Getting Dirty in Life

In a gathering of supporter groups at his Laurel House in Mandaluyong City on 7 May 2010, Nationalista Party standard-bearer Manuel "Manny" Villar Jr. said: "How can there be mud on you (referring to Liberal Party presidential candidate Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III) when you do not even wade through mud." (Maila Ager, "Villar to bow to 'Lord's will' but continues attack on rival," Inquirer.net, 7 May 200)

Precisely. We don't get dirty unless we go into a dirty situation and do dirty. But that does not mean we're not doing anything. Life has many temptations on its own; we're amidst the mud of this world, of this life. We don't have to join the criminals to make the wrong decisions, do the wrong things. If Noynoy keep himself away from wrongdoing in public service, I believe that's because he chose not to do the wrong things many do.

So we have a choice--to do dirty or avoid it. We don't have to choose to be in a dirty situation. Dirty options are thrown at us every day, in fact every minute, for the rest of our lives. Convenience in life is never an excuse for staying clean; in fact, temptations can be much more subtle here. Neither financial hardships in life can be an excuse for doing dirty; thinking so would be a negative judgment of those many poor people who live a life of exemplary honesty despite the financial insufficiencies.

Comments

Great Expectations

It is common to put personal expectations on others especially in our relationships with people. Oftentimes these expectations mirror our own sets of values, even our strengths and gifts, and rarely according to the same conditions available in people to whom those expectations we place. It is through these great expectations that we inevitably are bound to encounter disappointments and regrets. Even with our friends and spouses, the same outcome can be seen happening in invidual lives. Handling expectations this way seriously miss the reality of human diversity. If my values, strengths and giftedness differ even with those in my spouse or friends, how much more those people who I knew much less. People tend to place expectations on matters that, in a specific situation, they themselves can do. But given the same situation, diversity ensures that another person's action or decision differ widely or narrowly. And where a person may be strong in an area of life, another may be weak...

RH Bill Debate: Things Not to Forget

As of this writing, the author tried but failed to get a copy of the six reproductive health bills (RH bills) filed in the House of Representative. This means that Filipinos concerned in guarding the nation from the potential dangers of the bill may have to ensure that they know what are being proposed in these bills so appropriate actions can be taken to prevent the worst from happening. The House Bill readily available is HB05043, otherwise known as the Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008, filed in the 14th Congress. The HB00513 that the 15th Congress received on 1 July 2010 has already passed first reading on July 27, and is pending with the Committee on Population and Family Relations. Freedom of Informed Choice It is inherent in Christian faith and in the Philippines the freedom of each Filipino to choose. God respected our free will; and our Constitution confirmed that as a fundamental right of any Filipino. This freedom is reiterated...

Decorated Police Officer Died As Hostagetaker

True tragedies often come with jaw-dropping surprises. Today's hostage-taking situation in Manila tells of the fleeting condition of life, and how violence can escalate into murder and death of the innocents. And it will be a difficult mental work to understand how a bemedaled police officer lost his job, and ended up taking hostages in a bus, and died in the process. Hostage-Taking in Manila 10:00 PM. The Hong Thai Travel bus (owned by Hong Thai Travel Services Ltd.) was about to leave Fort Santiago in Intramuros, Manila, where the tourists just visited when former Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza asked the driver that Mendoza be allowed to hitch a ride. He wore a full police uniform, carrying an M-16 rifle. The driver let Mendoza in, believing that the policeman was on duty. In 2008, Mendoza was moved to the National Capital Region Office (NCRPPO) after a robbery-extortion case in Vito Cruz, Ermita, Manila was filed against him. That same year, he was accused with four...

Tidbits of Life

Search This Blog