Entries Tagged 'Philosophies' ↓

“An optimist may see a light where there is none, but why must the pessimist always run to blow it out?" — Rene Descartes

Photo by nilexuk

I can almost swear "someone" is cursing the upcoming presidential elections in May 2010. It's as if "someone" is killing all chances of emergent hope -- "someone" is out to sabotage this one shot we have at clean, honest elections.

Although the existence of that "someone" is hard to prove and coming up with strong evidence is hardly possible at the moment, what seems to be 'a clear and present danger' is the unabated doubt creating an atmosphere of general distrust.

There is widespread doubt in the effectivity of the system. Doubt in the reliability of technology. Doubt in the trustworthiness of the candidates. Doubt in the 'maturity' of the electorate. Doubt in everything elections-related. Essentially, doubt in the possibility of Philippine political redemption.

It is so easy to spread doubt and plant fear in the hearts and minds of our fellowmen. I can't think of anything easier to do in a time like this. When faced with the task of choosing what to promote, the average salesman would always opt for those that are easy to sell.

Which idea is easier to sell: That fully-automated elections would be 100% successful or that it would fail?

You get the point.

***

Have a little faith

I am a proponent of vigilance and a promoter of justified and regulated doubt. But in no way will I consent to being a conduit of fear-mongering. I have better things to do with my time (and I have a lot of time, mind you).

My dear friends, casual and accidental readers, one and all, I urge you to have a little faith in this much-awaited political exercise. Let not the sensationalized news and overblown negative write-ups deter you from participating in this democratic process that is part and parcel of who we are and who we intend to be.

Of course there will be glitches, there are flaws, there are questions that need to be answered -- but all will be resolved in due time. That is what these tests are for -- to see what works and what doesn't -- to separate the reliable from the not.

Trust the system -- a good measure if not entirely. Trust that technology can and will work. But most of all, trust yourself. Trust that YOU dictate your vote. Trust that it is you who will dictate your destiny and consequently, this country's. Trust that unless we take a chance, there is no way of ever finding out what will and will not work for us.

Think about it. If we can't trust ourselves? Who else will?

Besides, if all else fails, there's always manual elections. So douse that fear. Besides, I'm sure you have better things to do than worry, so get over it.

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"Like a comet blazing 'cross the evening sky gone too soon...
shiny and sparkly and splendidly bright... here one day gone one night..." -- Gone Too Soon, Michael Jackson

I want to slap my face for every star that fell last night and the other night that I missed -- the Leonid, and now, the Geminid -- all gone in a day or two. My fault entirely. I knew exactly when they'll show up, I knew exactly what to do to see them but I missed the fireworks for sleep and other matters in a span of hours I couldn't even account for. Continue reading →

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Hmmm. I think we can both agree -- yes, you and me -- that this blog has been out of the limelight for far too long (and by limelight, I don't mean the fabulous kind, blame it on my recent writing vacation, I used the word for lack of a better term).

Anyway, for all those visiting this puny space of mine in the virtual world, and who does so every so often, let me begin by saying that although I am not really sorry, (because that is not the proper term -- the word I'm looking for, the term that aptly describes my feelings towards this issue, my dear, escapes me), I am nonetheless, almost always heartbroken. Maybe I will remember the exact term after a paragraph or two, who knows? God knows how much I need your patience right now because I have run out of it for myself. I guess what I'm trying to say is that a writing/blogging vacation isn't really good for me or for anyone else for that matter. Even for those people who stumble across my posts once in a while, either by choice or by divine intervention. And each and every time I see the same IP address arriving on my page on a different time, different day, my heart stops and bleeds -- because the truth is, I never really wanted to stop writing, regardless if nobody but myself gets to read what i write. You see, what many people (bloggers) have discovered (whether they admit it or not) is that there is joy enough in publishing content for all the world to see (and read). Nevermind the prospect of fame or appreciation -- those are just icing on the cake. The real joy of blogging is the act itself -- sitting in front of a pc, with nothing but your thoughts running through your fingers, pressing each letter on the keyboard -- that poor thing trying to absorb whatever emotion comes with each press..

You start with practically nothing -- from scratch. And after the whole affair is through, which lasts variably from minutes to hours to days, the "publish" button eagerly waiting for your click seems to bat its eyelashes at you, teasing you, taunting at you, as if to shout "click me if you dare!" and the blogger spirit in you, the writer heart that you wear ever so proudly but traceless of arrogance, finally gives in -- click you I will! Click you I dare!

Posts are made up of paragraphs. Paragraphs of sentences. Sentences of words. Words of thoughts. Thoughts of sparks -- images conjured up by one's valiant heart. There is apprehension, yes. But will I let it get me down? No. Will it stop me from writing? No.

The blogger of today is not so different from the prolific writers of the past, if only for the fact that once they start writing, they no longer belong to themselves, but to those who "read" them.

So yes, this blogger is yours. Apprehensively, yes. But yours just the same.

Ah yes, that "term" I was looking for? It got away. :)

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A retrograde planet will always urge you to look back and fix things that have been left unfinished or unresolved. In that case, the universe is trying to help you by showing you the whole picture so that you can move on with your life. - Aries horoscope, March 2009

When I was a kid, I hated hearing "no" and "not now." To me, "no" and "not now" only meant the same thing -- it meant "never". Continue reading →

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I know it's April Fools' Day. And if only for that reason, I'm not supposed to write anything serious. Because on the contrary, I'm expected to write something really hilarious or utterly impossible to believe. One that will make anyone who read this entry shake his/her head in utter disbelief hoping that what I wrote is nothing but my contribution to the many "foolish" entries written on April Fools' Day. Continue reading →

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So I was told. And so I believed. Experience merely reinforced that belief. I'm not gonna be particular in terms of the underlying story. But I'd say you have to trust me on this.

Career-wise, family-wise, health-wise, political-wise, and all the other "wise" there is -- that proverbial silver lining does lie behind those dark clouds. Every opportunity for success comes right after that worst blow-up ever in a chemical lab experiment or that misstep that almost broke a runner's ankle or that crucial decision a CEO almost never made. Continue reading →

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