May bayad ang hinihingi mo.

Maraming gustong makalaya sa kung anong nagpapahirap sa kanila.

Free from illness.

Free from doing things you don't want to do.

Free from worries.

Free from being controlled.

Pero ang kulit lang, kasi kapag binigay naman, it's being taken for granted most of the time.

Yes. Masaya.

Makakabwelo ka na sa gusto mo talagang mangyari.

Kaso yung freedom na natanggap mo, hindi talaga completely libre.

There's a corresponding payment to ensure a consistent supply.

Mala-addictive ang dating, pero in a healthy passion.

Kahit na sa tingin ay wala o iba ang magbabayad para sa'yo, you're missing the crucial part.

Masyado kang tutok sa resulta kaya hindi nagawang dumaplis sa utak mo ang halaga na katumbas ng inaasam mo.

Bawat pagtira sa balak na kunin, may babanda nang babanda hanggang tamaan ka.

Meanwhile, it doesn't strike you yet the weight of acquiring your fairy tale.

Ang talagang gusto ng marami ay yung resulta ng sarap at hindi yung pinanggalingang hirap.

If we're meant to be free, at least nawala na sana ang desire nating maging malaya.

Kaso hindi.

Ang mas malala pa nga, even if we want it, it is sometimes hard to get.

And even if we get it, hindi siya katulad ng bagay na ine-expect natin completely.

Pabili Po

Simple ang galawan.

If you want it, you have to pay for it.

Dito magsisilabasan ang samu't-saring instances where it applies.

1. Freedom to leave your job

Alam mong umay ka na sa trabaho.

Overall, you don't like it anymore like you used to.

Kaso kabado sa bawat galaw kasi baka may maling magawa o masabi at mapatalsik ka.

You're typically coming from a place of desperation, regardless of your awareness of it.

Pinagdadasal mo na sana na walang problema na mangyari kasi baka bumalik na naman sa tiis-gutom ang galawan mo.

You choose to suffer that way rather than bother yourself to save and build your 6-month emergency fund.

2. Freedom to choose your mate

Lahat ng mga kasabayan mo ay nagsisikasalan na.

Yung iba, may mga anak na.

Bit by bit, the feeling of being left out is starting to form.

Sila, pamilya na ang pinagkakaabalahan, ikaw tamang fan boy/girl sa paborito mong boy/girl group.

You know there's nothing bad about it.

Until you feel bad about it.

So you do some compromise.

You link yourself to someone na masasabing pwede na.

Kasi sino ka ba naman para mamili 'di ba?

So you get what you are offered.

But you forgot that the offers you receive reflect what you've made yourself deserve.

Sa pagmamadali mong makahabol, ikasal ka agad sa unang nagbigay ng atensyon sa iyo.

You produced your offspring.

Then later, you noticed it late na the person you married with is having baggage you don't want to carry, leading to a typical broken family.

Too much dependency. Too much chasing of fantasy.

Para sa'yo mas okay na ito.

Kaysa naman, taking yourself to be fit physically and mentally, while maintaining proper hygiene and improving your appearance.

To the point na better position ka sana sa possible pairing or marriage, if that's what you want.

E wala e.

Mahirap ’yan.

Okay na siguro yung sabay sa karamihan.

Tapos tamang sisi na lang sa gobyerno, asa sa tulong ng iba, at pasa-problema sa mga anak.

No judgement here, ha.

We all know, you're just a victim of reality.

Right?

Wrong.

3. Freedom to live the life you want

Matagal ka nang nagpipigil.

Inuuna mo yung iba.

Sila muna bago ikaw.

The time will come when they are okay, and you finally do your own thing.

Kaso parang malabo na dumating ’yon.

Kinalakihan mo kasi yung "be in service to others" tapos sinabayan pa ng "always be humble".

Kahit marami ka nang nalaman sa mga nauna sa iyo na "live your life while you're young", ang balik na banat mo ay "bata pa naman ako".

Kaya umaabot sa di mo na alam kung ano ang gusto mo sa buhay.

The things you actually want at some point were overridden by the desires of others.

Ang naging work around mo na lang is to dilute yourself into thinking na what you have is what you want.

Mas okay pa ito sa iyo kaysa sundin ang balak mo na hindi mo sigurado ang resulta.

Tamang sunod na lang sa script na gawa ng society for everyone.

You know that story. Ikaw mismo, o yung kilala mo, o yung kilala ng kilala mo.

Ginawang libro pa nga o may sumikat pa na palabas.

Hindi lang sa kwentuhan, you also hear this buried in song lyrics.

Marami ang mga 'yan.

These 3 examples are just a few of the many instances of the cost of having or dismissing freedom.

Imaginary or real, it will be based on whose perception.

In Exchange

Every time we prefer not to choose, someone will choose for us.

The basic observation we can have about this freedom is that not everyone really wants it.

Sa recent celebration lang na Independence day, it reminds us of the sweet fruit given by the sacrifice of our country's heroes.

Hindi natin maiintindihan nang lubusan ang sarap na bigay noon unless nabuhay tayo sa pait ng nakaraan na ’yon.

Our country deserves it. Sure.

But not everyone living it necessarily deserves it either.

It's like you being born.

Hindi ibig sabihin na buhay ka, deserve mo na ang buhay na maayos.

We don't deserve anything.

Kaya matigas talaga ang mukha mo kung susumahin kapag 'di ka thankful sa mga bagay na natatanggap mo kahit wala kang ginagawa.

Our public education is our debt to our nation.

You being alive up to this point is a gift from the people around you.

Kahit sabihin mong hindi mo hiniling na mabuhay, kalokohan ’yan.

That's a form of ungratefulness.

Sa halip na magpasalamat ka kasi binigyan ka ng chance na masilip ang buhay ng tao, nagrereklamo ka pa.

Shoutout sa mga pabirong nagsasabi na kung ipapanganak lang daw ang baby, let's say sa Pilipinas, huwag na daw.

Kadamutan na ang tawag diyan.

Regardless of where, how, or what your state of being at birth, going through that process is a blessing in itself.

Ang ironic nga e, yung mga madalas magsabi ng ganyang biro ay madalas na yung mga nasa aircon at hindi naka-experience ng agaw-buhay na dusa.

Hiyang-hiyang sa inyo 'yan. Yung mga may malubhang sakit, pinili nilang sulitin ang oras nila dito sa mundo — nakangiti pa — habang kayo, mainitan lang, kung ano-ano na ang pinagsasabi.

Well, hindi natin masisisi, bida sila ng kani-kanilang kwento na validated by online likes and people who don't want to offend them.

Palitan Lang

Nandito na tayo sa usapang presyo na hinihingi ng madla.

I opened up this idea because it somewhat struck me that not everyone needs freedom.

Hindi dahil lang, they don't deserve it, but more of having it will just make their lives miserable on some level.

Kalayaan mong gawin ang kahit na ano ay attached with the possible chaos it can result in by its butterfly effect.

Hindi ibig sabihin na kaya mong gawin ay gagawin mo na.

You can do it, but it's not always good for you:

• Scroll on your phone all day long
• Kainin lahat ng kaya mong bilhin
• Matulog ka maghapon o magdamag

There's a fine line between too much and too little.

You can be completely free in some parts but not in others.

Na parang kabaliktaran din ito ng pinakagusto natin — ang magkaroon ng kontrol sa buhay.

Pero hindi naman completely.

This just draws the line on where to apply that complete control and where not to.

Hindi mo naman siguro didiktahan ang doktor sa kung anong dapat na irekomenda sa'yo kasi mas alam niya ang ginagawa niya kaysa sa'yo.

Kahit na doktor ka mismo, hindi ka naman lalapit sa kanya in the first place kung hindi mo kailangan ang tulong niya.

Kahit sa tipikal na pamumuhay ng mga Pinoy.

Asa sa anumang tulong galing sa gobyerno.

Why?

Kasi mas gusto nila ang complete control sa pagliliwaliw o pag-asa sa iba kaysa sila mismo ang magkaroon ng responsibilidad sa buhay nila.

There's nothing wrong there from the standpoint of minding your own business.

Hangga't di ka nila napeperwisyo nang malala.

Huwag mo na akong banatan sa usapang tax at baka mapitik lang kita.

That's part of the game.

If you don't want to lessen the amount being taxed from you, do your own research; there's a way to do that.

Kasi magkahawig lang ang reasoning mo sa mga panay na reklamo at walang ginagawang action to resolve them.

Then what's the exchange of giving the responsibility of your life to others?

It's the power over your life.

Balik pa rin sa kontrol.

Kaya wala kang karapatan kung may ipatutupad na something na dapat mong gawin.

Lalo na kung nakasalalay ang kabuhayan mo doon.

Put your mask on. Bawal lumabas. Ito ang curfew.

We are not against the government, any institution, or even the church.

Our society is better because of them.

The chaos is mitigated with their help.

Magkakaaberya lang naman sa'yo if you blindly hand the direction of your life to them.

Ligaw ka sa buhay? Kapit sa simbahan.

Pasaway ka sa lipunan? Papaamuhin ka ng gobyerno.

Kailangan mo ng tulong? May institution na naghihintay sa'yo.

They can complement one's life while ruining it at the same time if you just go with the flow.

We don't need to be wealthy to be free.

We don't need to know anything to be free.

We only need enough awareness of its possibility.

From there, you can see options.

Pwede mong paramihin through efforts.

Pwede mong palawakin through critical thinking.

Hindi ito basic math and money problem.

We already passed that.

This is more about an accountability problem.

Kung talagang gusto mo, edi akuin mo.

Mura lang naman ang bayad – buong buhay mo.

- Mark Galvez

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