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Greek words

Four words. They may sound Greek at first – because they really derive from that elegant language of ancient philosophy. But we feel they capture as well the signs and challenges of our present time. GMA can have her SONA tomorrow, but let us grasp our own four words today.

First, crisis. A crucial or unstable situation, usually stressful, from Greek krinein. It aptly describes the lives of almost 90 million Filipinos, including those who live and work overseas for an extra pittance – from the icy chill of Norwegian tankers to the wartorn streets of Lebanon. We don’t have to cite statistics to see that today there is more poverty and less jobs, more corruption and less service, more orphans and less justice, than when GMA assumed her throne five years ago.

Second, hubris. Overbearing pride, utter arrogance, from Greek hubris, which also means wanton violence. It gives an exact image of how GMA and her boys think they can wield power through a mastery of lies, bribery, trickery and coercion. From her atrocious “I am sorry” in July 2005, she has unsheathed her sword of war and is posed to smite down in a bloodbath all who would not bow down to her wishes.

Third, apathy. Lack of interest, indifference. From Greek apatheia, without feeling. This is the sentiment that GMA’s entire coterie would like to prevail among the Filipino people. Amid the persistent clamor for truth about the scams that hound her regime, amid the cries for justice from victims of her killer squads and torture rooms, she would claim that the public is “tired of politics” and would merely want to “go on with their lives” like nothing happened. Like worker ants who unquestioningly feed the queen ant and her soldiers.

Crisis, hubris, apathy – all these truly loom large in our midst. Like slow poison, they debilitate our bodies and cloud our minds. But they don’t exist in unlimited quantities. They all have an end, a turning point where apathy becomes awareness and action, where hubris is cleansed by catharsis, where crisis leads to its resolution.

And that leads us to the fourth word, kairos. A Greek word meaning “the right or opportune moment.” Invoked by early Christians to guide their daily conduct, it can serve today as our constant call to action, our antidote to poison. Every day, every hour, we must be vigilant in resisting tyranny. We must be persistent in working for genuine social change. Every day, every hour is an opportunity waiting to become reality. If only we persevere. #

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