"The unexamined life is not worth living,"

"The unexamined life is not worth living," said Socrates. That was many thousands of years ago, but the thought is still so apropos until now. Does everyone examine their lives daily? What is examining one's life? I think it is being aware of oneself and of others. One could be so self-immersed, have such a strong identity but lack that neighborliness, or sensitivity to what is happening to the other fellow.

I can feel that in the way politics is viewed by some people. Some would stick to their political principles through thick and thin only because they could affect the lives of many people. While others would stick to their standpoints, regardless of what happens to other people, only because they have to abide by their party's standpoint.

Scary, isn't it when the latter become the leaders of the country? What is important to them is how to make the party stick together, and insure that they will win the next elections.

I think that at this time, we need to develop healthy political thoughts. We need to analyze up to what point we can insist on certain political principles, and up to what point we need to compromise. But that is better said than done. I think in certain countries where political power is so attractive and that losing it becomes a very unfortunate happening, then political parties become the tool for insuring that that power does not become elusive.

I told my neighbors in our barangay, I want to run as barangay captain because I want to serve. Some people have asked me to form a list of kagawad who will run with me. But I said, I would just like to run as barangay captain and nothing more. If the people want me, then they would vote for me. I need not campaign for other people whom I do not really know very well. Actually, I hardly socialize in our subdivision because my work as a media practitioner makes me go out all the time. But I do have exchanges with the barangay officers now and then when there are domestic problems I have to settle with them, like a renter of a room who cannot pay and yet can afford to have a new blouse every time I see her, or one who has a more modern celfone than I.

Most of the time, my exchanges with the barangay tanod is for the officers to silence the noise of our next door neighbor who has a tarpaulin business that goes on 24 hours a day, and becomes loud between 1 and 6 a.m. So my sleep gets disrupted and I cannot anymore sleep so I have to do some artworks or use my computer in order not to waste my waking time.

Yet, I see the need to serve in our barangay. I want to be able to have a say on how the funds of the barangay is being used. I want the mothers who send their children and carry heavy loads of books to Betty Go-Belmonte Elementary School to have a shuttle that will bring them to the stop where they can easily get a transpo easily. So many more ideas I have in mind in order to serve the barangay.

What I am afraid of in being in government is that hankering for more and more power. I don't like that to happen to myself. I just want to be able to serve, to see that the funds of the government are going to serve the needs of the people, and to make it a continuing occurence forever. I don't want to be forever on toes trying to do this and that. I think that being in government is not a permanent thing but insuring that others will follow a certain model of governance and that this will be on a continuing basis.

You see folks, the problem with the pork barrel funds that went to the pockets instead of serving the people's needs, is not really as to who got what. By the way, I saw on TV one of the pocketers of the millions of pesos. His name crops up all the time as one of the guilty. But on TV he smiles and gloats as he narrates what happens to the wild ones, as if nothing has been done to his political career. But I wonder what the youth think of him as they watch his face with the wild animals. Is he unethical in handling finances because he lives through a life that upholds the wild, sans all kinds of ethical analyses except survival techniques?

Anyway, the problem of the pork barrel is rooted to vote-buying during elections. Many politicians are so desperate at being voted upon and so they would do everything, by hook or by crook to get elected. If the people do not sell their votes then they would not elect corrupt people. A candidate who buys votes will always steal, steal, steal. That we have to remember.

So come October 4, at the next Million March, one of the topics that should really be hammered down by every speaker is that 'DON'T SELL YOUR VOTE!"

Going back to the unexamined life, I think there are environments that would nurture that kind of analytical mind. That environment accepts all kinds of questions, healthy ones, and especially the philosophical. This means that even if it is a child who is asking the question, then an answer would always be available. In other words, every thinking individual who has a question to ask will always be attended to.

Why do I insist on the examined life? That is because I think that the many problems of the world have been thought over, but not really examined. Otherwise, we would not have poverty, violence, and all types of perversions. We examine in order to know if our thoughts, behavior, and feelings are healthy, are humane, are not harmful to ourselves, much more so to others.

In politics, we call this being democratic. But democracy is not really an acceptable principle in some countries or maybe even for certain political parties. For people in such countries or parties, what is utmost need is political power, for oneself, and for the party, not for the people. How sad.

I can see this happening in the United States where there are over 2M Filipinos and Filipino-Americans working and living there.

Shouldn't the bigger questions in this situation be: "Why are we in this situation at all? What is the ultimate purpose of politics? Who are the ultimate beneficiaries of government service?"

Come to think of it, when we think of government, do we always add the word "service?" PNoy said, "Kayo ang boss ko," but we are penniless, and all the servants have millions. So what's the point of being the boss? Lip service? Cosmetic decoration?

So next time there is an election, whether here is elsewhere, why not ask the candidates, "what do you think of being in government?"

I had a big laugh inside when I heard an urban poor leader exclaim, "Kapag ako nahalal, aangat ang buhay ko. Hindi na ako maghihirap. " Ever since I heard that, I knew that he would not really be an exemplary leader.

But in the First World countries, I think the problem is more or power. So many officials are well-off and corrupt is always being checked at every turn. So, political power not financial power is more hankered for although both could be related.

To be in powerful political post is to have the financial clout, the say on where the funds will go.

Anyway, Folks, we can go on and on talking about political power. I hope that in the next rally, on October 4th at Makati City, we would get to define true political power. Let us make everyone think of that. Let us have a polling place where people may write down what they think of it, and of the PDAF, the Malampaya, but most of all what is political power.

Once the people are aware, conscious and knowledgeable that everything else that is happening boils down to political power, then they would know that it is something that should not be sold to the highest bidder, but something that should be protected in order for our interests to be served by those in power and those who will succeed them.