Ethical Values Are Seeds Of Radical Change
This is how I try to make a difference in my own way.
We recently discussed values and ethics in my CSR class. It made me think a lot about the current events in the Philippines, and how people’s individual opinions are heavily driven by what they are made of.
Growing up, my mother did not have a silver spoon handed to her. She attended public school, was a working student, and struggled to make ends meet in her younger years. My family once went on a weekend road trip in Manila where we passed by a street familiar to her — it was where she used to live. She recounted a time when the landlord kicked her family out of their apartment. What gets me most is how she spoke of it so candidly.
Because of the difficult times my mother had in life, I learned to be empathetic. I can put myself in the position of others and comprehend their situation. It is a distinguished seed in my upbringing that I was really heartbroken during the first few weeks of the coronavirus lockdown — not really for myself, but for other people. It was such a sudden shift to a dark limbo for God knows how long. We are still on it, and the ones that suffer from it the most are the working class. They are the ones with jobs on the line, they are the ones who have no access to a reliable healthcare system, and they are the ones that need to be on the front lines.
All over the internet, it is not difficult to come across people who refuse to wear masks, disobey lockdown regulations, and downplay the challenges of the masses in the middle of this health and economic crisis. This is a moral crime commonly committed by individuals who live in ivory towers and play jazz music over the sound of chaos from outside. It is heartbreaking, but it is even more disturbing that it happens all the time with every single social and political issue known to man. The deafening silence always comes from those that have the most influence.
The recent events of this year are tiring, toxic, and nauseating. They are gigantic hurdles to humanity, and I am not going to soften the blow by saying that they are merely blessings in disguise — because they are not. However, I cannot deny the fact that it is times like this that bring the best and the worst out of people. It gets easier to see socialists, opportunists, Robin Hoods, and Marie Antoinettes out of familiar faces.
Thousands of employees were recently laid off following the shut down of the Philippines’ leading media network, ABS-CBN. It is off-putting people argue that the decision was just fair because it is the law, disregarding the fact that it was insensitive towards those who were just trying to make a living in the middle of this pandemic. The law may be perpetually fair in a utopian society, but that is not the case in reality. The thing is, laws can be unethical, and it is the people’s duty and responsibility to speak against legislation that infringes human rights.
There is a scene in Incredibles 2 (2018) where Bob and Helen get into a heated political argument over dinner. Superheroes are illegal in their cinematic universe, and the matriarch believes that they should simply stop their “public service” because it is the respectful thing to do — in the name of the law. However, Bob recognizes that their family did not do anything wrong, and argues that the law should be respectful in the first place.
I agree with Mr. Incredible. After all, laws are made for the common good. Thus, it should serve the interest of its citizens, and not the other way around. The Anti-Terrorism Law was passed even when it contradicts existing laws. A provision under it says that a person can be arrested even without the presence of a warrant. People can be tagged as terrorists if they purchase or carry knives. Laws should be fair, reasonable, and purposeful. The Anti-Terrorism Law, however, barely meets any of these. Philosophers argue that ethics is normative, and while there may be differences among cultures, I think that there is still a universal understanding of what is righteous and unjustifiable. So, the law is not straightforwardly one that we should blindly follow.
2020 has been a gloomy year for all of us. Every time I open my phone, there always seems to be bad news. In the midst of all these, it is just fair to seek positivity. It is reasonable to want to just sit back and relax, without the reminder of how terribly this year has been going. I am passive-aggressive myself, and I usually shut off whenever things get too complicated for me. However, I realized that this is actually a counter-productive mental attitude. A lot of people on the internet refuse to acknowledge real issues by presenting ad hominem fallacies. Blind optimism does not make things easier, it only warps one’s judgement through bigotry. It is not right to pretend that a problem does not exist just because it seems too grand or too distant from our neighborhood.
Modesty, kindness and community are really important these days. There is a saying that goes, “Kapag namulat ka na sa katotohanan, kasalanan na ang pumikit” (Once your eyes are opened to the truth, it is a sin to close them again). Unfortunate circumstances make it easier to be ignorant and selfish. Human nature shows that people immediately seek for the survival of themselves and their kins when danger is present. It takes extra effort and a strong will to not just look out the window, but also figure out how you can make a positive contribution to society. This realization taught me to put my privilege to good use. A lot of people and families right now are suffering at a disadvantaged position, and it is just right to empathize with their struggles. I learned to seek out knowledge and information to come up with an educated opinion on things that matter the most. This gave me the confidence to speak of my thoughts whenever it is relevant to do so. While one person may not be able to do so much, it is still enough to influence a united stance within a community. Radical change is always initiated by a strong will and a unified voice. As Hamilton (2015) said, “The plan is to fan this spark into a flame.”
I do not think that the horrors of this economic and health crisis hits me as much as other people. I am a passably fit young woman who has no business to be outdoors. There is food in the fridge, a roof over my head, and my parents still have their jobs. It is safe to say that I am in a very privileged and fortunate position during this pandemic. However, I do not take this seven-layer safety net as an excuse to be careless or insensitive to other people.
I think that it is paramount to practice modesty and kindness by following lockdown regulations. I wear a mask wherever I go, practice social distancing, and sanitize. I recognize the fact that I cannot always be assured that I do not have coronavirus, and while I may be perfectly fine, others may not be. Other than that, I also desire for our community to thrive. I would want businesses to stay open, and its employees to stay healthy. I miss my friends a lot, but we all have to make sacrifices as a community. Social distancing and the practice of proper sanitation is really the least that I can do to help.
My mother taught me to have gratitude for what I have, who I am, and who I have been. This gratitude comes with a responsibility to recognize what I can contribute to society. She put meaning to the word ‘empathy,’ by teaching me to put myself in the shoes of others before I say, do, or even think of anything that concerns them. I owe it all to my mom that I grew up to be a strong, opinionated young woman. My values allowed me to see life past the rose-stained glasses. They helped me figure out myself, others, and the world that I live in. If there is anything else I want, I would only wish for better days ahead.
Better judgements are made by planting better seeds. Our values make us who we are and vice versa. My mother may be my gardener, but self-education and personal growth is a responsibility that I owe to myself and the rest of the world.
