Weh!

This has probably happened to you too.

You feel this warm glow of happiness and hope in your heart, like little fireflies or fairies suddenly invaded it. I don't know. Perhaps, it's that feeling that yes, you'll get into honour roll this semester. Perhaps, it's that feeling when the object of your dreams and affection smiles at you and tells you that you have the loveliest brown eyes they've seen. Perhaps, it's the feeling when you see you see that favourite celebrity, ask them for a photo, and they oblige. Whatever it is that makes your heart pop.

You are so ecstatic that you decide to share it. You come up to the first friend you see. There you are. You can't contain the joy anymore. You tell them all about the latest thing to make your heart explode in glee.

They stare at you with a raised eyebrow. And then, they drone it out.

"Weh!"

That flame of yours is extinguished with just one syllable.

Weh. A favourite Filipino slang expression of disbelief. It's kind of Filipino for "Yeah right!" or "Are you kidding me?" Something like that. Everyone loves it for its sheer ease of use. With just one syllable, you can already say that you think the other person is speaking utter balderdash. Cool, aye?

But that's kind of my point here. An entire world of doubt, skepticism, and even pessimism can so be easily expressed in one syllable. You can impress all that weight of disbelief just like that. Skepticism can so be easily shown.

And yeah, it shows that a lot of people have lost hope. Maybe it's bad experiences in life. Maybe it's seeing fellow members of humanity suffer. Maybe it's the decline of the environment and values. I don't know. But the point is that a lot have forgotten how to dream big because it's just so easy not to. The point is a lot have forgotten to aspire just because it's just so easy not to. The point is a lot have forgotten to believe in the possibility of whatever they put their minds to because it's just so easy not to.

And it's sad, really. Because, you see, it is from these "impossible" dreams that everything reamarkable in humanity starts. Think about it. Where did our most important inventions come from? Yup, from none other than the dreams of their inventors. When did the world's most remarkable performers get their start? Yup, from when they first imagined themselves on that stage. When did our world changers start impacting lives? Yup, from the first time they envisioned the changed humanity. All from dreams.

Now, you know why I remain an optimist despite it being so effortless to just give up and settle. If no one dares to even envision change (let alone work at it), who will?As long as dreamers imagine a better world, humanity will allow for progress. As this shirt I once saw at some mall says, it may be difficult, but it isn't impossible.

Now, how do we compress "All things are possible" in one syllable?! Haha!