Good versus bad

The moral choice consistently confronts us in our daily lives. The choices we make reflect how well we live our understanding of what is good, as well as, differentiating one from the other. Now the choice continues to present itself before our nation. I believe the choice will always be before us, as citizens of a Christian nation, until we have resolved that good is better than being bad and act accordingly.

The unfolding developments in our national political environment have heightened the moral crisis afflicting the country. In October of last year, money in shopping bags were distributed to our elected leaders at the premises of the official residence and office of the President of the Republic.

The episode produced a headline in a national daily which read, “CBCP: RP politics morally corrupt”. The headline should further jolt us when we remove the world “politics” so as to read to ourselves the judgment as follows, “ CBCP: RP morally corrupt”. Only when we realize and acknowledge that we share responsibility for our nation's fall to that level do we have the potential of becoming part of the solution. Some would isolate themselves from having any part of the problem and, knowingly or unknowingly, aggravate the problem not learning the reality that “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” ( Edmund Burke).

Our confused state of citizenry can be illustrated in a text message as follows, “Question: What is the difference between uninformed and misinformed? Answer: if you don't read the newspapers, you are uninformed. If you read the newspapers, you are misinformed.” The humor may give us a laugh but the choice between being uninformed and misinformed can be likened to which is of the lesser evil. A choice that was unfortunately used to characterize our national elections that is indicative of how far away from the ideal good we have moved as a nation.

We all have to deal with the choices we have to make. Much has been written by the choices made by Rodolfo Lozada Jr., CHED Chairman Romulo Neri, Benjamin Abalos, Jose Miguel Arroyo and we look forward to the impending choices they will have to make as they deal with the developments that will come their way.

Our personal choices may not be written about in the newspapers but we need to make a choice or, as Archbishop Angel Lagdameo has described our situation, we have the choice to continue with being fried in “a worse frying pan” where we may laugh about the following joke. A Chinese businessman catches his nephew stealing money from the cash register and slaps the boy and shouts, “Walang hiya (you're shameless) Macapagal mukha mo (your face)!” The nephew cries, “Arroy o!” The choice is ours.*