Citizen fell asleep pondering his nation's thirty-third political anniversary the next day. His thoughts were centered on correctly pitching the national emblem the flag, in his life. He considered that on that geometric linen insignia we call flag, rests the spirit of patriotism, heritage, national pride and the essence of freedom and uniqueness. The mental discussion swayed from erecting the flag in his spirit and soul to instill awareness of an eternal patriotism, to having it built upon his physical complexion, and re-plot allegiance whenever the pasture became unattractive. In that analysis of loyalty, Citizen needed to reach consensus that reflected his current state of conscience. For, in his conscience remains him his ideal, vision and dreams, and the aspiration to exist for common good. His conscience needed liberty at the choice of identity.

Citizen woke early as the soothing breeze of the spring season welcomed the day, yes, the I-day, and the time to always review on many aspects of nationalism. As he yawned and stretched free of the night's conditions, a statement in the US independence declaration adopted in 1776 flashed across his mind: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". Citizen inwardly affirmed that these truths were also for him and all humankind in the independent state of Papua New Guinea.

Citizen then began the mental act of the flag-raising ceremony. He reached out for the flag pole and erected it upon the heart of his world-conscious frame (the body) and raised the flag. "You belong to Papua New Guinea and she depends on you," whispered the subconscious mind. He remained silent to allow that truth filter through his faculties and appeared to grimace at the reminder. He then gripped the second flag pole and established it upon his self-conscious entity (the soul), and the inner voice came, "you are Papua New Guinean and her welfare is in your hands". Again, he winced at that truth and remained silent to absorb that awareness. Citizen once more repeated the acts and this time the flag was founded upon his moral-conscious being (the spirit), and the voice challenged, "Papua New Guinea is yours and if she weeps tomorrow, you have inflicted those wounds". Citizen flinched and retired into silence to reminisce.

The agony felt during the acts of establishing the patriotic emblem was reflective of the state of Citizen's conscience. He was not at liberty. The voice that assured him of his nationality was an undeniable truth, but his daily experiences seem to contrast significantly with the spirit of the national goals of 'integral human development - liberation and fulfillment' and 'equality and participation'. Those "unalienable rights" like satisfactory life, liberty and happiness remained evasive. He remained haunted that his previous poetic assessments of his nation in the circulation: 'Garment of Paradox at Anniversary', lingered a description of the current affairs.

Citizen had the opportunity to travel widely in his nation, covering the three cities, twelve provinces and their towns, thirty five districts and their towns and numerous villages. Notwithstanding the significant geographical variation his visits had exposed him to, the reflections in the impacts of the national goals appeared gravely minimal. At some instances, the plight of struggling dwellers of this blessed equatorial landmass ceded him fogged vision and that natural desire to stoop to their assistance. Sadly, the desire of those he observed seemed beyond his jurisdiction to offer any satisfactory remedy. In those regretful experiences, Citizen openly vented his frustration at the mandated guardians of his blessed country.

Citizen's patriotic agonies also turned personal at that anniversary. The mental flags he had erected earlier were allowed to fly half-mast at mid-morning. The news had reached him that his eldest sister's life had been recalled early hours of that morning. Her life had been physically claimed by a manageable disease. Days later, as he viewed her graceful lifelessness in a casket in a funeral home in his nation's capital city, oodles of provocations flooded his mind. One in particular seemed to bother him greatly: 'she is before you this way because of a manageable illness'. Citizen wept bitterly, aware that her passing was an undeserved end, and lamented even more that many of her kind littered the blessed landmass of PNG we call home, and a supposed haven of security. His sister displayed a glaring evidence of sub-standard health systems in the nation. For his family and relatives, the only comfort they could salvage in that misfortune was from the thought that she would be accorded a highly dignified funeral protocol.

At burial, Citizen focused on the panoramic mountain ranges north of the graveyard, as the pallbearers lowered the casket into the grave. He seemed comfortable with the thought that his sister's spirit may have attempted one last view of her now former village from those ranges prior to a journey beyond our dimension. Citizen felt much grief and experienced great loss for a dear family member. But what seemed strange was that only weeks ahead, his life would dare a date with death apparently from similar health condition that claimed his sister's life.

He returned to the land down under to continue a journey through challenging terrains of academia. A few weeks elapsed. One noon, he suddenly felt heaviness and dull pains in the chest, which yielded cold sweat and breathlessness. His moments then followed a chain of admissions into the best hospitals in the capital of the 'Sunshine State'. The experts then conducted successive diagnosis using the state-of-the-art medical technology. In a space of twelve days, he was recommended for an open heart surgery for a coronary artery bypass graft, the best option to restore his medical condition. For an active, gym-maniac person, citizen was surprised at the medical verdict but accepted the offer of the surgical procedure with comfort and peace.

The surgery had been successful. As he admired the sunset from the motel-like hospital ward, still clad in life-supports, tears smeared his vision almost immediately. The tears were not out of joy at being given a new lease of life, but signified deep sorrow for his sister, who had succumbed to the similar health condition not long ago. The high quality medical services he had received could have been easily hers if such were readily available and accessible to every citizen of PNG.

The events surrounding these contrasting misfortunes and that both should occur on or immediately after the nation's anniversary seemed no ordinary coincidence. A significant message was on the offing. These life experiences underscored the importance of upholding the spirit and practice of equality and justice, mandating privilege, and cultivating opportunity for every citizen of a sovereign nation. In PNG, political rhetoric and propaganda of booming wealth and an existence of a dynamic democracy had been contrarily exposed through the contrasting medical encounters.

Life would not be the same although Citizen had been offered a new lease of existence. He remained haunted by that subconscious voice, 'PNG is yours and if she weeps tomorrow, you have inflicted those wounds.' Martin Luther King Jr. once said, 'the arc of a moral universe is long but it bends towards justice.' Citizen wished if only every individual in his nation found their place on every graduation on that moral arc of justice, life might be a little different. For now, while mandated managers of his nation reminisce on laurels of the past, every citizen's desire for equality and justice appeared fading hopes in their minds.