Fresh Start
AS
traditionally hoped, the incoming year will be better,
notwithstanding the challenges that we have had hurdled, hustled
through and bungled during the year just past.
Every beginning should be the end of something else; otherwise we
shall be caught once more in a vicious cycle that we always fail
to break.
It is wished that the New Year will be more peaceful and less
excruciating, never mind if nowadays men of goodwill are dwindling
in number; we have nowhere to go but free ourselves from the mire
that we are all stuck in and find out why we have been so foolish
enough to punish ourselves with our own shortcomings when there is
always chance to reform. Perhaps it is worthwhile repeating an old
saying that goes: when one changes, the world changes, too.
Now we know where we have failed, where we have been remiss of our
tasks to resolve on. The time is now to start with a new slate and
leave those stupid errors behind.
With the little things that we had, we were able to survive. So
why not triumph by doing extra efforts, making ourselves more
productive and throw aside the old baggage that made us stoop and
hobble during the last 365 days of our lives. Let us not be lulled
by the ennui of being able to survive despite having done nothing
or letting things pass without ever probing what hit us.
Come to think of it: the people in Malacanang have their own lives
to live, no matter how nasty or selfish they may be. But we also
have our own to live, which may not be easy but are always tenable
because of their simplicity and sincerity.
We can start by setting our minds to a vision that is focused on
our immediate needs despite the inadequacies of the national
government. We can start by avoiding any opportunity for
corruption. We can keep our environment healthy and clean by not
throwing our waste anywhere. We can make an efficient bureaucracy
by performing our tasks like hardworking public servants or
private entrepreneurs whose success comes with the kind of service
that they deliver. Walking the extra mile should be everyone’s
battle cry.
Of course, the things that we saw and continue to see in the
national scene are emblematic of a broader struggle many of our
people are obsessed with. But we have our own triumphs and success
stories, at least in the local scene. Let’s all build on them,
nurture them to make our lives better. It has been said that when
you live in the shadows of a big tree, you have to run twice as
fast to get into the sunlight. We Bicolanos for that matter, who
have been labelled as among the most depressed in the country,
should move quickly before we become pallid and feeble under the
shadow of a corrupt, decaying and yet overly imperious giant tree
that is the national government.
We have to deliver our best even if we have less material
resources to do so because it has been proven that the best in man
comes when there is crisis, or an impending threat to our
existence. Getting the balance right should be our challenge:
doing more with less and keeping our hearts and minds moving to
get the results despite the odds.
