Last night I saw a beautiful bag in Bonia, a store at Al-Rashid Mall. I bought that finely crafted leather bag worth more than seven hundred riyals. But then, I was just daydreaming. My mom told me, "Why don't you buy that bag with your savings?" And I thought for awhile before I answered with another question, "Are bags like those easily get stolen in the Philippines?" I suppose, you all ready know what she said. I decided not to buy it anymore.
I am saving my allowance that my mom gives me everyday. The more it piles up, the more I get to think what certain thing I should buy. I mean it. It's a thing, nothing more and nothing less. So I have to choose carefully and buy wisely. Wealthy people don't know how hard it is to buy the things you want one at a time because they could get as many as they want ANYTIME! Wow, seems like paradise to me.
Nevertheless, their paradise isn't as perfect as ours and the others. Have you seen the movies Cinderella, Harry Potter, and The Devil Wears Prada? What do they have in common? Their kingdoms are separated by social status and lifestyles which are clearly seen in some sort of dress codes. These things do not exist only in theaters but also in real life.
Clothes include shirts, shorts, pants, bags, shoes, sandals, high heels, denim, accessories, etc. The world of fashion has evolved far distant from the naked Adam and Eve. You could search shops for luxurious expensive items on malls to the super cheap ones in the sidewalk tiyangges. Fashion has become so important in the clothing industry that it's like a science of inventing new styles and designs from the most elaborate to the simplest ones. We have the so called in and out, the new popular and the oldies.
Louis Vuitton ($21,602), Gucci ($8,254), Chanel ($6,355), Rolex ($4,956), Hermès ($4,575), Cartier ($4,236), Tiffany & Co ($4,208), Prada ($3,585), Ferrari ($3,527), Bulgari ($3,330), Burberry ($3,285), Dior ($2,038), Patek Philippe ($1,105), Zegna ($818), Ferragamo ($722). I just can't believe these prices. These are the top fifteen luxurious brands in the year 2008. Rich people spend more than half of their money in clothings. I could walk right up in the streets of Milan, London, Paris, and New York someday, and finally get close to the real deal, admire it, bedazzled and be crushed by the expense of getting my whole life's payment for one tiny winnie pair of shoes keychain. It might have sounded exaggerated but totally true.
Indeed, advancement of time brought many changes that had built higher walls between societies. Just by the looks of what we wear, someone could easily tell or dictate us where we're from. There is no freedom at all. We live in an unfair world, a world of dictatorship. We throw out huge efforts; however, our lifespan just isn't enough to take all that we want.
At home, I wear shorts and sandos. I could only wear gowns and cocktails when there's a special occasion or a school project. We don't buy extras. When I was young, I was used to pointing out the things I want, but as I grew older and learned more about this place. I don't ask my parents to buy me these, that, and those. I wait. Waiting does have its privileges for me. Nonetheless, it doesn't for the meager specially the people in the Philippines. They have to strive and start from scratch. They have to dig from the deepest holes of trash bins. They have to climb the dumpsites, work with the rotting garbage, and come back wearing stinking baggy shirts with a few pesos at hand.
Attires also dictate what kind of country you live in, what type of people you're populating, and what state does the government survives to keep instead of improve. Yes, I am a Filipino. I wear simple clothing instead of baro't saya because I currently live in Saudi Arabia while those who wear them are playing games in the senate. Isa pa, iyong barong nga ng kapatid ko ay P3000 na! At kung sa isang jeep ay nawalan ka ng pitaka; sino una mong pagbibintangan, iyong desente sa kanan o iyong madungis sa kaliwang nagkwento na bibisita lang sa kanyang anak sa Maynila? I guess white and clean outfits mostly hide the darkest deeds.
Here in Saudi Arabia, you would discover how people respect and value their national outfits. Prices vary for abayas, tarhas, thobes and ghutras. When you see almost all citizens wear something similar it symbolizes equality and fairness. God loves unity among humans. God blesses Saudi Arabia.
I am not saying that God is not blessing us Filipinos, certainly not. But if we could at least share decent clothes to the needy, He might raise it or add a little more. For helping Him take off some of the burdens on His shoulders, we might be able to see the freedom of equality.
