I’ve
always been a fan of “mobster films.” Anything from the classics such as “The
Goodfellas,” “Scarface,” “Cidade de Deus,” and of course the ever-popular classic,
“The Godfather” trilogy – although I wouldn’t exactly say that I cared too much
for the latter’s third installment. I’ve also been a fan of the series, “The
Sopranos” when it aired on television.
I
wouldn’t exactly say that I liked the violence and the murders (or in the mob
parlance, “wetwork”). I’m not one to judge on the gray and black market dealings
and the mob’s business rackets (which are centered mainly on the illegal and
“shady” practices such as union dealings, drug and liquor-running, smuggling,
human trafficking, and money laundering, among others) – after all, according
to the character of Vito Corleone, it doesn’t actually make a difference how
someone makes his or her living.
What
really speaks to me whenever I watch these films is how the main characters’
alter egos (or their mob personas) are well-juxtaposed with their private
lives. It is almost formulaic, bordering on cliché, but the magic works through
the development of the characters. In my opinion, this is the very reason (or
at least one of the biggest reasons) why people patronize these films. Despite
the ugly association with the generally perceived “dirty mob reputation”, the
characters are shown a different side – a human side – which displays their
weaknesses, their quirks, their fears, their humorous antics, and what sets
them off. The striking contrast between “mobster alter ego” and “regular family
guy” satisfies the curiosity of people.
But
another personal reason why I find these films fascinating is due to the fact
that in hindsight, I’ve unconsciously drawn a lot of parallelisms between the
films’ narratives and real life. That is when I realized that despite all the
wanton display of violence, I felt some strange familiarity while watching
these films. I wouldn’t exactly call it comfort. But whenever I see myself in
similar situations like the characters, it helps me think how to properly
reassess my actions. The lessons learned from the characters’ mistakes in
addition to my own are contributing forces to help me shape my own character
into a better one.
By
nature, I am short-tempered, iron-willed, headstrong, and observant. I don’t
really talk much, because I actually spend a lot of time thinking. I’ve learned
to read and see through people. I do what needs to be done.
However,
as I’ve found, this doesn’t sit too well with some kinds of people. There are
times when I’ve let my annoyance get the better of me especially when I had to
deal with people who talk first and think later. Further, there are even people
who, due to a lack of observable reassurance because, well, I’m not too
talkative, are fond of jumping to conclusions. There are those who like to give
me attitude despite my best efforts to be civil and diplomatic. If these people
met me when I was younger, I would have probably whacked the living daylights
out of them. Especially if they had caught me on a bad day, I wouldn’t think
twice because I would see it as a justified act due to provocation.
But
of course, I realized that that kind of frame of mind only reduced me to
nothing other than being a common thug – similar to some of the mobsters I’ve
seen on screen. I didn’t want to turn out to be a brute. In my mind, the
top-level people do not need to resort to getting their hands dirty. Why, they
are actually sharply dressed and sophisticated people. Since I am the thinking
kind, I did not really find it that difficult transfer my proclivities from
being “brawn-based” to “mind-based”. Besides, I wasn’t really even gifted with
a brawny physique. Further, the irony is that only when I was formally taught
martial arts (Muay Thai and Wing Chun) that I actually imbibed the values of
physical, mental, and spiritual discipline. While on the surface my teacher
taught me the way of the fist (so to speak) I realized later on that he was
actually teaching me an inner discipline – that which rests in the mind.
“Violence
only begets violence. Respect begets respect,” were my late grandfather’s
words. An academician and engineer by profession, he has lived through the
Second World War and Martial Law. Despite everything that he has achieved in
his lifetime, he remained quiet and humble. He never seemed to think that he
was bigger than who he was just by the virtue of his age and experiences –
rather, he saw fit that it was better to learn the lessons from these
experiences and be a better person.
All
these realizations and introspections allowed me to be conscious of who and
what I want to be as a person. This is probably one of the more sensible
investments I’ve made thus far.
Another
parallelism that I drew from these films is the rampant usage of guns (minus
the part about actually killing people with them). My father, a public servant
and academician, is a firearms enthusiast. Even as a small child, I always
remembered that it was a common sight to see guns around the house – but of
course, they weren’t unsupervised. From this hobby, my father has made friends
in the police and military ranks. He also gave me my own guns, but I didn’t use
them anyway (and I sincerely hope I would never have to). They are collection
pieces anyway – a pistol from the Second World War, and my grandfather’s old
hunting rifle – with the firing pins locked away.
However,
if there was one trait that the mobsters have (or at least, the top ones) that
I wished my father had, is the former’s sharp sense of business. My father has
a very weak business sense – so much that when we tried opening a small
restaurant, the losses were greater than the net income. He consumed through
the inventory of the merchandise himself. My mother constantly bewailed that he
is not spending his money wisely. After all, you can’t eat a gun, right?
Actually,
if only I have the right cards – the machinations, the right people, and the
investment money – I would like to make one more sensible investment myself:
renewable energy.
It’s
because renewable energy really is the trend for the future. Picture this: the
distribution of oil is naturally unequal across the world. Some nations have
reserves for it, some don’t. Some have the capacity to sell it, however, the
majority of nations actually don’t. The majority buys oil from other nations.
Many
nations have to resort to importing oil because to them it is not a native and
indigenous resource. However, the old technologies that came to rely on burning
fossil fuels are still being widely used. The good thing is that as more and
more nations are taking the steps towards sustainable development and green
economics, the interest for renewable energy keeps growing as the years
progress. Research and technology are improving the odds that renewable energy
would be able to meet the needs of the people.
Energy
security is a great concern especially as the world enters the coming
centuries. The world’s populations are expected to rise. More people mean more
settlements. More settlements mean a greater demand for power and electricity.
As
oil gets more and more expensive (not to mention that sooner or later it would
be depleted), the dependence on this one resource alone will prove to be less
and less feasible. Thus, why not look for alternative sources which can be
naturally replenished? Besides, as the world is experiencing global warming and
climate change, increased usage of renewable sources gives Mother Earth a
much-needed break. Fossil fuel burning has been linked to greater carbon
emissions, which in turn is said to be the culprit for climate change.
The
Philippines is one of those countries that seek to improve the usage of
renewable energy. In fact, through the National Renewable Energy Program, the
government seeks to attract the interest of potential investors and developers
through incentives. Policies that are economically sound and business-oriented
are mandated to bolster the greater usage of renewable energy in the country.
This
seems to be working, as many corporations (with stakeholders both from the
private and government sectors) are looking to secure their service contracts
through the Department of Energy. One such corporation is the publicly listed
Basic Energy Corporation, which aims to close three service contracts in order to develop geothermal
plants in East Mankayan (Benguet), Mariveles (Bataan) and Iriga City,
(Camarines Sur). Basic Energy is also planning a 20-Megawatt (MW) geothermal
powerplant in Mabini, Batangas. The corporation is also looking for the
possibility of having a joint venture with other companies. There is also the planned geothermal exploration in Bulusan, which has the support not only of the Department of Energy but also the endorsement of the prestigious World Wildlife Fund.
I
wouldn’t mind investing in renewable energy. After all, compared to the money
made by the mobsters that need to be constantly laundered, having business
interests in renewable energy is a lot cleaner (literally and figuratively).
Not only is it in line with the whole country’s initiative towards sustainable
development, it is also environmentally sound. Earning a living doesn’t
necessarily have to be a “bad” or “dirty” business. Vito Corleone may be right,
after all.
So
yes, if I did have the means an investment in renewable energy would definitely
be another one of the more sensible investments that I would make. Hopefully,
someday I would have the means.
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