Halik sa Pisngi ng Langit

I just feel that the pocketbooks as we call them are doing a great disservice to their patrons. It may be true that these romance novels are meant to ease away the difficulties of life but it is another thing to create delusions. It eases away the demons by creating entertainment but must not be to the point of creating a notion that totally misleads people. I admire those that write explicitly on their covers the disclaimer that the piece to be read is plainly fiction, somehow it helps inform the reading public that what they read is something remote from reality.

These stories are often identical. It seems that there are few molds of the stories they generate- they only change the setting and the characters and voila, you have another story. The same story of how two people met, locked their gazes and knew they were inlove. The story will often involve the rich or a Cinderella. And yet the readers find it appealing and seem to believe it can happen in real life. Is it possible that they write something a bit realistic without necessarily sacrificing the marketability of their stories? I hope that can be done.

I cannot blame those that write it as a tale based on a true story because it is. With the numbers they have managed to corrupt that love conquers all, indeed there countless people who have gone through love just like in the books. Yet not entirely for most of them, I am sure, did not end up happily ever after. For is there happiness in a relationship where the lady gives in very easily with just the kisses and stares of a guy? What kind of mentality is that? reducing women as weak organisms unable to resist the charms of men. If you do not find that revolting, then I do not know what it is.

The romance novel industry is being fueled by the huge following of the women from the lower brackets and few from the upper boxes who do not care about their image. Somehow perception evolved that reading this type of material usually associates the individual with low income brackets, lack of maturity and educations.  Tell me I am biased but it is how I see it.

Corporate Social Responsibility?

Very commonly heard that whenever a company plans for a CSR activity, the popular choices would be to spend a day at the orphanage or plant trees. I think majority of the companies I know choose tree planting. The environmentalist inside me finds it funny that I do not find that as an expression of responsibility at all. I see CSR as the opportunity of these private institutions to bring back to society. It is like their contribution to the betterment of humanity. I just think that tree planting without proper studies are more detrimental than contributary.

Tree planting can sometimes be a way of introducing invasive species. Instead of helping thicken the vegetation, it may compete for resources that will soon thin out the other plant populations. At this degree, the number of organisms depending on the eliminated population will also thin out followed by those that depend on them too. This may be an extreme speculation but not remote.

Irresponsible tree planting can also eliminate our endemic plants and animals. In the same manner as I have mentioned in the earlier paragraph, the capacity of the introduced specie to survive and adapt may be greater than those that are originally thriving in the area. As a result, annihilation of those that we originally have is possible. Sadly, at a rate that even us may not even give attention to. 

In my basic understanding of the environment, disrupting an ecosystem can bring effects that have not existed in our projections. Careful plotting of the interdependency of the organisms prior to introducing a population may be a helpful step in making the CSR activities more meaningful. The effort to help should not just be genuinely felt but must also be done the proper way.

I appreciate those that make the effort of thinking about how they can help with reviving the environment. We just need sincerity and  deeper commitment.