“Live simply that others may simply live” (Remembering Ka Bel)

“Honorable Beltran, could you come down from there?”

He does come down willingly, joyfully.

And now he is with us forever.

Ka Bel wants to do it on his own. He wants to see it done. He wants it fixed. What is it, Ka Bel? A hole on the roof. A corruption scandal. An inhuman working condition. An insufficient wage. An arrogance and lavishness of the elite. A disempowered working class.

I heard him speak. We heard him speak. His words express what we dare not to speak about. His words reverberate in the grumblings of hunger, sleeplessness of tired bodies, restlessness of bonded souls, passing of hours, days, nights of gripping injustices experienced by working class.

I saw him walk in the protest lines. I saw him lead. I saw him wave from inside of the hospital.

“I am OK. I am with you.”

I felt his energy, his boiling determination that melts any stubborn hearts and minds. His passion for change, for love of his own class and country, dwarf the scale and magnitude of the forces of status quo. Are we going to let it be?

His life is simple, very simple. In the human standards, he is the poorest among the honorable men and women of congress. In the other Congress somewhere where men and women are truly honorable, his wealth is immeasurable, for there is nothing to measure except one’s faith and deeds.

Ka Bel has faith in the Filipino people. He believes in our capability to fight against injustices. And he believes that we will triumph. Our triumph is his triumph too.

Are we going to fail him?

Robert "Bobby" Fischer (1943 - 2008): A chess genius like no other

The man is remembered for living his life on his own way and world. He is a man to himself and to the world. Bobby Fischer passes away with chess titles and championships memorable to all who see and remember him.

Learning what happened in Iceland in January 18, 2008, I ought to write something about Fisher and his impact in my life. As a chess enthusiast, it is clear why I like the man very much. He is simply a genius in the
game of chess. In countless times, I have played his brilliant games with myself. Chess players like to beat themselves, you know. But I usually win against myself in chess. What I have learned from him extends beyond the 64-square board and blurs my view of the world as black and white.

He teaches me to love and respect books. As a young boy, Fisher would devour chess books day and night. He would seclude himself and devote almost the whole day reading and mastering chess books and all the classics in chess. For him, there is no substitute for learning chess but read. There is no substiture for learning life but live. Indeed, he lives fully well.

He guides me to have clarity among options. His games are brilliant examples of clear plan and strategies. I learn that chess is about finding the best move. It offers thousands of possible moves but there can only be one best move at a time. The challenge is to find it continuously in the shortest time possible. It assures oneself a sure winner, both in chess and in life if this is done according to rules. Certainly, Fisher would speak his mind on anything passionately. Clearly, he is a man of his own choosing, a man of his own mind.

He shows me eccentricity with conviction. There are many chess moves that are hard to fathom their logic. They may appear as harmless or dubious but the underlying intent is powerful. Later in his life, Fisher would renounce his US citizenship and often criticize his own country. As in chess, surprises are dangerous and fatal. He dies in a foreign country where his game is understood and accepted well. His life is the greatest game I have seen.

He is remembered for his games and life. He resigns from life but he reigns in the minds of those who see his way and world.