So far, three major issues are being discussed just about everywhere right now: There’s Lea Salonga’s tweet about the apparent lack of freedom in the Philippines which is discussed by these articles. Then there’s the housing and squatter problem in Manila as depicted by a certain aerial photograph and this article here by Benign0 analyzes it at length. Lastly, there’s the issue with the trains, the traffic and the air pollution that go with the latter as shown in this other article by Benign0.
Now, here’s the rub:
Why are we even surprised by any of this? Why are there people who act like they never knew about these things when these issues have been plaguing our society for more than a decade now? Why are there those who refuse to even acknowledge these problems and go on to even label these as “publicity stunts”?
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Sadly, while these glaring issues are only just a few of the Philippines’ many problems, majority of its citizens turn a blind eye to just about anything they find unpleasant and bash those who call them out on their stupidity. As demonstrated by just how so many reacted negatively to Lea Salonga’s comment about our alleged “Independence Day” and the ills of our society, majority of Pinoys will always prefer to deceive themselves than face their problems directly and solve them. Also, while the heavy pollution that saturates Manila is beginning to take its toll on the citizenry, one can only wonder how many citizens are willing to even care about the issue, let alone do something about it.
Now, this may seem a bit off-topic, but I remember George Carlin saying that, if God made us and loved us, why would He send people to Hell? While I’m not going to dispute George Carlin (and no, this isn’t really about religion), I have always believed that people send themselves to Hell, choosing voluntarily to turn away from what’s good (in this case truth) in place of evil (which is delusion). I have always thought that Socrates was right about his ideas of good and evil, with good being concerned with knowledge and truth and evil being primarily ignorance and apathy. There is also a reason, I think, why Satan is called “The Father of Lies” and it ties in with the way some people prefer comfortable lies and self-delusion rather than coming to terms with reality and doing what they can about it.
In the end, no matter what religion you subscribe to, unless you can face the reality of what’s happening, what you’ve done and what you can do about it, you can never be free of regret and misery. Once, I was like many of the other common Pinoys out there, seeing only what I wanted to see and knowing only what I wanted now. But now, I have awakened and, with the help of allies both here in GRP and beyond, perhaps we can wake others into facing the harsh realities that now besiege the Philippines.
As long as we continue to delude ourselves as a people, I can assure you that our lack of freedom, overpopulation and pollution will just be the beginning of our problems…
I HAVE RETURNED TO LAY WASTE TO OUR ENEMIES!
We, Filipinos have eyes; but we REFUSE to see. We have EARS; but , we REFUSE to hear.
“How many ears can people have; before they can hear People cry.”
” The answer, my friend is blowing in the wind…the answer is blowing in the wind…”
A song from Bob Dylan: “Blowing in the Wind”..
Have you ever thought; why Filipinos vote the same crook over and over again?
I cannot even explain it myself; this is not Denial…it is plain INSANITY…they even elected a Crook, convicted of Plunder as Mayor of Manila…
LOL, we have eyes but blind, ears but gone deaf. We are not even in denial or insane for electing the same crook over and over again. Tell me, do you honestly believe that there’s one, even one politician in the Philippines that’s not corrupted by the system?
We need drastic measures here. Either Kill all Filipinos and just leave a couple to multiply with different training and mindset or change our government system. I think the latter is more feasible 🙂
What’s the difference in ignorance, apathy and stupid?
IGNORANCE
Failipinos don’t want to KNOW
“Ignorance is Bliss” Failipinos must be in Heaven
APATHY
Failipinos KNOW but don’t even CARE
“Hate is not the opposite of love; apathy is.” by – Rollo May
“Apathy is the glove into which evil slips its hand.” by – Bodie Thoene
STUPIDITY
Failipinos know the truth, see the truth but still believing in lies.
Stupidity is the deliberate or unitentional poor application of knowledge, rationality and social common sense to life, an activity or situation.
“Evil is not the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as Evil, maybe a lot more so, and it’s a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against Stupid. That might actually make a difference.”
Which is worse: Ignorance or apathy?
We can rectify ignorance by educating people. Apathy is just choice. You really can’t FIX a choice to not care. You can only hope to persuade.
Most ignorance is the direct result of apathy; people don’t know because they don’t care to know.
“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
Failippines will never find the real truth among Failipinos that are insecure or have egos to protect. Truth over time becomes either guarded or twisted as their perspective changes; it changes with the seasons of their shame, love, hope or pride.
“Once, I was like many of the other common Pinoys out there, seeing only what I wanted to see and knowing only what I wanted now. But now, I have awakened and, with the help of allies both here in GRP and beyond, perhaps we can wake others into facing the harsh realities that now besiege the Philippines.”
Seriously I’m lost! I would like to ask these honest questions to the writer as well as to the other GRP regulars:
1. Why are we “Failippines”? Is this state of failure applies only because of the prevailing Governing Administration or to the Nation as a whole? Is this state of failure limited to the status quo? Or is this state of failure applies from eversince and beyond?
2. Who are those you refer to as “Failipinos” and what make them so? Kasali rin ba kayo o iba kayo sa kanila?
3. How do you intend to wake others into facing the harsh realities? Who are these “others” and what are these “harsh realities”?
As much as you can please try not to sugar-coat and just answer them directly!
An excerpt from my Magnus Opus on Philippine poverty…
* * *
Anemia, a physiological condition marked by an impoverishment of the substance of one’s blood, does not necessarily mean a deficit in essential minerals needed for production of key blood components. It could be a symptom of a body’s inability to process said minerals even when these minerals are present in abundance within said body. It’s like being desperately thirsty while stuck in a little boat in the middle of the sea. You’re toast because your system is unable to metabolise sea water.
Indeed, the Philippines, a resource-rich island nation, suffers from that famous curse of the naturally-endowed. The lush forests and abundant minerals that had for so long hung low enough to be picked by any Filipino schmoe sitting squat on a banig have proven toxic to the Filipino system just as sea water eventually kills a marooned shipwreck survivor.
Poverty is not the problem. It is a symptom.
Thus the Philippines remains impoverished. And it will remain so until it addresses the root cause of its impoverishment: its consistent and chronic inability toprocess what resources it has on its own backyard.
* * *
Read the full article here!
First of all thank you for taking interest to answer the questions! I appreciate that the answer will come no less but from the Maestro of GRP himself!
Indeed the Philippines is a paradox! Despite possesing abundance in rich natural resources and capable people to harness said resources, we still haven’t move forward!
In summary, to simplify the magnum opus:
Poverty is not the problem but a symptom. And the root cause of the Philippines’ state of failure is its “inability to process what resources it has on its own backyard.”
And your hopeful proposition to that is:
1.) “One simply starts with understanding one’s own character.”
2.) “In the case of Philippine-style poverty this means starting with the key aspect of the national character — its culture.”
I agree with you there that a national collective is a key to our advancement! And the way to do that is make them understand to unite the fragmented populace towards an agreeable common goal. And that movement will start somehow…
But I am somewhat lost, and I couldn’t help but notice to a certain degree, that GRP might have also unintentionally bred some (or more than some) divisive variants towards that national collective. And these I think are the pseudo-enlightened or “half-enlightened” intellectuals as described by Orion Perez Dumdum’s “Key to social change: Enlightenment of the Elite”?
The self-congratulatory posturings of these new breed’s very loud and proud feeling of superiority, that, “they-got-it-while-others-they’re-just-dumb-and-just-couldn’t-get-it” display of arrogance (and then, just stop there, thereby making it their “end” in itself) is not adding but further dividing towards achieving that national collective.
Would you find it ironical, that, short of that of Mr. Nasty’s, the snob and sneer attitude to anything culturally filipino, coupled with the lack of respect and the feeling of intense dislike to every facet of our culture while openly adoring alien ones seemingly runs contrary to your proposition?