I've been jogging and brisk walking in the morning almost all my life (I started in grade 6 to augment my martial arts training). I often visit adjacent subdivisions and villages and the one thing I notice about houses is that a lot of them have terraces on the second floor gracing their frontage.
But no one uses them.
Photo by jonathan ocampo on Unsplash.
Well, almost no one. I see folks hanging their wet clothes on their terrace now and then, but that's it. I haven't seen people staying there for leisure or relaxation, sitting while enjoying a cup of coffee, for instance, or reading a book. Or having a nice chat with family members. I mean, I imagine that's what terraces are for. Not for doing the laundry.
Left Behind
Those terraces are a total waste. And why won't most Pinoys use them? We think it's too melodramatic, too histrionical. Masyadong OA ba. We begin to put value on privacy when it comes to the use of front terraces. We don't want to be seen there by the neighborhood. It's almost like a scandal. So, why have them on our facades at all? Because it's nice to have terraces or balconies. They make our houses look more interesting and expensive, maybe?
It explains why people troop to the malls during sale day causing huge traffic. Vanity. We buy a lot of things we do not need or use. We just want to have them, period. They make us look moneyed and we hate being left behind by the fad. It's like wearing black, leather jacket at noontime in Manila during summer.
Or putting on tattoo. Or smoke or vape.
We Fear Terraces
Anyway, back to terraces. I love terraces and doubly love using them because I want to see what's way over there in the distance. I wonder what folks there are doing or what they're chatting about. When I watch distant houses or buildings from a terrace, I imagine stories of people living there. I try to create scenes and sagas. I release my mind and let it roam free.
And I guess that's why we fear being alone in terraces. We fear real freedom. We'd rather have freedom in company with other people and dread being seen enjoying freedom alone--because that makes us look different. Eerily different. That fear makes us weak inside.
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