lord’s Prayer ends with “et libera nos a malo?”
Apparently not content with this, Mother Church at mass follows this prayer with the incantation: “Libera nos, quaesumus, Domine, ab omnibus malis, praeteritis, praesentibus, et futuris…” (Spare us, O Lord, we ask you, from all evils, past, present and future…), and invoking the aid of the Blessed Mother, and all the saints at once, in the same breath.
Sometimes, I can’t help but wonder where the exhortation “LOVE ONE ANOTHER” fits in the scheme of things. Or, Trust in God?James D. Lansang
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Kuya MAC, tnx. we were just talking abt you and some of the guys we are all eagerly awaiting to come for the Centennial. a few of the boys got together recently for a belated celebration of EPISASO's bday (romyQ, tomran, fabspaga, fr. dante venus). the hope is that we dont fall short agn on the hospitality. rest assured we're holding our breath for your coming w/c will be sooner than we think. rgards
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herchellechek wrote on Jul 17, '09
Kuya James, thanks for the wisdom and the wit. You really nailed it down on the head .... and on the heads of a lot of people including myself... Ingat! (heh, heh!)
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hahahaha! This is Kuya J in one of his best elements. Thank you po for setting the mood of my day.
Binabaha ang Malabon; binabaha naman ang Multiply ng katatawanan. Who cares about hemorrhoids and breast augmentation? Ano pa nga ba ang kasabihan? -- Habang may bagyo, may Pag-asa? |
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“A fool and his money are soon parted?” by Thomas Tusser - an English farmer and writer (1524-1580)
"Why is it that before one is admitted into a hospital, the receptionist asks and looks for his medical health card?" or should you rather have said"...his/her bank book". "Sometimes, I can’t help but wonder where the exhortation 'LOVE ONE ANOTHER' fits in the scheme of things. Or, Trust in God?" Paradoxically, this is exactly & precisely the place where the Lord expects us to practice this "Love of neighbor". (Numerous passages in the SS). Ironically, it is precisely in this context that the Lord expects us to love one "ANOTHER". Not necessarily of the same feather but of many ruffled feathers. We are all the same in one way or another, and in varying degrees. Remember our Lord's "diatribes?" vs (in modern parlance) ... religious institutions, BIR (IRS), PBA/IBP,PMA (medical/military) etc... Sufficit. |
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butchcelestial wrote on Jul 18, '09
. . . . . I have the strangest love for 'typhoons' . . . . . and you are the best, kuya . . . . |
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jeemsdee said
 I wish to assure you that my blogs are merely the idle musings of a senile old man and not intended to preach much less to sway anyone any which way. 
But what sensible 'idle musings' these are Kuya James. These are how we experience the world, or most of it anyway. It's good that you write about such things because it makes people think and perhaps choose what to do about it. But so true re lawyers and doctors, which are supposed to be noble professions because one is to save lives and the other is to promote justice but the ideals of these professions are just that, ideals, in the here and now. It's the system/society that we all find ourselves mired in... it's the idea of 'profit' that probably are the prime motivator now I think. The 'system' has gotten so monstrous and has taken a life on its own that people seem to feel helpless to do anything to correct it. It's more of a case of a people getting eaten up by the existing system rather than the latter refining the former so that true 'service' prevails.
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Kuya James, you did it again. Could not have a better way to start the day than reading your smart dissertation. Which reminds us of the story of an old, ailing Priest known throughout his Parish for his life of holiness.
On his deathbed he wanted to make his last request which his assistant was only too willing to oblige. He requested the presence of two particular professionals known in the community to be present at his last hour, a lawyer and a physician. And so the two were politely summoned who were flattered to be given the unique honor to be by the dying bedside of the holy man of the cloth. To their mild surprise, the Priest requested them to lie down by the two beds, one on the left, the other on the right side of the gasping Cleric. Unable to control his curiosity, the Lawyer asked the Priest in subdued whisper, "Father, with all due respect, before you die, please tell us what made you select us for this privilege?" With labored breaths, the Cleric replied, "Son, even in death, I would like to die like my Savior- between two thieves." In the story Kuya, it was not really a doctor but an accountant who was with the lawyer. |
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Ate bem2, a word of caution. you are beginning to sound like you're the only one taking this discussion seriously. if you try to analyze carefully the exchanges on this site, you'll soon realize they come mostly from some wise old friends whose idea of recreation is to swap shopworn wisecracks and laugh at the inanities of this crazy world. you, my dear, are like a fresh breeze from some flowery meadow.
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jeemsdee said
Ate bem2, a word of caution. you are beginning to sound like you're the only one taking this discussion seriously. if you try to analyze carefully the exchanges on this site, you'll soon realize they come mostly from some wise old friends whose idea of recreation is to swap shopworn wisecracks and laugh at the inanities of this crazy world. you, my dear, are like a fresh breeze from some flowery meadow.
Hmm, good point Kuya James, I should ease up on the serious analysis a bit or else dadami na naman puting buhok ko. I should look at this like what Mr[?] CDRome there did, I laughed at the joke so much... don't worry, i'm still impressionable so baka ma-convert pa ako to the Comic Club :)... I really love the humor here, I do miss Pinoy humor :)
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As the ancient Parazziu Hypothesis declares, "Take K as the unknown knowledge. Add K to now; now you know". For good measure, one can proceed to sing the Parazziu song, "Para sa yo ang laban na to. . . para sa yo ang laban na to woh ho ho ho".
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"Sometimes, I can’t help but wonder where the exhortation “LOVE ONE ANOTHER” fits in the scheme of things. Or, Trust in God? " -
Yes, Kuya, like you, I can't help but ask, as I have asked so many times: Why have we not learned to love, as the Lord exhorted/exhorts us, as we were supposed to have been taught? Sino ang nagmamahal? Sino talaga ang nagmamahalan? Sino ang tunay na nagpapamalas ng pagmamahal sa kapwa, lalo pa sa mga dukha at sa mga walang-wala? Bakit mukhang "failure" ang simbahan sa pagpapalaganap ng magandang balita? Bakit hindi isinasabuhay ng mga so-called Christians, ng mga alagad ni Kristo, ang Kanyang habilin: Magmahalan kayo. Mahalin ninyo ang isa't-isa... Bakit parang bilang na bilang ang nagpapamalas ng pagmamahal, ng tunay na pagmamahal sa kapwa? Nasaan ang mabait na Samaritano? Nasaan ang mga mababait na Samaritano? Kuya, you are right again, as usual: In the scheme of things, for many of us, in most of us, LOVE is ABSENT. It is never too late, though, to practise love in the concrete, to manifest love in our personal life, to share whatever is true, good and beautiful in us with others, specially with those who need it most ( and everybody needs it!) every single day... Alam ni Kristo kung gaano karupok ang tao. Kung gaano ako karupok, kung gaano tayo karupok. He fully understood/understands the human condition: how frail you and i, we all are. Thus, He ends the prayer he taught us all to pray: And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from all evil. Amen. Problem is, do we take to heart what we pray, as when we pray: And lead us not into temptation... How many times do we personaly tempt ourselves, and others too, to go astray? Don't we look for temptations? Don't we become tempters ourselves? Salamat, Kuya, sa paalaala: Na buhayin ko ang pagiging kristiyano. Na tunay kong mahalin ang kapwa. Na dapat kong ipamalas ang pagmamahal sa kapwa ng walang kundisyon...Na dapat AKO'Y NAGTITIWALA SA DIYOS. MABUHAY KA, KUYA JAMES! SALAMAT KUYA JAMES, SA PAGTUPAD MO SA IYONG TUNGKULIN NA MAGPAALALA SA MGA KAPATID MONG NAKAKALIMOT, sa mga bata't matanda mong mga kapatid na di na natuto. Sine cera, kakavq. |
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KAKA, takooot akooo. Nkakabahala ang inyong mga tanong at mga hamon, kuya. Ang sa ganang akin ay magtanong lamang. Ang inyong ipinamamalas ay patama sa aming konsiensya. Nakakabagbag damdamin. Sana dumami at lumago ang mga tulad mo at mga tinatawag mo na tumugon sa bukhang bibig ng Panginoon: magmahalan kayo...tnx agn, kuya.
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paga65 said
Kuya seems you are inviting us to exorcise ourselves from our evil selves and go back to childlike simplicity. Di ba Atty.?
This is Kuya Paga65 from a different angle. This, in turn, led me to recall one lesson I learned in Catechism (ok, ok, in the seminary): Christ exhorted us to be like children. They view things from the perspective of fun; this allows them to cope. They carry no baggage; this allows them to travel light. They carry with them their innocence; this allows them to look at every moment as a fresh start. They are the epitome of simplicity. They are like bald people; they do not worry about dyeing. Fun is a serious business and must be one of the modes of exorcising evil.
Lord, spare us from ourselves. I thank you, Lord, that you've given us the tool of humor to undo the things we ourselves tend to complicate. Humor helps us cope and reminds us of your 6th commandment not to kill. I just hope that after seeing placenta soap in the market, they won't come up with a fallopian tube-flavored shampoo. It might just be too much for some of us. Please ignore my last two sentences. Just joking. |
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Sa totoo lang, Kuya, I believe most people take their faith rather seriously. But it's a very private thing. For some, it's a rosary. For others, it's kissing the foot of an icon of the crucified Christ. Still others, it's going on a pilgrimage to Manaoag. It can be rather confusing. It's futile to analyze. Neither is it for us to judge, much less condemn. What to do? Continue loving, anyway.
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Kuya James, you might be right. And lest others might misconstrue us, we do take our faith rather seriously too. While we may be telling jokes sometimes as Fr. Bel or Fr. Jerry do, we are not really joking. It is the message, not the massage. What better way to convey the message of faith than through an interestingly funny anecdote instead of a soporific homily so the faithful won't doze off or go out during mass for a quick nicotine fix as a lame excuse. Like the story of the lawyer who...
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jeemsdee said
it's a very private thing. For some, it's a rosary. For others, it's kissing the foot of an icon of the crucified Christ. Still others, it's going on a pilgrimage to Manaoag. It can be rather confusing. It's futile to analyze. Neither is it for us to judge, much less condemn.
We are experiential beings and faith is a very personal thing for a lot of people. And we all feel at times that the 'faith' that we know externally comes in 'layers', sometimes in a complex way, internally. So yes, while there are 'signposts' along the way to faith, each walks his or her own path towards it.
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Ang galingmo, Ate bem2. I couldnt have put it any better. You took a most delicate, complex and mysterious subject and presented it to us in a simple, elegant and acceptable form. I've said it before and I'll say it agn, you are a breath of fresh air in this forum. tnx rgards.
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Yes, indeed: We are experiential beings and faith is a very personal thing.
And we become what we experience. However varied our experiences may be, we are all in search of and are creating meaning/s in every situation we find ourselves in. I may have sounded judgmental, but it's because I too, like many of you, took and take my faith as a very personal matter seriously, perhaps, too seriously. Thus, I have often asked and I ask again: If we did and do take our faith seriously, how come we are still what we are? |
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