History – it doesn’t only define one nation’s growth, but also the lives of the people. People make history; therefore the people are the ones responsible for the nation’s growth. Since immaturity doesn’t pick a constant age, we have become democrats – democrats of our own selfish “Wants and Needs”. Why use the word “selfish”? Simply because it is within our humanity; each and every one of us has selfishness within us. It’s either makes us wise, or glutton in greed; and sooner or later, these two things will make us happy or obsessed.
Each nation has its own government to worry about, whether or not it is bad to your country. Take Communism for example; ask a random citizen what he thinks about communism and he will tell you bunch of negativity about the idea; but people don’t realized that Communism is a perfect government for some nations. I know what you’re thinking; communism is pure evil because of the number of deaths it caused. Well it isn’t communism’s fault. It was the leader who led the country. It is always their fault. What if I told you that the Allied killed more people than the Red Army and the Soviet Union combined? Well it happens to every form of government; to Anarchism to Monarchy. It is always the people, most likely the leader, which causes one nation to collapse. Same goes with democracy.
How do we understand democracy anyways? According to Britannica, democracy allows eligible citizens to participate equally—either directly or through elected representatives—in the proposal, development, and creation of laws. It encompasses social, economic and cultural conditions that enable the free and equal practice of political self-determination. Basically, it’s about a community or a nation participating with each other and enjoying the liberty that they have earned. Freedom is served for the people who deserved to be free and responsible. Yet we tend to view this country as a playground for hypocrites; a battle ground of governance and religion; a nest of emptiness from the truth. So does the majority of the people in this country are worthy of democracy?
February 1986 – the day when democracy came to the Philippines; it was a day of glory, a day to celebrate the freedom of our country. Finally, the power is in the hands of the people. Did it really give us real democracy, a real republican government, or just a country that was lifted not by practicality, but our own democratic emotions? Are we still the number one country in Southeast Asia? Then why do we depend on imports of the goods we used to export? What happen to our currency? What happen to the proper use of liberty?
To think that the one they called “hero” or “saint” will bring down the economy of the country must have been a downer. To realize that the people’s cry for what they call democracy had transform into a cry for economic rise like what this country was before. It was the dictator who led the country into a much bigger era where each and every one of us enjoys the prosperity and wealth; but they rather chose their despicable wants they call freedom and liberty.
People Power II – they say it was a mistake having to execute this protest against the president who was able to run in the 2010 elections. Why would they execute a kind of protest when they can just wait for another election and not re-elect him anymore? And the worst part of this, the president that they placed under the position is the president that they wanted to resign with the use of the same protest. However, it is unsuccessful; the former president still had her position.
Revolution, it’s always been that way. Filipinos, since the Philippines became one, was all about revolution. We threw fought against the Spaniards with revolution; we fought the Americans and the Japanese through revolution, we threw away Marcos with revolution; ever since the island of the Philippines became one, we did nothing but revolution. This teaches us that we must not only rely on our historic revolutions from the past, but we also must adjust to the modern world where new marvels wander around and can be achieve without reckless revolutions.
History – it what makes people inspired to live a patriotic life. It is what makes us feel the urge to do something for the country. It is the reason, how the stupidity of the past can be the stupidity of the present or the future.
-Emric Salven B. Rejano
