I used to be an active advocate of peace and change. Back then, I believe that a community can change for the better, that the country can be a better home for its citizens and so as the whole world. Since they always say that change is inevitable, I once believed that we should keep doing something to achieve the change that we want. We should keep empowering and encouraging our fellowmen to do something better.
It’s actually not a bad idea. Perhaps, it is the reason why a lot in our surroundings have changed a lot. We also often hear in the news those good deeds of our advocates. Even I, myself witnessed the change it can bring if you will act onto something either individually or collectively. I even reached that point wherein I educated and tried to influence the students on our school and even my friends. I want them to believe in our idealism.
I kept doing that for years until I had my personal problems and decided to quit believing that there can still be change if we do this and that. I started to see how idealistic it is to keep fighting for a better change yet, there are things that we can never control, that we don’t have the power to stir and come up with a wonderful change.
However, I still admire and respect those who never gets tired and didn’t even think of giving up their ideals and advocacies for the change they are aiming for that will benefit the mass in the future. I salute them for that.
I actually thought of going back in that direction and started to volunteer again. Until one day, I met a German national who’s wandering in SouthEast Asia for almost 3 months already.
His name is Richard and I am grateful to him for helping me realize these things I am sharing with you right now. We talked about a lot of things, Politics, Geography, Culture, Economy and a lot more of both his and my country. Until, we exchanged our thoughts about happiness. I asked him, “Why did you choose SouthEast Asia? And why spend so much time of vacation here? You even did volunteering while you were on vacation, why is that so?”
I’m quite surprised with his answer. He replied, “Because I feel quite lost and I’m searching for more in this life.” My initial response was, “How could you say that when you were so comfortable in your country and you’re getting lots of benefit from your government unlike here in the Philippines.” He told me that maybe it’s because of the pressure given to them. That there are lots of expectations from the society itself. He also added that even though they had a good government, the people in their country keeps on looking for problems.
I told him that it was quite ironic. They already have a good government, convenient lifestyle and useful benefits while here in the Philippines, we had so much problem not to mention the poverty, corruption, exploding population, discipline, systemized governance, lack of health and other benefits. Indeed, we are really facing a lot of challenges yet we have this “not so advantage” attitude that instead of thinking too much about our social, economical or even personal problems, we will not take it seriously until it will be forgotten with NO EFFECTIVE AND REAL SOLUTION.
It has become our way of striving in life so that we won’t keep on feeling down so it’s one of our positive attitude in a way. But that conversation really moved me. I suddenly thought, “What’s the purpose of asking change from the society?” If ever we get whatever we’ve wanted, we might still end up like the German people. We might still be unsatisfied. But looking in the present situation, we are far from achieving that change and what amazed me the most in our whole conversation was how we ended it.
He simply told me that, “That’s why I believed that CHANGE SHOULD START FROM OURSELVES.” We can keep asking and expecting from the government or other people around us but it will just be a complete roundabout towards the success and positive change we’ve all been aiming for. If only each one of us will focus on a better change with our own self, then imagine how the whole community, whole country or even the whole world CAN CHANGE.
REAL CHANGE will start WITHIN OURSELVES!
