Inertia and Change in a New Philippines

“So many fail because they don't get started - they don't go. They don't overcome inertia. They don't begin.” -Ben Stein

June 30, 2010 marks a new beginning for the Philippines as the new President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III takes over the helm with an overwhelmingly mandate from the Filipino electorate during the 2010 National Elections. The contrast couldn’t have been starker between the hope that the new administration brings and the climate of suspicion that has prevailed since after the 2004 National Elections when the then newly elected President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was accused of electoral fraud. Arroyo would leave office with a legacy of scandals and has already earned the ignominy as the most distrusted and unpopular President the country has ever had.

Trust is a critical element sorely lacking in most Philippine institutions. The collective decision of Filipinos to vote for trust and against corruption in the first ever automated election was a significant first step towards a new Philippines. Because if they’ve been unsatisfied with how the country is performing, it would have been insane if they voted for the same untrustworthy politicians and then expect better outcome.

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” - Albert Einstein

Now the required hard work begins, not only by the new President and his new executive team, but more importantly by all Filipinos whether they voted for Noynoy or not.  If one is to examine the state of this country, one would be paralyzed by the sheer magnitude of its problems.  Starting with an empty state coffer, not to mention a national government debt totaling almost 4.5 Trillion Pesos (=US $100 Billion) as of March 2010, improving the lives of about a third of the population out of poverty would be no mean feat even for a superhero, which the new President is not.

But this is not the biggest of obstacles the new leader is facing. Divisiveness, apathy and hopelessness – all negative attitudes of a people that endured decades of corruption and poverty - that spell doom to any change, much more fundamental changes in the Philippine society.

All these comprise the inertia, the resistance to the genuine reforms that Filipinos have been craving for. To recover its former status in the 50’s as the second richest in Asia, the Philippines has to overcome inertia and get moving to a different direction…and the Filipinos need to start now.

The good news is the unconventional, providential rise of Noynoy Aquino to the Presidency ignited a spark of hope to an otherwise cynical people. To a predominantly Catholic nation, it can be interpreted as divine intervention; and for Noynoy, a destiny to continue the legacies of his parents: the late Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr. and the late President Corazon “Cory” Aquino. For information about the three generations of Benigno Aquinos, also read about the Aquino Legacy.

Although clearly not enough to move the majority, it may be enough to inspire the reformers (=visionaries) to join the supporters (=enthusiasts), as well as sustain the interest of the wait-and-see early majority (=pragmatists) until positive things happen to drive the populace to the tipping point of cultural change (refer to graph above). Thus it is important for the new Aquino administration to follow through with their campaign promises and at least deliver perceptible changes in the right direction as soon as possible or risk dashing hopes and just be relegated as one of the many false starts of Filipinos towards a better society.

Although some Filipinos might still have the illusion that leaders can deliver immediate results or gains, as if the elections are about finding a savior to rescue them out of their misery (while there are also the cynics, on the other extreme, who only see elections as regular events to make easy money), more discerning ones might hope for an actual turnaround after six years, but realistically only expect to achieve an initial solid momentum in the right direction that can be sustained in the next administrations.

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” - Leo Tolstoy

Corruption and the need for changes in society are usually discussed as if it were second- or third-person issues. The pervasiveness of the problems in the Philippine society reflects the flaws within the citizenry – i.e. revealing individual sins of commission and omission accumulated over generations.

“A transition person is one who breaks the flow of bad - the negative traditions or harmful practices that get passed from generation to generation, or from situation to situation, whether in a family, a workplace, a community, or wherever.” – Stephen Covey

Therefore, change must start in each Filipino now. Each must become transition persons for their respective families and communities. According to Stephen Covey, transition persons look within themselves and transcend their own needs that they become lights, not judges; models, not critics; change catalysts, not victims; healers, not carriers in critical times such as this.

It would not be easy as change involves moving out of one’s comfort zone. Many resolutions to change something do not make it to fruition because of inertia, which brings with it the benefits of security and comfort of what is known and what is at hand (status quo). Overcoming inertia, like moving towards the unknown, out of comfort zone, requires much attention, time and energy that not many are willing to invest in no matter how good the potential outcome can be.

So do Filipinos want it enough to really initiate change from within?

Finally, for a predominantly Christian populace, Filipinos must still be reminded about the seven laws of harvest (or laws of sowing and reaping) from the bible paraphrased here for emphasis and relevance:

1. One harvests only where he or she has planted. Filipinos should not expect the locale to flourish if investments are placed offshore.
2. One gets the same kind of seed that he or she has planted. Violence begets violence; love begets love.
3. One harvests at a later time. The next generations would benefit from the good done today.
4. One harvests more than the amount of seeds planted. The goodness one gives today will be given back many times over.
5. One harvests in proportion to what was planted. One cannot expect to gain more than someone else who invested more.
6. The present harvest was planted in the past, while future harvests are affected by what is planted today. The current predicament is brought about by the actions of generations past, while the future depends on the actions taken (or not taken) today.
7. A good full harvest is only possible with perseverance throughout the cropping season. Recognizing the need to follow through, complete benefits from good initiatives can be achieved only through determination and constancy of purpose.

So future generations of Filipinos would either thank the present generation for taking the bold and difficult path to change or curse them for cowardly and apathetically surrendering to the inertia of the status quo.

“Be the change that you want to see in the world.” - Mohandas Gandhi