What September 21 Means to Me

September 21 marked two important events for me (well, three if I consider Yettie's birthday - happy birthday again Yets).

In 1972, ex-President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law on September. Depending on how you look at it, that day marked a significant change in everyone's life. That day marked forever in world history.

For many, the declaration of martial law meant curtailment of freedom. It meant curfews, endless violence and the start of turbelent moments ahead. For some, they saw a gold mine. Thye took advantage and nepotism as a politico-socio-cultural ideology was born. To most of the common folks, it only meant bad news. As bottom feeders, change was something to be desired. All they could see were the continuous mushrooming of buildings and complexes that would help seal the image of this country as a fast-developing country. But that progress was empty. It was a bubble economy ready to pop any moment.

Dictatorship was suddenly the in-thing. Your right to live and to think, essentially, was suddenly curtailed. Now, you're just a puppet / mechanism acting out someone else's dream for you. Life was taken out of your hand. Now a dictator just gives you order on what to do and what to do. Sure, you can still have your own decisions in the small stuff, but you're acting on a certain accordance that you have no control of. You're just a mere extension of the dictator and the machinery running it. Worse, you are made to feel you're empowered but not really. It's the biggest lie on can ever run into.

And they were living in fear. Fear of being policed anytime if someone complains. Fear of being charged of something you didn't do. Or fear of being anynonymous despite any effort to be heard. Polar opposites, yes.

Short of saying, those years were wasted. Not only time was wasted, all the efforts to change the system (read: improve it), all the time, precious resources. You just sapped out your own energy doing nothing. Like a mouse in a science lab running inside the proverbial wheel (of life).

The past few years of my life felt like this. A dictatorship. I felt like being dictated upon. Under-valued.

September 21, 2007, also meant something important for me. After enduring this, I just empowered myself and decided on an affirmative action. I want liberation. Liberty, afterall, was mine to keep. On this date, I decided that I will be a free man. I will free myself from any imprisonment. I've never felt happier. I've never felt more relieved.

So happy, I bought two things that I didn't know had connection to this day. I bought DKNY's Be Delicious EDT. After feeling yucky and wasted, I felt delicious once again. And of course, I bought the CIVIL WAR series of Marvel Comics. Yes, two (medyo pilit) relevant things to September 21.

I do know that after crying for liberation, my tribulation is just about to begin. Magsisimula pa lang ang bakbakan. The battle will be dirty and long I guess, but I will win. I can't lose this fight. I have everything to win, at this point.

Win or lose, I have perfectly good reasons to smile. For one, I have my friends and family backing me up.

No retreat. No surrender. Wish me all the luck.