More than Fun

Before, I never know the pleasure of doing it. I cannot comprehend what makes some of the men in the campus created a fan page on Facebook proudly publicizing how they delicately do it on the rooftop, on the stairs, on the hallway, on top of cars, and wherever I believe they find unusual.

Just lately this semester, I find it cool scanning pictures in the internet showing how youths planked braving the foreseeable injuries that they might get when balancing gets over. I’m talking to how “plankers”, as we call them, perfectly portrayed unemotional and stationary planking on a rooftop that which is inclined. Well, I find it attractive! I mean, it transcends me an image of a misplaced dead body. So unusual. For the safety issue, well, I leave it to them, I had this prior idea that these rational youths know what they are doing.

But what does it really signify? What one can get from it remains to be contested.  Well, if some legislators’ head aches when planking issues flashed on television, I don’t care the worth of their effort in crafting the anti-planking bill. I just want to leave that matter to them, I mean to our over-acting legislators. Perhaps, they are just bored.

This all the more interests me to plank. Yes! I’m seriously justifying the idea that it is more than fun unlike to what legislators narrowly see as to why “plankers” do it.

When news stations reported the unending protest on anti-budget cut, the crowd of students gave way to highlight the planking moment. Again, it transcends me to another picture. I see an image of people massacred in vain where hopelessness and fear is painted out. I know that planking is meaningful. I know that it gives a deeper meaning. I know that it is used as a sign of protest.

As enrolled in a regional UP unit, now on my junior year, I know how students of left-leaning parties show sentiments in public. I feel how heart is being crumpled when issues protested are denied by some apathetic authorities. If rallies resorted to consciousness to some other students or even to “tambays” on streets as well, I think the rise of planking gives equivalent effect, if not, creates much more impact to some other lives. You may be silent and motionless incomparable to that of a noisy and “wild” protester in rally, I do believe that both costs way the same for a greater benefit.

I have been into rallies. I felt stinky, I get wet, and still, I continue to learn. The burning passion continues to fight for everyone’s right. I learned not to be silent. I should have opted to live normally as a student that involves to none of any organizations and that programmed to school-boarding house- school- boarding house lifestyle. But instead, I want to get involved. Yes, I had my rallies, now, I had my planks.

May it be sound funny how I felt in love with planking on a meaningful way; I felt that it is even inspiring on how my friends too viewed it on the same manner.  I remember last 24 of September this year when the whole UP system asserts for a greater state subsidy and expressing anti educational budget cut, I historically had my first ever public planking. It was inside the campus. It was along the covered pathway. Although it takes too much courage to do so, my friends’ enthusiasm in doing the act pushes me more to do it and joined the chain of planking in the covered walk. I know people see me awkward. Who say so that planking is not for serious people? Some of my schoolmates usually tag me as a very academic student. I cannot forget my classmate in the university when he classified me as a person that once known to public that I drink, that I smoke (something which I honestly never tried yet), then my image will automatically be destroyed in the eyes of some other people. I am undeniably seen as an eternal sinner if I happen to do more of such normal male stuffs. My personality is not for planking as what some commented. Am I really molded this way?

As long as this remains to be legal, for no reason at all to put anti-planking bill into law in the first place, I continue to fight. We the students continue to shout our rights in the public through our silent protest. We continue to catch everyone’s attention that after all shall challenge the audience’s mind on what keeps planking alive and prominent.