with Carlos Antonio Leonardia

I remember it as one book that was always present in the houses of my grandparents that I used to frequent when I was growing up.  Along with the Reader’s Digests and the National Geographics, there was always a chance that I could find a dog eared paperback Guinness Book of World Records lying around whenever you visited a house during that era when big hair was cool and Voltes V was still big on TV.

A generation later, when finding a recent edition of that book in any of the homes that I have recently visited has become as difficult as getting this government to tell the truth, that book of records still remains part of the collective Filipino consciousness, as evidenced by the numerous record attempts that often border on the asinine.  What makes this Filipino passion for getting into the Guinness Book of Records even more intriguing is that in this country, individuals are not the only ones attempting world records; but towns, cities and schools are also getting into the act by attempting the biggest this or the longest that during their fiestas or celebrations.

If the Filipino dream is getting out of this country by hook or by crook, then those who are stuck in this country settle for aspiring to get into the Guinness Book of Records instead.  The longest barbeque, the biggest salad, the biggest batchoy, the most kissing couples.  People will do anything to get into the book, even get a few hundred people to dress as smurfs, which is something that thankfully, is a record that Filipinos have not yet attempted to break.

Maybe I’m just poking fun at this pastime because I haven’t really appreciated just how difficult it would be to organize such a big undertaking, considering the planning, logistics, and execution involved in breaking records.  Maybe I’m just underestimating the value of a place in the record book because I haven’t seen one in ages nor would I buy one even if I had extra cash even if during one of those boring summers in my youth I had read one from cover to cover.  Maybe I don’t know it but the Guinness Book of Records is still the runaway best seller that it claimed to be and that is why getting into that book seems to be such a big priority among ambitious events organizers and local officials that have too much time on their hands.  Or maybe is just as simple as the lure of being a part of written history is just too strong to resist for a lot of folks. 

Come to think of it, a record attempt that involves a lot of people is a win-win situation for everybody.  The hungry get fed, a spectacle entertains the bored, the media gets some news, and the organizers generally look good, as long as everything is orderly or as long as the food that was prepared for what is supposed to be a record breaking feat does not get consumed by hungry bystanders before the official representatives can verify the record just like what happened during an attempt in Iran to make the world’s biggest ostrich sandwich.

As long as there are records to be broken, the competitive and egotistical nature of man means there will always be those who will always strive to break them.  It does not matter if the records waiting to be broken are truly awesome feats like the achievement of the recently humanized Michael Phelps during his stint at the Beijing Olympics, or outright silly like the gathering up a few hundred adults dressed as little blue cartoon characters.  Even if we haven’t read the Guinness Book of World Records in years, even if at first blush whatever record they are trying to break looks absolutely weird or outright hilarious, we should allow and even encourage those who aspire to try as long as nobody gets hurt and public funds are not used in the process.  After all, they deserve credit for going out of their way and trying in the first place because most of us have become so apathetic that we don’t even bother at all.