Regrets
Repost
November 23, 2021
By Caloy Bueno
#PagMayTime ~
Do any of you somehow regret at this time in your life that you didn't take your formal studies more seriously before (during your carefree student days)? Don't worry ~ today the Internet is a treasure trove of readily-available information ~ but only if you really know what to look for! Otherwise, you'll be inundated with unusable or worthless information (for your specific purposes). Anyhow, with reference to those "regrets" mentioned earlier, you may take solace from this (unfamiliar) quotation ~
"Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose." ~ Lyndon B. Johnson (US President after JFK's assassination)
With a Marcos presidency seemingly being unstoppable in 2022, you may feel elatedly hopeful, even euphoric, that "the good times" are soon coming back. But here's another quotation that puts that anticipation into proper context:
"Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success." ~ Edward Everett Hale
Don't ever think just because the leaders you want are going to win that everything will be dandy ~ that is only the beginning. No government can succeed without the cooperation of its citizens ~ meaning, that everyone has their own duties, responsibilities and obligations to perform ~ not just government. Bongbong may have the requisite intelligence, sincerity and political will to perform well in office ~ but also being human simply means we all are subject to mistakes, failures, or perhaps even committing transgressions. To ensure that BBM can and will perform the best that he could as our next leader, he needs the help of all Filipinos ~ (1) who must insist on the observance of transparency in governance; (2) emphasis on the accountability for all public officials executing his program of governance and all their sworn duties; and (3) doing our part by following all the laws, observing public order, and helping to keep the peace. This cooperation with government enhances and promotes social harmony, productive cooperation, and unity in reaching and accomplishing the desired goals of prosperity and further progress.
Did you know that in one of its landmark decisions previously, our Supreme Court had once ruled against President Marcos before ~ in regard to a presidential decree being deemed as unconstitutional? (If I remember it correctly!) However, I can't recall the particular PD or the specific case, but that SC decision said (in part) that if citizens are to be able to really exercise their rights, they must have the courage to legally fight for it ~ which that case had brought before the Supreme Court, and had won against the might and authority of even then-President Marcos (during the era of martial rule).
Why do I bring that up now? Because if during that time, even the authoritarian rule of FEM respected the rule of law, how much more now? BUT ONLY IF CITIZENS ARE ENLIGHTENED AND COURAGEOUS ENOUGH TO FIGHT FOR THEIR LEGAL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS ~ EVEN AGAINST THE MIGHT OF ANY GOVERNMENT. In other words, there is a balance that must be kept between those who govern and those who are governed ~ which is only possible through the proper rule of law and observance of due process. But if we continue to be largely ignorant of that fact, then we will not have much hope in really progressing beyond our shortcomings and failings.
Finally, these two different quotes ~
"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated."
~ Confucius
"Every one of us is a perfect human being, deformed by the family, the society and the culture." ~ Alejandro Jodorowsky
The first is self-explanatory. The second one is for all of us to really reflect upon ~ particularly in our own context and time today . . .
~ 'pag ma time lang naman 🤪😁😜
