THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

By Rafael Alunan III

The reason why we seem to never see the light at the end of the tunnel is because the tunnel is "blocked" by our own inability to see the light and breakthrough our self-inflicted darkness.

When pretense and deceit become the basis for governance that raises false hopes, and not sustained performance excellence, the consequences are lawlessness, injustice, armed conflict and syndicated crime at all levels of government and society. Exclusion and impunity are the telltale signs.

There's no need to elaborate or give examples because we never run out of them at the national and local levels, and in civil society that's really not so civil. With a few exceptions, our governance in the private and public realms really stinks like an asshole that never gets washed.

There's no sophistication, finesse, depth nor span. Values and ethics-centered leadership and skill suffer from a serious deficit. Smug arrogance has been the norm for decades afflicting those who use power to serve themselves first and always.
Same with society that never bothers to improve itself, preferring to take the easy way out and having a good time without truly earning their just rewards. They stumble from one mistake to another and sweep the consequences under the rug wishing that they would just go away like a bad dream.

The result is a symbiotic relationship that's primed for failure, excuses and a blaming culture based on false assumptions and unintelligent expectations. Stupidity begets stupidity, laziness begets laziness, negligence begets negligence, corruption begets corruption and everything else it sucks in.

Hubris is the worst trait of all that fuels abusive behavior. That is always the undoing of those afflicted by it that eventually go the way of Humpty Dumpty who had a great fall, and nothing could be done to put him together again.

The cry for "Tunay na Pagbabago" rings loud and clear. Inang Bayan is waiting.

September 10, 2017