We must kick the darkness until it bleeds daylight

 Got this from the Inquirer. It was one of the comments there. Darl posted this on our mailing list.

While the Philippine elections is far from being perfect, it is still by far the most peaceful mechanism guaranteed by our Constitution.

Every Filipino must assume a mindset that true and lasting change in our Philippine political system will not happen overnight. Real work lies in daily re-educating our masses towards nurturing lasting human values and convincing the great majority that effective, ethical, and informed leadership comes through advanced education, moral compass, human resource management, loyalty to the constitution, public decency, and an excellent record of public service.

Societal change cannot be left to our leaders anymore because they have become isolated by their own lust for power. I would love to see the day when election rallies will only be attended by the candidates and their official retinue because the people have become too wise and too discerning to smell the rats in their midst.

We have no more excuse as a people who desire change. We have to make the change happen ourselves within our own spheres of influence. Filipinos, we must admit, are long on criticism and political astuteness, but very short on making things happen for themselves and for those around them.

Just look at the way we live. We are used to being served by our household help. By extension, we leave all the work to our public servants. Why not work for the things that we can control ourselves such as obeying traffic laws, being honest in our with our taxes, lobbying for justice, caring for the sick, feeding the poor, living simply and within our means, keeping our gardens and surroundings clean, caring for the environment through composting and recycling, giving our tithes faithfully, sharing our goods to those who have none, using less gas by walking, biking, car pooling, etc.? The list is endless.

We cannot afford to be despondent for the sake of our future children. While we may not live to see the day when there will be significant change in our political and moral landscape, we can do our part by making this country better for the future generations.

In a sense, we are re-building our nation brick by heavy brick. The foreman may crack the whip and lash at our bare backs already scorched by the heat of despair. Worse, we sometimes take advantage of each other instead of working together to make things happen. If we fix our eyes on the vision with hope in our breasts, no evil empire on earth can squelch the flame of hope. As one favorite author wrote, “We must kick the darkness until it bleeds daylight.”

-kumpasawit