Chicken and Egg Question

FEATURED COMMENT:

( A comment sent by J.A. Carizo of “Bik-Lish”, of Legaspi City to atty. benji’s article ” Who is to be blame for Poverty…”. I post it here in front to introduce the author and his writings. The title was taken from the comment itself -and I hope Mr. Carizo approves it!  So make time to visit Bik-Lish! jun asuncion)

By. J. A. Carizo
April 29, 2008 at 8:42 am ·

Thanks Atty. Benji. I guess it’s a chicken and egg question. On one end, we can blame the government, and on the other we can blame ourselves, the people, all of us.

First, the government exists based on a “social contract” be that a theory based on Rosseau or John Locke. The idea is that the people set-up a government, agreed to respect it, pay taxes, etc., on the condition that it will serve the people and pursue the public interest. But there came a time when the government became corrupt, became “manhid” that it failed to do its obligations. On the other hand, the people also permitted it, pay grease money (paipit, pakimkim, under-the-table), did not howl over government irregularities, still elected the politicians with questionable character, sold their votes, etc. In simple sense, the people tolerated the government. So there your poverty comes.

Second, there is also this problem of definition. Every now and then the government would release statistics saying the economy grew. The people would not ask nor require the government an explanation why this figure and that. As a result, the government became comfortable and believed its own propaganda to be true.

Lastly, there is also this problem of consciousness. In this, the Church is also a party to blame. The Church would emphasize “Blessed are the poor for they will enter the Kingdom of Heaven”. As a result, the people made no questions and thought it’s just okay to be poor. At any rate, there is an afterlife — Heaven. Whether the Church did it intentionally or not, we cannot say. The possibility is that it missed the context — meaning, its interpretation was wrong. And the Church being wrong is not anymore new nor surprising because like any other organizations, it is also NOT infallible. One evidence of this is when the Church declared Galileo a heretic and excomulgado when the latter declared that the earth is the one moving around the sun. Otherwise, why should the people remain poor when the Bible says “man is created on the image of God”? Unless God is also poor.

The other possibility is that the Church missing the context is intentional. Studies in psychology and sociology shows that the people tend to cling to God or any gods or goddesses for that matter when they are poor. In simple terms, a great number of individuals seek God only in times of scarcity but in the times of plenty, you can count the fingers of your hand as to the number of those who still go to Church. This observation is also the basis of Karl Marx when he said that “Religion is the opium of the people” — a statement which is commonly taken out of context.

 

 

 

Feel Free, Come In With Your Friends!

 

“A free press can be good or bad, but, most certainly, without freedom a press will never be anything but bad. ” ~Albert Camus

 

Good or Bad Bulan Observer? Well, it’s for you to judge- for we respect your freedom to be free with your opinions. And  feel free to write here any article about Bulan, about your life as a pupil or as a student, your dreams and visions for Bulan. Make use of Bulan Observer for it is a platform made for you to express yourself. You have some good poems to share? So, take them out from  that hiding place where they have been left forgotten for years and share them to our  Kabungtos. Or an original musical composition, a song? Or maybe an essay or a scientific article? Or beautiful photos taken lately of Bulan sunset? Share them to our town. Bulan Observer is there to connect each one of us socially and culturally.

You may have noticed that Bulan Observer came into being as a reaction to some form of “political incorrectness” that happened in the past. We have reacted and will react the same to any matters involving social justice. But we leave a space for all of us to meet together and talk about other aspects of Bulan life. We are free to hold the view that if the national politics has divided the nation, this should not  happen in Bulan- or in Bicol region as a whole. Politics must not necessarily divide us for ages but strengthen us as one people that is struggling to survive yet maintaining that Bulan smile and respect for each other along the way. For what is wrong in accepting and correcting errors made in the past  for the purpose of bringing our very own town forward now? In the face of world food crisis, it’s about time that we put our egos aside and start focusing on how we can prevent our Kabungtos from dying of hunger. I think this attitude is sustainable and has a future.

Bulan Observer doesn’t  side to any specific political family in Bulan nor is against any personally, and is not against the idea of Bulan Government, thus, would want to correct any notion that might have arisen hitherto.

Bulan Observer is for the people of Bulan. It is a paid blog site so don’t worry about space. We have more than enough gigabytes at our disposal. So, feel free  and come in with your friends!

For A brighter Bulan!

 (To send your article, just use the comment area -or use  junasun05@yahoo.com)

jun asuncion