This blog post is the result of my "listening to class for the first time in SOSC 5"...
We were having our SOSC 5 class (Contemporary National Development Issues including Family Planning) this morning. For the first time, I was listening intently to the teacher. It was some kind of a miracle, because I don't really do that in this class. Anyways, I was struck by Mr. Ligaton's statement, "grabe kaayo mu label atong society sa lain-laing mga tawo."
So, here it is.. ten de de deeeen..
LABEL
We call someone genius because he or she studies at the most prestigious school which is known to accept only “the cream of the crop.” We call someone intelligent because he or she is a scholar. We give them very very high expectations, and when they fail, we give them another label, mostly, a negative one.
And on the other side of the spectrum, we call prostitutes immoral because of their job which we consider “dirty.” We stay away from persons whom we think are stealers, hold-uppers and the like. Companies don’t easily accept job applicants who have criminal records. When we see pregnant teenage girls, what is our reaction? We immediately say, “sayo namiga.”
See how our society labels individuals?
Instead of helping the once criminals move on and live a new life, we are condemning them. What’s worst is that they might accept the label that we are placing upon them and they might do the same crimes again.
Instead of helping the prostitutes live a “normal” (in their perspective) life, we are worsening their situation. There'll be a tendency that they might also accept the label that we are giving to them, and they might not stop doing what they are doing. At times, they even let their children do the same “job" (they refer to it as job because it is one of their ways to earn money) for additional earning.
TREATMENTS
When a priest comes to our house, we really welcome him, give him our most delicious foods and serve him like a prince. But, when we happen to meet a person whom we thought of is a stealer, we stay away.
When a beggar knocks our doors, we give them nothing. But when an actor comes, waaa, even when he or she is still away, we run after him or her and give the best things that we’ve got.
Why is our society acting like this? How can we change our thinking?
Learning*:
We often times throw praises to great deeds, but we should also praise the shortcomings, mistakes and failures, for these are the necessary foundation for a person to become far more that he/she can ever imagine.
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Studying FINANCE in SOSC 5 class? always.. hahaha =P
*(credits to Vernon Joseph Go for editing) |
