SOMOS and SONA

Whenever a Philippine President delivers the State of the Nation Address, many people listen in often to react, criticize, analyze or to inject their views and opinion and not necessarily to absorb and appreciate the message.

While the President and presidents in the past attempt to paint an optimistic picture or convey a message of hope in SONAs, as all leaders are expected, the majority of Filipinos are mumbling their personal State of Mind or Sorrows or “SOMOS” (the Spanish word for “We Are”).

Whether they are politicians, political analysts, media or pure and simple Filipinos, most citizens will point out the bad and the missing, as well as the “sayang” or missed opportunities in a SONA and compare it to their SOMOS. No matter how good or bad a president is, his or her SONA will undergo amateur analysis, criticism, autopsy and ultimately become fish wrapper in a few days.

You simply can’t please everybody, whether you are president, CEO or media. Last Monday’s SONA was no different. But unlike past SONAs that I watched, PBBM’s third SONA started and ended up being different on a personal level.

As I began making mental notes on the President’s speech, I had an epiphany about my “habitual reaction” to SONAs, which I dare say is reflective of the Filipino collective attitudes towards SONAs. I was once again on “critic mode” just like in all SONAs I’ve listened to.

I don’t know if it’s something that developed during the Martial Law years, years spent at UP Diliman where you’re trained to be a “critical thinker” or being around professionals in media. But for some reason, I along with many Filipinos were listening, not to appreciate but listening in order to react /reply.

But as I listened to PBBM, in my mind, it felt like God was telling me: “Here you have someone who is sharing a positive view about what is going on in your country, what has been accomplished by government and Filipinos and what he as President hopes can be done for the future. The word is ‘Hope’ and the conduct is aspirational. It may not all be there, but he’s trying.”

“You,” referring to me (and several million Filipinos, I presume), on the other hand, are taking mental notes on what you don’t believe, what you disagree with and what “you” feel is your better opinion and how things would be better if it were up to you.

Whatever happened to the Filipino’s sense of “gratitude?” The character of being aware and recognizing the good things happening around them, the good things coming their way and attributing those good things to GOD? There was a time when Filipinos regularly uttered “Salamat sa Diyos” or “Thank God” even for small favors.

For the record, I don’t think God was lawyering for the President or convincing me that the SONA was all good or true. The epiphany I was referring to centered on the “negative attitude” and absence of “gratitude” for what we have, for what God gives us in spite of all the mess that politicians and mankind have caused.

The Filipino SOMOS or state of mind has been, for several decades, critical of government, negative in outlook and disappointed to the extent that they participate in “self-rated” poverty levels! What would our dear departed Lolos and Lolas say about that: “Diyos ko, hindi na kayo nahiya?!”

Call it false pride or pretending, but in their time, very few would openly admit to poverty unless they were dirt poor and desperate. Otherwise, they would carry on and not allow such defeatist labels to define them. At the very least, they mentally and verbally fought the negativity while consistently expressing gratitude to God. Nowadays, poverty is the passport to government assistance.

Whether it’s God, the President, a parent or a boss, the absence of gratitude and the presence of ingrates is an immediate spoiler for anybody who wants to help, bless or benefit people. Why carry on doing things for family or people when they don’t appreciate it, don’t support it and even complain about how little or how long it takes for things to happen?

I was reminded of how God often expressed his desire to just torch the Israelites in the desert and start with a new team every time the Israelites complained about their lack and manifested ingratitude by saying they would have been better off as slaves in Egypt, instead of dying from hunger in the desert, etc.

The Bible actually repeats the theme of ingratitude and how it takes away or prevents blessings from coming into our lives. Even modern-day personal development coaches and transformational leadership gurus regularly include chapters or sessions about the importance of gratitude.

Even celebrity speakers who promote “manifesting,” positivity and laws of attraction are repeating biblical teachings about “believing,” seeking, knocking, asking and, most importantly, “giving thanks even before you have received what you have asked for.” Beginning to end, it’s all about faith, to believe what is unseen, to receive and ultimately to express gratitude.

To be honest, the “believing” in government or political pronouncements will take some serious “habit breaking” therapy. But developing or practicing gratitude and thanking God for all the good, even for much of the stuff shared by President Marcos Jr. in his third SONA, that is doable. Mind you, it is about being thankful and not utang na loob. It is about saying “Salamat po, Lord.”

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