Say something good for the sake of progress

Back when I was a part of the militant movement, all that seemed to matter to me was passing the buck to the government for all the troubles and cares that we went through. Although I have no regrets for the years I spent in the movement, but if I could turn back time to revisit and rearrange my life, I could have been kinder and grateful of the things that the government had accomplished; more positive in outlook, and more hopeful that things could get better soon.

“The Fiddler on the Roof” is one of those old movies (in the 70s) that I am so deeply moved even to this day, for it richly tells about how we face and deal with the everyday events that come to us, good or bad. And I could not thank well enough my music-minded father for bringing all of us to see this movie and appreciate not only its musicality but also its spiritual and social insight. And once in a while, when things get rough, I spend the next three hours immersing the wonderful and soulful verve it exudes from out of every note that’s played on every scene or act. Then the next thing I knew I’m already philosophizing, musing about the human condition, our diverse points of view and the discord they create to the people around us.

 If you haven’t seen the movie, you better --- it’s not just one great movie it is also a movie about life – our life. Or so goes one of its songs, “To life, to life, l’cheim (toast to life.). Life has a way of confusing us, blessing and bruising us. Drink l’chaim, to life.” 

Anyway, before I get carried away to make a review instead, I would like to recall what the movie has to say about conflicts in which the rabbi, who (in the movie) was sought to settle an emotionally charged and intricate issue, only and curtly asked. “Why don’t we just all sit down?” The answer may seem parched of any particulars or points of resolution, but appeals our reflection that conflicts cannot be resolved by rising up but by learning how to pause and sit down to hear both sides of the story. Many of our problems stem from our conflict with our friends, business associates and loved ones. And I would like to also believe that many crucial and age-old protracted issues are left unsettled is because we present our anger and disdain first more than we present the cause of such anger.           

I am a Filipino and am proud of it. And yes we are a happy race – coping but always smiling. But one thing I am not happy with Filipinos is our “crab mentality.” This is one character that’s probably hard to remove in our system.  We only hit the “like” button for “PR” and to say that we are happy over the posting of a neighbor who has had a promotion or an award lately. But in reality we are consumed by our bitterness and unspoken dissent over our “underserved success.” That same character is quite pronounced in the way we express our political views. If our candidate did not make it to the elections, we pour the blame on his opponent for cheating and vote buying. Then we start to litter our Facebook with issues against the person.    

Many Filipinos have trouble appreciating the success of others and that’s probably the reason why we are not moving as fast as our Asian neighbors. Many good projects are stalled and shelved because politicians want to take the credit for themselves. They don’t want their political opponents to be in the limelight even if the project is beneficial and helpful to the community. 

I rarely say something good about the government but this time, President Noy is worthy of the credit that it deserves for giving us hope that the Philippines can move forward in spite of corruption and that lack of faith in government; for bringing back the confidence that investors need so we may drive in more capital and generate jobs for many Filipinos.  

If we are to really move forward, let us highlight our strengths. Let us learn to commend the government for doing a good job and to sit down and talk about the issues that need threshing out rather than rant and make a big fuzz over them.

If we are to say at least one good thing each day about our country on Facebook, we are actually telling the world that hope shines brighter in the Philippines. Make it a habit.

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