In a previous article,
I cited that Filipinos seem to be caught in a “fatal fantasy” of their
own design. While I pointed out that while the and the government and
the media can be blamed for some of this, I can also point out that the
people are also partially to be blamed for our current problems. Gogs
and a lot of the other writers here have mostly agreed that it is our
people’s sense of KSP kulang sa pansin or “need for attention”
that continues to burden us as a nation. However, there are two other
things that I’ve noticed in our society that is preventing us from
reaching our fullest potential: apathy and escapism.
Now,
as I’ve said before, I have nothing against the fantasy genre. I myself
am a huge fan of fantasy stories. I’m a really big nerd in that sense
and, if you guys have read my “Alternative Media” articles so far, you
can say that I might even be a little “off”. But then again, as crazy as
I am about the fantasy genre, I know what to pick and I know what I
want. Unfortunately, I can’t really say the same about our fellows out
there.
Before you criticize me and my preferences, allow me to give you three points about what I’m actually talking about:
Wishing for a “Royal Family”
I know ChinoF already wrote about this,
but I think it should be mentioned again for the sake of our more
thick-headed fellows out there. So what’s so wrong about royal families?
Well, because frankly, they don’t work.
If you look at history, you’ll notice that so much bloodshed has been
caused by incompetents taking the throne. Asides from religion, one of
the greatest causes of war is the incompetence of rulers. Just take a
good look at Caligula and his long list of atrocities against humanity.
Remember, these guys made it to the top because people believed it was
their divine right to be so, not because they were good leaders. In
those days, being related to the current monarch guaranteed some degree
of wealth or benefit for you. No matter how hard you worked in your
field, how often you went to church or how many children you have, if
you weren’t royalty or at least nobility, then prepare to live a sad and
miserable existence.
Fortunately, with the arrival of the modern age, much of this
changed. In time, in more developed nations, royalty became the
figureheads of their respective countries. It became clear that such a
system only benefited a few and kept everyone else in abject poverty. To
combat this, people decided that it was a time for a new kind of
leadership. A time when bloodlines no longer mattered and that it was a
person’s competence, dedication and wisdom that made them fit to rule
soon came to pass.
But then, where are Filipinos in all of this?
Sadly, majority of Filipinos are still stuck in a Medieval Fantasy.
Like the peasants in some parody of the Middle Ages, most Pinoys are
still probably waiting for a “rightful king” to take over and bring
peace and prosperity to them. Instead of exercising their freedom as
citizens of a modern nation, the continue to think and behave like the
peasants of old, believing that God and their monarchs will do
everything for them. None of them ever stop to think that we are all
special in the eyes of God and that it is we, the people, who are
responsible for putting our leaders of choice in power, not fate,
destiny or silly family ties.
The Popularity of “Fairy Tale” Weddings
I know this is getting tiresome but another note I’d like to add is
the fixation of some people on the various weddings of celebrities and
other famous people. Yes, I agree that it’s their wedding and that they
have every right to do what they want in whatever way they want, but
shoving it in everyone’s faces isn’t really something I would call
“rightful”.
Now some may even go on to say that their willingness to air their
weddings is a sign that they want to share their blessings with their
beloved fans but I, for one, disagree. To me, the flaunting of their
extravagant weddings to the masses is similar to the way the Red Skull
once ate an apple in front of starving concentration camp inmates.
Besides, of what real relevance does the wedding of two celebrities
in a country racked by poverty, corruption and terrorism hold? But then
again, why am I even wondering? The Philippines and its backwards
government has made a career of covering their asses. From the way they
covered the slums of manila during international summits to hiding the
impoverished children of cities during the Papal visit says plenty about
the way the government sweeps stuff under the rug. So now, they’re
shoving all kinds of weddings in our faces so that we won’t notice that
our government officials are depriving the country’s starving children
of their next meal, the Chinese are now claiming more and more of our
islands and that terrorists are now taking more territory away from the
people of the Philippines.
In fact, in light of recent events, I’m guessing that they’re going
to try and cover the story of the Fallen 44 with another big wedding
between two famous people. I don’t know who they are but I’m betting
there will be one pretty soon…
Anyone wanna bet?
Waiting for a Hero
This one ties in with the above statement about royal families. The
thing is, a lot of people are still waiting for a hero to come into
their lives and save them. Most Pinoys think this both in their personal
lives and on a national scale as well. None of them even stop to think
about actually “helping” the hero or becoming the hero themselves.
If you want an “ideal hero” to save the day or the country, then you should make yourself that
hero. You’re your own greatest hero, that is what the media and many
politicians keep trying to hide from you. They will keep telling you to
leave it all to them, let them take care of it and that they will make
everything better. In the end, they will probably leave you with nothing
but the same miserable existence you’ve had for the past few decades.
The reality is that YOU have powers too. You have the power to choose
who our next leader will be. God may be in the background but it
ultimately falls to you -us- who will rule our country next. And, like
Spider-Man likes to say: “With great power comes great responsibility!”
Grimwald
Thaddeus Grimwald is an avid writer and supporter of the GRP website and writes his own fiction in his own Grow Up Philippines website.
To check out his works of fiction, you can check the following:
Hired Help.
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