Darwin vs. God: The Battle of Ideologies and Known Truths

I attended an Alternative Classroom Learning Experience (ACLE) session last Wednesday entitled Darwin vs. God, which was hosted by the UP Zoological Society (UPZS). I attended it with a few friends since no one was available to accompany me to the UP BROADcasting ASSociation's ACLE about the "Top 5 Sex Scenes in Philippine Movies and Why they Fire You Up!" That could have been pretty interesting, since it was an "Orgasmic ACLE" but with no one to enjoy it with, what's the use?

The Biology Pavillion was just within a short walking distance from my dorm so I decided to catch up on the ACLE even if it was already 2pm and it started an hour ago. I actually ended up going to the second floor where another ACLE was being hosted, thanks to certain bond papers with arrows pertaining to an ACLE pointing up the stairs and down the second floor hall. While waiting outside and texting a friend to fetch me, a girl approached the same room, clad in jeans, a tank top, and carrying a huge bag that looked like a hiker's backpack. She asked if I was attending the ACLE. I said I was but I was just waiting for a friend. She on the other hand, was waiting for her friend to return her cellphone to her. Apparently, her friend who was inside the room had her phone so she asked me if she could text her friend saying she was outside. She seemed nice so I allowed her to use my phone. Introductions commenced after. Her name was Mia. After she used my phone, I read a text from Josef that said that the UPZS ACLE was on the 1st floor, so I bid Mia goodbye and headed downstairs. When I was already attending the right ACLE, Mia texted me, introducing herself as Mia de Villa, thanking me for letting her use my phone. Wow, lucky her. If I didn't end up going to the wrong room, she might have had to wait longer because as far as I have noticed, nobody else looked as stupid as me waiting outside the room.

I thought the UPZS ACLE, being entitled Darwin vs. God was something science-based, given that it was by the Zoological Society. Apparently, it was the total opposite, it was this "holy, holy crap" kind of ACLE. The pamphlet had certain information about evolution and creation, wherein they were trying every possible way to say that Darwin's theories were wrong. How? By taking bits and pieces from the Bible to answer queries that have been tried to be answered by numerous books based on scientific research.

Now, I have nothing against the ideas of evolution and creation. I have been taught both and it is my decision on whether I'd believe either, neither, or both. Ipersonally don't like the idea of us evolving from apes, but I certainly cannot believe that the Earth was created within 6 24-houred days. Time is relative, right? Let's just believe that their perception of days before was a far cry from ours today. One day today may have been equivalent to 100 days befpre maybe. That's a personal theory, though, just to disprove the 6-day theory a little bit. Because I just can't believe that every single animal was made simultaneously and as the years passed, many of them, mostly huge and ferocious-looking, died while us weaklings and some animals meant for domestication lived. Survival of the fittest? Just how unfit were the others? There's also this idea of the Behemoth. It is a biblical creature which was described in the pamphlet as a dinosaur that was mentioned in the Holy Scripture saying "The Bible describes it in accurate detail..." Accurate? The Bible says it's an animal that eats grass like an ox, with its strenght in its loins, a tail that swings like a cedar, and legs that were like bronze tubes. That's not accurate enough to paint a picture of a huge dinosaur with a very long neck. It could have been a dinosaur but please give it a short neck if it eats grass like an ox because we all know that animals with long necks wouldn't strain themselves to eat grass when their necks could easily reach the highest branches on trees.

And how about Noah's Ark? Apparently, he had dinosaurs on it, too. A pair for every kind, right? The flood, as described in the Bible, began with "the Flood Gates of Heaven opening." A video simulation showed us something else. The flood was caused my the moving of the earth's tectonic plates, a move so great it had catastrophic results (think of the wave on the 2012 movie poster). If the WorldWide Flood was to be linked to science, this could have been the cause, "the Flood Gates of Hell opening." But based on the simulation and the way the wave was going to crash into Noah's Ark, it could have been smashed to pieces. The continuous raining was more probable since that was steady rain and it wouldn't damage the Ark. Even if the Ark was on a mountain, awaiting the flood, with a wave that big, it may have not been crushed by the impact but it could have been thrown towards a certain land mass that would make it end up like Titanic. Think about it.

The whole time the speaker was discussing in front, we were having our own mini discussion about our beliefs and the flaws in everything we have observed. We didn't bother listening since everything he had to say was on the projector. Things got heated up when the lecture ended and when we shifted to the forum session. One girl asked the speaker if she had to unlearn everything she learned since grade school that was related to Darwin's theory just because the Bible disproves it. It's like 10 years gone to waste if you tell me. I think everyone in the room had the same thoughts in mind while the lecture was going on. Did we have to forget everything we were taught in Biology after this revolutionary way of answering man's queries?

The forum ended up with theories being disproved, scientific minds battling out with the speaker to give them evidence and hard proof about what he just discussed. The discussion was even lead to gravitational time dilation. The topic might have arised with the argument that the earth did not exist for 4B years but rather 4K years. The speaker said that with gravitational time dilation, it wouldn't reach how many years for a star's light to reach the earth, it could reach it within a short span of time. Here comes a UP student who totally disagrees with him saying time dilation is possible but it wouldn't cause a huge impact. It's effect is just ever so slight that what the speaker said was completely false.

It was just too heady for me. Physics and Biology theories were wrestling with Biblical quotes in that room. They were hovering over our heads and enveloping us like light particles. We couldn't shake them off even if we wanted to. The forum ended with the speaker explaining himself and a few students telling him that if he wanted to give that kind of lecture, if he wanted to tell an audience that science and the Bible shared the same data and that they weren't trying to disprove each other then he should have used another approach. It was an insult to the years we have spent learning and memorizing certain theories to answer the earth's mysteries. It was an insult to the scientists who used up their brain cells to try to come up with answers for us. It was an insult to throw all of that away all for a single book that was compiled by a man who took a tiny fraction among the thousands of written accounts about God, Jesus, and the life they had before. With so many accounts, he had to choose a certain few that were in line with each other, with information that they wanted the people of the future to believe. And how about the other books? The church hides them. It wants us to believe only in one compilation, discarding the rest. What if the other accounts held the truth? Our beliefs will crash since us humans have very fragile minds. This system was created to protect our fragility. But this has been countered by numerous philosophical minds that just don't seem to stop asking. Where science breaks boundaries, the church builds. The question is, are we all ready to find out about the information that has not been compiled in the Scripture? I believe I am but that would totally alter my perceptions. Many are scared to know what lies beyond the Bible's bindings. If everyone would grab copies of every written account that was not chosen to be among the books in the Bible, people will end up committing suicide and the world will lose its order upon man's loss in his own beliefs. Protect yourselves.

What are we to believe in, then? Well, whatever we want to. Belief is all we've got and it wouldn't hurt whatever theory we'd want to believe. Either way we wouldn't have all the answers anyway.

Hell on the Third Floor

We have always believed that heaven was above the earth, and hell forever below it. A few would say, for dramatic effect, that hell is on earth. But, that of course, is highly improbable since hell, on my personal opinion, is a place where no good resides. I don't imagine people being consumed by fire, or being drowned in a black river chanting an endless rhyme. Heaven to me, also isn't a kingdom on clouds, where everything is pristine white. That's heaven for the angels and God alone. Humans have another heaven and hell. Heaven is a place where everything is abundant, where everyone is happy, kindhearted, nice, and where love is overflowing. It's like this usual elegant banquet in a mansion (think: parties in Gossip Girl, on the Upper East Side). Hell, on the other hand is a dark street lined with numerous bars where everyone parties nonstop. There's unlimited booze, loud music on boom-boxes, and so much drugs and infidelity happening. Let's say it's the modern Sodom and Gomorrah.To many, they'd say that's heaven. But what if it never stops? What if you just go on and on till you've fallen flat on your face and no one is there to help you? What if you start puking all over yourself before passing out? Is that heaven? I doubt it is at all. It's heaven at the start, I guess everything is until things go to far. And yes, we've got this kind of hell on earth. Earth isn't hell, i will still emphasize. It just has versions of hell scattered all over its surface.
We might be familiar with the place called Drew's. Anyone along Katipunan may have known about this place. It sells cheap cocktails, has great music, and it lets people start dying by 8am. Death there is you passing out, getting dizzy, or puking on the floor. Men carrying women out the establishment, drinks spilling on the floor, customers becoming noisy, and a long line to the restroom. The place itself is dark and warm, but why do people go there? Because it offers a cheap version of heaven. Everyone is game for a bargain, and Drew's beats Cantina when it comes to prices. But if you don't have self-control, you'll be plummeting into hell way before you can even say, "I think I'm tipsy."
So, next time, if ever you'll look up and ever wonder what's happening in the establishment high above your head, accompanying the happy noise and banging music, remember, that these sounds of enjoyment are not what they seem. Things can turn upside down. It's the Drew's effect. Welcome, and get ready to experience hell in alcoholic heaven.

And the Geek Shall Inherit the Earth

My friend and former professor in Creative Writing 10 and English 11, Carljoe Javier, has released his first book entitled "And the Geek Shall Inherit the Earth." It's a collection of humorous and interesting essays about celebrities' panties, him having mutant powers, being in a rock band, joining a reality tv show, and of course, on being a 100% certified geek. It's available at Powerbooks (as the tag states) for only P220. :)

Passive, You Say?

I am a student of the University of the Philippines, Diliman. Specifically, a part of the Centennial Freshmen. Yes, I am still an incomning sophomore and I'm proud to say I survived my first year in the prestigious university. Before I entered UP, I have heard talks about this school's reputation, both good and bad. I have heard about its grand reputation being the home of many political activists thanks to its belief in the freedom of speech of its iskolars. Many parents have been scared to dens their children to UP Diliman for fear that their kids might turn into one of those people seen rallying on the streets and being paddled by security officers for creating a riot. People thought I would be one among them upon entering. I thought I'd end up having to battle between my issues and what we're supposed to fight for. But even just after a few months of experience UP culture, I realized that you don't turn into a convert easily.
A major percentage of the Centennial freshmen actually did not get converted into political activists. And I have heard and read (on the doors of restroom stalls) that the these people who aren't joining rallies and the walkouts are passive and apathetic, specifically called "apathetic middle class." Well, I have to agree with the middle class part, since the university is no longer just catering the intelligent and poor, but also to those who can very much afford the other prestigious colleges out there. But I beg to disagree concerning the "apathetic" part. You cannot call these people who don't join in in the political activism apathetic just because they don't share the same views as those who do their parts as activists. I'd like to call them "sensible middle class."
My parents didn't want me to be an activist. Nor did I want to be one. I stayed away from all the political talk, shunned them all, and rolled my eyes whenever some activist would explain about the country's state for the nth time. I wasn't okay with going against the flow and fighting for human rights by cutting class and walking out. Someone told me to join the walkout. I reasoned out saying I can't miss my classes since they were my majors. He simply shot back saying he was walking out of Math, which is a very important non-major. So what? My parents paid my tuition and other fees already. My parents paid the university for me to study and go to my classes. Skipping class just to join a walkout was bogus to me because that meant wasting my parents' money and efforts. It's not like we just had one walkout. We had more than that. If you joined every single walkout, how much would you have wasted? I mean, sure, you're supposed to tell the authorities that you don't like paying for expensive tuition and lab fees, but you already paid the school. You were able to pay, so can't we just abide by the rules and graduate at the right time? If you hate the university that much to the point of just going to the academic buildings just to walk out of class and rally through the corridors, then you shouldn't have paid your tuition. It's an open university. You can do that for free, right? Just walk in and share your sentiments. I may sound mean and tactless with this, but I really don't see the point. If you would go to every rally and walkout existing, make sure your grades aren't failing because once you fail a subject, you have to retake that subject, which means paying for that subject AGAIN. I don't know about you but I'd rather finish and graduate ASAP.
So, yes, I speak for those who are called apathetic, for those who you may think as people who don't care. I speak for the rich kids. I speak for those whose education matter so much to them that's why they were willing to pay the university the amount needed to study there even if the units got expensive. I speak for those who don't go on the streets but rather stay in the classroom and work their asses off taking advantage of every scholarship available. I'd rather do my part as a student, because that's what I am. I went to college to study, to create a solid road towards my desired career. I don't want to waste my parents' trust and money.
So, passive, you say? I'm not passive. I am also an activist, just for other reasons. I am an anti-political activist. I don't really care about that now, not because I believe we no longer have hope, but rather because, I don't want to waste my time burning myself under the sun and hurting my feet and throat when I have papers and plates to pass in the next few days. I'm sensible and logical about this. May this be respected.

It's Like Watching Money Burn

If you live in Davao City, you'd be very familiar with the Diversion Road. It cuts from Ulas all the way to Buhangin. We frequently pass it lately since we take this road to head to Bajada or F. Torres. And if you have been passing by the road frequently, you'd definitely notice the numerous curve arrow signs found on both sides of the road. These signs come in handy at night since Diversion Road is indeed curvy and accident-prone. But DPWH wasted money by putting too much of these signs. Even areas with curves as little as 5-25 degrees have these, even those curves that are even barely noticeable. We reportedly have around 500 or 600+ of these curve reflector signs while Subic only has 15. The project engineers, I know, are not blind and stupid. They just chose to be because they got money out of it. Lots of it. We all know that a huge percentage of the budget for projects by the DPWH gets pocketed by the officials and project engineers. Our roads are obvious signs of corruption in the country. I mean, hello, we all know that we have educated drivers (you can't get your license if you aren't one anyway) and our drivers know how to handle roads. The whole Diversion strip isn't an accident-prone area. The reflector signs look like expensive trash on the sideline. I swear, the government doesn't know how to handle money, the taxpayers' money, the peoples' money. They just go around wasting it on useless projects and want the world to think that they are providing us with quality service. Hello, the money used on all the useless crap placed on Diversion Road's sidelines could have been used for health, education, or housing purposes. In this way, a certain few in the 90% of the country's population could have felt the service that the government owes its people.
As our car speeds down Diversion Road one more time, I try to ignore these attention-seeking red reflectors. I try to ignore the idea that I'm flying by millions of pesos. The thought gives me a headache.

Crude & Lewd?

Music is a very powerful and popular art, dating since who knew when, from wordless classics to purely rapped lyrics. Music has been used as a weapon and avenue to convey messages, ranging from sweet emotions to statements promoting activism. If you can’t speak it, might as well, sing it. It has developed and grown through the years and it has changed depending on the times and the way people wanted to use it.
Let’s take the 20th and 21st centuries. What are the popular music of these times? Yes, there’s pop, jazz, but there’s also rock (alternative, heavy metal, grunge, emotive hardcore, poetic, etc.), house, and, of course, hiphop. Hiphop seems to be the most popular. And of course, anyone my age would know Tupac Shakur, Eminem, Nelly, T-pain, Jay-Z, Soulja Boy, and David Banner. We all know that most the hiphop artists release extreme emotions in their singles, like Eminem, who shamelessly disses his own mommah and wife in his songs. These songs are jampacked with emotions and certain experiences written down for sharing. Others, though, talk about useless stuff like cars, parties, food, new dances (read: Soulja Boy*). It sometimes feels stupid to listen to these songs but they have catchy beats and sometimes really cool featuring artists so I stay hooked listening to them on my mp3 player and I don’t have plans of erasing them. But as I listen to my hiphop music collection, I notice a certain trend in every song. 95% of them have one topic: sex. Now we all know that people don’t like talking about sex in the open, considering it lewd since it is meant to be private. That’s why Literotica/Literotika is considered pornography, together with sex videos and other visual androgenators out there. Even certain indie films are banned and are only limited to being viewed in the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) or the UP Film Institute in UP Diliman. People are ashamed to talk about this issue, something which I know, is very natural.
Now, back to music. Anyone who listens to music these days can say that, indeed, the music right now focuses on sex most of the time. I mean, sure, we still have people talking Tortilla Chips, Nikes, Vans, love, but we all know that the popular ones talk about drugs, booze, parties, flirting, foreplay, and sex. And some aren’t very discreet about it. You want examples? Here: Play by David Banner, I’m So Horny by Ashanti, by [even the popular and loved Booty Music] and many more. The examples I sited are a few of the most crude and explicit sex songs that I’ve heard, it’s like someone singing literotica! Music artists are really smart, I have to say. They know that EVERYONE listens to music, and even if there are censors and radio edits, they know that their listeners are still able to grab hold of the originals. Now, people cannot ban music. What’s life without hearing beats and words in tune? I know that many of today’s songs need parental guidance (actually, some have won themselves an XXX rating!) but music, just like writing and speaking is an art. It’s a good thing no one’s banning such lewdity in songs because talking about sex in songs and actually describing it down to the details is a very brave thing to do. Nobody likes talking about sex not because they find it gross (if they found it gross then the production of babies should have stopped ages ago) but rather because they are shy to admit that all those thoughts, moans, and sensations talked about concerning sex are true. People tend to get bashful about these stuff because it’s something very personal (imagine: my reserved CEO knows wild sex?!), usually just talked about in hushed tones because society has wired us to think that this isn’t something to be talked about casually. But, as we all know, the more you suppress, the more people would do it, as the popular Filipino saying goes, masarap ang bawal. Sex is a human weakness, admit it. You cannot control the way your body would react when stimulated because you were created that way. God created sex to be fun. And you can’t help not thinking about it, especially the boys because it was scientifically proven that there’s a certain part of a male’s brain wired for sex. Music artists who talk about sex and describe certain sexual encounters in detail in their art admit such weakness. They’re saying, “Hey, I think about sex all the time to the point of making songs about it!” They aren’t ashamed to sing and write about it because they know that anyone can relate. They may be crude and lewd to many but you have to admit, these songs don’t lie. And no matter how disgusting it may seem, music is still an auditory art.


*note: Soulja Boy is all grown up! Check out one of his latest: Pow.