It’s been a while since I last blogged, I’m probably rusty. =P Anyway, this is the first time I got my fingers typing something again to write something I’ve been meaning to write for quite a while now but never really got on to do so, mainly due to the office network not allowing the full use of Multiply (i.e. changing fonts and stuff) which could make my piece really dragging due to its length without different font sizes stressing points(I tried reading some past articles. Sorry I put you through that, thank you for still reading). For now, since I can't edit this post, please endure. Or check back later or tomorrow, when I probably fixed it up.:)
They say money can’t buy everything, but then again, what CAN’T it buy? We’re in a superficial world. Everything we do operates* with a monetary equivalent. Hence, we all strive to earn more of it. In this way, integrity, principle, and sometimes, significance, all become worthless. I present my cases in point.
On Profession
Obviously, this comes first. How many people now are underemployed but continue to be so because it’s the only way they can earn money? Some call center agents have been to several call centers but remain agents, and they’re settled with that. They don’t strive to become better. Probably a team lead, but that’s about it. Do the freakin foreigners who employ them give a damn about what happens to their future? Of course not. They’re cheap labor by foreign standards.
Now, not to degrade the BPO industry, I know first hand that it’s not as easy as it looks (well, it probably is, but still, there are a lot of training and people skills required). However, considering the fact that there are capable minds there who would rather go ahead and earn big starting salaries rather than work their ways up to somewhere that offers a basic salary, it seems that money has become a factor in acquiring quality talent.
In another manner, nurses, IT professionals, architects, engineers, and other professionals, decide to take their talents elsewhere because of greener pastures. They leave family and friends behind to pursue their careers somewhere else that offers more money.
It’s sad that in order to get by in this country, we either have to be apart from our families, or choose mediocrity. Everything has to be about the money.
On Politics
If one day you woke up and suddenly have a 500million-Peso bank account, would “running for public office” be the first thing that pops into your head? Yep. I thought so.
But man, look at all the ads. Having friends in the media industry, I get to understand that these commercials that bombard our regular programming on TV and radio (and sometimes, our heads..nakaligo ka na ba sa dagat ng basura…aaaaarrrrrgggghhh!!!!) are not cheap, especially during the times that they come out. It’s funny how they all say they want to end our suffering. Wasn’t it just a few years ago when some guy claimed that he was “para sa mahirap” and eventually got kicked out by the people? Then there’s the rule of the evil dwarf for almost a decade, a rule that started out promising, considering she was the daughter of a former president, and she has the, shall I say, “mental capacity” to rule.
Now we’re left to choose among a “success story” saddled by controversies he won’t answer, a seemingly passive leader whose candidacy and right to rule is anchored mainly on his family heritage, another “wise” leader who seeks to succeed his “wise” predecessor, a religious leader whose goals and intentions seem unclear (at least to me), a dick in every sense of the word, an environmentalist who’s banking on the Filipino’s love for the underdog, and a messed up female candidate who shouldn’t even be considered in the running.
Right now, it’s difficult to choose our leaders, from the top to the bottom or from the bottom up. Why spend so much under the guise of “friends of (insert name of candidate)” if they know they won’t get as much?
Politics has become a money-making racket more than an avenue to serve the people. It’s probably one of the contributing factors of why I chose not to pursue politics/law. It’s no longer about how one can serve the people, but rather how you can be “made” with all the perks a politician has. Imagine, no more traffic because of all the “hagad” that goes with your envoy everyday; people sucking up to you every single time; businessmen shoving money/cheques at you; cuts for every project you do, no matter how worthless it is, etc.
We’re not stupid enough not to understand that it’s mainly the reason why, despite the constitutional prohibition, there are political dynasties that rule over us. In this manner, the constitution has lost it’s significance, and politics as a whole, is just another business that any family member can run.
On Family
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the “ninong” or “ninang” of a kid supposed to be the “2nd parents” of that kid? That in case the parents of the kid can no longer take care of him/her, it is the duty of the ninong and/or ninang to make sure the kid is taken care of. Hence, often, the ninong or ninang is usually the parents’ most trusted people, those whom they know would be capable of giving the love and support the kid deserves, if by any unfortunate circumstance, the parents can no longer grant the kid.
Trust is that main proponent of choosing a ninong or ninang. Well, at least, that’s the ideal.
In today’s world of unexpected young parents, people have leaned towards the more “practical” choice: get a ninong or ninang that you know has money. That way, if worst comes to worst, the ninong or ninang would be able to provide monetary assistance to their kid, as love and affection alone can’t provide a decent life for the kid.
Now, let me not judge you on your choice, if you are one of those whom I mentioned. My point is, there are times that the ninong or ninang don’t even remember the name of your kid, and you expect them to be the second parents, the people who would take care of your kid in case something unfortunate happens to you. Must that really be how baptisms work? Or weddings work, for that matter? What happened to trust?
I guess I can relate to this argument the most. I mean, I love kids, I really do. And there are kids I won’t mind taking care of and even mark their birthdays on my calendar because I look forward to it. And then there are kids that I have to be reminded of my obligation to. Not that I don’t like them, I probably just don’t spend as much time with them or their parents. And I don’t know how to. I mean, it probably just would be nice to be chosen to be a ninong for someone because I’m one of those closest to the couple’s hearts, and not because I live rather comfortably now.
Who doesn’t want to win the lottery, right? But then again, as it seems, if you have money, everything else loses significance.
*grammar check here, MS Word keeps saying there’s a grammar error with “operates”. Isn’t the verb pointing to “everything” which counts as singular? It doesn’t sound right if I omit the “s” there.
