Cerebral Combustion
Raising the flag of hypocrisy
Our nation's quandary problem is not poverty alone. It is not merely overpopulation nor graft and corruption or fluctuation of gasoline prices and other major products. It is not underemployment, nor zero progress or productivity. The problem of our nation is hypocrisy. We are foremost hypocrites.
The Church, the legislators, the masses, albeit the poor, the average Filipino, or the rich. The government is in a constant limbo of everyday nothingness -- they do it for the poor. The church being the holistic pillar of society attacks questionable directive formulas of the government -- they do it for God. The masses, the indomitable forces of undeniable deterioration struggles, fights, take their causes to the streets -- they do it for change. The result of which are contradicting conflicts of intentions and purposes, but to whose advantages do they all fight for? In each line of reasoning it makes me wonder if we are only mere victims of self righteous rationalizations concealing our own needs to the needs of the people we call the poor, or this country as a whole?
Take the recent brawl between the church and the government on the issue of family planning to lessen if not fully eradicate the dominant problem of overpopulation which debatably is the root cause of poverty in the country. While it is one among the myriad of challenges this country faces, the church stands against it declaring that God wanted us to multiply and bear children as much as we feel the urge and so family planning is against the heavenly law and that poverty due to overpopulation is not our major downfall. I can understand the church's stand against abortion or free sex but I cannot fully comprehend the fact that taking extra steps for instance contraception to avoid pregnancy in a growing family can be altogether wrong. These measures have been around for thousands of years, right after the medieval times and just in the right phase when people started to realize that taking effective methods for not bearing another human being after a need for copulation is easier to bear in the conscience than not giving an unwanted child its proper dues. Condoms have been around for years, pills, ligation, and vasectomy. But again the church speaks of the poor as God himself is poor and poverty is not a major concern. I do not think the church really matches its intentions towards the poor. From a close observation, I have not really seen a single priest or nun living like a destitute human being. It is not to say it as a generalization but most of what I have observed lives in convenience, owns automobiles, air-conditioned room, and are supported by donations and gifts from well off families giving them extra attention and care for they are messengers of God. We have seen many those -- priests collecting high end shoes, nuns collecting high priced jewelries. If this is not hypocrisy what else could this be? Who among them can really say they truly understand the plight of the Filipinos who can barely eat if not scour for food? The ironies of what the church is standing for are showing and are building confusion among its followers.
Then the government -- a significant body who screams they are pro-poor. What madness and how awful is this kind of hypocrisy. Politicians are alike in a single aim. Amass the wealth of the people while they live in abundance of everything and even that is not enough. For centuries since our nation has gained its independence, we had our best, had our worst and since then we have been trapped to the latter.
While this is going on, the poor remains. It's funny how they blame their situation to the government, to the Church, to whomever they can point their fingers to, while they strike and they hold their pickets up high. Isn't it about time to stop being hypocrites and turn that finger towards themselves for nothing can be changed if nobody changes?
In the midst of all the mayhems and chaos nobody wins the fight. We are all just hypocrites standing in the way of each other's lights. While this remains the case, more spats and brawls can be expected. As it is, they hardly surprise me at all.
There are two sorts of hypocrites: one that are deceived with their outward morality and external religion; many of whom are professed Armenians, in the doctrine of justification: and the other, are those that are deceived with false discoveries and elevations; who often cry down works, and men's own righteousness, and talk much of free grace; but at the same time make a righteousness of their discoveries and of their humiliation, and exalt themselves to heaven with them." -- John Edwards
(Retaliate at du_minatrix@yahoo.com)