Fools

[foreplay]

---

I live a perfect life. I eat, sleep, sh t, f ck
and will die under the very banner of freedom that
our government provides. I have the luxury to
waste my time watching movies, eating good food,
and writing down this letter hoping that some f00l
will write something like this.

Then I realize, it's April fool's. My day. I am a
fool for believing this is perfect.

How can this life be perfect if the majority of my
countrymen are sleeping in rags and concrete
floors and in the morning will dig up the garbage
cans for their breakfast? Some will wake up with a
heavy heart as they head on to the markets to buy
food for their family. With a heavy heart they
look at the value of their money. With a heavy
heart, realize they are fools.

With a heavy heart, I think what will the future
of my children be, where they will be and what
political oppression will be set upon them without
them even knowing that they are oppressed as I am.
Yes, I am oppressed. Despite the fact that I can
eat anytime I want anything I want, go anywhere I
want anytime I want, I am oppressed. Oppressed by
the mere fact that the corruption of our
government has taken its toll. Our country is
suffering. The Philippines is suffering. The
filipinos are suffering. I am suffering. But then
who is to blame? I look around and find no one
else but me. I am to be blamed. Because despite
the fact that I can make a change, I do not.
Despite the fact that I can call out to deaf ears,
I do not. Despite the fact that leaving this damn
piece of sh t country, I do not. This is still my
country.

THIS IS MY COUNTRY. And I will not let these
people take this country to the path of decay and
oblivion. I will not let them plunge it more into
the darkest abyss of poverty. I will not let them
kill my countrymen through their greedy inactions.
I will not make a move.

One man cannot make a change. All I can do is
dream that I am on a stage with millions of my
countrymen clinging to my every word. Shouting for
the same ideas within my head. That these millions
would open up their eyes and realize that we are
all fools. We are all fools. We are all fools.

We believe in the lies of politics, entertained by
the dance of the media, our dreams are being fed
by game shows, and take pity upon the poor stup d
souls who are paid to run rallies as their masters
watch and laugh as their blood is shed. We watch
as a political telenovela unfolds and we shout to
change our leaders and care not who will take
their place. We have rallies to take these
replacements out in the future.

We stand and watch as the very fabric that
protects us are destroyed before our very eyes -
our constitution. We stand and watch as the very
people we have elected satisfy their greed at the
expense of our countrymen. We stand and watch as
our country burns down to the ashes of what it is
really worth now - nothing. And we do nothing.

But what is there to do but stand and watch? For
then, this is our stand. A stand of f00ls on a day
of fools.

A fool writing nothing and shouting at deaf ears
of fools.

- Macario

[foxtrot]

One man cannot make a change. All I can do is
dream that I am on a stage with millions of my
countrymen clinging to my every word. Shouting for
the same ideas within my head. That these millions
would open up their eyes and realize that we are
all fools. We are all fools. We are all fools.

- Macario as quoted by foreplay

I do believe one man can contribute a lot to save our beloved Philippines.

I would like to share with you, a story I cherished from the first time i read it,Cleaning One's Own Cubicle, I think was the title of the story:

A government supervisor, wherever he is assigned, and whatever duties he is tasked to perform, does his job as he thinks is the best and proper way to do it - honestly, according to the rules. He thinks that when he does his assigned duties honestly and according to the rules, his subordinates if they are dishonest and corrupt, must follow his example - at least for the time being that he is their boss or be recommended for disciplinary action, if not fired for grave misdemeanors . On the other hand, if his immediate superior is the one dishonest and corrupt, can have the following options - be ashame of himself and try to change his ways, he also can try his best to hide his malpractices from him or do the worst - that is try everything within his power to transfer the guy out from his sphere of influence. If he succeeds in doing the last option, and the honest government supervisor is transfered to another post, he does his job again according to what he believes - honestly, according to the rules...

Â* Â* Â*

[pnk_shadows]

we are a society of apathetic, misinformed and undereducated people, thus making us gullible to all sorts of delusive promises made by prominent figures in the society, particularly in the government. it saddens me that only a handful of filipinos understand what's going on the our larger community while the great unwashed are merely spectators of the show, worse, contributors to the growing chaos. i do not believe that we are generally stupid, only undereducated and undisciplined.

hauling our community from poverty is indeed a herculean task for a man alone, but we have to start somewhere. if only our people are better educated and disciplined, this would have been much easier. people with adequate knowledge tend to have more drive for betterment, and we lack that motivation in us. we tend to have this mentality that we are not in control of our lives, that God is...and if we were predestined to live in the chasms of destitution, so be it! this collective belief is very alarming, and one of the very reasons why so many able bodied filipinos just sit around waiting for their goats to s**t gold ingots for them. i won't allow myself to be pathetic.

fools...that's what we have become to the rest of the world. fools who wipe their elders' asses clean, fools who would marry them in their old age, fools who care for their children when they can't, fools who build buildings, roads and bridges for them, fools who would dance and sing for them, fools who collect their rubbish, fools who seem to find better lives anywhere but home...and worse, fools who can easily be pushed around even in their own country.

bite me.

[i_a_m_d_e_d_e]

FOOLippines?

as individuals, we can only do so much in trying to help our country.
the best way to do it is start within ourselves and do little things like be honest in our work and be dedicated and trustworthy.
pray and hope for the better....

[foxtrot]

fools...that's what we have become to the rest of the world. fools who wipe their elders' asses clean, fools who would marry them in their old age, fools who care for their children when they can't, fools who build buildings, roads and bridges for them, fools who would dance and sing for them, fools who collect their rubbish, fools who seem to find better lives anywhere but home...and worse, fools who can easily be pushed around even in their own country.

- quote fm pnk_shadows

better to be a fool rather than just wait for my goat to s**t gold ingots...
better to be a fool to be able to send my children and siblings to school...
better to be a fool to be able to help my beloved Philippines from sinking...
I may be a fool but I do understand what is the value of hardwork, what it feels to be away from my family, I pray that this will only be temporary. One thing very sure, I firmly believe that there are a lot of Filipinos out of the country and inside, who are the real unsung heroes, who are the true backbones of the country, who do their work, honestly, according to the rules.

[foreplay]

I do believe one man can contribute a lot to save our beloved Philippines.

I would like to share with you, a story I cherished from the first time i read it,Cleaning One's Own Cubicle, I think was the title of the story:

A government supervisor, wherever he is assigned, and whatever duties he is tasked to perform, does his job as he thinks is the best and proper way to do it - honestly, according to the rules. He thinks that when he does his assigned duties honestly and according to the rules, his subordinates if they are dishonest and corrupt, must follow his example - at least for the time being that he is their boss or be recommended for disciplinary action, if not fired for grave misdemeanors . On the other hand, if his immediate superior is the one dishonest and corrupt, can have the following options - be ashame of himself and try to change his ways, he also can try his best to hide his malpractices from him or do the worst - that is try everything within his power to transfer the guy out from his sphere of influence. If he succeeds in doing the last option, and the honest government supervisor is transfered to another post, he does his job again according to what he believes - honestly, according to the rules...

this is a very inspiring story indeed. but let me share my own story as well.

I have a friend who works for a local governtment unit here in mindanao. he has a supervisory rank directly under the department head. he was new to his job, around 3 months and noticed that a lot of anomalies were happening. at first he tried to turn a blind eye and ignored it. he continued to do what was right, til the point that he was unable to tolerate the corruption around him anymore. he reported what he saw to his superior and reprimanded the subordinates that were engaged in "illegal" and corrupt acts. 3 weeks later he was transferred to another department with a lower rank and pay. he then left the government service after that stating that it was disgusting how our blantanly corrupt our government officials are.

I think that we need to educate the people first of what is truly going on with the system.
I would like to simply quote from the film V for Vendetta coz i think that this is quite applicable to what is happening to us:

* Good evening, London. Allow me first to apologize for this interruption. I do, like many of you, appreciate the comforts of every day routine- the security, the familiar, the tranquility, repetition. I enjoy them as much as any bloke. But in the spirit of commemoration, thereby those important events of the past usually associated with someone's death or the end of some awful bloody struggle, a celebration of a nice holiday, I thought we could mark this November the 5th, a day that is sadly no longer remembered, by taking some time out of our daily lives to sit down and have a little chat.

There are of course those who do not want us to speak. I suspect even now, orders are being shouted into telephones, and men with guns will soon be on their way. Why? Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the annunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance, and depression. And where once you had the freedom to object, think, and speak as you saw fit, you now have sensors and systems of surveillence coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myraid of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you, and in your panic you turned to the now high chancellor, Adam Sutler. He promised you order, he promised you peace, and all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent. Last night I sought to end that silence.

Last night I destroyed the Old Bailey, to remind this country of what it has forgotten. More than four hundred years ago a great citizen wished to embed the fifth of November forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice, and freedom are more than words, they are perspectives. So if you've seen nothing, if the crimes of this government remain unknown to you then I would suggest you allow the fifth of November to pass unmarked. But if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek, then I ask you to stand beside me one year from tonight, outside the gates of Parliament, and together we shall give them a fifth of November that shall never, ever be forgot. *

[foreplay]

fools...that's what we have become to the rest of the world. fools who wipe their elders' asses clean, fools who would marry them in their old age, fools who care for their children when they can't, fools who build buildings, roads and bridges for them, fools who would dance and sing for them, fools who collect their rubbish, fools who seem to find better lives anywhere but home...and worse, fools who can easily be pushed around even in their own country.

- quote fm pnk_shadows

better to be a fool rather than just wait for my goat to s**t gold ingots...
better to be a fool to be able to send my children and siblings to school...
better to be a fool to be able to help my beloved Philippines from sinking...
I may be a fool but I do understand what is the value of hardwork, what it feels to be away from my family, I pray that this will only be temporary. One thing very sure, I firmly believe that there are a lot of Filipinos out of the country and inside, who are the real unsung heroes, who are the true backbones of the country, who do their work, honestly, according to the rules.

very true...
i guess this is the only thing we can be...
fools... as long as we can do what we have to do to survive...

but then, when you notice it, the one thing that we all have that cannot be crushed nor taken away is our spirit. Our spirit to hope for a better future... If only all of us could see that we have this inside of us, the common thing that could unite us, that could give us strength to rise up against our so called leaders, and realize who we really are as a people, we could be greater than the greatest of nations.

I guess the greatest problem is that we are all filipinos, yet we do not share the same concept of being one or how to be one. Some prefer to act like other races and imitate them. And this would be a good start. We could realize that we are indeed fools and be united and educate each other. I also hope that the sh*t we are in is temporary because I am not yet ready to leave my country to be burned down to the ashes of corruption and indecency.

If only we could be united under one banner, have one voice, choice, passion. To die for each other knowing that we have created a better future for our children. To die for our country, our land, our future, our people...

[foxtrot]

"I guess the greatest problem is that we are all filipinos, yet we do not share the same concept of being one or how to be one. Some prefer to act like other races and imitate them. And this would be a good start. We could realize that we are indeed fools and be united and educate each other. I also hope that the sh*t we are in is temporary because I am not yet ready to leave my country to be burned down to the ashes of corruption and indecency.

If only we could be united under one banner, have one voice, choice, passion. To die for each other knowing that we have created a better future for our children. To die for our country, our land, our future, our people..."

-quote from foreplay

yes, clearly we Filipinos need a rallying point...
to be ready to die for our country, our future, our people is one viirtue every Filipino nurtures and capable of doing, no doubt...the choice was easy then against the Spaniards, the Americans, the Japanese, the Dictator, and the Filipino delivered...

yes, as in the film V, through the times we have become complacent, numb to the extent of un-feeling, un-seeing, not acting and the worst part - allowed ourselves be swept and mired by the tide of corruption, indecency, dishonesty, deception and lies of most of those who now lead us...

yes, we are fools, as one foreigner put it... the Philippines, most often is running in full steam, unfortunately it is traveling in circles...

yes indeed we direly need to unite and harness the greatness in each and everyone of us to go against the tide of corruption, of oppression, of injustice, of deception even how difficult, how painful...

yes, we need again a spark, a rallying point, a true leader, compassionate enough to understand and fight for the plight of the poor, who can carry the banner, under which all of us can follow, who can put our beloved Philippines in a straight course... breaking away from the usual circles...

The problem is as foreplay has noticed... sadly, we have forgotten to act and feel as one nation...