Thirsty

                                                                         (The Monthly)

Kadaghang! This is a Sinurigao word which literally means thirsty. Ironically, this has a strong connotation of challenging someone for a drinking binge. We all know that alcohol could cause dehydration aside from the intoxication that could loosen the tongue and leads to devolution. Also, the word is muttered to candidates for a political position. Most of the people claim that this is just done for the sake of fun yet this has something to do with values being radiated from a generation to the next. Something which is embedded and could sometimes become a NORM.

If a person runs for a political seat in our land, he will be bombarded with the so-called jokes of KADAGHANG and most of the time, the pressure has its effects. The candidate then spends a lot and considers the event as an investment. In business, it is OK to take a risk since the capital might become a hundredfold in the future. So, would it be safe to say that sometimes, the cause of corruption stems from the people themselves?

There was even a time when someone aired that he needed to have a taste of government money even for a little amount since the soon-to-be elected official will have all the money in the world. But who made THAT person? Isn’t he made by the collective and twisted norms rather than the main point of running to office which is public service?

According to Abraham Maslow (1943) two needs motivate people to do what they are doing: deficiency needs and growth needs. Deficiency needs arise due to deprivation and are said to motivate people when they are unmet. The motivation to fulfill such needs becomes stronger the longer the duration they are denied. Maslow continued that growth needs do not stem from a lack of something, but rather from a desire to grow as a person. Once these growth needs have been reasonably satisfied, one may be able to reach the highest level called self-actualization.

If a person is running so to attain power, fame and money, we could infer that he/she might be doing this because of a deficiency need. But if the individual is doing it for the desire to serve, to make his or her life meaningful through public service, he/she is satisfying his or her growth need.

But what motivates those of us who push the politicians to become the crooks that we project them to become? Freudian theories lead us to ponder on psychological egoism which is the empirical doctrine that the determining motive of every voluntary action is a desire for one’s own welfare. This is a valid reason for us individuals to constantly evaluate our motives and intentions through introspection for us to be able to take a hold on ourselves. Am I doing this for selfish intentions? How can I be of help to make this place a better one? (This could be the time to do a crossover from having a deficiency need to evolve into a growth need.)

Egoism is not bad at all since it also preserves the SELF. Ethical egoism is a theory that we should seek our self-interest to be able to take a hold on it. We need to remember that we are the ones to control our desires and not the other way around.

Parents and teachers really play a great role in making these things be inculcated to the children. It is in the hands that nurture lessons and values where the future of the country dwells. We are making the government function well. We are the ones to propel the future of people to the highest potentials. We need to better understand our selves and our roles to be a harbinger of the BETTER WORLD we are dreaming of.