Hopeful, fearful 2012
How many still set New Year’s resolutions after a span of unfulfilled promises? Year after year the usual pledges would be to lose weight; stop smoking; get more sleep and exercise — all the habits that we know are good for us but never become part of our lifestyle. Before we know it, the months flit by unnoticed and another year has gone by. It’s time to write those same resolutions all over again.
But we do it anyway, because it’s worse if we don’t even try. That’s tantamount to giving up and losing the hope that keeps us alive and striving against all odds. Hope makes us believe in a brighter tomorrow. This year, 95 percent of Filipinos are optimistic that life will be better for all. We are brimming with positivity notwithstanding the fear of Nature’s fury.
2012 is filled with faith and foreboding. Doomsters mark the last day of the Mayan calendar, December 21, 2012, as an omen that the end is near. Mayan scholars have disputed this avowal, submitting that it augurs a new beginning not an ending. A cleansing that heralds a brand new day giving us the chance to correct past wrongs so mankind can redefine and reset “civilization” where it has gone awry.
In our country, purification, especially one that is targeted, is most welcome. As we evaluate the various shapers of nationhood, resolutions come to mind. Mustering enough political will is both a good beginning and a happy ending. Apprehend the corrupt, unmask the frauds, and cancel out the mercenaries. If it is indeed the countdown to apocalypse, here’s a cheery wish list of unsolicited resolutions for selected prime movers and shakers.
GMA: I resolve to atone for all the wrongdoings that I allegedly inflicted on the Filipino people. I promise to return every centavo that I reportedly amassed during my nine-year stint as a Palace Informal Settler. I am sorry. I will not run…away.
Marcos Children: We promise to read the authoritative, unexpurgated biography of Ferdinand Marcos. If proven beyond reasonable doubt, we will write “My-father-was-not-a-hero” 100 times.
Abalos: My commissioner-days are over. I resolve never to cook any deal from A-to-ZTE. I will just cook Ben’s burjers. Hmm, maybe I can expand and franchise it to China’s golf courses?
Corona: Ok! I will relinquish my Tribunal throne. Its so true that “uneasy lies the head that wears the crown”. But can I get back my name now? Its just Corona not Coronarroyo!
Joker: Why are the Filipinos disappointed with me? They keep saying, “Bad ako, lagot ako!” But I haven’t changed. I’ve always been an ideal-less.
Miriam: I will stop describing my inferiors as insects. I will use only words with less than five syllables to eschew obfuscation.
P-Noy: Ipagpatuloy ang matuwid na daan na susulong sa kaunlaran. I will try to stop smoking and level up my love life from zero to regular.
Cabinet: We will do our jobs even better. We will keep our eyes on the ball, not on the 2013 election. We will not feud among ourselves but not shirk from righteous fights.
Politicians: We promise to stop making promises we never intended to keep. Next year we promise not to tell a lie.
Judiciary: We resolve not to tolerate plagiarists or hide behind judicial independence. We will be more transparent as to where our budget was spent and how we make decisions. We will try not to reverse ourselves too often.
Church: We kept quiet about pedophiles, the excesses of the GMA administration, and the Mitsubishops. We were practising the separation of Church and State. But from now on, hear God’s voice bashing the RH bill from the pulpit every Sunday!
PNP: We resolve to change public perception. The paraks and Eurocops will be excised from our ranks. We will arrest only real criminals and shoot only real carnappers.
Big Business: We will curb greed and share profits more equitably with our employees. We will stop unfair labor practices and keep reminding ourselves that we can’t take it with us or buy heaven. We will prevent being “occupied” by seriously considering the double bottom-line.
Military: We will do away with the pasalubong and pabaon practices. With better pay and proper equipment [which we promise not to sell to our enemies], we can restore the tarnished AFP luster.
Media: The Fourth Estate needs a good purgative. Paid hacks, polemicists and gossips that don’t check the facts should be deleted from self-respecting publications. But without sensationalism, will readers still buy the paper?
Internet: It’s the wild, wild, west. Self-promotion is the name of the game. The breeding ground for narcissists, identity thieves, vicious cowardly trolls hiding behind aliases, SN-addicts, cyber-bullies, and twits who believe the world wants to know what they ate for breakfast. But it also gave the world Arnel Pineda and Charice Pempengco. Resolve to use it well or be unfriended.
Civil Society and the Militants: Go beyond rhetoric and statements. Action and manifestos are not equal to results. The struggle and the attendant publicity are not the objectives. Stay focused on your reason for being. It is supposed to be about the cause you believe in, not about you.
Every Filipino Citizen: The days of sitting back, watching the country go astray and then criticizing when the problem begins to affect vested interests is long gone. We don’t have the luxury of time. Apathy is the shortcut to perdition.
Those who profess to love the country from a distance should put their money where their mouth is. Don’t just blog about the Philippines. Visit and invest. Those who have chosen to stay, better roll up your sleeves and work more than carp.
Francois duc de la Rochefoucauld once said, “We promise according to our hopes, and perform according to our fears.” That’s the perfect description of 2012. If this is our last new year, by hope or by fear, we should be the best version of ourselves.
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