A lot of things are the way they are for a very long time. You may attribute these to tradition, or to certain values we’ve inherited from our history, or the powers that be that are bigger and more powerful than us have made it to be so.

When I was in high school, I had aspirations. I believed in the mentality of being the change I wanted to happen, and for a while, I’ve been consistent. Since elementary school, I’ve fought for what is right, disregarding age and sexuality and calling out idiocy whenever I come across it. Teachers were fired, principals were replaced, elders were adamant in “getting me” one way or another, but what I quickly learned was that when you are in the right, you have nothing to fear.

Alas, as time passes by, a certain realization has reached my perspective: things won’t change unless you’re in a position of power, no matter how right you may be.

I’ve had many people tell me “well, that’s because you think you’re always right”, saying it often with that smug look on their face that says “you’re not the hotshot you think you are”. I’ve heard this from past lovers, friends and people in a position of seniority. They’re partly correct though: I’m right most of the time. I am not that arrogant to say I’m right 100% of the time, but being right the majority of the time isn’t exactly hard. Why is it so difficult for people to think before acting? Why is it so hard for people to look at the bigger picture? Most importantly, why do people feel offended when their perspectives are challenged?

I’m sick of the way things are because “it’s always been this way”. They don’t have to be.

In school, when you’re late, teachers tell you “panahon pa ni kopong-kopong traffic na, bakit late ka umalis?” Well pardon the kids who have to take care of their household because they have incapacitated parents, or those who grew up on their own with little to no support, or those who did wake up early but still got caught in traffic.

When people see politicians cheat, their mind defaults to “magugulat ka pa ba, eh lahat naman ng pulitiko nandadaya!” Okay, so why don’t we vote for people that don’t?

The “it’s always been this way” mentality is poison that always kills potential. It’s extremely close to bias, because people say “well it worked for them”, or they have certain delusions like “well it’s a matter of implementation” – newsflash: if it works only for a subgroup but not at scale, it’s a horrible solution.

Culture is good in small doses. A culture of respect? Great. A culture where all elders are automatically deemed deserving of respect? That’s not going to fly. A lot of these people are the reason why we’re in this mess in the first place.

Are you not entertained pissed off?

You pay taxes because it’s forcibly taken from your paycheck. You don’t get a say where these taxes are used, you just have to because “it’s always been this way”. That’s a good chunk of your hard-earned money, the hours you’ve worked for and the amount of disrespect you have to tolerate just so you can put food on the table.

Then, it’s shitshow after shitshow. Alice Guo’s nowhere to be found, Davao’s a mess, China rams their boats and we can’t do anything about it because instead of buying weapons or improving our maritime and border security, our taxes are stolen by people who dance and sing on TV after their fame has faded into oblivion and thought that their retirement should be how to mess up the country they’re leaving behind in a few years because of old age.

Hell, Robin Padilla is leading the polls. A man who compared himself to a dog as he objectified women as heat relief, or who demanded that his peers speak in Filipino because he couldn’t understand the terms they use. This is the man leading the polls for the Senate. A man with no formal education or training in law or public speaking. A man whose wife took photo ops taking glutathione drops (or whatever the hell that was) in his office.

This country is the way it is because we allow these idiots to do whatever the hell they want.

Our national security is outsourced to the United States which is also a freaking mess right now. Our primary defense against China’s ships are thoughts and prayers as our tiny-ass boats rust to retirement. Hard-working Filipinos have a hard time clearing immigration but Alice Guo can just leave undetected. Harry Roque can continue to lie on camera and supply TikTok with rage bait as he continuously denies his involvement in illegal operations. Sara Duterte wants PHP 10,000,000.00 to publish a book full of inaccuracies even when you’d think she should’ve gotten it right considering she’s not doing anything else with her time.

With everything that’s happening, if you aren’t angry at our situation right now, you’re part of the problem.

I’m sick of it. You should be too. But the sad part here is it may be too late.

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