Joey Velasco's Picture

Twelve different children. Twelve innocent yet motivational children. Children who stripped-off the layer of clothes for us to see the naked truth. The painting was portrayed by different kind of children from different story of life with Jesus as their center. Which of these children are you? If none, you are lucky.

Joey Velasco, is the person behind this wonderful creation, both painting and the video. His passion in the arts drove him into something that everyone of us will be amazed. He shared his talent and tried to make a difference in the society through his artworks. I believed that the people who already watched this did nothing and just watched it because someone asked him to do so or, it was just a part of their class. But based on what I saw, it was really an eye-opener for every one of us. It depicted the story of millions of children living in the colorless world. This wonderful creations made us cherish all the moments we had with our family. They touched us and told us to be thankful for all the blessings that we have had. The artworks whispered us to be sensitive enough to our society. And, let us see how this world really is. I felt like I was hit by the rock of truth, the truth that no one really saw coming. We were blinded-off by the things we believed were true. The positive statistic results that our government flushed on the screen. The colorful pictures that media printed for us to see. The happy story that the radio wanted us to hear yet we merely see. We were cursed, we let our eyes closed by the industrialization. That for us a peso was nothing, but for some it was their everything.

We are not rich but still, we splurge money for some nonsense things, while others don't know where to find bills. We throw food in the garbage can yet a beggar searches a food as possible as he can. We were not told the true value of money nor we have not thought how hard it was to earn it, and it was proven as this clip was playing. As we students, were send to a university for a brighter future, other children were obliged to work for them to live. I don't know how did they do that. How much pressure did most of them went. I felt burden as I eat a chicken thinking that some serve as a breadwinner at such a young age. But as the video continues, we can still see the smiles on their faces as if they don’t cry out of suffering. We can see the hope in their eyes, and that is what made me feel the fighting spirit in them. Their smiles and their eyes made me feel better for the guilt within me. The guilt that I cannot do something for them who are less fortunate than me.

Those children made me feel safer for all the dangers , they made me see the true beauty of my life. They made me believe in the concept of hope and the most important thing is they made me sensitive enough especially to the people who were like them. They did not choose to live in a life that they have now. It is not their fault either. What they just do is to make the best out of their lives, work hard because problems don't end there. We do not know what lies ahead of us. What matter is they know how to have faith in God and trust him as they continue their lives.

The video “Kambas ng Lipunan” by Joey Velasco hit me hard and made me realize the truth in the society and the reality in which we live in. It made me ask myself about "Who is Von in the society?", "What is my purpose and have I done anything to fulfill it?" After watching this video, I know who am I really out of billions of people, I know the answer, and that is to be them. Despite all the hardships, the obstacles and all the negative forces which try to pull them down, they still manage to stand and continue their lives. I may have money in my purse, my family that supports me, teachers who guide me and true friend who are always there beside me but I don’t have the lesson in life that the children in the story had. Everyone of us has a purpose, we complain about everything but remember all the less fortunate than us. Remember that God is the center of everything, don’t give, don’t complain and scan the society because it is not too late to know the purpose of you, as a person in today’s society.