Manny To God: Teka Lang, Okay?*

The metaphorical ink hasn't dried up from my last entry, and already, Manny Pacquiao has given me fodder for my next post.

Reading through today's front page news, one headline caught my eye:

"Pacquiao: Retirement Only In My Dreams"

(See: http://www.philstar.com/sportsarticle.aspx?articleid=789650&publicationsubcategoryid=69 )

(Photo courtesy of bleacherreport.com)

Pacquiao 1, God 0.

I didn't think the last sentence of my last post would be practically prophetic.

(See: http://theguywithablog.blogspot.com/2012/03/when-god-coached-manny.html)

As I have intimated, despite whatever religious flailings you signal to the public to say "I'm a Christian! I obey God!", at the end of the day, it comes down to one thing.

Free Will.

You decide what action to take.

You decide what your fate will be.

Manny, let me repeat: Your will be done.

Whether it's the monstrous monetary payoff, the much salivated power of fame, the eternal glory awaiting in the annals of boxing history, the threat of costly lawsuits from not fulfilling contractual obligations, or a Mayweather matchup "down the long corridors of time" (to borrow a line from Susan Meyers of Desperate Housewives fame), only one thing became evident: Manny slammed the door on God's face.

Imagine, getting a direct order from God, and saying, "Hell, No! That Dog Won't Hunt!"

After waxing eloquent about a dream where God appeared to him, telling him to give up the life of boxing - and take note, we have been bombarded with interviews of Manny and his handy Bible in tow, sprouting off Bible verses the way Sen. Santiago likes to mouth off archaic legal terminology, and photo-ops of him with various Christian leaders who willingly say in interviews how "impressed" they are with Manny's "transformation" into a changed man, presumably to do "God's work" - he suddenly does a turnaround and announces he isn't retiring anytime soon.

"Hindi ko pa pinag-isipan yan sa ngayon. Kaya ko pa namang lumaban." (I won't think of those things first. I can still fight.)

Giving God's personal message the KO: What a headline.

I'm now curious as to what his new "religious friends" have to say now that he has given God a blatant, public slap in the face. Will they be denouncing his "transformation" as an outright deceptive act? Or will we see them act true to form - at least in my eyes - and claim that Manny's decision is God's "timing"?

In any case, aside from Manny, there is one other winner in this battle against God.

Hypocrisy. And Human Nature. Which would amount to the same thing, in this case.



(*Teka Lang - You Wait.)