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[#RapplerReads] What history can teach us about ourselves

Winona Sigue

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[#RapplerReads] What history can teach us about ourselves
“Memory is a precious thing, and more so for being so fragile,” writes National Artist for Literature Resil Mojares in his book ‘House of Memory’

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When I was in my second year of high school, I remember falling asleep in class. The sun was high, a gentle breeze blew from the rice fields near our school, and the teacher in front talked about history. Was it about the Philippine-American war? I can’t recall anymore. What I remember is that after I woke up, our teacher announced that we were going to have a quiz.

That is one of the funniest memories I have growing up, reminding me of the carefree days I had in high school and the time I spent living in the province. Looking back, it makes me sad. I realize it’s a memory I’m not exactly proud of. 

First of all, sleeping in class was a disrespectful act to my teacher and classmates. Second, I didn’t appreciate the value of history then. To me, history is just endless memorization of dates, people, and places. I used to question history’s value in my life and thought it was boring.

I remember how we reported about Noli Me Tangere chapters on the board and recited Asian countries for our araling panlipunan class. Perhaps this is why I never liked history before – the rote memorization of it all.

But if there’s one thing history teaches us, it’s the understanding of change. 

Change came to me when I picked up a book entitled House of Memory at a literary fair at the University of Santo Tomas (UST). I was already in college at the time, and this book taught me to slow down and appreciate each passing moment of my life. Best of all, it walked me through the country’s unique culture and storied past. 

House of Memory is a collection of essays written by Resil Mojares, a Filipino historian, critic, and National Artist for Literature. This book contains bite-sized essays filled with stories about our ancestors, folk healing, our maritime history enriched by songs and stars, and more. It also includes personal recollections of the author about his childhood, family, and his travels here and abroad.

From what I have read, most of the essays from this book appeared first in Mojares’ column in the Sunday magazine of Sun*Star Daily in Cebu from 1989 to 1996. But it strikes me deeply how his memories and musings remain relevant today.

In the essay entitled Remembering Rivers, Mojares wrote about the Parian River in Cebu which was used by the Chinese as a trading center during the Spanish colonial era. When Cebu stopped participating in the Galleon Trade around the year 1604, the river was soon forgotten. It started carrying silt, making it hard for boats to pass by. Today, Mojares said the Parian River is nothing but a “blackish and stagnant canal.”

“When a river dies, much more perishes than just the river itself,” Mojares wrote. And I couldn’t agree more. Without rivers, life will cease to exist. Rivers support life, provide  us with food, water, and a place to connect with nature. Remember when  we used to play along the river banks and how our mothers washed our clothes in its clear, gurgling waters? 

Rivers shape our culture and connect us to one another. It’s sad that there are still people, in this day and age, who are unaware of the value of rivers in our lives. Instead of bringing rivers back to their ecologically healthy state, some are even planning to turn a historic river into an expressway. When do we ever learn?

In history, there are also lessons to be learned about love. Such is the case in Heart and Liver, another essay I keep reading over and over again from the collection. Here, Mojares asks the reader: why do we love with our heart, and not with our liver? 

He noted that pre-Spanish Filipinos believed that the liver is the “seat of love,” the source of one’s “power, courage, and strength.” Notice how Filipino  words like dalamhati (sorrow), pighati (agony), and luwalhati (glory) that describe intense feelings are derived from the same word ati or atay, meaning liver. 

Mojares went on to write that in the Bagobo tribe, eating an enemy’s liver is a way to enhance one’s strength. This reminds me of a practice we do at home. No, my family doesn’t eat someone else’s liver –  we’re not aswangs. I just remember how we usually reserve the atay in the chicken tinola for a special guest coming over for lunch. 

We have been subconsciously using the liver to show our care, our love. On Valentine’s day, I might as well prepare a card with a drawing of a liver instead of a heart.

I also liked the essay Traveling Light, where Mojares considered the ability to pack lightly as an art form. Less baggage means more freedom to move around and explore new places, not having to carry too many things during a trip.

But the great Mojares argued that “traveling light is more than just a question of luggage.” He mentioned an Egyptian King named Farouk who was known to eat 600 oysters a week, and there’s Imelda Marcos with her infamous 2,700 pairs of shoes. “It is not just luggage we are prone to carry in excess,” he explained.

The common complaints of students about history are “masakit sa ulo” (such a headache) and “puro memorizations (filled with memorizations).” But reading books like House of Memory can help change that. Coupled with systemic efforts to restore and strengthen the teaching of history classes in schools, we can make history more inspiring and interesting –  just like what  Mojares did.

Always so gentle, filled with love, humor, and wisdom, reading House of Memory is like listening to our grandparents’ tales of the past. The essays are not too long nor too short, ideal for light, pleasure reading. My only complaint about this book is that I wish I had it when I was in high school. –Rappler.com

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