A Call to Awareness

- by Xavier Manalo


Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me a moment of your the time. A time for contemplation. A time of awakening.

Close you eyes for a moment. Lift yourself up to the atmosphere. Now you see the earth turn ever so slowly. Minding it's own business. You see the lands as they pass by you. The oceans as they circle the globe. You see the countries go by. You see events as they happen. You even see yourself as you're reading this.

And now you see this:

2017: Manchester City, UK

2016: Orlando, Florida, USA

2016: Paris, France

Today: Kobane, Syria

Today: Kabul, Afghanistan

And Now: Marawi City, Philippines

As the world turns you will see countless more of these images in the past decade alone. They say a picture speak a thousand words. What do they say to you?

These incidents all have one common denominator: 

Whether affiliated or pledging loyalty, heinous acts are committed for this flag. Thousands of lives lost, cities destroyed, people left traumatized. And so so so much more to come.

You realize that the world is indeed much bigger than your room, your computer, your phone. Your house. The world goes beyond the bubble of safety you placed around yourself. Now you realize that all are connected. Peace, Love, Harmony - all intertwined. 

And then there's chaos, war, instability. Now you know they do exist. They happen all around you. Beyond your everyday comfort, they thrive. Reality is knocking at your door. Will you answer it? You see yourself blinded by what appears to be important but shun the coming onslaught. Terror is nearby but you deny it's existence. You look but fail to see.

The world still revolves. Round and round it goes. But now you see something different, something you know deep in your heart exist, but have yet to let out. 

Solidarity. Unity. Comradeship. Fellowship. You see people getting together amidst hardship, amidst terrible depression, amidst terror. 

Despite groups of people united under a flag of terror, people fight. They stand by the flag of the nation. The true and only symbol of unity. 

As you return to your body finishing this, you have just been awakened, truly. You now see that terror had begun for you. You have realized that the nightmare is real. That it is coming; for you, for me, for your loved ones, for everyone.

Will you now stay in your bubble thinking it's safe, or will you break it open and join the solidarity; the union under the rightful flag, the call to arms against the terror we are all facing. It is time to step off the sideline of talk, rants and complaints. It's time to act. And it is most certainly time to choose a side. Our flag? Or theirs?

Choose.

You have now chosen. What will do now?