THROUGH UNTRUE
Every SONA typically ends on a positive note. But why do most Filipinos react to itwith indifference or despondency? Perhaps, we have already heard many presidents describe in colorful words their dream for the future, only to make us suffer from the resulting nightmare. So, even if the president will tell the truth in tomorrow's SONA, many of us may still find it difficult to believe IN him.
To believe IN a person involves more than giving assent to what the person says. It means we are bound to him, committed to him, because we are certain that he shall not deceive us. Credibility derives from a person’s attitude towards his promises. If he fulfills his promises, his credibility is established. If not, his credibility suffers. Frequent betrayals, however insignificant, eventually cause a qualitative change in our appraisal of a person. Inconsistent behavior corrodes trust and confidence.
For those of us who have been habituated to helplessness and hopelessness, it is difficult to put our faith in someone. Hope springs eternal, but how about those whose life is one hellish dose of perennial traffic jams, high prices, back-breaking labor, taxes, bureaucratic runaround and incompetence, rampant graft and corruption, police brutality, drug-related killings, etc.?
When helplessness engulfs a nation, people drift to fatalism. They begin to think that what will be, will be, and they can do nothing about it. They become stoically resigned to the status quo as they utter those famous words from the movie Dangerous Liaisons, “It is beyond my control.” They become a nation of observers, emotionally moved by their depressing situation, but unable to make any real commitment to change it.
To be fair, many government leaders sincerely believe that public office is public service. But there are many more who think that public officeis a source of power and unlimited wealth and luxury. Worse, today's luxuries become tomorrow’s necessities. A senator might be happy sitting in the Senate today, but tomorrow he will desire to become president. A person will be content to assume the presidency today. Tomorrow, he will dream of staying in office for as long as possible.
The gospel today talks about treasures (Matthew 13:44-46). A treasure is something of great value that we will not exchange for anything, or for which we will sacrifice everything. It is said that one of our greatest treasures as Filipinos is our faith.
Our faith IN God as a provident and compassionate father has developed in us an unbending resilience and perseverance in times of crises and trials. Unfortunately, our faith IN others is often misused or misdirected. For instance, we invest our faith in our government leaders to the point that we consider them as our savior from our miserable situation. We convince ourselves that, despite their flawed characters, we desperately need them to realize our dream for a progressive and peaceful country.
A treasure, when used wrongly, becomes trash or something more sinister. Jesus pronounced a stern warning for those who invest their faith in the wrong people: "Do not throw your pearls to the pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces" (Matthew 7:6).
It is about time that we put an end to our toxic dependency on government leaders as the source of our redemption. We have to start investing our faith IN ourselves, in the infinite possibilities of our God-given gifts and basic goodness. This pandemic has showcased the heroism of ordinary Filipinos who, at their initiative, and with very little help from the government, create a ripple effect of positive changes in the lives of others. They are the ones who provide a glimmer of hope in the state of our nation today.