A LEADER: WHAT HE IS OUGHT TO BE?

          The evangelical rally of the Iglesia Ni Cristo last Feb.28 attended by a mammoth crowd at the Quirino grandstand has been  construed by many to be more of a political event against Pres. Aquino and a virtual show of force of the religious sect. True or not, this perception is yet another glaring sign of big divide that has been continuously pervading our society.. Sadly, this chronic polarization has been existing even before we were seeking autonomy from our colonial masters and seriously merits our immediate concern and cause for perturbation. The "crab mentality" which is now deeply seated in our culture emanates from this divide and not until we can elect a president who will genuinely lead our people to unity, our road to progress will forever be evasive. The person who will take the rein of leadership in our country must show that he is the leader of all people and not just favoring a certain portion of the populace. While I admire the "daang matuwid" advocacy of Pres. Aquino, I nevertheless believe that a more rightful approach has to be carried out to take away the misconception that he is only targeting former president GMA and other officials of the previous administration. P-Noy must bear in mind that although Gloria is virtually now dead in the water because of the perceived malfeasance she committed against the Filipino people, still there are remnants of her avid individual followers or groups that in one way or another benefited from her long stay in the presidency. These are the people or groups that the president must be wary of since they are the ones who would always wish for all his programs to fail no matter how beneficial they may be for the majority. To get rid of all the obstacles along the path of "daang matuwid" is no simple job and endeavor. He has to gain the trust of everybody including the "crab thinkers" and non-believers and prevail over them to join him in his quest for good governance and ultimate progress. This is the kind of leadership that everyone is wishing for. We need somebody who can rally us irrespective of political inclinations, social standing and religious creed.
           Adolf Hitler, despite his conceived evil deeds of starting out WW II and nearly wiping out the Jewish people on earth was credited by historians for his tenacity to rally the German people behind his megalomania in achieving his goal of racial hegemony in all of Europe. Churchill, Roosevelt and other leaders in history were recognized and credited not more on their benevolent accomplishments but on the leadership they provided to their people against challenges and adversaries. Even the late Pres. Marcos at the height of his dictatorial rule was cited for his vision and firm leadership which was exemplified during the early stage of his martial rule. He was able to rally the Filipino people to stand behind him in his pursuit of the "New Society", although to some through sheer intimidation and coercion. His leadership capability eventually collapsed when he turned into a despot and an oppressor of his own people. He simply lost his chance to greatness.
          P-Noy might have the sincerity and honest intent to liberate our people from the grip of corrupt governance but, somehow, the most learned amongst us visualize a wrongful path towards his targeted goal. Some even interpret his "daang matuwid" as an admixture of hate and vindictiveness against those whom he perceived to have done wrongdoings to him and his family. Many  people tend to believe an agenda of selfish motive hidden behind the cloak of his slogan. This impression further yields divisiveness and creates deeper chasm between his followers and detractors. The road to his goal must be redirected for it to be achieved. If he really aims to be a great leader of our country, he must first eliminate the perception of biases and prejudices. Uniting our people cannot be accomplished with a mere sloganeering and rhetoric. He has to do more than just fighting corruption in trying to rally the people behind him. He has to be firm yet not being misconstrued to be arrogant and belligerent. The people particularly his detractors may be able to endure all his inadequacies, imperfections and some mediocre performances but not his ostensible arrogance in the pursuit of his goal most of the time rendering unfair and premature judgement to his perceived adversaries, obviously owing to his security because of his immense popularity. But his popularity is not enough for him to hold on to. The tide can one day turn against his favor. Fairness and humility is the key. We can only wish for him to succeed for our own sake and for our children's future.

A NIGHT IN SONIA'S GARDEN & A BOOK.

Last weekend, Feb.4, my wife, Vicky, and I had an overnight stay in Sonia's Garden in the City of Tagaytay. The place is known not only for its organic foods that they are offering their clients but likewise for its verdant surroundings. The pleasant smell of fresh vegetation and the sound of the chirping birds which you cannot find in an urban place were enough invitation for me to hit the bed early and enjoy a much needed rest and sleep as soon as I entered  the antiquated-style room that we were to occupy that night. But unfortunately or should I say fortunately, everything was not I expected it to be. Inside the room, (well, much to my juvenile instinct delight) were a number of books, apparently as part of the place's amenities, neatly arranged on top of the side tables of our bed. My voracious reading passion instinctively told me to set aside my early sleeping plan and prepare for a long night ahead. At first, I asked myself if I could consume reading all the books thereat in one night. Surely it was impossible. It requires a superhuman capability or a genius to do that. An averaged book reader like me is definitely incapable of doing what I'm thinking of so I'll just have to make do with whatever limited capacity which I hoped to exhaust that night. This meant selecting just one book for an overnight reading. Needless to say, I selected a book which can more or less suffice my reading satiety  for the night. I chose a 550+ page book which story revolves around German characters and a Jew during WWII in one of a secluded town in Germany.. Although it is a war setting, the story is absent of violent encounters but more of  a dramatic episodes between the central characters. And so I literally burned the lamp that night to finish the book. Save for the breakfast and lunch break, my wife and I quick sojourn to the perimeter garden of the place, and the regular trip to the CR, my time was wholly spent to the attempt of ending the book. But no matter how I tried to, my comprehension was no longer as expansively responsive the way it used to. I was barely halfway thru the book when it was announced that it was already check-out time. My desire to finish the story was frustratingly left hanging in the air. I thought there was nothing I can do but to pack-up and just leave my unfinished task of getting done with the book just as it was.

Just as we were leaving the room, my eyes cannot help but squinted on the object of my aborted desire temptingly lurking  on the side table as if telling me, "hey, come back and take me home with you, for sure I'll be able to satisfy your lust for me". I was provocatively enthused to set aside my "delicadeza" and begun to think awkwardly of possessing the book even just ephemerally. I have been to a lot of hotels and lodging inns in the past but never did I take out or , much less gained possession of anything which were available in the rooms that I occupied either for souvenir collections or personal material benefits. I was placed in a pitiful quandary of having a choice between ethics and temporary desire.

But my optimism was buoyed by the fact that something can be done without really alarming anyone, for the moment. The book was not really irretrievable. I can still find a way to gain possession of the book. The urge was so dire. I thought I can take hold of  the book even for a week or two, be done reading it and ask my son who is a frequent diner in Sonia's Garden to return it as soon as he goes back to the place. In that case, the feeling of guilt although not totally obliterated is somewhat lessened. And so I did follow my self-declared advice. I took the book, hid it in my gym bag, and brought it home for my unfinished reading business.

And now I'm just waiting for my son to drop by the house to return the precious book to its rightful place in Tagaytay. I have to admit that there is some degree of guilt in me, but the feeling of great satisfaction of finishing the book outweighs the guilt itself.

By the way., the title of the book written by Markus Zusak is "THE BOOK THIEF".

RELIGIONS & EVANGELISTS

A friend of mine recommends to me a religious show on television worth watching because of what he considers to be an expert articulation of the host who at the same time is the leader of his own congregation. Yes, the speaker, no doubt, knows the bible from cover to cover, but I find his views and comments acerbic, rabidly offensive and ill-advised. I must admit though that some of his views are very much logical. By and large, I would say that his television appearance is amusing and to some extent, his stage theatrics, comical. But for me, one who speaks ill-will and expresses words which are affront to a person or persons, or any religious group or congregation that do not share the same interpretation as his own of the bible does not bode well to the supposed christian advocacy that he is trying to spread. A person may have the mastery of the bible or may know or memorized every word written in it from A to Z but this does not mean that he has a superior dominion over everybody in regard to bible interpretation, much less expert dominance in spreading the words of God. Everyone who professes to be an evangelist no matter how noble his intentions are, must also show respect and concern to the feelings of his listeners particularly so that it involves such a highly sensitive topics concerning his beliefs. Otherwise, he may have have all the best interpretation in the bible but may end up a miserable failure in getting his message across his listeners because of his considerably weird style of driving a point to them.

The secrecy of any religion or or religious sect has to be respected and its attendant rituals by the faithfuls be freely observed even though they may run diametrically opposed to others own interpretation of the bible.

To me, there is nothing more paramount than to heighten the spirituality of a person and emphasize the real essence of "christianity". Spirituality is the bedrock of any faith regardless of any religious beliefs, while compassion and love of fellowmen  and being of service to them particularly in their time of needs are transcendent of all christian beliefs. Every human being is a God's creation hence deserving of all the love one can exhaustively afford.

Religion for me not only guide us to the moral teachings of our Lord in our temporary existence in this world but also, most importantly, the illuminating lantern that will light our path towards life eternal.