Obnoxious Rugby: A glimpse to the future society
The streets of Manila are dotted with young, and even very young kids, sniffing rugby. These kids are usually organized into a gang or small circle of friends. They are out-of-school youth and are either homeless or children of poor families. Their world is gang, and outside of it is considered as either enemy or simply the world of nothingness. In their world, rugby is their common denominator, the element that unites them, which makes them brothers for life. Rugby is their everything, their meals, their escape to reality and the “fulfillment of their dream”.In their world, they have their own language, their own culture and their own rules and regulations. Each of them is bound by these rules, and lives strictly according to its demand and requirements. They also follow their leaders blindly without question and hesitation. Colloquially, they are called “rugby boys”.
Rugby is an adhesive liquid that emits an odor that, when taken in great quantity and continuously, numbs the normal body condition of the body. It sedates the person giving an experience of light-weight, carefree and awareness free situation. Constant exposure to the odor emitted by rugby is also intoxicating because it disrupts the operation of the internal organs of the person. Moreover, rugby reduces the normal operation of the mind,making it focus to whatever the individual chooses to concentrate on as his world, known as tripping. Rugby is also the cheapest way to numb the body and sedate the mind thus creating a temporary respite to a restless and anxious-laden individual.
The effect of the rugby to the individual and its influence to the gang is so disastrous that the young people have become threats to security, peace and order. Sustaining their addiction to rugby forces them to steal and extort money. When they are high on rugby, they can turn violent and may harm innocent individuals and destroy properties. More, these individuals can no longer function normally hence their existence is considered a nuisance in the society. Their presence is therefore creating a social menace, a disruption of a social order. Since mostly are young people, the hope that these young will be good contributors to society in the future is already next to impossibility.
Any form of drug addiction, like in the case of the rugby boys, is a form of destruction to the well-being of the individual. According to the famous Filipino adage, “Ang sakit ng kalingkingan ay sakit ng buong katawan”. In short, the malfunction of an individual, especially young people, necessarily disturbs and disrupts the progress and development of a society. Society therefore, should not take a blind eyes to this social problem because its effect to the well-being is also monstrous. A distorted young person brings society, as a consequence, to a distorted society. It is the responsibility of both leaders and the community to devise strategy to address and overturn this growing problems in our society.
