Political Consciousness

Politics, the boon and bane of human civilization, have enticed me at quite an early age. Born during the last years of the Marcos Era, some seven to eight years or so of its reign, I have had some vague understanding but very strong impressions of how politics motivate people to do almost anything. At some point during those turbulent years leading to the February 1986 presidential elections and the EDSA Revolutions that followed a couple of weeks after, I always remember my father talking about how Marcos had hugely cheated Sergio Osmeña during the 1969 elections. The tale was that a lot of official ballots have been dumped by Marcos’ choppers into the ocean in order to have a clean sweep in the elections. Of course, Marcos was re-elected then and a huge majority of his allies sat with him in both the Senate and in Congress. I know this now, but not before.

Before, all I heard was my father’s tale and all I can think about was that Marcos was bad. I don’t know what’s in it to being a president then but in a child’s mind, nothing, and I mean really nothing was worth cheating for. That image of Marcos was heavily re-enforced when during the 1986 elections, I have seen and touched the crisp, 5 and 20 peso bills that’s being stapled together as a bribe to vote for the great man—Ferdinand Marcos. Thus, I have had my first real life, front seat view of vote buying. My father’s tale had since then become as real for me as the food we ate from that bribe. My parents never voted for Marcos that election. Even if it prove to be an exercise in futility since Marcos still managed to declare himself the victor for a couple of weeks until the power of the oppressed had ousted him from office. What about the money? Well, that was what might have been meant when someone biblical said “be cunning as a snake, but harmless as a dove.” Being practical enough to benefit from the bribe but harmless enough to have refused to vote for the briber. Again, of course I wouldn’t know this then, the rhetoric was coming to me a lot later.

For some time, as I go on with my life trying to be a child, an adolescent and a teenager, politics and the exercise of it (except during every classroom elections of officers) had taken a back seat. I had, however, could not totally removed myself from such issues as injustice, salvaging, poverty, rebellion, and other politically involved problems on the radio and in television.

I had grown up with these themes that I can honestly say that I am practically raised and my values molded by media. Fortunately, because early in life I am conscious enough that there are some things I just can’t take; I have been rather selective of the radio and television programs that I’ve watched. I have had with me a personal sense of censorship over the things that I’ve I wanted to see.

I am growing up with a lot of the idealism of youth, an idealism that I zealously guarded even as I become an adult—a feat made more difficult by the rise of overly and materially practical views of our time. Adulthood and idealism, somehow, do not mix in this “practical” society I am currently living.

At some point in my life when oppression and rebellion are the common themes in radio drama and movies, I had made a promise never to join in the armed rebels group regardless of how much I would come to hate the political system. The promise I made is to try to join in the system and work from the inside to see the change I would like to see or die trying. Armed rebellion is just not my thing.

I don’t like most of our politicians; yes. Our government system sucks; we’ll for the most part. It is hopeless to elect young idealist since eventually they will be corrupted and to succumb to the dirty tricks of the very system that they are trying to change originally at first; yeah this happens a lot of times. But all these, did not stop me from honestly voting for the candidate that I think would help establish some of the things I would like to see in this country. Personally, if you don’t exercise your right and obligation to vote honestly to the best of your God-endowed intelligence you have no and I mean absolutely no right to open your mouth to criticize those who are elected. Why should you!

As I mentioned earlier we have become a materially practical society that everything already have a price tags. And votes become a seasonal favorite like candles during All Saints Day. Today, all forms of vote buying abound. We’ll why not, politicians have a lot of money to give and we voters—mostly have nothing to eat. Sad to say, it’s just not those who are hungry that accepts this bribe at. Nowadays, everybody, except maybe for a very few, accepts politicians bribe money like it’s a welcome Christmas bonus. But like my parents; they said they are not voting for those candidates who paid them. Then whose votes were it then that we so painstakingly counted up to the wee hours after the Election Day, huh! When it seems that 99.9% of election candidates pay one way or another to get votes and voters claim to just accept the money without voting for those who paid them, it’s a wonder we still have candidates being elected with more than a hundred votes. Be cunning as a snake and harmless as a dove… the problem with this is that cunning tends to snake back and bite you where it hurt most. Taking a bribe slowly eats you inside. That part that takes care of the balance between what you believe is good and what is bad. When taking that vote-buying money starts to seem normal and clever to you, then I believe its time you take a long hard look at yourself and find that innocent little being that’s hiding inside you for fear of not fitting in to the rest of the crowd.

What?

What?

What is a word. One word that gives a lot of meaning.

Meaning?

What is meaning?

Meaning is another word.

Then what is the meaning of the word?