Tuesday, July 15, 2008

A Sad Irritating Ending

It is better to lose health like a spendthrift than to waste it like a miser. - Robert Stevenson

Over dinner my wife told me a story imparted by a mom of one of our child’s classmate. I have mix reaction, so I’m sharing it to you. You be the judge.

The mom and her family lives in a residential two-story house sharing the rent with several families. There is also a small room, perhaps initially intended as a driver’s quarter, outside the main house rented by a single (without his family) person. Although they live in one compound, it seems socializing among neighbors is not common. This is understandable especially if both parents work, children at school and weekends is a family affair. But minding ones business also has its failing.

For three days nobody noticed the person renting the small room comes out or wonder why his car never moved where it’s parked. Curiosity only takes place when residence became aware of foul odor coming from his place. But it’s too late. Post mortem showed he died of a heart attack.

Snippets of information revealed the man works for a big American communication company. That he rented the room in order to save most of his housing allowance. And that he is currently building a series of apartment in the Philippines. Again, I understand saving ones earnings and investing on something tangible is a preparation for ones retirement.

I felt sorry for the family of the deceased. But my sentiment changes when my wife mentioned his room doesn’t have an air-conditioning unit.

The Middle East has one of the harshest climates in the planet. Very cold in winter and extremely hot in summer. Temperatures range from 45 to 48deg centigrade especially in the months of July and August. In a land where electricity is very cheap, air conditioning is not a luxury but a necessity. Staying in a room with nothing to cool you down but an electric fan is like pointing a hairdryer in your direction. I wonder if that factor contributed to his untimely death.

I’ve seen and heard stories of our “kabayans” making sacrifices in order to have a better life for them and their families. But to deny oneself a necessity, which without it is detrimental to ones health, so as to save extra cash is beyond my comprehension. Wala sa lugar ang pag-titipid.

10 comments:

  1. Saving money for one's retirement or for one's dreams should always be done within reason. It is crazy for people to go to the extremes. Money is not our god and should never be our god. We need to keep things in perspective.

    ReplyDelete
  2. wow! 45-48degrees centigrade... i cant imagine that happening in the philippines. sa 37degrees pa nga lang halos dami ng sira sa mga crops ano na lang kung 45-48.

    ReplyDelete
  3. panaderos, I can't understand why some pinoys scrimp every cents. Sometimes eating unhealthy foods to save so they could build a big beautiful house back home.

    donG, humidity is a factor. Even at37deg if the humidity is high, mainit. Zero ang humidity dito kaya the body can still tolerate the heat even when its 45 or 48deg. Sometimes pa nga nag 50deg dito but it wasn't reported. Kasi there's a law, when it reached 50deg, walang pasok sa private at government.

    ReplyDelete
  4. oo tama blogusvox commom na sa middle east ang 40degree pataas dito sa kuwait last week 52degree kaya lang di reported.

    ReplyDelete
  5. ever, mas mainit dyan sa inyo, kasi malapit kayo sa dagat. To get the exact temp. I watch CNN or BBC weather forecast. Pag local forecasting ang aasahan mo, hindi babanggitin ang exact temp. Alam mo na kung bakit.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Alam mo maraming ang ganyang klaseng tao ipon ng ipon tapos pagbiglang namatay sa gutom ang kayamanan ay napupunta na lang sa kanilang alagang aso o pusa.Meron akong kakilala na yumaman dahil sa "miser'siya pati anak tinipid niya pero noong namatay siya,winaldas ng anak ang pera niya.

    ReplyDelete
  7. ed v., ang take ko e mamuhay nang tama lang. Lahat nang "needs" na fullfill at katamtaman lang na "wants". Ang buhay hindi naman nasusukat sa dami nang salapi. Mapapahaba, oo, pero may hangganan pa rin.

    ReplyDelete
  8. nga pala, pwede ba kitang i link sa blog..thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  9. ever, Oo naman,yun lang?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ang problema ay kung saan at ano ang sukatan ng katamtaman he he he.Meron ngang nagsabi ng ganito.."Its better to have something and you don't need it than you need it but you don't have it".

    ReplyDelete