They say that everything in life and the world moves in cycles. Those who do not believe that human beings have had a hand in the warming of the globe and changing of climates hold this theory.

 

They say that the upheavals in the universe are cyclical and are bound to occur every so many hundred years. They talk about the law of cyclic recurrences which governs the timing of events and is illustrated by night following day, spring coming after winter, the planets rotating around the sun, sleeping and waking up, being born, growing older and dying.

 

Who knows? They may be right.

 

I have my own views about the trash and plastic we casually strew about, not seeming to care that it eventually chokes up the oceans and every living thing in it.

 

I am just trying to help in my own little way. I no longer use plastic drinking straws. This will make my environmentalist granddaughter happy as she goes around the country’s beaches, physically picking up the nasty stuff.

 

I am encouraged when a supermarket enforces the no-plastic rule. At our neighborhood grocery, they put your heavy stuff in a carton. But I wish they had hardier paper bags, don’t you?

 

Mini rant

 

Have you ever tried to call your bank? Unless you have the number of your favorite officer or teller whom you deal with regularly (and that’s a good thing to have), you are stuck with the most irritating chore ever.

 

Oh I know they have an express line. I have called it. Too many times. A recording comes on. The voice asks you to do a zillion different tasks. You must listen closely or you will miss the number designed for the business you want to discuss. And so you have to call again.

 

My story: I went to the bank and discovered I had misplaced my passbook. The staff was accommodating and allowed my transaction, but had to put a hold on my account as a security measure. Wonderful! They also told me that if I found the book within the day, I should let them know and they would cancel the hold directive.

 

An hour later, I found the passbook. Relieved, I proceeded to call the bank.

 

I dialed their express number. An irritating voice recited a menu of services with corresponding numbers. All I wanted was the number of the branch I go to. That’s all. I tried PLDT Directory Assistance. I got another song and dance routine about what to press.

 

It was Friday, and almost closing time. I don’t do “rush” too well these days. But I made it.

 

Time was when we had good old phonebooks, or an easy information line that gave you a number, and you dialed it, and a real person answered and connected you to the party you needed to speak with. Simple. Uncomplicated. Am I the only one ranting about this?

 

Now a rave

 

I saw “The Greatest Showman” last Sunday. I loved it.

 

It is the story of P.T. Barnum, a visionary who dreamed big, who rose from being a nobody, stopping at nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation. He invented the American circus. All he really wanted was “to bring color to a gray world.”

 

The movie stars Hugh Jackman. His voice is nothing to rave about, but he can sing. He is convincing and credible as the glib, quick, adlibbing, wheeling and dealing P.T. Barnum. It tells about his struggle to make a name, his difficult climb to the top, and the price he had to pay. It poses the sad truth that, too often, one has to lose it all to appreciate what he once had.

 

The music is by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul of “La La Land” fame. It is precious. Heart-stopping. The raves are in for “This Is Me.”  But my favorite is “From Now On.” It is Barnum’s epiphany, Jackman’s big aria.

 

Here are a few lines. Even without the music, they hit deep in the heart.

 

I saw the sun begin to dim and felt that winter wind blow cold

 

A man learns who is there for him, when the glitter fades and the walls won’t hold.

 

I drank champagne with kings and queens

 

The politicians praised my name.

 

But those are someone else’s dreams

 

The pitfalls of the man I became.

 

For years and years, I chased their cheers,

 

the crazy speed of always needing more.

 

But when I stop and see you there

 

I remember who all this was for.”

 

It is Barnum’s “aha” moment. It comes almost too late.

 

Adulation

 

“The Greatest Showman” is about adulation and man’s insatiable appetite for more.

 

It has a message for all who seek the limelight, who forget that it does not shine forever. Politicians should give a listen. It is a warning bell for those who have yet to learn that there is an end to worldly things, that the same people who shout your praises today will be front line and center booing when your star no longer shines.

 

Another cycle

 

And if indeed life is about cycles that recur and repeat, could there be hope then for the return of the old values, like decency, integrity, respect and honor? Will it again be fashionable to be honest? Will the pendulum swing our way again?

 

I heard someone in the news today say it is okay to kill. Dreadful thought? But it is a cruel reality. And it’s right here. Right now.

 

Please tell me this is just a bad joke.