We always have the biggest, the longest, the smallest, the most number, the ******ST of just about anything you can imagine. The Philippines will surely have something to offer if you’re talking about the best and the worst. It is always a “wala yan sa lolo ko!” moment. (see: Mga Maling Yabang ng Pinoy).
Just like when there were two contradicting records that our country got recognized with on the same day. First being the
World’s most God believing nation and the other is on having one of the world’s worst cities for driving. I can't see how the belief in the Supreme Deity reflects in our people who drive recklessly with no regards to other people’s
rights, possessions and lives.
Most people rejoice with pride if it is about something
they deemed good for our reputation. But if it’s something that they think taints
our immaculate image,then expect all hell to break loose. It just shows how our
people merely react to things that don’t have direct effects on their lives. Either
too proud or not with the feat, it just shows how reactive we are by burdening
our minds on concerns which lies outside our reach. (see: The Opinionated Filipino)
Rather than just a show of disgust or pride, can’t we try
doing something advantageous for our country on what these “records” are telling the
whole world about?
Does being the world’s number one God believing country gives any meaning if our actions and character aren't reflecting it? Why
not being the first person to show that our faith inspires us to do good to other
people? Or does it matter if our country
has the most optimistic businessmen if we just lackadaisically perform our
duties at work, procrastinate or worse, just lazing around and doing nothing?
Why not try to spend our time on more productive stuffs or do something to
improve our crafts?
On the other hand, those negative tags that we get
like being one of the most corrupt nation, worst nation when it comes to traffic and all others, can't we just take these as challenges? We can’t change these things in just one click. But we
can take part in minimizing them by starting with ourselves. And also by acting with more discipline and acquiring further knowledge regarding our rights and responsibilities.
Hopefully, the next time we’ll hear about the same type of
news saying that our country is the best or worst on this or that, we'll all just move along, shrug our shoulders and just continue doing what we're meant to do. They won't affect us anyway.
