INDIFFERENCE

Two months ago, while lying idly in the sofa I overheard Kris (Aquino) over a television program in her nightly showbiz news called SNN giving away a bit of a trivia as to who was the popular actress who bought a P3M bag. Rarely do I watch celebrity shows. I find it a waste of time peeking at other people’s lives and delving into their private affairs digging about their interesting sometimes shocking love affairs, love escapades and such other superficial information about their showbiz careers. There are stars who wantonly display their prized possessions bought in megabucks. The ostentatiousness that go with being a celebrity without regard to the wide margin of poverty this country is confronted with is for me the height of insensitivity and indifference to the hapless plight of others. As Madonna quipped in her song, “it’s a material world,” and materialism rules in this kind of profession. Yes, being in a celluloid world, makes one living in a grand fantasy. Who could resist the lure of becoming famous, rich and pampered. On the other hand, my admiration goes to a few celebrity stars who are passionate on their chosen advocacies despite their busy schedules. Advocacies that they adhere to, to inform, reform and initiate change.

Going back to the P3M bag, the mere mention of it kept me into thinking who that celebrity was. Somehow, the news piqued me. I asked,” can’t they do any better aside from living lavishly right in the very eyes of a million poor people. This country is poverty stricken, how callous is she to buy a P3M bag and let the whole world know she is in possession of the most expensive bag. She maybe overflowing with money and honey but is it imperative for her to brag about it? Her daughter , a budding starlet quickly came to her defense, justifying the act by telling that her mother gives a lot to charity work. Good defense, but her being charitable isn’t the crux of the matter. The celebrity who bought a P3M bag is even the wife of a senator of the Philippines. The senator who confesses that his heart goes for the poor people, for the ordinary people, for the have nots. The senator who supports austerity programs of the government to be able to deliver basic services to the underprivileged. I do not question where the celebrity got the money to purchase the bag, she’s famous and rich, and she can very well avail of an expensive stuff that only the moneyed can afford. Definitely, government money is not involved in this controversial purchase.

My take on this, is that I am not green with envy as to the million peso bag, that I have to make a big deal about this. That superstar was born with a silver spoon, she’s wealthy, famous and loved and respected by her legions of fans. Her only fault, if you could call it that, is that she resides in one of the poorest countries in the world. A developing country, a euphemism for a third world country, comprising of millions of starving poor, living a hand to mouth existence, which every peso earned is already a blessing to them, and here she is, the superstar, rich and famous, with her head turned to the other side evading the cruel and harsh reality of poverty in her country, squandered her own money to buy a P3M bag. Yes, she possesses such enormous amount of money, it was a hard-earned money, earned thru hardwork being a bankable star in the movie industry, but I only plead that she be discreet with what she purchase with her money because while she’s living outrageously and pompously, a lot of people in the lower strata of our society struggle to survive by all means to keep them afloat.

In these times of worldwide recession, let us not be immune and indifferent to other people’s misfortune, despair and the scant resources they have, let’s be sensitive to the sufferings of others.

This piece of words of wisdom is worth remembering, “COMFORT THE AFFLICTED, AFFLICT THE COMFORTED.”