My coworker recently told of an "episode" of the radio show of Mo Twister wherein the DJs talked about their most hated cliches. Mo Twister said that his was "Everything happens for a reason." He then went on to elaborate why he hated this line.
If I were asked what would be the cliche that I do not like, if not hate, to hear, it would be people telling me, whenever I have problems, "Yaan mo na, maswerte ka na nga eh, si {name of person} nga ganito, ganito {buntis na iniwan pa ng boyfriend}, etc….etc." Do not get me wrong, I earnestly believe that we should really count our blessings and be thankful for what we have, even in the midst of problems. However, I believe that this cliche causes people to be stuck in their own dilemmas, thinking that they are already lucky compared with other people. They do not face their problems and just accept them as they are. Sometimes, when I have problems, when I think of this cliche, I feel guilty when I pray. I mean, should I be asking God to give me money for that cell phone I’ve been wanting to buy when I know that other people don’t even have money to buy food? Feels funny diba? It is as if I do not have the right ask God for help. And this makes me sick. Sometimes, thinking about others’ problems and how lucky we are may make us feel better, most often only for very short periods of time. But this does not entirely help us in our situation….we still have to face the fact that we hurt because we lost a loved one, or that we are scared because we failed a subject at school, or that we have to face the criminal charges put against us.
How about you, what’s the cliche that you hate most?