The coming days will be an opportunity for Filipinos to pause and take stock of the events of the past weeks and months, and to reflect on our direction in the coming days.
The exercise could be a religious one, since the Philippines remains largely Catholic. For those in the faith, the Holy Week could be a time to examine how their words and actions have been aligned – or not — to what they claim to believe in and to the virtues they aspire to.
But it need not be directly linked to one’s religious affiliation.
As work and school pause, and as families take the time to take a break from their routines, Filipinos could ponder the situation they are in – as individuals, communities, or a nation – and how they have taken part in its shaping.
Certainly, the country faces numerous problems on multiple fronts. Some of these are beyond our control. We can only hope that those tasked to make decisions on behalf of millions have the interest of the majority in mind an not their own.
We can also evaluate our own participation in society’s ills, for example the spread of disinformation or hatred, or the failure to exact accountability from those who style themselves as public servants.
And whether we are talking from a religious or secular point of view, it is always a good thing to hope: from death comes resurrection, and from failures arise a will to do better.
Likewise, these last few weeks leading to the elections afford the people the opportunity to look at the candidates offering themselves up for the job. With more time in our hands, at least in the next few days, we can make an effort to read up on candidates, get to know their backgrounds and advocacies, and decide whether they are truly deserving of our vote.
Often, the demands of a frenetic life lead us to swing from one task to another, with hardly any time to pause, disconnect from the noise, and think. This week, let us make sure that we give ourselves time to do just that, as we ponder our individual choices and collective destinies.