The recurring political dilemma besetting our country has brought forth the existence of a harsh reality confronting every Filipino, the lack of or loss of a moral guidance from our conscience.While it is true that we reap what we sow, history has shown that the seemingly unending misfortunes and quagmires we continue to suffer are a direct consequence of our apathy and indifference to the evil that pervades in our society.
The usual reaction from the common man on the street is one of individualistic indifference and total sarcasm to the point of helpless resignation. “Why should I care, even if I were to get involved, what good can it do anyway; they are all the same!”
This is a flawed misconception and a fatalistic attitude on the part of the beholder. It is in this kind of permissible environment where evil pervades and continues to thrive unabated. For evil to triumph, it is enough that good men do nothing.
Surely, we are not lacking in good men. Even if we did have a few good men to jumpstart the much needed moral righteous governance, we shouldn’t forget that Jesus Christ Himself even to the point of death, willingly fought with His own life to win the moral war waged for mankind against sin.
And as an effective weapon against evil, He left us with a very inspirational and equally powerful commandment; to love our neighbors as ourselves. How then do we relate this commandment to our earthly lives?
Logically, the harsh realities of our materialistic world necessitate the kind of survival-instinct, everyman for himself mentality promoting the philosophy of self-prioritization before others. “Ako or kami muna” (Me and my family first) or “Bahala ka na sa buhay mo” (You’re on your own) is the silent code by which we go about on our daily affairs.
This everyday principle of individualism, self-preservation as practiced daily becomes some sort of regular manthra that becomes deeply rooted in our consciousness and is engrained in the moral fiber of our character.
So what is wrong with this prevailing common attitude, one may ask? It is simply the loss or lack of an active conscience. Surely, we need not be reminded of the parameters of what actions consist of right or wrongs. The Ten Commandments are there to morally guide us on the Laws of God and His desire for each and everyone to live according to His standards.
The crisis of conscience that our nations suffers stem from the fact that we have become so jadedly indifferent to the rights of others in the selfish pursuit of our own material comforts at the expense of our neighbors.
To my mind, the selfish love of oneself to the exclusion of others is the greatest transgression one can commit against God. This blind love of oneself at the expense of others is the highest form of idolatry that is not only acceptable but also unforgivable to the Almighty God. For He has declared as the First Commandment, that He is the only true God and that He alone you shall worship.
This exclusive love of oneself over and above God will translate to a self-serving attitude that justifies the manipulation and exploitation of others to the selfish exclusion of the common good. But what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but in the process loses his very own soul?
Where is our conscience? Is it numb or is it just indifferent? Is it totally lost? The spiritual battle for our own soul’s salvation is not over yet till we say it’s over. Resignation or inaction before our earthly time is up is tantamount to defeat for which we shall be surely held accountable for on judgment day.
While in some sins, there can be no absolution without restitution; there is definitely no absolution without acknowledgment. How can one be pardoned for a sin where there is no prior admission of the fault? Acceptance of absolution first necessitates admission of guilt and a repentant remorse to restore the wrong that had been inflicted with the fervent resolution not to commit these faults again.
We Filipino Catholics can be likened to a lost flock suffering from a crisis of conscience. But it isn’t a hopeless situation. For if we sincerely repent of our greatest sin, the idolatrous love of ourselves to the exclusion of God and our neighbors and call upon the Lord, He will hear our cries of mercy and heal our land to restore the Philippines according to His design.
Though initially difficult to understand, we must re-orient our way of thinking that it is only by loving others first that we can truly love ourselves in the process. True Christian love is the transcending love of others before oneself. The cosmic karmic consequence of action and reaction simply translates this powerful commandment to be: "To do unto others as you wish others to do unto you."
The negative karma; manifests in the form of widespread corruption, poverty, undue suffering and continued exploitation we are now reaping are but just a consequential reaction of our conscious decision of inaction, our continued apathy and indifference to the injustices committed against us.
It is high time, we realize that we can be as good men, who can do something to stop the evil inflicted upon us. But we must first come to the difficult realization that indeed there is evil within and that we must not tolerate it any longer.
LENTEN REFLECTIONS FROM
THE CONSCIENCE EXAMINER
Manila, Philippines
