2 Lessons I've Learned from a Russian Friend -- LIFE is Both Natural and Temporary!
"To err is human, to forgive divine" - Alexander Pope
On Fridays, during our rest day, we would often go to a local hotel and play tennis, this have been our practice every week. Sometime last month, we chanced meeting a couple of Russian doctors, An ENT and Neurosurgeon, who play tennis on a weekly basis at the same hotel. This particular ENT doctor, who is already 65 years old, (but mind you it doesn't show 'coz he's still athletic and still good at playing the sport), has a refreshing and unique way of speaking which radiates his true character and principle in life. When playing, we would frequently hear him say two words repetitively, temporary and natural. Let me quote a good example; whenever someone makes a faulty service, he would say "a little bit out, but still out, don't worry it's just natural..." Or when he and his partner for a doubles match would trail 3points to love, he would utter, "it's okay, it's only temporary, we could score at least 1..." It's pretty striking tho' to hear and learn that these words are his guiding principle in life -- in dealing with his everyday work, challenges, struggles or pretty much anything.
Come to think of it, he has a head-on point! Life indeed is nothing but natural and temporary. Natural, existing in nature and not made or caused by people. Can also simply mean coming from nature. Temporary, continuing for a limited amount of time, simply not permanent. People, things and events come and go, it's natural! Challenges, difficulties and struggles in life are merely temporary, never decide to make it your permanent state!
This however can likewise be correlated to the current status of my beloved Philippines as it once again embarks into the most gruesome event every 6 years -- the National Elections!
Now, how and why do these two words become significant with the incoming elections!? Let me digest it for you...
(Disclaimer: the thoughts or descriptions on the personalities to be mentioned are entirely feeds from news and social media accounts and does not in any way express the personal position of the author.)
So here it goes...
As the deadline of the filing of COC (Certificate of Candidacy) ended roughly a month ago and filing of substitutions and decisions on disqualification cases via COMELEC near its end, which I believe is on December 10th, the equivocally "most promising" candidates for the much-coveted post, the Presidential race has finally come out, the last of whom is the overly controversial Davao City Mayor, Rodrigo Duterte. Now let's see, we have 5 prominent Presidentiables; the VP Jejomar Binay (who is under fire for almost a year now specifically by the senate blue ribbon sub committee 'coz of his right and left corruption cases, funny there aren't any formal charges filed in the courts!? -- obviously for political reasons), second is former SILG Mar Roxas (who is the standard bearer of the current president, PNoy seems confident with his bet tho' the latter never confided anything to the former about the Mamasapano incident. He also claims to continue the slogan "Daang matuwid" yet never even bothered to help Taclobanos during the Yolanda mishap 'coz his president is an Aquino and the city mayor is a Marcos, he surely is straight not in principle but in loyalty to the one in power), third is the very intelligent, experienced and out spoken Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, but never really want to speak up about her true health condition status post Cancer, fourth, the neophyte senator of the Republic Grace Poe, who faces multiple disqualification cases before the SET and COMELEC 'coz of her citizenship and residency. she has raw public service stint yet is running for the highest post on the land? Very intriguing!?) and lastly, Mayor Rody Duterte of Davao who as I said is under serious criticisms from CBCP and human rights proponents 'coz of his vulgar remark against the Holy Pontiff. Not to mention his being a self-confessed adulterer, womanizer and killer.
Roughly 6 months prior the actual plunge into the troubled waters of the elections, left and right tirade against these personalities are being hailed thru news accounts, social media posts, write ups and many other forms like videos, audio or print. Man by nature is a political animal, this is probably the best explanation. Anybody, one way or another, even those apathetic about politics may have a thing or two to say about these personalities. Natural! This is man's nature! We tend to take side, and by doing so, the one we least like or is the toughest competitor of the one whom we root for doesn't escape our criticisms and fault-finding! Guilty!? You're a hypocrite if you say no, but then again this is another "Natural" trait of a person -- hypocrisy!
Sad but true eh? We are all guilty of fault-finding yet we don't see any fault nor stain with ourselves, we are all such hypocrites! I like a particular post of my lovely wifey on FB where she stressed that it is not just the sole responsibility of the ones in authority to push for change, discipline and progress but should also be of the whole citizenry -- 'coz if not, it's like we want a policeman who don't extort, but in reality when we get caught for an offense we would oftentimes go for a settlement -- who then is corrupt?Corruption has many faces, it all starts at home, then makes its way in school, in the workplace, businesses, along the streets, anywhere... It's just that corruption in Politics is magnified, absurdly humongous and affects a multitude of people!
Naturally, amid these happenings, the quandary lies solely to the FILIPINO people, voting or not, 'coz we are the ones given the burden to choose from these Presidentiables and later on we are the ones likewise to be affected by the turnout of these votes. Vote wisely! When will Wisely run for President!? Choose the lesser evil they say! But who among them can really be the answer to the far-fetched cry and longing of the Filipino nation for a great, abundant, corrupt-free, advanced, safe and happy Philippines!? Yes HAPPY, this I think is the most-neglected attribute that a country must posses and is often fended by false hopes of prosperity and abundance, only to find out that the pockets of the ones in power or with money are getting thicker and the commoners are kept being drenched into the abyss of nothingness and despair.
Temporarily, all things in this life are merely in passing -- all will come to a cease and worse demise! Precisely the reason why it's high time for the Filipino people to choose someone to lead the country with the sense of urgency and the needed change! We need someone who looks at the country's several undesirable dilemma as temporary and have a clear platform for permanence. And not someone who thinks of temporary solutions for what seemed to be permanent problems.
In conclusion, the clamor for good governance which could solve the country's unending list of problems must start within each and everyone of us. It probably sounds cliche but it's the reality! Unless we strive and instill within ourselves REAL CHANGE -- we can never achieve what we truly deserve as a nation! Let us put in minds these two words, Natural and Temporary, and let it be our guiding principle when we cast our vote and essentially our mantra in life.
