Under the Blood Red Sun Reflection

First of all, I am quite overwhelmed and confused as to what to provide for Moodle and this blog site. I did post my literacy autobiography in Moodle, as well as my self-introduction and the syllabus forum...is my reflection on chapters 1-4 the only one I'm supposed to blog about for July 9? This is already my second attempt and I know that I am already tardy, but still going to try my best to share my reflection. I hope this time, my blog will be posted. So, here goes...

The way the author opened the first chapter with "It all started the day..." had me wondering WHAT started (I'm still trying to figure out the answer to my query. I'm such a slow learner at times!).

Somewhat similar to Tomi, I grew up under the shared care of my Mom and grandparents in the family house. My Lolo (grandfather) was the head (and the main authority) of the family. Growing up in his care was almost the same as the way Tomi was raised by his Grampa and parents. I do not know if it is an Asian thing, but I can totally identify with some of the Japanese traditions described in the first four chapters:

1. RESPECT -- for elders, which also was synonymous to being obedient to their instructions. Whether we understood it or not, we had to follow what our Lolo or Mom had to tell us. According to them, they were only after our well-being. Disobedience to their orders meant occasional whacking on the rear as a form of discipline. My Lolo was a farmer and WWII survivor; hence, he knew the value of hard labor just to bring food to the family table. To us, that translated to not wasting even a single grain of rice. All that should be left on our plates were bones or any inedible left-over. I looked at my Lolo as someone who was super stingy back then, but I now realize the importance of respecting anything we have as a form of appreciating every blessing we receive.

2. UPHOLDING the FAMILY'S GOOD NAME -- Strange as it was for me as a child, this was a valuable lesson that my Lolo and Mom never failed to emphasize. With life being so difficult during his time, my Lolo certainly strived hard to send all his six children to school. He succeeded after numerous struggles and sacrifices when all six of his offsprings (my Mom included) gained their degrees. I remember him always showing off to his friends or guests one wall in the family house that displayed the black-and-white graduation pictures of all his children proudly holding their diplomas on their chests. To him, his children brought him honor...and we should do the same to our parents. He would often remind us to watch our actions because one wrongdoing is not only a disgrace to our parents, but more so to our Lolo and the Familia Zaragoza.

3. The practice of PAYING BACK to any infraction done -- As I have learned it from my Lolo, our own version of paying back was more of utang-na-loob or indebtedness. I am not fully agreeing to this family tradition because of the possibilities (and actually realities) of abuse (taking advantage) by the people we are indebted to. I have seen this in my family and I just do not think it is right to keep saying yes to someone who is already stepping on our rights to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Often, a deep sense of indebtedness does not really help; it can actually jeopardize one's life and relationships when taken to the extreme. In the case of Tomi, he knows that they are indebted to Keet's family for letting them live in their property. Hence, he cannot really fight back against Keet's bullying even if he wants to. If he does fight back, that would show that he is just as bad as Keet, which would reflect on his family as not raising him with proper values, which would be a disgrace to a rather honest, hardworking and humble family.

So far, reading the book is not merely a recreation, nor a school requirement. It is more of an eye-opener and memory inducer as I rediscover more of the good old ways of living that I have learned from my own family. I am looking forward to more valuable lessons to be learned, or re-learned from this book.