On election anxiety, unsurprising initial results, and heartbreak rants

Election anxiety was and is real. Haluan mo pa ng quarter/third-life crisis, minsan mapapaisip ka, “Ano na, Pilipinas? Ano ba ibig sabihin maging Pilipino at ipaglaban ang Pilipinas?”

Gets naman kung bakit ang mga kakampinks, umaasa sa Google Trends. But as a researcher myself, I cannot discount the validity of the surveys. Yes, there are “theories” kuno na “False Asia” or “mind conditioning”, but as professionals and personalities have vouched for, these survey firms try to be transparent and employ relatively good-but-imperfect methodologies.

For the past months, it seemed clear that the majority (not just a plurality!) were for BBM-Sara. Kaya in a way, now that ~50% of the unofficial results are transmitted, di na nakakagulat ang results. The early signs point to one of the most empathic electoral wins in recent history.

Nakakainis ang COMELEC. Ang daming incidents na sira ang VCMs. Di naman ganito nung 2016 at 2019 diba? Anyare po sa inyo? Paano namin kayo pagkakatiwalaan? At kung tunay na minority ang kakampinks, paano kami mas makakaunawa na walang anomalya sa eleksyon kung ang daming palpak? (Shoutout though to our poll watchers and volunteers na napagbubuntunan ng galit, di niyo po kasalanan! Mabuhay po kayo!)

It is not surprising, but fuck, it hurts. Sana may miracles pa, but all reasonable evidences point to an empathic BBM-Sara win.

My friends know that I tried to adopt a more balanced or neutral view since I did not want to be a blind follower. In 2016, I truly considered voting for Duterte (so I understand his charisma, disciplina kuno, and “change is coming”, yun pala change scamming, kontra oligarchy pero bagong oligarchy lang din). Ala Heneral Luna ang dating (kunwari). Pero kapag pinagnilayan… Rape jokes? Dapat daw nakauna si Mayor? Nasaan na yung jetski kontra XJP? Bumalik ako kay Mar-Leni.

VP Leni represented values and principles I believe to be manifestations of good governance. Pero di siya perpekto. Sabi ng mga iba, baka mahina si Leni, malalamon ng nga backers niya. So, pinag-isipan ko rin iboto si Yorme, baka mas mahinahon na Digong. Pero lumabas ang tunay na kulay, balimbing, minsan kontra admin, minsan kontra BBM, tapos presscon kontra sa Top 2 sa survey…? “Switch to Isko” is appropriate kasi si Isko, switch din ng switch! In the end, mas tumaya at tataya pa rin ako sa rosas na bukas.

Di ko lang matanggap bakit si BBM. Sa totoo lang, mas gets ko pa kung bakit si Pacman ang iboboto eh. Pero BBM? Bakit? Tapos maniniwala tayo sa TikTok at YouTube? Kahit nga Wikipedia na dinidiscourage na source ng mga paaralan, yun na lang, madaliang research, makikita na natin yung red flags. Bakit sa kulay pula pa rin?

Pag natuloy na naupo si BBM, mauulit ba ang mga Archimedes Trajano tortures sa mga paaralan? Bilang guro, matatakot ba ako magsabi ng totoo kasi baka mapahamak ang mga estudyante, kapwa guro, at mga mahal ko sa buhay?

Dadami ba sa mga mahal ko sa buhay na pipiliin mangibang bansa kasi nawawalan ng pag-asa at oportunidad sa Pinas? Hirap na hirap na, at mas nakakakita ng liwanag sa ibang lugar?

From listening and reading the thoughts of neutral political science and sociology experts, I think the real mechanism that led to these: the erosion of Truth and the preference of personal truths and narratives. Guilty tayo diyan. Dahil tinuring na mala-santo sila Ninoy at Cory, nabulag din tayo sa mga mali at pagkukulang ng gobyerno natin. People Power became an imperfect representation of democracy; narrated more in terms of saints versus devils, and less about virtues versus vices. Personalidad pa rin.

The age of social media highlighted our immature democracy, which is susceptible to narratives, conspiracy theories, and propaganda. Naging labanan ng kwentuhang gusto, hindi ng katotohanan. The first to realize this context were the Marcoses, and as early as the 2010s, they were investing in social media to revise history and form pro-Marcos groups.

We allowed and our allowing ourselves to be sheeple. We are all guilty.

So, I try to ease my anxiety and that of my loved ones. At least, we are learning. And the majority seems to have spoken. Okay lang. I respect our due process.

Pero para sa mga naniniwala at naniwala na kulay rosas ang bukas, hindi ito tungkol kay Leni lang. It is a movement about courage, bayanihan, and humility – we shall be a vocal minority. Maraming kwento na gusto ng kakampinks i-unfriend ang mga pro-BBM. Huwag. Mas kailangan natin ang isa’t isa.

If the UniTeam does proceed to win (I’m still hoping, but not expecting a comeback), the first step is to hold the UniTeam accountable to their message: unity.

For kakampinks, radikal na pagmamahal. For the UniTeam, unity.

Simulan na natin ngayon. Let’s walk our talk.

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John 10:1-10. I am the gate for the sheep

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 129: MAY 9, 2022]

Loyalty + Trust + Time = Faith

John 6:60-69. To whom shall we go?

Mr. Morj, a One Piece YouTuber in his analysis of the Wano arc, contended that a key theme of the manga series is faith, which is based on loyalty, mutual trust, and the passage of time.

In a way, human loyalty and trust are initially borne from witnessing reasonable evidences. A child that experiences the care of a parent grows to be loyal and trustful; believing that the parents’ track record of care is worth having faith in.

The tragedy is that we equate loyalty with fanaticism. We equate trust with unquestioning obedience. Fanaticism + unquestioning obedience = blind faith.

When we choose to have faith in a person, it’s not about having cult-like fanaticism. It is about fully appreciating, as in listening to both our gut and our brains, the authenticity and integrality of the person we believe in. Does the person have a body of work and a track record we can ground our beliefs on? Does the person explicitly make herself accountable to the values and principles she believes in?

Most importantly, if the person does falter and commit mistakes (and this is inevitable), will she be likely to pass the blame or take accountability and improve her mistakes?

On Monday, our vote is an act of faith. I have explicitly mentioned who I will vote for, but I’m not writing this reflection to campaign.

Maybe the invitation is that an authentic faith and an authentic vote is an act that also holds both the believer and the believed accountable. But in this sense, accountability is less about fear, but more about love.

Therefore, whoever we vote for and whoever becomes the next president, let’s hold them accountable.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 127: MAY 7, 2022]

What does it mean to teach?

John 6:44-51. They shall all be taught by God

If insights are based more on one’s internal conditions and cognitive processes (and less about external stimuli, for the same set of clues can be apprehended by one and not by another), what does it mean to teach? What is the role of a “teacher”?

The foundations of our educational system are built on standardizing skills that one must know, which is mostly true in the primary levels. Basic reading, writing, scientific, and mathetical skills are taught. Simultaneously, we guide kids to learn about how to behave in society, teaching ethics and values.

But as we reach higher and vocational education, we are called to engage in highly technical, critical, and creative thinking skills. The challege is that compared to basic education, higher-order skills precisely tackle making sense of ambiguity and a seemingly indeterministic or at least a multiple-causality type of reality. In these situations, it would be hubris for a human teacher to claim absolute knowledge of what is right.

Thus, there is some comfort in a belief in God, the Higher Power, and the principles of Truth and Love. These are guideposts, meta-frameworks, under which we can derive our own context-specific frameworks for action.

Indeed, only God is perfect. But this does not mean that teachers and students cannot aspire to be excellent. And excellence, in this sense, is an iterative journey of harmony and accompaniment, built on feedback and dialogue, towards flourishing in Truth and Love.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 125: MAY 5, 2022]

The romance of journeys

John 14:6-14. I am the way and the truth and the life

Stories about the hero’s journey or typical shounen anime heroes are somewhat formulaic: the hero discovers his talent, he is called by the unknown and is reluctant, the hero takes a leap of faith, he fails and rises up again by transforming, succeeds, and returns home.

In a sense, the knowing the destination seems boring. Csikszentmihalyi’s flow theory suggests that for a person to be optimally engaged, a challenge must be somewhere near the person’s skill level. Too easy, the person is bored; too hard, the person is anxious. Therefore, what makes journeys romantic is less about the destination but more about the challenges and suffering one chooses to overcome.

Being top 1 in a game through hacking only gives a momentary thrill; learning the game and developing skills to reach top 1 provides immense pride.

Thus, knowing that Jesus is the Way and believing in Him is the smallest fraction of an active faith. It is our agency to find our own framework and niche in doing the work that makes our virtuous journey more exciting and compelling.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 123: MAY 3, 2022]

Insight reveals itself to those who have paid attention and paid their dues

John 21:1-19. Jesus appears to seven disciples post-resurrection

The suddenness of an insight experience may make it seem that it happens by chance. If God is omniscient, then we can consider Jesus as Insight Incarnate.

There is something mysterious yet still insightful in the way Jesus reveals Himself to the disciples. He chooses familiar settings yet He does not boldly introduce His presence.

He lets the disciples pay attention and experience insight that the Insight Incarnate has arrived.

The divine revelation of Jesus towards His disciples can help us gain insight too on how insight may visit us: it revels in the mundane and the familiar, but we must pay attention. And our continuous prayer and works for insight and Insight to be revealed are necessary to make us re-view the mundane into a more meaningful manner.

Thus, insight reveals itself to those who have paid attention and paid their dues.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 121: MAY 1, 2022]