The tragedy of human existence is its finiteness amidst the capacity of man’s infinite hunger: hunger for fortune, fame, and power.
Clint Eastwood, in one movie said: “The man in the gutter works so he earns money. He needs money to buy him food. He needs food to give him energy. He needs energy to enable him to work.” He sees man’s Sisyphean damnation on earth.
Yet man, though has his feet deeply planted on the ground, is capable of weaving dreams, of wanting to go beyond the Sisyphean cycle, of perpetually wanting more for what he already has. Though the myth of Sisyphus is the favourite among existentialist philosophers, yet its relevance on human experience only tells of an open ended-story. Sisyphus is not a summation of human existence. That is why it remains in its proper genre, a myth.
There was this child who was raised in the most of the rural setting. His friends never exceeded twenty two because that was the only number of kids in his small place. There was no electricity. The public school was made of pre-fabricated materials. He was always on top of his class because they are only few and the teachers were all his aunts or uncles. The Christmas and New Year’s eve always consisted of baked rice and if the pocket would allow, pancit canton.
One day, the kid went to the city with his father. He was awed with the glare of the neon lights, the many dishes in the restaurant, and the huge university campus he was smitten with.
In his heart, he resolved to be in the big city, to enjoy the luxuries the place brings, and be schooled in that huge campus. He kept his dream in his heart and slowly, he realized the dreams of his young mind. But having realized what he once dreamed of before, he now fancies of things far greater than what he has achieved. He weaves another dream, and once the new dream is realized, he weaves of still another, and another, in perpetuity.
That has been my story which can be yours too. But that is the story of humanity too, of man’s insatiable desire to go beyond what he already has, of man’s quest for far more greater things – this is man’s infinite hunger.
Man’s infinite hunger is both a boon and a bane of human existence. Can you imagine if Adam and Eve were contented of the paradise God has gifted them? Everyday would have been for them a moment of total bliss – no pain, no disease, and no hunger. But is that truly human existence? That life could have been the life of angels. How could they possibly enjoy and appreciate happiness without the experience of sadness? Happiness, without the danger of pain, is a conundrum. Is not what makes us happy is because of the triumph over pain and sadness?
Man has become what he is now because of his infinite hunger. Humanity has evolved in rapid pace because it is his nature to go beyond his present situation or status. A person who does not dream ceases to live. We have scaled Mt. Everest, dived into the deepest trenches, tinkered with the human gnome, explored the moon and other planets because that is part of the definition of man – always aspiring, always dreaming.
But his infinite hunger too is our boon, the boulder that the Sisyphus in us has to carry forever. Look around you. Have you heard of a billionaire who, not satisfied, still envies his friend who is richer and more famous than him? The next day, he is headline news. He is involved in corruption. You may ask: Why should a billionaire still have to commit crimes to amass wealth? Is it not that even in his lifetime and those of his grand children, the money he has amassed is already enough for luxurious lifestyle?
How many dictators, having tasted power, wanting to reign with absolute powers? Take Burma. The military junta has been ruling the Burmese people for 45 years now. In order to reign, the junta has to quell the opposition, imprison the leaders, gas the people, and lately, kill the monks. And they do these with seeming impunity. The junta is already ruling, but why not allow dissent? For absolute reign? Observe your local politicians. He started to get elected alone. Then, with his wife, later with his children, and still with his grandchildren. Not content with political power, he slowly intrudes into the businesses, and in order to strangle the competition, he wields his political clout. Ferdinand Marcos, the Philippine dictator for 20 years, even tried to intrude into literature by supplanting the legend of Malakas and Maganda( The Strong and the Beautiful) with his and his wife’s story. If he were still alive today, what could have prevented him from being the main actor in the Genesis story?
In fact, I may ask, why do I blog? Is not that knowing the finiteness of my existence, I still harbor in my heart the desire for eternal, that even if I should die, I still leave imprints of my existence? Even in the throes of death, man still quests for something greater than the present, something beyond him – the true mark of his infinity.
