Catholic Arguments Against RH Bill are Spiritually Backward and Misinformed

House Bill No. 5043, also called the RH or Reproductive Health Bill, is probably the first bill to address the overpopulation problem of the Philippines. It requires the provision of sex education as well as reproductive health services to the general populace. While this response may be a bit late, and the RH Bill is not prominent on the controversy radar, it is still relevant as the bill has not yet been passed and it continues to raise a storm of controversy, especially from the Catholic church.


I will focus on one prominent response from a Catholic entity because of how it alarmed me. Fr. Bing Arellano, spiritual director of the Alliance of the Holy Family International, posted a video response on Youtube stating why the RH Bill should be opposed


I believe each point he made deserved strong refutation, because those points are based on biased, poorly informed views and could do harm, despite the good intentions.


First, Fr. Arellano refutes the RH Bill’s two-child policy. He says the ideal family is from 5 to 7 children. Now this is only an opinion of a person, and for the church to dictate the ideal size of a family reflects an imperialistic attitude. Looking at it factually, 5 to 7 children is hardly ideal; it is more likely to put more children into poverty, given the economic condition of many families today. But the killer is this; nowhere does the RH Bill enforce a 2-child policy! It encourages two children, but “attaining the ideal family size is neither mandatory nor compulsory.” Fr. Arellano most likely depended on hearsay and did not read the bill. And hey, if parents today actually stick to two children maximum at this time, that would be better for the country.


Next, he slammed sex education at Grade 2. And again, there is more misinformation. The text of the bill indicates Grade 5 as the real target, not Grade 2.


Fr. Arellano’s condemnation of sex education as pornography deserves treatment here. This is the reaction of a medieval mind that rejects modern reason and logic. Teaching the children about sex at an early age will nourish them on facts and correct data. Pornography is meant to be anything but educational, and it can clearly be distinguished from sex education. Sex education does not ruin the conscience of the children. Delivered properly, it can prepare them and liberate them from myths for their adolescent life.


Ah yes, myths. I for one am tired of being told that thunder is St. Peter bowling in the clouds. I’m tired of parents telling their sons that if they kiss Nene, she will be pregnant. Such myths should be silenced once and for all. Facts should be taught squarely. This is what the RH Bill is trying to solve; leaving children in the dark about sex. This opinion of Fr. Arellano probably reflects an intention of keeping people dumb so that they can be easily manipulated, which the church in the Philippines has historically been accused of.


The urgency of proper sex education is reflected by high numbers of women who don’t know what their own body parts are! A recent survey showed that a significant number of Filipinas (23-30% if I’m not mistaken) believe that the hymen is a male organ, because it has “men” in the name! These Filipinas, ages 15-24, are the real target of the RH Bill’s sex education drive. And based on what has been shown above, this is sorely needed. It’s time to teach the kids right.


Now one of the most shocking things that I heard in Fr. Arellano’s response that many children means more labor going abroad… and he says that it is good! Filipinos leaving the country and becoming laborers abroad has long been recognized as a big problem. But Fr. Arellano says that it is not a problem!

Now this is a very cruel view. It says that many children should be born so they can be sent abroad as labor. It’s like slave manufacture. But the fact is that the overwhelming number of children contributes to poverty in the Philippines. It will strain the families who have more mouths to feed. The children may not even become successful laborers when they grow up because of their poverty. Fr. Arellano’s approach is to deny the problem, and to continue pushing out our people to other countries. This further demonstrates the local Catholic Church’s tendency to turn people into slaves, something that it has been doing since Spanish times.


And come to think of it, when laborers go abroad, they deprive the local economy of would-be human capital that could have helped develop local business. By pushing masses of people to go abroad, would not this sabotage the local economy? If so, the Catholic Church may be contributing to economic sabotage! A daring view, but when I connect the dots, I can’t help but reach this conclusion.


And if ever they do become laborers and get married, the laborers who go abroad tend to have extramarital affairs. Stories like these are too common for comfort. But Fr. Arellano still wants such people sent abroad, and thus the risk of extramarital affairs because of separation of spouses and family members exists. Oh wait… this… and the separation of family members! I thought the church and Fr. Arellano’s organization are family-oriented! But it encourages separating family members by sending people abroad, without considering the risk of exposing them to this risk of extramarital affairs! So the church is contradicting itself on family beliefs!


A very laughable notion is that the Philippines is the conscience of the region. Unfortunately, this is hard to prove, too easy to disprove. A country that has elected a known gambler, drunkard, womanizer and certified crime lord to the presidency could hardly be called the conscience of the region. Filipinos all over the world are notorious for shoplifting, scamming and fraud. There are stores that bar Filipinos for fear of shoplifting, and websites that do not accept credit card orders from the Philippines because of fraud. This is because Filipinos actually do these things! Moral conscience indeed!


Perhaps this is another way of saying that the Catholic Church wants to keep a strong presence in the region, because they’re trying to compete with the predominantly Muslim countries around us that are much more prosperous than we are. The church is probably scared of such countries, and like George Bush, considers all Muslims terrorists. But sorry, this is far from being a “conscience” in the region.


Fr. Arellano also believes that the RH Bill will lead to genocide. Again, this is an unthinking assertion, pure emo. Many countries have already legalized abortion, and it has not become a Holocaust like what the Nazis did in World War II. A holocaust is when so many people have been killed in one single time, like in thousands and millions. Now, would abortion in the Philippines reach that point? For me, it would be a greater holocaust to see so many children going hungry because their parents just wanted sex and didn’t care how many children they’d make from it.


There are valid arguments against the RH Bill, such as punishments when a company refuses to provide reproductive health services. This has been stated to be an attack on free enterprise, because it dictates how a company should conduct its business. I would agree that this is a part of the bill to work on. Yet I would rather let the bill pass, and the lawmakers can fix this clause later. But if you want to oppose the RH Bill, Fr. Arellano’s arguments are not the way to go.


Fr. Arellano says, “the real issue is about life.” I agree with that. But part of this real issue is to uplift the dignity of life. When children are born and left alive to be forced to suffer, their dignity is reduced. And this is equivalent to being dead. Children never asked to be born. While just not bearing children is the best choice for the couple, the problem is that Filipinos are hard-headed. They will engage in sex to enjoy themselves and forget problems even if it would lead to more problems later on because of the load of children. They even like sex with non-spouses! Thus, providing birth control measures is admittedly a stopgap solution, but it is a needed stopgap, and it will help avoid degradations of the dignity of life.


I don’t think people should worry about the RH Bill an as “abortion machine,” because it does not enforce nor require abortion. Rather, it just provides the environment for the service to be possible. In the end, the use of abortion is a personal choice that weighs on the personal conscience, not on the law.


Fr. Arellano’s response to the RH Bill is appalling. If it is the Catholic stance, it would do serious harm. It is possible that he made the response on impulse, and I do not know if he maintains the same stance today. But the impact of those ideas remains the same today; the idea that sending more people abroad is good (thus exposing the families further to separations of members) contradicts the Catholic Church’s claim to being a family-oriented church. These opinions also deny the population problem and other issues that are so clear for all to see, and will actually contribute to making people poorer.


Make no mistake, though. I am a Christian. But I doubt that Fr. Arellano’s opinions are Christ-inspired, because they only care about upholding certain “principles” at the cost of the people’s welfare. Opposing the RH Bill is not in itself wrong for me, but Fr. Arellano is certainly using the wrong reasons. If the Catholic Church supports these reasons, it is a significant contributor to the “damaged culture” of the Philippines and is one of the causes of why the country lags behind in comparison to the rest of the world. Clearly, the opinion of Fr. Arellano demonstrates how the people are kept in spiritual backwardness.


I think each one of us should make our own individual opinion and shake off the shackles of organized religion from our thinking in order to make a better decision and opinion. There are after all Catholics who support the RH Bill, and have no sear on their conscience because of it.

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Original Article by: ChinoF antipinoy.com  

Informative Links: Complete Text of the RH Bill

Another Article Refuting Fr. Arellano's Statement

Noynoy Supporters are Proof that The Philippines is a Wowowee Idiocracy

Everytime I read about Noynoy Aquino leading in the surveys, I am reminded of how stupid Filipinos are. What strengthens my belief in their collective stupidity is the vapidity of the reasons they give as to why they want to vote for him as the next president. The guy has absolutely no accomplishments, the paltry sum of nine bills he filed failed to become laws and there is a total absence of anything notable that he has done for the country, the organizations he joined and even himself! Even his claim to being a “fiscalizer” is dubious because there is no solid data to support such a claim.


The “reasons” people give are very shallow and mostly rooted in emotions. They mostly go along the lines of him being the son of Ninoy and Cory and that he will continue their legacies. Ask them what his accomplishments are, and they cannot give any results that Noynoy has delivered. He just filed those nine bills and held various positions where he was basically a lame duck.

I have always said that the reason Filipinos are drawn to Noynoy is because he is the candidate whose current situation fits perfectly as a protagonist in a cheesy telenovela. His father was killed in the past, his mom who continued the fight recently died and then he got “discernment” from “Bro” to become the savior. “Siya na nga” as the morons would say.

One of the shows that contributes to the moronization of The Filipinos is Wowowee. It is a game show wherein poor contestants play silly games or make themselves look ridiculous in order to win cash prizes. The more pathetic your situation is, the more money the host Willie Revillame will give you. For example, there was one contestant who was interviewed by Willie for a certain game and when asked what her job was she said she was a street sweeper. When asked what her husband was, she said he is unemployed. When asked how many children she had, she said she had 17. Then she started crying about how she cannot support her children, how she has to take on extra jobs, how her children could not eat full meals and then followed these through with a litany of other miseries that were a result of her stupidity and irresponsibility. After she announced to the public how pathetic her situation was, Willie Revillame gave her a big sum of money.

For an ordinary idiot, that was a good display of being “humane” but if you look at it objectively, that woman should not be rewarded for her stupidity and instead should be shamed. She should not be put on a pedestal to be applauded and given prize money. There are also parts where a contestant will talk to her mother/son or some relative in the crowd and they will exchange sad stories, cry and collect money directly proportionate to the volume of tears they shed or how pathetic their situations are. What it would do is establish in people’s minds that the more pathetic you are, the more rewards you should be given.


The show does not take half a brain to conceptualize and implement. No intellectual effort at all. All you have to do is gather sexy girls, ugly people to make fun of and dime-a-dozen comedians. Have them do those repetitive songs, cheesy sexy dance numbers, demeaning jokes and other sorts of trash. Mix it in with portions where you make fun of people in the audience and the more ridiculous they make themselves look like or sound, the more money they will get. Let me know if I am missing anything. The quality of entertainment (or lack of it thereof) is so appalling that you would wonder why such a show would survive and even thrive in a society of thinking human beings. Well, it thrives in The Philippines because most of the people there do not use their brains and are very unprincipled. The people in the show reflect the hordes of imbeciles voting for Noynoy. No matter what we do, the filipinos are not in any way capable of having a good leader neither do they deserve one because they allow themselves to be used by people like Willie Revillame.


The vicious cycle of Filipinos having little intellectual capacity and watching shows that further deteriorates their minds could only result in a populace that would fall for the cheap marketing gimmicks of Noynoy Aquino or even Manny Villar handlers. With these kinds of shows constantly inputting garbage into the minds of The Filipinos, they get easily sensationalized by semblances of melodrama like when Mar Roxas stepped down in favor of Noynoy who “lucked out” by having his mother die.
 
 

A good candidate like Richard Gordon who can really get the country out of the rut it is in right now has very little chance of winning because it takes a normal human brain and a strong set of principles to arrive at a rational decision that Gordon is the best man for the job. Sadly, the sentimentality of Cory Aquino’s death and Ninoy’s supposed heroism gets the moronic Filipino populace enthralled and high on it as if it were a dose of heroine that clouds the mind. Others who are supposedly “intelligent” want to vote for Noynoy because he is the “lesser evil” and that voting for others would just make Villar (someone perceived to be corrupt) win. For me that is unprincipled because a vote is for someone you deem to be the right one for the position and nothing else. If you vote based on surveys then you are nothing but part of a herd of sheep who goes wherever the rest go -- even to the slaughterhouse.


As The Filipino population hankers after furthering their destruction, I could not help but sigh and shake my head. There they are hypnotized by the tunes the pied pipers play as they plunge together into the water to die like the rats that they are.

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Reposted Entry From rafterman of:

Anti-Pinoy: Noynoy Supporters are Proof that The Philippines is a Wowowee Idiocracy

Serene Heart

Every once in a while our spirits look for a place to run to for peace and relaxation from the concrete jungle we live in. A place we can escape to from the madding crowds and busting sounds of the metro. While most of us would agree that getting “there” would require us to travel (Boracay, Palawan, Phuket even) our family was lucky enough to find a haven in the embodiment of Laiya Coco Grove in San Juan, Batangas. Batangas is about 2 hours away from Manila, far enough from the noise, smoke and dust yet conveniently located to allow tranquil experience.

I was able to learn about this resort after googling beaches in the Batangas area and recalling a friend mention Laiya. And so I thought to myself: “Why travel (not to mention spend tons of money) to find a place to relax when we have Laiya.”

The resort had a homey feel. Very “Filipino” and had a lot of bamboo and hard wood in its furniture. As the name suggests the resort had a lot of coconut trees, which make sounds that blend with the chirping of birds and the waves of the sea. Our family stayed in 2 air conditioned poolside cottages, clean, spacious, and had decent lighting contrary to other resort accommodations that had little. The beds were also ok, pillows fluffy. The washroom however wasn’t really that convenient, I mean if you’re used to a bathroom with walls separating the water closet, lavatory and shower (just cold water), its ok for you. There were also tree houses which I really liked; had I known room transfers was possible, we would have stayed there, not that I didn’t like the poolside cottage, it’s just that I like the tree house concept. The resort also has a first aid / emergency nook which as a health care provider, was a plus point. A chapel near the entrance, a spacious parking area, a communal hall (dining area) and a pavilion.

The attendants are wonderful. Courteous, approachable, accommodating and I could not recall a moment when I didn’t see them smiling. I especially liked the people in the kitchen, speaking of the kitchen, our package included a 3D/2N stay in 2 cottages, inclusive of full buffet meals (lunch from arrival to lunch before departure), use of pool, trampoline and volleyball and basketball courts and the access to Laiya White Sands (which I’ll talk about later). But the meals aren’t really that impressive, they give you a choice of rice/fried rice/paella, a choice of viand - fish, beef, and chicken, and vegetables and a glass of iced tea (a cup of Barako coffee during breakfast). Although I must admit, I enjoyed the breakfast (tapa, fried rice, eggs, hotdogs) and dinner (paella, fried chicken, mixed vegetables) during our 2nd day.

The beach front from the main resort isn’t really exceptional which is why they take you (for free via the hotel’s transport) to the white sands beach, which is about a 5-minute drive from the main resort. The Laiya Coco Grove White Sands Beach is breathtaking. Clear waters, cool white sand, flying fox/zipline, amazing view of the mountains and a whole lot more. Our family also availed of the boating-snorkeling activity which I really enjoyed. They hand out floatation devices / life jackets and goggles which are in good condition unlike most that other resorts I’ve been to provide.

Overall, we had a wonderful Laiya experience through Coco Grove. My family and I are certainly satisfied and will definitely stay here when we visit Batangas again soon. I would definitely recommend Laiya Coco Grove to those who want a quiet place to relax, unwind and enjoy life’s pleasures without compromising satisfaction and value for money.

I give Laiya Coco Grove an 8/10

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For Reservations: Laiya Coco Grove

                           Makati Office Tel. Nos. (63-2) 894-1057 ; 892-6009

Filipino discovers new vaccine vs. malaria

Filipino discovers new vaccine vs. malaria

(globalnation.inquirer.net)

MANILA, Philippines—Rhoel Dinglasan, an entomologist and biologist from John Hopkins University, is rocking the science world with his discovery of a new vaccine against malaria.

It prevents mosquitoes from spreading malaria if they bite someone who’s been inoculated with the vaccine, and brings the medical world a step closer to eradicating the disease.

Dinglasan’s discovery was recently featured in the Health and Science section of TIME magazine. Here are excerpts from the article.

“Traditional vaccines work by introducing a killed or weakened version of a disease into the body, where the immune system spots it and cranks out antibodies against it. Then, if a wild strain of the pathogen comes along later—one that has the power to sicken or kill—the body is ready for it. The new approach is different. Developed by Rhoel Dinglasan, an entomologist and biologist at Johns Hopkins University Hospital, it would instead work within the mosquito gut.

Dinglasan has found an antigen, called AnAPN1, that causes humans to create antibodies that prevent transmission of malaria by mosquitoes. Get enough of these antibodies into mosquitoes, and you lock the disease up there and prevent it from infecting us.

Sounds good, but how do you implement such a strategy? You can hardly vaccinate the mosquitoes themselves. Instead, you put the AnAPN1 into their food source: us. A mosquito that bites an inoculated person would pick up the antibodies and then be sidelined from the malaria-transmission game.
The new vaccine is not the first TBV attempted. Previous versions used not AnAPN1 but parts of the malaria parasite to generate human immune responses.

Unfortunately, two vaccine candidates using that approach unexpectedly caused some skin disorders when tested in humans in 2008, prompting a need for further research. And even without that side effect, using antigens from the malaria parasite would require multiple vaccines to fight the many different strains of malaria.”

The Good and Bad Sides of Herbal Medicines

This is an article from Neal H. Cruz's "As I See It" - The Philippine Daily Inquirer

Friday, January 8, 2010

WE HAVE RECEIVED MANY COMPLAINTS about herbal medicines being advertised and sold. We have also been offered these herbs, complete with anecdotal stories about the scores of people that the “miraculous” herbs have “cured.” Some time ago, I read a story in the papers that Health Secretary Francisco Duque had ordered the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate the claims of those companies manufacturing, advertising and selling herbal medicines to guide the public. The people may be misled by the extravagant claims, he said. At a forum of the Kapihan sa Manila the FDA head assured me that they were testing the efficacy of the herbal medicines being sold. That was a long time ago, but until now the FDA has not released any of its findings, if any.

The rise of the herbal medicines started during the term of a previous health secretary who used to be a country doctor. Because of the high cost of medicines, his administration encouraged the sale of medicinal herbs which can be had for free in the countryside.

Of course, herbal medicines have been used in China for decades but it is still new in the Philippines.
The herbal revolution started with ampalaya leaves as a “cure” against diabetes, supposedly after a test made by a doctor. The health department seized on this and immediately boarded the ampalaya bandwagon. It turned out that the sampling was very limited and the ampalaya leaves came only from a small farm on Mt. Makiling. And there was—and still is—no proof that they can cure diabetes. I asked endocrinologists about this and they all shook their heads.

But there was no stopping the herbal bandwagon. Other herbal medications purporting to “cure” the most deadly diseases: cancer, heart disease, high-blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, name the disease and there is a herbal medicine for it.

The public has looked to the FDA and the health department to guide them on the use of herbals. But there was no such guidance, and there being none, not even any warnings, the people embraced the sales pitch of the herbal companies. Companies producing, promoting and selling herbal medicines sprouted like mushrooms. And judging from their frequent newspaper advertisements, television commercials using celebrity endorsers, and giant billboards, these companies must be raking it in. After all, what were they selling but leaves and herbs that they gather almost free from the countryside. Yet these are sold at handsome prices in different forms: capsules, tablets, liquid, tea leaves, etc.

Every few months, a new flavor of the month, a “miraculous” plant from some exotic place, emerges and is promoted by their sellers like they were the Black Nazarene of Quiapo. One time it was mahogany seeds, another time it was an exotic fruit whose name I cannot remember. After a few months, these “miraculous” cures were forgotten, only to be replaced by others.

It turned out that some of these are toxic. A journalist friend (of all people) habitually chewed on mahogany seeds. It lowered his blood pressure, he said. The mahogany seeds did not only lower his blood pressure, it stopped his heart. The seeds were toxic, the health department found out later. But it was too late. He was dead.

My sister-in-law was diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas and she was told to undergo chemotherapy. Instead, she was persuaded by a friend to take a herbal concoction. In the beginning, she claimed she was feeling better, but she died soon after. Of course, it could have been the cancer that killed her but that is the trouble with herbals. Because of the extravagant claims of their promoters without any scientific basis, many patients forego the advice of doctors and take their chances with herbals.

It is the responsibility of the government to guide the people on whether or not certain medications are good or bad for their health. We have the FDA for that. But the herbal companies escape government scrutiny by putting on the packages of their herbal medicines, “No therapeutic claims,” meaning they are not making any claims that their herbs have any therapeutic value.

But that is exactly what their advertisements and commercials and literature do: they claim that their herbs cure any disease known to man: cancer, heart disease, asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, rheumatism, fever, diarrhea, women’s diseases, etc. They were like the “snake oil” of old that traveling salesmen sold door to door after performing some magic tricks and acrobatic acts in the street to attract a crowd. Actually, the snake oil was nothing but colored coconut oil scented with menthol and had no curative value at all.

The FDA claims it has no jurisdiction over herbals because they are not medicines but food supplements. But they are being sold as medicines and in capsule, tablet, liquid forms or as tea. They are sold in drug stores; they are packaged as regular medicines; they are endorsed by doctors and other celebrities.

There should be a law to punish any endorser of a medicine, herbal or regular, that brings harm to any patient.

The DOH and FDA are being negligent by not investigating the herbals more closely. They should outlaw the sale of these herbals until each and every one of them has been tested as to the truth of their claims. And if any of them harms a patient, the company and endorsers should be punished and made to pay damages to the patient or his family.

These irresponsible herbal companies are happily raking it in without facing any consequences if they made a mistake. It is time we changed that and protected the public.

"Bulilit Subalit Malupit"

I've played a hefty number of games to date and can't deny the fact that my favorite gaming genre is MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role playing games). Currently, I'm glued to Run Up's Luna Online

(image from Run Up website)

Luna Online is another 3D MMO published by the people at gpotato (who were known for bringing you Fly for Fun (Flyff) and Rappelz) with bright, anime-inspired graphics and an emphasis on socialization. Players choose from three primary classes, and can then branch out into over forty available classes as they level. Luna Online allows players to form Families and purchase farmland to cultivate together

Story is about elves and humans and the struggle for Blueland's Survival.

Graphics: very cute 3D graphics... This can be seen as an up or a down. Personally; this game had been a pleasant experience for me. The characters are extremely cute, it makes you want to squeeze them! On the other hand; it might be TOO cute.. it's like Ragnarok online... only 3D and... cuter (imho)

Classes: You get to choose from 3 classes - 2 races.. Human/Elf Fighter .... Human/Elf Mage... Human/Elf Rouge... then the job tree branches out into around 40... some of which can only be open to a specific race.. (example.. only an elf mage can reach elemental master job... and only a human rouge can reach blade taker)

Controls: The controls are very standard to its game play. Like most MMOs, you use the numeric keys 1 2 3 to 0 .... and be able to use another slot by holding the control key and pressing the numeric key... which gives you 20 skills in one screen. This is a point and click game, which might seem boring to some... But the game play is just so smooth that you might even compensate for the fact that it really is a point and click.

Combat: For Ragnarok Online lovers, this game will not disappoint you! The first time I played this game and got 20 levels through, advancing my class to the next.. and since there are a lot of jobs/classes to choose from... you get to enjoy your respective roles most of the time. (as usual, I chose another support class --- Mage-Cleric... currently I'm a level 40 priest)

The game heavily revolves around quests. There are a nice amount of quests available and it helps earn money and experience quickly. Its a good start, but once the number of quests starts to go down, it begins to get a bit difficult to grind. Luckily grinding isn't that bad for the most part. Its fairly simple to level up if you choose to until later on (say the 50s). Once you get through a good amount of the game its either something you enjoy or hate. Experience is based on your level compared to the mob's level. Ideally you want to be 3-5 levels below the monster you're training on.

Features: Guilds, Families, Farming.... and Dating! Yes! Dating... the game lets you input your personal information... your age, location, gender... and... of course the things you're looking for in another partner..

Concerns:  MMORPGs are dominated by males so people who play this game for the "Dating Feature" will likely be looking at dating service with 10% female and 90% males, something like that. Another is that there are already a lot of online games available and the game might not be able to catch up to the "population" of other games.. the most popular not even being online (DotA).

Final Note: Luna Online is a game that tries to focus on character development rather than the story or development of game characters through quest. This is something that some people might like while many who are not use to it might dislike it. The skill system is something that is rare, but it lacks a more free mix and match system that might be preferred over this semi-free system. Grinding can get a bit heavy later on but its very light in the beginning. For those who want to get deeply involved in the game, they can while those who don't want to can stay away from those features and still enjoy the game.

I give it a 7/10

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Merry Christmas

and a Joyous New Year!

What can be said in New Year rhymes,

That's not been said a thousand times?

The new years come, the old years go,

We know we dream, we dream we know.

We rise up laughing with the light,

We lie down weeping with the night.

We hug the world until it stings,

We curse it then and sigh for wings.

We live, we love, we woo, we wed,

We wreathe our prides, we sheet our dead.

We laugh, we weep, we hope, we fear,

And that's the burden of a year.

                                                                                    --- Ella Wilcox

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