The cave and shadows

The author of the following story might have been Greek but the lesson I learned years ago was about perception, reality and shadows.

For generations, a group of people were born, raised and died inside a cave. The only light that enters the cave was from an opening near the ceiling. From birth to death, they see nothing but their shadows on the wall of the cave going about their daily activities. One day, one of the inhabitants of the cave mustered enough courage and climbed out of the opening high above the cave.

That courageous inhabitant upon exiting the cave stood under the noon sun in the middle of the field and feeling quite overwhelmed by the unfamiliar environment looked directly at his arms and legs and exclaimed, “My shadow, my shadow!” Everything he perceived—the trees, birds, flowers and hills including his limbs—were shadows to him. The shadows were reality to him.

This story reminds me of a handful of disconnected characters here and abroad who refuse to distinguish between reality and shadow. Exit from your caves and get real. If you were here in the CNMI, you would be paying surcharge, beautification and excise taxes for goods you bring into the CNMI for personal use. Businesses pay taxes and fees without the first $1,000 exemption and then they turn around and pass the additional cost to consumers, in addition to the quarterly business gross receipt tax, driving up the costs of goods and services. You would also be living under the cloud of a declining economy, rising costs of fuel, oil, food, medicine, health care, construction materials, housing and services while salaries and wages remain at a standstill with few exceptions. You call that making a difference?

It requires courage to climb out of that cave opening and learning to distinguish reality from shadows. Acculturation and assimilation goes hand-in-hand with one’s upbringing and the social institutions that mold character and behavior, including spelling habits—Rey—is an indication that another disconnected individual—Vizconde—who is far removed from our islands and people suddenly becomes a suruhana for us natives. Are you familiar with the following terms: presidentialists for presidential candidates, teeners for teenagers and re-electionist for an incumbent seeking re-election? We call this M.O., short for modus operandi-style for Vizconde and a few disconnected, non-voting, nonresident journalists.

Vizconde’s wishful thinking for John DelRosario and me to “lay low” is non-negotiable. I am a native stakeholder here in the CNMI. This is my home and my children live here. Our future rests here in the CNMI and we want our island state to be business and consumer friendly—competitive—in the region and with evenhanded economic and employment opportunities for all Americans as priority. As an American, I am prepared to defend my freedom of speech and laying low for anyone while our children’s security and future are being squandered is not an option.

Ray Mafnas
Saipan