Arizaldo E.

Castro HUB32 Reflection Paper on Sa Mata ni Ekang

July 7, 2011 Sociology

The word normal is defined as conforming with or following the standards or general accepted rules. In the documentary Sa Mata ni Ekang, a typical Filipino family diverted from our idea of a normal family set-up. Each of Ekangs family members, her father, mother, and grandmother has their own alter-egos to survive the harsh realities of life. Her mother works as an amphetamine dealer, her father as a pedicab driver in the morning and a thief at night, and her grandmother as a prostitute handler. Together, they all contribute for the familys daily expenses, the childrens needs, and a growing moral burden that weakens their souls. This set-up is not an isolated case. In our country, people work hard to earn money and if their earnings are not enough, it is possible that they might engage to illegal and immoral acts just to earn extra and make ends meet. One realization that struck me the most while watching is the fact that societal stratification exists and competing for resources is an everyday happening that makes the world revolve. Altruism or protecting ones kin is of course an instinct of every human being. Furthermore, one sad truth is that since class division is present, most of the time, the powerful wins the competition for resources while the needy and indigent are left with nothing but to work harder-making impossible things probable and even crossing the boundaries of general societal acceptance. In addition to this, another thought that bothered me is who must we pinpoint or whose efforts must be seen to eliminate this kind of social dilemma. The Government or the Filipinos themselves? Well, for me, the question is do we really have to pinpoint somebody or the government about our misfortunes in life? There is this saying that we are the creators of our destiny and man is the main actor of his life. So, I conclude that at the present times, class division is a cycle that balances the society and man is programmed to live and function as a protector of his kin. None of us can shame or has the right to label Ekangs family as abhorrent or a deviation from the accepted. The truth here is, a game of lottery determines our initial economic status. If we were born on an elite family, problems are less otherwise expect the opposite. Unfortunately, in Ekangs case, she was born on a family struck by the poverty line and basically she cant do anything about it as of the moment. Eventually, she will discover the workings of the kind of life they are living and the next question is if she will follow the familial lineage. As a conclusion, I would like to quote Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American poet and essayist. He once said: Society is a masked ball, where every one hides his real character, and reveals it by hiding- a perfect line not only applicable to Ekangs family but to every one of us.