Bright eyed optimism could not visit me these days. I am grateful to God for personal blessings and I hang on to the intervention of our God in many concerns I whisper to Him in prayer. However, the state of our nation continue to sadden me. It seems hopeless. Why for the kind of politics we have and the kind of nation who choose to continue to look away and party or be miserable...where could solution begin?
I am so angry I could not help but write. However, I could not make sense of what I want to say because my mind is all messed up by the many issues flooding my system right now. It is toxic. No release. No wonderful thoughts to serve as antidote. Just the vile juice of bitter realities and sour taste of lies that seems insurmountable. How deep have the greedy dug our grave? How could a nation so poor be made so much poorer by self-entitled, calloused politicians who look out only for their own good? How could beautiful words of concern come out of their mouth when they campaign when none of it means anything to them? How can we all look away and display a Pollyanna grin when there is so much decay all around?
I feel no need to apologize for my pessimistic mood at the moment.
In the Philippines, we have the nicest people. We make do of what we have. We are happy to receive small tokens of rights. We return with unwavering dedication and fanaticism the simple association allowed us by the rich and mighty. We think that it is power to rub elbows with thieves? Because they get away with things, so would we? So we can, we could? We suffer silently accepting that some people are rich, some are poor and that is the way it always will be.
Elections are a joke. Principled voters are to choose from the corrupt and the less corrupt. Or if they are lucky, rest in the thought that although their righteous candidate will never win, that they have voted wisely. In the provinces, people are paid (oh so openly) for their vote. Immobile registered voters are carried to the precincts for a favorable vote. People who work elsewhere are given air tickets to go home and bring in the numbers. They do not feel the need to question how politicians could afford this. They simply compute the next meal and how a bribe can cover for that. With it a hope that when they get sick or needing assistance , association will pave the way to services they deserved in the first place.
Social services are lacking and if any, pitiful. Government hospitals are in dire need of sanitation. Public Schools are lined with children who are yet to receive the type of education that would help them advance in life other than the lessons on determination and principle of hard knocks. Worse, they too find there is no way out and give up all together.
We have the best of natural resources. Yet we squander it due to ignorance and fast money. No one looks after us. We are taught to be proud if we are able to export the whole Philippines if we can.
Then you have peace and order. We have hordes of protesters who are on the streets for free food, as well as rebels who were pulled out to fight battles they do not understand. Children trained to hate (what is hateful, but that is beside the point) when their leaders do not even want to begin to negotiate. The rest of our peace and order concern is borne out of poverty, evangelized by twisted brains of goons and morality-scarce principle of survival in an urban jungle. Watch Philippine reality shows (Face to Face and the like) and you will marvel at how twisted reasoning could be. Unbelievable.
Ok, so maybe all of these are in what I watch and feed my mind with? But would I be better of believing that it is MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES?
Interestingly enough, we are also in the best position now to jump out of this miserable hole. I know what I already said. But this too is true. We are made aware now. We are free to hate the bad. We are made angry by injustice. Therefore, we are best equipped to usher in the new and the good ... and the better.
How? Be a consumer of change. Notice. Promote to friends and encourage your friends to notice. Write to offices / media if you can. Find yourself into groups that will make micro changes. Participate. Buy media initiatives for vigilance. Invest in civic charity and small acts of kindness. Move your interest from the beautiful to the true. Shun away from the glitter of the fancy and educate yourself once again towards change. Direct attention to reaching out instead of digging in. Do not starve the interest of those who have gone towards the road of change ahead of you with your disinterested cynicism. Join the (hopefully) mob of people who will rally to get what we all deserve.
What? Which? When? You choose and then start.
How? What? WHEN? These are the questions that need to be answered. It was never a WHO. The Philippines is MY Philippines. For Filipinos, it is YOURS too. It is OURS and no matter how we point fingers (like one Senator recently did) YOU play a part, and so do I. Gloomy or not.
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