On Heroism and the Youth (Remembering Delo Manaog)

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Link:

http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/2009/02/on-heroism-and-youth-remembering-delo.html

Photo Caption: Bantayog ng Mga Bayani in Quezon City



"On Heroism and the Youth" (Remembering Delo Manaog)

Note: Here are my thoughts for today, 2 February 2009:
Raffy Saldana (http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com)


We were young once. I'd like to believe that we still are -- young.

We had our share of idealism. I'd like to believe that we still are -- idealistic.

Last November 29, 2008 the University of the Philippines paid tribute to its martyrs and heroes: “Paggunita at Parangal Para sa mga Iskolar ng Bayan sa Bantayog ng mga Bayani: A Centennial Tribute to UP Martyrs and Heroes.”

One of those remembered and recognized by UP was my former classmate in Philippine Science High School (PSHS) in Diliman, Quezon City. His name is Rodelo “Delo” Manaog and he hailed from Mauban, Quezon.

I have written a blog entry on Delo [1]. Another PSHS batchmate, Miriam “Iye” Coronel (a UP Professor) wrote a beautiful piece about Delo in one of her newpaper columns [2].

We were teen-agers in the 70s and young adults in the 80s during the turbulent years of Martial Law in the Philippines. Delo Manaog was among those who fought the dictatorship. Together with thousands of idealistic young men and women, Delo stood for what he believed was right – to fight and die for freedom and democracy.

Many of us heeded the call of the times as what Delo had done; but Delo died young – a martyr and a hero.

Many of us survived, and now living in various modes of existence.

I’d like to believe that we are living meaningful lives – contributing in whatever way we can for the good of our country and for humanity.

Otherwise, it would have been better if we just followed the footsteps of Delo -- a young man who died as a martyr and a hero.

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[1] "My Batchmate is a Hero" http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/2007/08/rodelo-manaog-my-batchmate-is-hero.html

[2] Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, "Two Young Men From Mauban", http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=89687 .

Link to photos:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=98703&l=c3bbc&id=682835049
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Is This Dementia? (A Funny Thing Happened To Me On My Way To The Forum)

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This is not about the broadway play nor the film, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum."

I just want to have a "catchy" subtitle for this blog entry...

Earlier today ( 2 July 2008) I went to Leong Hall (the new Social Science building in campus) to attend the Environmental Leadership Forum. When I reached the hall I was surprised to see a different event going on, not a forum. I thought that perhaps I went to the wrong venue. Later, when I rechecked my invitation (I did not bring it along with me earlier), I realized that the forum was scheduled on July 3 and not July 2. I was correct about the venue but I was wrong about the date.

When I reflected on what happened I began to have a scary thought. Am I having a case of "dementia"?

Or is this just a case of watching too much "Dr. House" on tv?

I am not a medical doctor but I deal with biomedical-related research, particularly in computing and medical informatics.

My first instinct was to look into an online encyclopedia like Wikipedia and search for introductory information.

Here are some information that I gathered from a Wikipedia article on dementia:

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1. Dementia (from Latin de- "apart, away" + mens (genitive mentis) "mind") is the progressive decline in cognitive function due to damage or disease in the brain beyond what might be expected from normal aging.

2. Although dementia is far more common in the geriatric population, it may occur in any stage of adulthood. This age cutoff is defining, as similar sets of symptoms due to organic brain dysfunction are given different names in populations younger than adulthood (see, for instance, developmental disorders).

3. Dementia is a non-specific illness syndrome (set of symptoms) in which affected areas of cognition may be memory, attention, language, and problem solving. Higher mental functions are affected first in the process. Especially in the later stages of the condition, affected persons may be disoriented in time (not knowing what day of the week, day of the month, month, or even what year it is), in place (not knowing where they are), and in person (not knowing who they are).

4. Symptoms of dementia can be classified as either reversible or irreversible, depending upon the etiology of the disease. Less than 10 percent of cases of dementia are due to causes which may presently be reversed with treatment. Causes include many different specific disease processes, in the same way that symptoms of organ dysfunction such as shortness of breath, jaundice, or pain are attributable to many etiologies. Without careful assessment of history, the short-term syndrome of delirium can easily be confused with dementia, because they have many symptoms in common. Some mental illnesses, including depression and psychosis, may also produce symptoms which must be differentiated from both delirium and dementia [1].

Reference: [1] American Family Physician, March 1, 2003

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Of course, the best way to confirm my speculation is for me to undergo medical examination and consult experts in the field.

So, am I just overreacting? Should I accept that the fact I am "aging" now and will soon enter another phase of life? Or is this just a case of "brain overload" (too much information processing)?

I know that it is an overreaction on my part but I'm just "thinking out loud."

And besides, I want to introduce the topic dementia in my blog :)

One thing I know for sure -- dementia is not funny.

Cheers,

Raffy
7/2/08