Halfway
As they say, Modern times need modern solutions. But, not all. I heard a strange story this week in our neighborhood. I can’t believe that I can still hear this kind of news in the digital age. They say that there is allegedly a “wakwak” that is lurking in our streets. Instead of dismissing the tale right away, I gave it a modern perspective. This person might be in need of special attention. Maybe he or she is suffering from and illness that the resident does not understand thus attributing to the ancient folklore and myths.
This time, these kinds of stories should be addressed with modern solutions to picture out the bigger meaning of what is happening around us. This pandemic has given not just hunger but anxiety and stress in every person leading to depression and disorders. Every detail should not be ignored and every citizen should look out to each other and not just excommunicating every unwanted person.
This makes me remember of my Father’s poem about the manhak and how it describes the reliance on ancient methodologies in the absence of modern interventions.
Manhak
Must be as ancient as the hint of woman
Who lurks beyond every doorstep:
This whorl of wings, shriek and laughter
Of darkness at forest’s edge.
Fear foreshadowing childbirth
Stalks the wife while the husband
Meets the dark threat
Of the bird of death
With a bowl of onion and salt:
These must be the only defenses:
Accoutrements of the ancient earth.
Against danger outside every door
Hastening to suck the child,
Foreclosing the future…
Time elements should not divide us, instead, we should meet halfway in order to serve the greater good. As I heard other news that Doctors are being attacked, I call for restraint and compassion. Indeed Doctor shaming should be out of the picture but these professionals should not set aside the art of tuob, outright. This archaic way of supporting our respiratory system has been used by our ancestors long before the arrival of modern medicine and should perhaps be studied for better understanding and use. This is not the right time to foreclose the future.
Again, we should all meet halfway.