Those Who Sit (Not Just Sitting)

                                                  (image: quotlr.com)

Mo silbi or magpa silbi?

It has always been a debate on why there are those who run for public service when in fact their motivations are unclear. We cannot discount the fact that there are those who deserve to run… still, what drives those who cannot even make a draft of a resolution?

Butuyan (2022) mentioned that an election provides a stage that generates public attention for individuals who crave fame. Running for office feeds big egos. It also gives the same adrenaline rush associated with gambling, because getting elected into office can yield a bonanza of great wealth as viewed by those with unscrupulous intentions.

What if others are just bored? And since there is an election, what a good way to fill in the empty hours by doing something…

Public servants work for government and for citizens. They're responsible to the elected government, not a political party or themselves. They develop and deliver public programs or services and provide evidence-based policies to defend constitutional rights and improve the quality of life among the people they are serving.

Ergo, this is not some hobby to do for a person not to get bored.

The examination of political ambition emerged with the classic study by Schlesinger (1966, p. 4), who described “political ambitions” as being shaped by a person's “office goals.” This conceptualization of political ascent argues that people take actions which enable them to reach their goals of advancing in their political careers.

Sadly, Philippine political parties rarely pay attention to their platforms but are used to perpetuate their members’ personal and clan interests. They do not rigorously select qualified candidates as they revolve around political stars seen to have the best chance of electoral victory (Wong,2022).

There is a need for the ambitious to have research skills to arrive to data-driven policies. The mind-set must be changed as well for them to be more SELFLESS than SELFISH since public office is FOR the people.

The voting public cannot control the motivations of those who are running for an office. But, the people has the power to elect the ones they see as capable of serving the public. 

Real Monsters

 

                                                 (image: youtube.com)

Di na maghuyat Hallowen kay mahamok na daan kahadlokan!

There is this Western tradition being embraced by Filipinos – trick or treat and horror costumes during the last day of October. Television shows also feature weird and scary stories in this time of the year.

This writer do not believe on such stuff because in reality, Halloween happens daily. Let us just open our eyes and see the horrific persons amongst us:

ASWANG. There are people around you who seeps all the goodness in you. They are going to suck all your energy since most of the time they attack on your personality and slowly kill you by spreading bad things about you.

VAMPIRES. These are the “friends and so-called significant others” who drain your emotions since they have the talent of blaming you for all the mistakes in your relationships.

KAPRE are leaders who impose their power over you. You cannot say anything since they are TOO LARGE you are always cowering down when they unleash their powers. The smoke of their tobacco can kill your spirit you oftentimes feel suffocated emotionally and physically.

SIGBIN. You cannot see them. They are so good when you are with them but behind your back, they are draining your integrity. Their power lies on their tongues. They are so good in creating stories that will diminish all the good things you have done.

MANANANGGAL. These are impartial people. Sometimes, they are politicians who tell you how they care about the greater good. But these words are just fronts. They are leaving a lot of things behind for their own consumption.

WHITE LADY. The dishonest ones are those who want to whitewash their lies with beautiful words. Similar to the promises of the whitening lotions in the market claiming that you will have lighter skin after seven days, their words are simply bluff.

According to Thomas (2021) Halloween has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, a pagan religious celebration to welcome the harvest at the end of summer, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts.

Again, there is no need to wait for that date to get scared. The costumes others are wearing are invisible. But the horrifying things are being worn in their hearts.

Adults Going Berserk

                                                (image: youtube.com)

Kun di makatunong an dagko na tawo, mga bata an madaot!

Was it Stephen King who suggested that adults must be terminated since they are the cause of troubles? This can be inferred in his novel “Children of the Corn”.

ISRAEL AND HAMAS. Social media, news sites and online newsfeeds are full of the pitiful experiences of the people who are trapped amidst bombing and air strikes. One could not help but be tearful when images of children orphaned and traumatized come to the picture. What have become of humanity?

HAMAS–the acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Islamic Resistance Movement)—is the largest and most capable militant group in the Palestinian territories and one of the territories’ two major political parties.

Ideologies must be geared for the common good. When adults become obsessed with beliefs and doctrines, their empathy can oftentimes be clouded with reason and their “greater good” is something skewed.

SANGGUNIANG KABATAAN. The elections are coming. There are youngsters who are being lured by politicians to be used by them with their self-serving deeds. These puppeteers are muddling with the young ideals and later corrupt them.

Grim as it may sound, the youth leaders must now set a precedent for future leaders by taking up active roles in the community and in school before they can even file their certificates of candidacy (Tan, 2023, inq.net). Yet, there are those “trapos” (traditional politicians) who are grooming them to become their alter-egos.

EDUCATION SECTOR. What happens when teachers and educational leaders forget about their clients and focus on their selfish motives? A long-term effect will happen and nation-building will just be a dream.

Building a warm, positive and responsive relationship with young people, helps to shape the adult the children will become giving a strong foundation for the rest of their lives (Shaman, 2021).

Probably, those who manipulate the children and neglect their future were unhappy during their childhood days.

  

Incomplete

 

                                          

Umay kuyang?

What hunger are you craving right now?

The lust for money and possession. Greed can stem from emotional trauma and unmet needs. In a bid to replace the emptiness of emotional distress, a person can attempt to use objects or possessions. There are individuals who constantly crave for money even if they have enough of it.

People who have a sense of insecurity do not consider what they have enough. They always compare themselves with other people and end up feeling inadequate. They want to measure up to a certain standard and this drives an excessive desire to make money (Onojodofia, 2023).

The hunger for recognition. This is a need to be noticed or to receive attention and acknowledgement. This is observed when someone oftentimes become irrational to the point of becoming unprofessional just to be noticed.

Emotional invalidation during childhood can have detrimental effects on one’s mental health, self-perception, identity, and relationships as an adult, and is often associated with stronger feelings of anger, shame, guilt, and worthlessness (Veretis, 2022).

The sense of being RIGHT all the time. Self-righteousness is an attitude and belief of moral superiority derived from a person deeming their own beliefs, actions, or affiliations to be of greater virtue than those of the average person or others.

Self-righteous people — regardless of what they’re self-righteous about — are exhibiting a lack of serenity. It’s a lack of inner peace (Hurd, 2018).

The hunger to be in a relationship. Emotional hunger is “a feeling of a strong emotional need that is usually brought about by deprivation in childhood”.

When a person grows up without love or affection as a child that manifests itself as a strong need for emotional closeness as an adult. To get this need met, a deprived person may latch onto a romantic yet demanding relationship (Sacac, 2017).

When individuals cannot control their individual needs to the point that these have drastic effect to their ecology, and they cannot individually address their hunger, it is high time to see the doctor.

Squaring the Circle

 

                                               (image: youtube.com)

Amo baja sija? Kabootan na wayong!

Much has been said about wolves in sheep’s clothing but there are people around who really master the craft of being pretentious. These deceptive individual’s attack their prey because they simply enjoy the deed, have mental illnesses or just evil.

Deception refers to the act—big or small, cruel or kind—of encouraging people to believe information that is not true. Lying is a common form of deception—stating something known to be untrue with the intent to deceive. This according to Psychology Today.

A large body of research identifies three major reasons why people lie: to get something they want, so-called instrumental reasons; to protect or promote themselves; and to harm others. Avoiding punishment may be the main motivation for both children and adults.

But with intentional deception, it boils down to being selfish. These people do not mind the well-being of others. They only protect themselves and continue enjoying the things that they like make others irrelevant or merely pawns in their game.

The Newport Institute published: Pathological liar signs can be symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, and Munchausen syndrome by proxy.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder manifests as arrogant and self-centered behavior with little regard for other people’s feelings (Robb-Dover, 2021).

By simply looking at these behaviors, we can infer that these people pose harm and muddle with the desirable actions and value-systems of the society.

If untreated and un-intervened, they might thrive and convince us that circles have sides.