Voting For Elections: Should We Bother Or Not?

Photo courtesy of dinno 19 (Flickr.com)

It seems that most Filipinos nowadays have lost their enthusiasm when it comes to voting for elections. The average Filipino would ask: “Would it make a difference?” And we can’t blame them; most Filipinos have connected the country’s deteriorating political system to their increasing domestic problems. Most Filipinos have conceived the idea that the political system is the key factor that affects the quality of our living; as a result, Filipinos have become accustomed, passive and indifferent.

But voting for elections does make a difference, and we should realize that. Even if the government extorts from us in legal and illegal ways (and it will never change), wouldn’t it make a difference if the elected official is a “lesser evil”? Let’s face it: corruption is already a natural phenomenon in Philippine politics; it’s already there. Yet even if we cannot remove it, we can lessen it. And how do we lessen it? Pick the “lesser evil” politician. Pick the less corrupt. Pick the less tainted. And we can do that by voting for elections. 

While it may occur in other parts of the country that people have a “good candidate” to vote for, our town is different: there’s no good choice. The fat candidate (in terms of his physique and money) comes from a family facing numerous charges, and this candidate is alleged to be always absent in his office. The candidate making a “comeback” was at a time associated with the fat candidate, and now he’s running against him (that’s how quick politicians change sides). Another candidate is seeking re-election, and the only thing that I can remember during his previous term is the misplaced archway that his administration built to serve as the boundary of our town with the next town. A dispute ensued, and the other town won, resulting in the demolition of the archway. It was a waste of money and effort. 

You might be thinking: “Even if we choose the ‘lesser evil’, it still wouldn’t improve our political situation. The government is still corrupt; national and local programs are still poorly implemented; law is not fully enforced. Yes it’s true, but by exercising our right to vote, we can manage to decrease the magnitude of all this. It’s better than doing nothing about it, right? If your house is on fire, wouldn’t it be better that you died trying to escape, rather than locking yourself in despair? 

Despite these circumstances, I believe that choosing the lesser detriment is every Filipino’s responsibility, and he can fulfill his responsibility by voting for elections. Our single vote can make a difference, and it takes only one vote to determine the outcome of the election. My advice for the average Filipino is this: stop thinking that the political system is the main reason why your life is miserable. It’s time to break the cycle. Don’t get accustomed to our present political situation if you want it to change for the better. It’s time to be active, and it’s time to get involved.

Money Grows Like Plants

My father’s into the plant business, and for many, many years, he persistently tried to convince me to do the same. But even though I appreciate how you can make money selling plants, I never saw myself as a person venturing into the plant business. However, as I steadily grew interested in business in general, I came to realize that in a way, money grows like plants. I didn’t get hooked to the idea of selling plants, but just the idea of how a plant grows is analogous to how money works.

How did I come up with the idea that money grows like plants? Well, here are some of my observations and realizations:

1.       Starting a business is just like planting a seed. Generally, plants don’t grow from a seed/bud into a full-grown vegetative and reproductive state in a short span of time. Fertilizers can speed up the growth process, but cannot do it in an instant. The fact is that plant tissue takes time to propagate; a seed, bud, cutting or any other reproducing portion must be able to adapt in a certain environment, and it must withstand all obstacles for growth. And just like them, money grows steadily. While there are some strategies or methods that can result in a surge of revenue, I believe that you should allow a longer period of time to allow the steady growth of your business. There’s such a thing as the “time value” of money, and I believe that you should allow money to work for a longer period to truly make it sustainable and self-sufficient.

2.        Profits are just like fruits. Plants generate fruits, and money generates money. And the way I see it, this thought contributes to the idea that money grows like plants. It takes time for plants to bear fruits, and just the same, it takes time for a business to have its returns. If you pick a fruit that is not yet ripe, you wouldn’t be surprised if it won’t taste the same. The same thought applies to a business: if you don’t allow sufficient time for money to work, how would you expect your business to bear fruit? If you’re not properly monitoring your business’s cash flow, you might be taking out not just profit, but your equity as well, and this would consequently cripple your operations. It’s funny that we’re able to put it like this: what you originally intended as a sweet business turns sour.

3.       Branching is just like compounding. If you allow enough time for a typical plant to propagate, one branch turns to two; and two turns to four; four turns to eight. Money seems to work that way, right? Assuming that events turn favorable, a financial instrument can potentially generate compounded interest, and the more time you’re willing to invest your money, the greater is the potential for your money to compound.

And even with these observations, there are other angles that are still to be explored to establish that money grows like plants. Just like plants and money, I guess you should also allow more time to think about these thoughts. Time is essential, time is the key factor; and if you want to be successful in farming or gardening or business, it’s definitely true that you’ve got to take time to understand time. 

The Intro of Intros

 

Hello world! I am a Filipino nurse, but like most nurses nowadays in the Philippines, I’m not working at a local hospital or community health center. I am a nurse educator, and I have been teaching for 4 years.

The thing that I’m most proud about is that I’m a family man. I love my wife and 2 daughters, and the most important thing for me to do is to do everything that I can to make them happy.

Aside from family and nursing, I love and I am interested in art, music, movies, business, food, traveling, history, general information, current events, internet and humor.

Why am I talking this way? Basically, I’m new to blogging. I know that somehow I need to introduce my persona to you, just to give you an idea of who I am. I also need to introduce myself to me, the “blogging” me.

This “thing” has been going on for more than a decade, and it just happened at this point in time that I got to motivate myself from starting this “thing”. Nowadays, I’m getting more and more bored, maybe because what I’m doing most of the time is plain work. Does this happen to most of us? We get to get motivated by boredom? If this is possible, then I should be amazed. In most cases of my life, I only get to rev up to something when I feel the need to do something.

Right now, I feel excited about all this blogging “thing”. I’ve heard the following phrase a thousand times; “Maybe you just need something new”, and it’s almost always the right thing to keep in mind in life situations such as this. For me, it’s semi-explored. I’ve just discovered that for the past decade, I’ve been utilizing mostly the left side of my brain. Of course, I’ve had experience writing, but more on things that I’m compelled to do (work-related). I write because I have to satisfy my teacher’s or boss’s requirements. I don’t usually write just for the art of writing.

But then again, everything needs to start somewhere, right? Yes?! I suppose so.

Furthermore, let me establish to myself, “This will not be work.” I will do this because I like to entertain myself and the world. This is my magical mystery tour, and I am ready to go for a ride.

Would you like to go with me? Splendid!