Finger-pointing after every disaster

There is a phenomenon in human life that transcends time and place, cuts across boundaries of race, religion, gender, political ideologies, and economic and social status. And that is none other than the human propensity to blame others for one’s misfortunes. The Resort World tragedy ended with the police blaming the security guards and their agency for many serious breaches of security protocol. The security is also blaming the management of the hotel casino complex for their sprinklers that failed to work at those most crucial moments. The families of the victims are blaming the hotel owners and management for their horrendous bungling of that major disaster. Everybody is pointing fingers at everybody else.

No one is accepting full accountability. No one is accepting command responsibility. I miss those glorious days of Japan and Great Britain, when kings, emperors, and prime ministers would abdicate their thrones or tender their irrevocable resignations from office, climaxed by a humbling speech where the repentant and penitent erstwhile leader would dramatically bow to the people and plead for forgiveness. They would virtually beg, kneeling before the people, after, of course, admitting their guilt absolutely, unqualifiedly, and unconditionally. Today, almost all are Pontius Pilates, washing their hands and claiming innocence and blamelessness, even when the evidence of guilt is strong. Everyone denies even when caught in the act, “in flagrante delicto”.

This human phenomenon is far from being new. Since Genesis to Revelation, no one admits his or her guilt. There is always that spontaneous propensity to find a scapegoat, to search for a sacrificial lamb who shall take all the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortunes”. When Adam was ordered to explain why he defied God’s commandment not to partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, he pointed his finger at Eve whom he accused of tempting him. When Eve was in turn directed to explain within twenty-four hours, she also pointed her finger at the serpent. When Cain murdered Abel, his brother, he was asked where his sibling was. Cain then put up a demurrer: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

In our country today, it seems that only the president is clearly accepting full and unconditional responsibility. The press and the other social media are blaming the president even for disasters beyond human control. The political opposition is pointing fingers at Malacañan for almost all errors, even when many of these current problems are results of their many years’ of administration. Maybe it is the critics who deserve to commit “hara kiri” before the nation, and save us all from all these charades and hypocrisies. I am tempted to quote Christ Himself: “He who is completely without sin, let him cast the first stone.” But is there really anyone without stain?