TOOTHACHE in SOCIETY





I felt the electricity shoot up from the nerves of my tooth to my brain, a flag of warning that something's wrong with my teeth and gums. For the past few days, I could not think straight, nor could I enjoy my food, nor could I open my mouth to gabble. I just felt the aching pain! My sister even had the audacity to tell me that it would do me good to shut up once in a while! She even said that she could hear and enjoy the good music of silence! duh.





Amidst my pain and bout of self-pity, I remembered that I haven't thought of an article yet to be submitted, well, in the near future. I felt that I literally squeezed my brain only to have something to go on with, but to no avail. I imagined my muse went on strike, holding a banner saying I must leave her alone. I could not think. I only felt the pain.





Since I have already turned my brain inside out, I thought, "Why not make something productive out of the dire situation I am in? Why not compare my aching tooth with the aching society that we have today?" Why not? Hilarious! But at least that's something rather than be stuck with nothing at all.





I heard somewhere that pain is the mouthpiece of God in a deaf world.





Let's get back to the really aching tooth. It's simple. If a tooth really aches, it means something is wrong. One becomes affected and will deviate from the routine he does. He cannot function efficiently. Since he knows that the pain is concentrated on a certain area, his focus will only be on that area. Other areas of his body will be somewhat neglected. Ironically, a tooth, smaller than a fingernail, has the uncanny ability to affect the entire body.





So, in our society, who is the tooth? Who are the tartar, plaque, cavity, and black hole that cause the tooth to ache?





It would be safe to say that the 'tooth' is the public officer who gets elected or appointed into position. Yes, he could be the tooth. One might say that if the aching tooth is the basic unit that comprises the mouth, then, the public officer could also be the basic unit of bureaucratic disintegration. But, I'd like to play the devil's advocate in this matter. If the tooth is the public officer, then, what role does the ordinary people play in this matter? If that 'public officer-tooth' aches and is rendered rotten, then, what role do we play in it? It is easier to put the blame on someone else rather than take part in the process of disintegration or degeneration we are now in. I say that the tooth is the Filipino, may he be a public officer or one of the common folk; may he be rich or poor. We are the teeth. If a public officer is rendered rotten and useless, then, one of us is rendered rotten and useless. A person has the choice if he would be rotten and useless, or healthy and strong.





Now, who are the tartar, plaque, cavity, and black hole? Not who, but what. There are factors, practices, and traditions that contribute to the degeneration of a tooth. These are the simple and innocent-like things that we tend to overlook, simple things we inculcate into our system that turns us into people who justify the wrong in the name of what is right. Cheating is an example of this. Shoot, it is harmless if taken in a small picture. However, if magnified, a person who has 'harmlessly' practiced thsi constantly will eventually 'harmlessly' cheat in bigger things. Ending: bribery, bigamy, polygamy, electioneering, vote buying, and corruption, to name a few.





The gums are the government. It is appointed with the utmost duty to hold the teeth together, to hold the people together. But it could not do this if the individual tooth is set on being rotten and useless. In this sense, the government will be holding a set of disunited teeth. Thus, it cannot perform its task. It could be the people behind the government who are fallible. They have the choice to be affected with the pressures of local and foreign dictates, as well as personal ones. They have critical decisions to make that would affect the entire nation. Excessive dependency and use of mouthwash, dental floss, and whitening gel may harm the gums due to artificial chemicals. Likewise, excessive dependency and patronage of local and foreign dictates may harm the government, to the point of paralyzing the system that it cannot function effectively and efficiently without taking into consideration their dictates. Everything taken in moderation is good. Everything taken in excess is bad and will hurt. The government's decisions and actions must always be for the people and must always benefit the people - the general welfare.





The face is the country, our society, and our nation. If the mouth cannot function efficiently, then, it affects the entire face, the entire country. In the end, the people are the ones who bear the burden. The country will then be thrown into a state of instability. The simple truth is, it is the people who are the country's first and foremost wealth. This is especially true for third world countries like us whose greatest export is human resource.





The body is the world. We have international relations. We could not just feign ignorance that what we do does not affect the entire world. A tooth, smaller than a fingernail, has the uncanny ability to affect the entire body. A person, who cannot even be seen in a map, has the uncanny ability to affect the entire world.





Everything starts from little roles. Every new beginning starts from little changes. Each person has his own role to fulfill. Every person has his duty to work towards a prosperous society. Each person has the duty to make the world, not better, but the best place to live in.





It is the hand that will hold the toothbrush, which is the instrument that will clean the teeth. We, the teeth, still answer to a Higher Being, the Hand, who will cleanse and purify us.





It is true; pain is the mouthpiece of God in a deaf world. We are being cleansed and purified. We are deaf. It is the reason why we ache.