It's Halloween – Trick or Treat?

Halloween is just around the corner. In some countries, and so are in some parts of the "westernized" Philippines, including the Subic Freeport, children will soon be dressing up and chanting "trick or treat," their demand for candy backed by a light threat of a prank.

Have you ever found yourself, though, sometimes reflecting whether life itself is a Halloween? A mixed bag of tricks or treats perhaps? Probably so, for that is what life seems to be.

Let us go over some of the recent and not so recent tricks and treats we were recently dealt with:

• The global economic meltdown – a big nasty trick; the Philippines doing relatively well in spite of it – a treat.
• Pacquiao winning yet another title – a treat for the Filipino people; his entering politics – a trick, and not a funny one either.
• The Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) – a travel treat, more so for tourists and tourist-related establishments; potholes this early – a trick.
• More flights at Clark – a treat; still no regular flights at Subic – a trick. Groups of people voluntarily doing something, anything, to revive the Subic Airport – a treat; other people yapping, not even suggesting, and basically doing nothing anyway – a trick.
• Development of a commercial area by Ayala near the Freeport gates – a treat for many, a trick to businesses in Olongapo City that will be badly affected by it.
• The proposed Certificate of Ownership of Leasehold Rights (COLR) – a trick for some and a treat to some; the associated fees and applicants shouldering survey costs – a trick to all; possible SBMA turn-around acquiescing to SBFCC's suggested solution – candy to all.
• Flooding disasters in Botolan, Metro Manila, Pangasinan, and other areas – nature's big trick; SBFCC members giving donations – a heartwarming treat.
• Withdrawal from Baguio the holding of the 21st Ad Congress – regrettable trick on Baguio; transfer to the Subic Freeport, "feel sorry" treat for Subic.
• SBFCC Board of Directors elections – the high number of candidates is a treat; Philippine presidential elections – neither trick nor treat but more of a circus.
• Thoughts of failure – a trick; promise of success – a treat.

Yes, it is easy to understand that life might be akin to a Halloween after all... but sometimes more so in our thoughts than reality. As the Roman poet and philosopher Titus Lucretius Carus wrote in De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things), "For as our children tremble and fear everything in the blinding darkness, us adults in the light of day sometimes fear what is no more to be feared than the things children in the dark hold in terror and imagine will come true."

And as yet again we prepare for our day and wait for it to unfold, we wonder, we fear, we doubt, we dream: will there be dark or light, horror or delight, trick or treat?