Mistress culture
Samson is described in the biblical tale as "a powerful man with supernatural strength." But his story ended in tragedy. One thing that led to his downfall was his "sexual yearnings of the flesh that controlled his life." While he was "courageous before men" he was "weak when it came to women."
I am reminded of the story of Samson every time I read news about politicians and their mistresses. When a controversy like that erupts, the media usually focus on whether the mistress is being supported at government expense, or if the mistress is influencing official policy. But my take on this matter is more on how this "mistress culture" erodes both the public official's character as a leader and the public's trust in and respect for their officials.
People may refer to President Rodrigo Duterte. But he seems a sui generis or a "class of his own kind" in this "mistress culture." He admits to succumbing to the frailties of manhood before old age caught up with him. Yet he had succeeded in keeping past indiscretions at arm's length from his politics. Maybe the secret of the man is his simple lifestyle, and his willingness to admit that a mistake is a mistake. I think I heard him say in one his speeches to police officers: "Maawa kayo sa mga bata."
I am more referring to news about Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and his spat with another Davao congressman, Representative Antonio Floirendo Jr. Alvarez was quoted in the news this week as having said: "Hey, my God, who doesn't have a girlfriend?" According to the same report, the Speaker said he sees no problem with having a girlfriend, and that he is ready to face a possible case of disbarment.
A quarrel between two women reportedly caused the conflict between Alvarez and Floirendo. The latter is suspected of working for Alvarez's ouster as Speaker. This reportedly prompted Alvarez to file a case with the Office of the Ombudsman against Floirendo.
The case is about the possible gross disadvantage that government will suffer in a joint venture agreement between the Floirendo family-owned Tagum Agricultural Development Corp. and the Bureau of Corrections. In fairness to Alvarez, the matter should indeed be investigated amid this current media's fixation over domestic scandals.
But back to Samson's weakness and this "mistress culture", politicians like Alvarez seem to casually make light of such issues, brushing it off as normal and socially acceptable. Media, on the other hand, naturally thrive on scandals and human frailties – and in fairness, dab a bit of ink and space on how these affect governance and public interest. But as I said at the beginning, I'm more concerned about how this "mistress culture" affects our public officials' character and capacity to lead.
On this, Proverbs 4:23 is instructive: "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." It is actually a warning to our leaders who think their own personal indiscretions – those matters that corrupt the heart – have nothing to do with anything that entails governance and nation-building.
"In truth, sin will take us farther than we may intend to go. It will hold us longer than we may intend to stay. Furthermore, sin will cost us more than we intend to pay," wrote gotquestions.org in an article entitled, "What should we learn from the account of Samson and Delilah?"
The Bible is abound with stories of how moral indiscretions brought to ruin even the ablest of rulers and men of good intentions, and as a result brought strife to their house or kingdom.
"Bathsheba was naturally stunning, and King David had a weakness for beautiful women," says one retelling of a Bible story. You know what happened to David's house from thereon.
Today we hear of stories of bureaucrats and politicians all over the world trading power for sex and money. For succumbing to the lure of beauty, some of them end up being blackmailed and lose their political will. Even their own inner circle unconsciously lose respect for them and fall into their own indiscretions.
Indeed, we need to keep learning from Samson, and David, and many others.
- Latest
