Real Zombies

 

Amo sab jaon sila kun di kun eleksyon?  We see them hug simple people. They visit the poor from one house to another. There are instances that they even claim that they are your distant relatives. For what? For your votes.

The deeply-rooted patronage system in the Philippines bolsters money politics, especially during elections. Some candidates engage in vote buying rather than promoting their platforms, others misuse public service delivery for electoral purposes instead of broader development objectives.

This patron-client relationship essentially prioritizes short-term personal gains for both leaders and their constituencies, rather than the long-term development goals of the nation (Wong, 2022).

We fear that everything boils down to selfish motives. Why do politicians perform vote-buying? Why do people sell their votes? What motivates the fanatics behind the politicians who even severe ties with family members for their bets? Why the word war on social media outlets?

According to Nahn (2020) the first motivator is POWER. Some people are motivated by power, influence, and fame. They want to become powerful and a leader, such as politicians. They want to take charge and achieve great power. Other motivators include recognition and approval; Desire to win; Reaching out to others; Rewards, money and Passion.

We cannot discount the fact that there are those whose intentions are good. But then again, based on self-actualized theories, we must first ask our own motivations. What are the gauges of our choices, is it for selfish intentions or for the greater good?

With the current trend of the thinking process flow among the young as broadcast on reality shows like Pinoy Big Brother Philippines, educators must double time in leading young learners to master critical thinking allowing them to develop their affective side as well. With the technology we have now, the fear of becoming a zombie might not come from an injectable substance.

We might have zombies in our houses now.