A former student of mine, Thetis Abrera-Mangahas, who was in the very first sociology class I taught in the 1960s read my column about life and illness last week and suddenly remembered our discussions about life and death in Sociology 101. She sent me a sweet note and enclosed a fascinating essay by the writer … Read more
The title belongs to a short essay by the great modern Chinese writer Lu Hsun. He had written it just a few months before he died. Recurrent illness exhausted him so much he likened it to excessive manual work. It was during moments of recuperation, between sleeping and staring blankly at nothing, that he discovered … Read more
Apart from the deaths and the huge losses in property, the Pinatubo lahar’s greatest impact on the people of Pampanga has been the defamiliarization of the landscape. The landmarks we knew as children — the old houses, the majestic trees, the placid rivers, the stolid churches and the abundant markets — are all gone, erased … Read more
There is something humiliating in suffering and something elevating and superior in sympathy. Which is why these two sentiments, said Nietzsche, will always be strained. Their interaction must be handled with care. The problem of lahar in Pampanga is compounded by the fact that its victims have been unable to bear their suffering with dignity. … Read more
For 87 years, Oseola McCarty of Hattiesburg, Mississippi lived her life in total simplicity and anonymity. Today, she is America’s new-found hero. Recently the New York Times paid homage to this wonderful black woman in an editorial, and US President Bill Clinton asked her to be his date at a testimonial dinner at the White … Read more