The air is poisoned. If we all look back at history in a negative way, especially at war and the ugly scars of war, we will live in a chaotic world.

The air is poisoned. I note the current propensity to cite history and the present to demonize those we do not like because of various reasons like politics, economics, culture, etc. Those who want to sow hatred cite the ugly chapters of history and ignore the positive parts.

If we all look back at history in a negative way, especially at war and the ugly scars of war, we will live in a chaotic world.

The whole of Europe would curse the Romans because of the Roman conquest. Germany and France would never be at peace. A big swath of Eastern Europe and the Levant would not be at peace with Turkey because of the Ottoman Empire. Russia would forever seek reparation from France and Germany.

China must pay us rent for their occupation of our EEZ. Japan should be isolated because of their bloody attempt to forge the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.

Filipinos should not go to America to show we hate America because of the Philippine American War. Muslims should drive away Christians in Mindanao. Lumads should drive away both Muslims and Christians from Mindanao. Our aborigines, the Aetas and Dumagats, should drive away the Malays from Luzon and Panay and other places in the Philippines.

Native Americans should be given back their land and the Caucasians, African Americans and Asians kicked out of America. Only the aborigines should live in Australia and people of European and Asian descent should leave Australia.

We should spit at Spain for their centuries of occupation and abuses and drop our Spanish names. We should close down UST and Ateneo, even Letran, being symbols of the Spanish regime. Same with Intramuros and Fort Santiago (where many Filipinos were imprisoned and executed)

Let us close down the University of the Philippines, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Technological University of the Philippines, Philippine Normal University, PGH and even DLSU for being vestiges of American colonization (those institutions were established within ten years after the Philippine American War). Let us stop using English and speak only native languages. We cannot be selective in rejecting those symbols of foreign occupation.

Now it is obvious that being a hostage of history can be chaotic, don't we all agree?