We need CHANGE

As a Scout and a Student, I'm being perpetually taught of the values of right and wrong, good and evil, what to do and what not to do. They say, its the ultimate insignia of an educated man. But as we view our headlines and all that, any Filipino, educated or not, can tell with utmost certainty that most of the Leaders we have today (who are, on average, top-notchers of top-notch universities) lack the wits and skill to run our country properly. Statistics show us that. So, I actually got out on a limb to enumerate the top 5 substantial things we need to alleviate us from our status.

5. We need to pucker up- Like what this blog is doing, we need to complain and attest wrongdoings that we see no matter how small they may be. Think: Evil can not overtly control someone overnight. We need to correct things while we have the power to correct them. A sample is a tolerant parent who spoils his/her child so much that his/her child actually becomes a criminal (A 7-foot tall, 500-pound behemoth who can throw him/her off the window in a jiffy to be exact) that they can no longer control, that they can no longer correct.

4. Rebel! (not Misbehave)- This is directly related to Numero Cinco of our list. Rebelling and misbehaving are opposite ends of the pole. They are misused and abused words. Quotes like "Bata ka pa, nag rerebelde ka na?" are commonplace in television shows and movies which give us the false realization that rebelling isn't good. Let me take the liberty to tell you that rebelling is good. Rebelling means going against something bad to correct it. Rebelling is a positive quality. You don't rebel by wearing military-inspired clothing topped with a Che Guevarra cap or bling. You don't rebel by going against school rules like Haircut policies and hating teachers for no reason. You don't rebel by wearing dogtags and all that crap. One can rebel by simply questioning and doubting what we believe is not right. We can rebel by pointing out and revealing to others what seems wrong to us. We can rebel by going against a system that we know is wrong. We can all do it.

3. Be practical and simple- Being practical and simple is the number one rule in relation to avoid falling into ruts in your life and the number 3 rule in this list. Being practical does not mean reducing stuff you need (sacrficing your daily nutrition and other needs). It simply means not having what you think is a waste of money and something that does not have real value (E.G. Luxury two-seat cars, Latest phone models, auctioned autographs and all excessively useless stuff). Simplicity on the other hand, is not an excuse for not having the things you want. Example, I have a friend that frequently tells me that she's simple every time I simply look at her colored phone (yellow and black colors that is.. hehehe.) It's clear to me that she's in the offside of society (because she just borrows stuff from people, always asks for someone to print her school papers and all that). Yet, all of a sudden she has this pair of luxury slippers and luxury bag. A striking contrast isn't it? She even tries to speak English fluently but ends up with striking mannerisms and mispronunciations throughout. This can be avoided if we follow rule number...

2. Always tell the truth- Listen, people don't size up other people by the clothes they wear, the cars they have, the gadgets they possess or the phone models we have. You know why? It's because those people who have such are members of the lucky sperm club (aka the lucky one-in- a-million sperm who gets to fertilize the egg cell and gets to be born in a well-off family). People size us up by the way we talk, by the stuff we know, by our manners and by how we react to things around us. Remember, whatever material thing you have, it can't change your basic nature as a person.

1. Have a sense of honor- If your a barangay kagawad or a high-ranking official who is truly devoted into the service of your countrymen, Honor is the topmost thing you should possess. Let's take a look at the world's most honor-driven (as well as the world's suicide capital) country, Japan. In Japan, when common sins are committed, (like being drunk or having an affair) and exposed to the public, they vacate their government positions right away or commit suicide. Look at them now, they utilized their honor and scarce natural resources to become a well-developed country. Let's now go over to the Philippines, the Lupang Hinirang, the country a hundred times better than Japan in terms of Flora and Fauna. Our Officials here are driven by honour as well. Yep, only when they show themselves in public. But in reality, they hide PUBLIC documents from our view and gets millions of pesos in overpricing projects and (to avoid being caught) excessively bribes the commision on audit. Peepz like high-ranking officials blatantly have scandals in office, (wiretapped election fraud and all that) who clearly expose their dirt in public and still remain in their position while in contrast to them stealing money from the poorest of the poor, their Japanese counterparts vacate their office upon confessing to sins like drinking and having affairs. While in truth, people don't care even if they drink and have excessive affairs as long as they function well in their office. See the contrast and the big difference brought about by the simple lack of the sense of honor? Don't pretend to be blind and deaf to what we see and hear.

I hope you've read through this Blog and reflected on it. I may not be a modern-day Rizal but when it comes to our country, I care.