Not enough to dream
By
THE Dream Philippines initiative, by its name, is easy to misinterpret. It can be seen as the preserve of those who love to discuss and build up castles made of air, without regard for reality, and without bothering to lift a finger, in order to get results delivered for the welfare and over-all betterment of every Filipino. Indeed, Francis Estrada reminds everyone that we all have to be observant, not only of the realities within our shores, but also the stresses and strains that the world is being subjected to and is enduring.
Francis Estrada urges us to take note of “these fears manifest in the developed countries” (and which get further expressed in): • Growing populism. • The rejection of the concept of “unity in diversity,” which has served (particularly the US) so well, and a regression to more ”tribal” values.
• A growing unwillingness to communicate/engage with different viewpoints. • Ultra-nationalism. • Resurgence of militant secessionist movements.”
How important these manifestations of “fear” that appears to have settled in many developed countries in shaping the future, with lots of draw-bridges being put up between societies and economies, will need to be closely discerned. Indeed, our active effort at building a Dream Philippines will need to be conditioned by how these “fears” pan out.
It is necessary, for our proper discernment, to consider what may be the root causes of these fears. Francis Estrada suggests the following:
The root causes of the present conundrum appear to be: • Indifference. • Selfishness. • (Moreover), “the combination of indifference and the selfishness of the powerful is a toxic brew, resulting in poverty and inequity.”
• “Poverty and inequity in turn, constitute combustible conditions that can so quickly lead to conflict, violence and hate.”
• “A failure to effectively inculcate in the younger generation who generally had not experienced the violence and deprivation of war and conflict the following core ideas: a) the existential importance of understanding and abiding by the natural law as the basis of modern social order; and b) the foundation of major human belief systems -- Judeo-Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Confucian, Hindu, etc. Of equal importance are the following specific principles central to natural law, -- respect for human life, solidarity in human society, material resources exist for the benefit of all humanity, (and) while different talent, work ethic endowments should allow for a meritocracy, these cannot be at the expense of the fundamental human needs of others.”
As it turns out, there is conver- gence in the views put forward by Paul Dumol and Francis Estrada. While the former gets us back to the importance of education and training, as stressed by Jose Rizal, the latter brings us out to the wider world and ends up stressing core ideas and principles that are central to the natural law. The priorities contributed by Dumol and Estrada may be far from the usual welltrodden path of strategic road-mapping; they nonetheless underscore the most important priority of all, what should be in the hearts and minds of our people.