Insecure, Insane

 

                                                (image: youtube.com)

Hilabtonon The moment, they see the fault of others, they make it sound as if it’s the greatest mistake of the century.

All people have insecurities. These are the things that we see in others that we ourselves don’t have. This may come in the form of characteristics, achievements, material things, or even physical appearance. Tan (2016) mentioned that instead of us just being happy for them for the things that they have, we make an effort to find fault in them just so we can get even with them.

There is nothing wrong when one party complains about the actions or attitudes of another, if that complaint is designed to improve the relationship. But when it becomes a habit and such criticisms are meant to hurt and destroy, it can be another story.

When someone presents an idea, finding a flaw or an improvement makes one feel superior. It gives him/her an illusion of knowledge and expertise irrespective of whether the person possess it or not.

Then we go back to the concept of self-improvement by doing things within the sphere of influence. Why not consider your own flaws?

Self-improvement is any activity or goal that enhances quality of life, helps reach one’s full potential or leads persons to realize their dreams. Improving the knowledge, skillset, character or mindset are all good ways to move toward one’s self-improvement goals.

But insecurity is oftentimes undetected. Persons who do not make efforts to perform self-evaluation have the tendency criticizing others to feel good about themselves. They like putting others down so that they can feed their egos. The act of criticizing gives them power. In reality, they have shrunken personalities either caused by their parents or by peers when they were still young.

So what then? Do we just allow these persons to muddle with our lives?

We leave them behind. They are just unimportant facts. Despite the criticisms hurled at us by these detractors, we continue doing the best that we can and keep doing the right thing.

Let them deal with their insecurities which, if not dealt with, will lead to their insanity.

Green with Envy

                                                (image: youtube.com)

Kun magkalipay an iban, maglabad an uyo. Kun abtik sab an iban kay sa ija moisan paglabad an uyo! You have these people around you, right? They are full of envy to the point that they will be irritated with your happiness and achievements.

Envy is an emotion that occurs when one person wants something another person has, whether that thing is a material possession or perceived success or stature.

A complex emotional experience, envy can consist of many elements: longing, feelings of inferiority, ill will toward the envied person, resentment, and guilt. When a person becomes envious, it is often due to some degree of dissatisfaction with the self (goodtherapy.org).

There are companions in the workplace who will make moves to destroy you since you are “too much” for them. They do not understand that it is the deep-set insecurity and envy in them which propelled them to muddle with the business of others. There are also superiors who question your professionalism especially if you will be “liked” better than them.

They fail to reinforce the reflective questioning the inner person using WHY? Why am I behaving this way? Why am I making this achiever as an enemy? Is this some kind of insecurity? Am I envious with the “freedom” of this person?

Envy tends to be directed towards those with whom we compare ourselves, those with whom we feel we are in competition. As Bertrand Russell wrote, ‘Beggars do not envy millionaires, though of course they will envy other beggars who are more successful.’

Burton (2014) posited that envy has never been a greater problem than it is today. Our age of equality encourages us to compare ourselves to one and all, and the internet and social media make this all too easy, fanning the flames of our envy.

So what then? Are we going to allow them to harm us? Or we going to ignore them and let them wallow on their unhealthy mindset?

We continue to improve ourselves. We do our best in everything that we do. We won’t hamper their need to monitor our daily grind and allow them to get envious. What if this is the only meaningful activity of their pathetic lives? We might be depriving of the reason of their existence. Because if they won’t change, they are probably born (or nurtured) that way.

If they are inevitably near (like workmates), ignore them. But if they persist, it is also human nature to bite back. Life is short to keep quiet. Be professional in doing so since you will always win if you do so! 

Un-zapped

 

                                                (image: youtube.com)

Mag video call baja bisan nagmisa? There are people who cannot leave their mobile phones for even one hour. They fear that they will miss out something if they won’t check what is happening around them. They fear that they will miss out something “important”.

British psychologists elaborated and defined FoMO (fear of missing out) as “pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent”, FoMO is characterized by the desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing.

There are people we know that even during meals are tinkering and scrolling on the social media sites. Cell phone use during meals is just as bad as eating while watching television. This is especially true if the mealtime in question is centered around family, friends, and treasured occasions.

Amuno (2022) reported: While phones interfere with the eating experience itself, they actually deny us the opportunity to enjoy the food we are eating. In any case, we spend more time swiping away than touching the food. When the brain is hypnotized by the smartphone screen, it under-utilizes sensory elements such as sight, smell, touch, taste, and sound, which are all closely linked to eating.

Checking and scrolling through social media has become an increasingly popular activity over the last decade. Although the majority of peoples’ use of social media is non-problematic, there is a small percentage of users that become addicted to social networking sites and engage in excessive or compulsive use.

That is the phenomena during the early 80’s when people tell you that you are zapped-out. You are physically present but you are somewhere else.

These facts are telling us that manners, the wise use of technology, the strong sense of self-knowledge, the importance of face-to-face communication, the application of our education, discipline and the wise utilization of our time are what matter most.

We will USE technology. We MUST NOT let technology USE us.

Redress

 

                                                    (image: simply kinder)

“Hay salamat klase na, ya nay sagdahonon sa bayay!” These words were overheard from a parent who heaved a sigh of relief that their naughty children are now in school. “Mak-trabaho na ko nan yay mag samok-samok!”

Kurtz (2022) reported that in districts that were offering mostly remote or hybrid instruction last school year, 71 percent of survey respondents said students are misbehaving more this school year, compared with 52 percent from districts that had offered mostly in-person instruction the previous year.

Lately, there was a student who got hospitalized due to physical injuries. He was mauled by school mates. Some learners were also reported defecating on their classroom’s floor. Worse, cursing among learners in the elementary intensified. Some kindergarten teachers are complaining about their daily struggle with the unruly kids.

The ironic thing is this: Lots of parents are now happy that their peace is back that the in-person classes are back.

According to Nierva (2009), parent involvement in the Philippines is vague because there is still a need to improve parent involvement practices, especially those promoting the parents’ active involvement in the child’s learning at home and in school. Much of the practices of Filipino are brought about by history including the ways parents raise their children.

There is still a need to educate the adults that the attitude and well-being of children are PRIMARY responsibilities of the parents, not the teachers.

In order for a child to succeed, parents exert a lot of influence on their child's cognitive development in the early years and thus, the contact between home and school should be maintained, especially during the primary school years (Ho, 2009).

So, what then? Will the teachers just shrug their shoulders and allow these truant creatures to thrive?

For starters, let us visit their houses and see the ecology which might be the causal factor of the learners’ behavior. We then say: KAYA PALA! Then, we can introduce their parents to the registered social workers of our place.

Since our hands are full, we can report them to such authorities so that they will be reprimanded for their irresponsibility.