Dilemma and I, In Search Of Beauty

MANILA: How do you make sense of it? That's the title of my photograph above, which I have posterized. That question also refers to the Senate imbroglio involving 3 Senators: Alan Peter Cayetano, Antonio Trillanes, and Leila De Lima. How do we find beauty in that?

First, the background, where we should be coming from.

So I uploaded my new book to the world on my birthday, Facebook Love Science Truth, free for the asking (for my email, see my essay, "The Truth Is Out There, Mr Duterte. (It's Also In My New Book)" that you will find in Primate Change, blogspot.co.id. Then I decided to create the new blog Facebook Love Science Truth dedicated to the book (blogspot.co.id). Then I published a new essay in that blog, "Love Science Truth – Where Is Beauty In All That?" (18 September 2016, blogspot.co.id). That was not rhetorical. I found beauty in all that; I was very happy.

Then, very early this morning, at a little after 0200 hours, 19 September 2016, I read my emails and one of them was from The New Yorker, from Susan Morrison, Articles Editor, writing about "Writing About Style" (fashion), and among her 355 words, she wrote:

Finally, Lauren Collins captures the world of the Times street photographer Bill Cunningham. Right up until his death, this June, Cunningham could be spotted bicycling through Manhattan in his blue French worker's smock, in search of beauty. His credo is the mark of a true reporter: "I let the street speak to me – in order for it to speak to you, you need to stay out and see what it is. There are no shortcuts, believe me!"

Those 4 words struck me: in search of beauty. And that phrase inspired me to create this new blog of mine: I, In Search Of Beauty. Because, suddenly I realized that yes, in seeking Love Science Truth, I am in search of beauty. So I created this new blog of mine, I, In Search Of Beauty, where this one appears.

Because I realize: We all should be in search of beauty!

And how do we do that?

All the time: Love it. Science it. Truth it. In that order. Do all that. Each time you do all that, it will complete your little journey in search of beauty.

So, here is Frank A Hilario's Modern Practical Pathway In Search Of Beauty:

First, seek Love, then seek Science, then seek Truth. Then you will find Beauty.

Precisely how? Here are the guidelines:

LOVE IT. Love is a verb. Love it! If you only treat Love as a noun, that's only a part of it. Look for the Spiritual. Look for the transcendental, metaphysical, divine. How do you love? Know more about it. Understand it, or accept it with faith. Don't get mad! Don't get even! Make love, not war! Like I have always said below my name in each of my emails, "There is no way to love. Love is the way."

SCIENCE IT. Make Science a verb. Look for what's the science behind it. Science it! Know more about it. Make sense of it. At least, look for the Sensable, something that can be experienced with the eyes, or ears, or nose, or tongue, or touch, or any combination of the above. Combine their messages and that's your experience, that's your sense of it, in short term or long-term. Combine it or confirm it or complement it with the experience of others.

TRUTH IT. Make Truth a verb. You have to seek it. Truth it! Look for the Serviceable. Is it True? Is it Fair? Is it a Builder? Is it Good? Is it Free?

That will complete your journey In Search Of Beauty.

Then you will find Beauty.

What if you can't find Beauty?

I say, "There is no journey to love; love is the journey." So I say, "There is no journey to beauty; beauty is the journey."

Here is a case in point, a demonstration of how to behave In Search Of Beauty, starring 3 senators during a session of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights: Leila De Lima (Chair), Antonio Trillanes (member), and Alan Peter Cayetano (kibitzer).

And now, in search of beauty. Remember Frank A Hilario's Modern Practical Pathway In Search Of Beauty.

So I collected reports about the Senate hearing on extra-judicial killings, with surprise witness Edgar Matobato saying Duterte himself had ordered some killings years before when he was Mayor of Davao City, and whence the modus operandi of current vigilante killings may have originated.

LOVE IT:
Who, what, where, when, how and why?

First things first. Understand that the Senate inquiry is looking into the current extra-judicial killings that have been accompanying the War on Drugs declared by President Rodrigo Duterte – no, there is no Executive Order (EO) written but there is verbal EO to that effect, everybody knows that. You have to accept that. We are attending a session.

SCIENCE IT:
How do you make sense of it?

Read! And read much of it. These are the reports I read (I have 11 pages single-spaced of my docx file titled "Cayetano-Trillanes Clash Notes" with these online titles the links arranged by date and first name of journalist:

(1) "Senators face off at probe into killings: 'Trash talk, out of order'" – Camille Elemia (15 September 2016, Rappler, rappler.com).
(2) "Cayetano, Trillanes clash over timeslot at Senate hearing" – Marvin Sy (15 September 2016, Philippine Star, philstar.com).
(3) "Trillanes: Denying Senate protection for witness 'heartless'" – CNN Philippines Staff (16 September 2016, CNN, cnnphilippines.com).
(4) "Trillanes, Cayetano clash" – Jeannette I Andrade (16 September 2016, Philippine Daily, Inquirer, newsinfo.inquirer.net).
(5) "Cayetano, Trillanes clash" – Jefferson Antiporda & PNA (16 September 2016, Manila Times, manilatimes.net).
(6) "PMA grads sign petition condemning Trillanes for conduct in Senate probe" – ANN (author not named, 17 September 2016, Manila Bulletin, mb.com.ph).

The one by Camille Elemia is the longest of the reports; I appreciate it. The rest is the usual incomplete reports biased towards the negative and do not explain the circumstances. The one on the PMA alumni petition against Trillanes makes it all worthwhile investigating.

TRUTH IT:
What is true?
What is fair?
What goodwill does it build, what friendship?
What benefits do we get from it?
Is it accessible to all?

True: The Senate Committee is conducting hearings on the extra-judicial killings. Edgar Matobato is a surprise witness. As a member of the Senate Committee, Trillanes has all the rights to participate; as a kibitzer, Cayetano may or may not participate in the deliberations, according to the graces of the Chair. Trillanes knows parliamentary procedures; Cayetano either does not know, which is inexcusable, or is abusing his privilege to speak as a Senator, which is also inexcusable.

Fair: De Lima allowed Cayetano to grill the witness, to talk more than an hour, far more than the 10 minutes allotted to each committee and, remember, Cayetano is a non-member of the committee. Then De Lima declared Cayetano out of order when he refused to stop talking. (I always thought it was the woman who is always talking and talking.)

Of Goodwill & Friendship: None. Cayetano questioning the motives of the witness is out of order. He is making enemies of all the members of the Senate committee.

Beneficial: When the Senate inquiry stops, the killings may stop.

Accessible: The Senate hearing is open to the public in the sense that journalists may report on it and some of us may actually attend the sessions.

What about the PMA alumni in an online petition openly "condemning" Trillanes' behavior towards Cayetano during that session? While the code of conduct of PMAyers is admirable, Trillanes' switching off the microphone of Cayetano is minor because it was prompted by the unreasonable behavior of Cayetano in the first place.

Now, where is the beauty in all that? I find it in the grace of the committee Chair who knows exactly what she is doing, who, what, where, why and how. I find it in the democratic manner that the Senate inquiry is being conducted.

Today, Tuesday, 20 September 2016, the report is that Senator Manny Pacquiao had moved and 16 Senators approved to declare the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights vacant. That is another challenge for us in search of beauty.

20 September 2016. Essay word count, excluding this line: 1393