An Elusive Change
“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”
– Leo Tolstoy
I couldn’t agree more. In the Philippines alone, the people are hungry for a change in the country. People are sick and tired of the government system – slow process of making transactions, rampant bribery, an apparent disrespect of the law by not following even the simple rules. We keep on changing our president every 6 years hoping that the new president would bring about the change the people have been waiting for. Sad to say though, the people who demand for a change in the government leaders are not very much willing to start change in themselves. We want OTHERS to change, but we don’t like to change our habits and attitude. A national change starts from an individual change.
Why is it hard for people to turn over a new leaf?
First is unwillingness. Change comes with pain and responsibility. People, as much as possible, avoid pain and refuse to be responsible for their actions. We are unwilling to go through the necessary pain to achieve the change we wanted.
Second, people feel hopeless. Many think that a change in one person can’t do so much nor can it make a big impact to the country. Little do they know, it all begins from a single step. One instance was when I went to Starbucks for coffee, I cleaned up my space before heading out. My friend asked me why I bothered to throw the empty cup and the tissue. Anyways, the staff was going to clean it up. I didn’t need to. Yeah, she’s right. It’s the waiter’s job to clean up the table, but I just wanted to make it a habit to clean and go. Also, I wanted that the next customer could have an available space right away when they entered the coffee shop. But she said that it wouldn’t make a change ‘cause the people were not doing the same. I retorted that it didn’t mean that I should not do just because they didn’t do it. I am positive that other people would follow suit.
Third, people need an outside force to prod them to change. There are some people who can initiate change and do the first move. They can motivate and discipline themselves to do what is right. However, there are several people who need a strong external force for them to change. This could be in a form of punishment or a leader whom they respect and look up to. The recently concluded election proved that a right leader can inspire and empower people to impose discipline on themselves. On May 7, there was a grand rally for Duterte, our president-elect now, at Rizal Park. More than a million supporters attended. The usual scene in the Philippines when this kind of gathering took place is that the place would be filled with garbage after the event. Unbelievably, Rizal Park was garbage-free when the event ended. It was a surprise to many. We realized that Filipinos can have that discipline we haven’t practiced for quite a long time. It was all because people respect Duterte. Mayor Duterte is known for an iron-fist kind of governance. He is very strict in implementing the rules. People admire him for this. That’s the very reason why Filipinos voted for him. We have been so laid-back and lenient that it’s high time for the Filipinos to have a strict father for the country. Let’s start changing ourselves.!
– Leo Tolstoy
I couldn’t agree more. In the Philippines alone, the people are hungry for a change in the country. People are sick and tired of the government system – slow process of making transactions, rampant bribery, an apparent disrespect of the law by not following even the simple rules. We keep on changing our president every 6 years hoping that the new president would bring about the change the people have been waiting for. Sad to say though, the people who demand for a change in the government leaders are not very much willing to start change in themselves. We want OTHERS to change, but we don’t like to change our habits and attitude. A national change starts from an individual change.
Why is it hard for people to turn over a new leaf?
First is unwillingness. Change comes with pain and responsibility. People, as much as possible, avoid pain and refuse to be responsible for their actions. We are unwilling to go through the necessary pain to achieve the change we wanted.
Second, people feel hopeless. Many think that a change in one person can’t do so much nor can it make a big impact to the country. Little do they know, it all begins from a single step. One instance was when I went to Starbucks for coffee, I cleaned up my space before heading out. My friend asked me why I bothered to throw the empty cup and the tissue. Anyways, the staff was going to clean it up. I didn’t need to. Yeah, she’s right. It’s the waiter’s job to clean up the table, but I just wanted to make it a habit to clean and go. Also, I wanted that the next customer could have an available space right away when they entered the coffee shop. But she said that it wouldn’t make a change ‘cause the people were not doing the same. I retorted that it didn’t mean that I should not do just because they didn’t do it. I am positive that other people would follow suit.
Third, people need an outside force to prod them to change. There are some people who can initiate change and do the first move. They can motivate and discipline themselves to do what is right. However, there are several people who need a strong external force for them to change. This could be in a form of punishment or a leader whom they respect and look up to. The recently concluded election proved that a right leader can inspire and empower people to impose discipline on themselves. On May 7, there was a grand rally for Duterte, our president-elect now, at Rizal Park. More than a million supporters attended. The usual scene in the Philippines when this kind of gathering took place is that the place would be filled with garbage after the event. Unbelievably, Rizal Park was garbage-free when the event ended. It was a surprise to many. We realized that Filipinos can have that discipline we haven’t practiced for quite a long time. It was all because people respect Duterte. Mayor Duterte is known for an iron-fist kind of governance. He is very strict in implementing the rules. People admire him for this. That’s the very reason why Filipinos voted for him. We have been so laid-back and lenient that it’s high time for the Filipinos to have a strict father for the country. Let’s start changing ourselves.!
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