Book writing: a way to rekindle the human spirit

I know. I am guilty. For the longest time, I have been constantly pressed by colleagues and relatives (whom I feel comprise mostly of my subscribers’ list) to release the next issue. And I had to admit, this time has been unusually long.

But this edition of SAWALI had to give way to one of the most important part of me, being a writer as well as being an OFW.

Though living in Saudi Arabia for nearly 4 years now, I still find myself adjusting to this strange culture. Yet with all the gruesome, tear-jerking and hair losing (almost) years, I feel I have enough experiences that I can put them in a book. And I did.

Yes! ladies and gentlemen, I have written a book.

It is titled Kapeng Arabo , a collection of stories and day-to-day issues of Pinoys working in Saudi Arabia. Though not all experiences I have narrated are mine, I related them to my own chronological journey to give them structure.

While in the middle of everything, I learned about the scant industry of self-publishing in the Philippines. This multi-million area is still unexplored, since, according to Lirio Sandoval, president of Book Development Association of the Philippines (BDAP), ‘there are still too few readers compared to our population, or that the readers don’t have the capacity to buy.’

But with new publication and genres laden the shelves of bookstores in the country every now and then, many authors and publishers do so for self-satisfaction. A healthy sign of another sector about to unfold.

Others look at book writing simply as impractical. Though it is certainly not for everyone, I am, nevertheless, convinced that it is perhaps one of the higher forms of productivity - and much more.

It enlightens you by making you look deep in your heart and realize how you stand on certain issues. It empowers you by drawing out fears, compassion and understanding as you relive events. It immortalizes you, as the great wisdom of Confucius says.

I am one with those who celebrate digital media as a new and better way to contribute and take part in the so-called “culture” conversation. But the promise of this radiant has not (so far) replaced the great comfort and ineffable pleasure when you sit down with a book and turn its pages. There is no way to compare the feeling of re-assurance that the information books have will always be available and ready to be picked up. Short of saying that “books are here to stay.”

Albert Schweitzer says that in everyone’s life at some time, our inner fire goes out. And that fire is then burst into flame by encounter with another human being. This is one way of ‘rekindling the human spirit’.

And I’d like to think that book writing is all about rekindling that inner fire. By knowing others’ stories, by print or otherwise, we reintroduce color in a world of gray; by letting them know of ours, we reintegrate values in our society replete with principles; and, by putting our heart and mind in every page we write, we replace absence with presence. (S)