However You Look At It

Early today, I was on a jeepney travelling along Buendia, bound for Guadalupe. As we were crossing Makati Ave., a passenger called to stop the jeepney and get off. The driver didn't stop and continued on for a few more meters past the intersection, despite the passenger's repeated "Para" (Stop, from the Spanish parar). The jeep pulled over to the side of the road to let her off, but not without getting the passenger's stern look. The driver explained, "Bawal po dun, baka mahuli tayo." (We may get apprehended if we stop there.) What I was surprised about was another passenger, seeing another jeepney loading right at the corner of the intersection, butt in, "E pwede ngang magsakay dun, o." (It seems loading [passengers] is ok there.) The only thing I can think about was, "Kaya hindi umuunlad ang Pilipinas e." (That's why the Philippines' condition doesn't improve.)

Why would people insist on doing the wrong thing, just because others are doing them? There was clearly a sign on that intersection prohibiting loading AND unloading, but seeing violators not being apprehended, people think it's ok anyway. The reason I correlate this to our country not getting out of the mud is that, apparently, some, if not most people, lack integrity. Integrity in my definition is "doing the right thing everytime, even when no one is looking." It doesn't have to be in a grand scale, like corruption in the government, or crimes in the street. Integrity also applies to small things, such as a storekeeper gives you more than your change, browsing through your professor's notes for quiz answers, etc. Doing things right in the small scale builds you up when you are presented with the big decisions.

It takes a lot for one to be able to make the right decisions. We need to live it everyday, even if we are only by ourselves. Probably if everyone thinks this way, our country will have lesser problems than it faces today.