Malunggay, otherwise known as Moringa or Drumstick Tree, is a tricky “vegetable” – at least to my grandmother. She knows how malunggay is a heavyweight in the vitamins and nutrients division, yet she’s aware that to cook it would take extra effort: sorting through and picking the leaves from the stalks, and then being extra careful with cleaning up after as the leaves could end up clogging the kitchen sink. When I was a migrant/overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in the UAE for almost three years, I was shocked to see how expensive the leaves from this Filipino backyard tree was, though the moringa I was seeing was probably an import from India as the plant was endemic there too. This morning, I found out my grandma had our backyard malunggay tree trimmed off of its high branches, as the foliage already seemed to be too think for her. After my cousin cut down the branches, the stalks were just left on our backyard floor, probably for composting soon. I was about to have an idea about it, but I had a long day ahead so I was reluctant: long part-time work hours, research for my upcoming graduate studies and professional certification, plus my GMF session. But it was precisely because of my GMF session that I had to at least squeeze what I thought was a crazy idea for most urban folks: to go around our neighborhood give out free malunggay. Though I love advocacy work and making meaningful connections, I’m mostly a semi-introvert by default. But I had to just try because:
Basically, to not even try to go beyond my comfort zone and express compassion through my actions would just leave me feeling like a hypocrite. The thing is, compassion, courage and striving can be quite contagious. And despite the emotional rollercoaster I end up riding from time to time due to the fellowship, I knew there was something meaningful in a diverse group of dreamers trying to grow within the realm of conscience and compassion. So why not give out free vegetables as a token of gratitude to the Universe – in addition to being a personal act of resistance against the norm of “why bother?” And so, I went around. Got to deliver a total of about one large basket of Malunggay leaves subdivided to about nine households. Some interesting snapshots of the experience:
This is a very simple social experiment, forced upon me by the circumstances of having to choose between the possibility of being rejected, or looking crazy as I give out free vegetables, versus the possibility of having a guilty conscience if I were to not even try. Certainly, there’s self-indulgence there because I knew I could gain the feeling of fulfilment if it were to go well. However, no action, whether well-planned or otherwise, would ever exist in silos. It will always be within a context and framing. But it will be up to us how to make sense of these internal and external prompts, along with various realities which can be questioned, but cannot be controlled. During this quick review of the day, I honestly believe I was “forced” by my conscience to give out free malunggay. For now, compassion for me seems to be more of a discipline – a collection of small and big acts of kindness and vulnerability. It’s still not a natural impulse as compared to a gradual unfolding.
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September 2022
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