Hilabian na!
Are we living in the apocalyptic era? It often feels that way. Natural
calamities strike with alarming frequency, as though nature itself has grown
weary of our excesses. “Resilience” has become a poetic illusion, a word we use
to romanticize suffering. Meanwhile, politics decay under corruption and
deceit, making one wonder: is this the beginning of the end, or merely the end
of our beginning?
In October 2025, the Philippines was struck by a series of strong
earthquakes and destructive typhoons that caused severe flooding and
displacement. A 7.4-magnitude quake hit Davao Oriental, followed by a 6.8
aftershock, while Cebu was jolted by a 6.9 tremor. The Southwest Monsoon,
intensified by typhoons Crising, Dante, and Emong, worsened the devastation,
leaving thousands struggling to recover.
On November 3, 2025, Typhoon Tino ravaged Cebu with fierce winds and
heavy rain, claiming over 130 lives and displacing 33,000 families. Around 1.4
million households across the Visayas lost electricity, and entire communities
were left in darkness as floodwaters swallowed homes and roads.
Many remain traumatized, enduring the pain of displacement and loss,
while corrupt officials live in comfort, proof of a system that feeds on greed.
Their suffering reflects a nation divided by privilege and injustice.
Could these disasters be the universe’s wake-up call? Nature’s chaos
mirrors the imbalance we have created through greed and exploitation. As people
deplete resources and prize profit over harmony, the earth retaliates,
reminding us that balance is not an ideal but a necessity. Perhaps it is time
to listen, to be humble, and to restore our connection with the world we share.
Studies affirm that human greed fuels this imbalance. Wiedmann et al.
(2020) linked affluence and overconsumption to ecological destruction, while
Nelissen (2022) found that abundance often breeds irresponsibility. These
crises, then, are not natural accidents—they are reflections of human excess
and loss of harmony with the earth.
How can we resist these corrupting excesses? How do we end the cycle
that exploits both people and planet? Most importantly, how can the greedy
awaken to the destruction they cause, not just to others, but to their own
humanity?
True change begins within. It requires honest reflection on how our
choices and habits affect the world around us. Through mindfulness, compassion,
and responsibility, we can begin to heal the damage wrought by indifference and
greed. Real progress starts when we choose to change ourselves.
In the end, the earth’s cry is not for vengeance but awakening.
Disasters mirror our excesses, urging us to reclaim lost harmony. Change begins
when we choose awareness over apathy, humility over greed, and compassion over
control. To heal the world, we must first heal the human spirit.
Let this be a warning to all driven by greed: when public funds are
stolen and the land is stripped for profit, nature eventually retaliates. The
floods, landslides, and storms are not mere accidents—they are the earth’s
reckoning, a reminder that corruption and exploitation always invite their own
destruction.
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