Take A Stand

I was in 4th year high school when I really go into the whole PRO vs ANTI RH Bill debate. 

I'll confess i knew little about this bill; I knew it was about:

• legalizing the use of contraceptives such as birth control pills and condoms 
• providing people, as early as kids in grade school and so forth, with proper education about proper reproduction and how you can opt not to get a girl pregnant. also, teaching women about their cycle and what they can do to prevent getting pregnant
• allocating money for contraceptives to be given to people
• legalizing abortion/ killing unborn babies 

Seems harsh don't you think, but look at society now. 

Our country's been dealing with social issues such as over population and personally, i think it's time to take action. Having this bill put to account does not really imply that just because it's allowed, you have to do it. People are still accountable for their own actions; you can still say no to premarital sex, you can still say no to using contraceptives and no to having your kid aborted. Yes, I am PRO RH Bill and also a Catholic. Religion adds up to this ANTI vs. PRO argument by convincing people that it goes against respect for life. My argument, isn't it that if you respect life you would want to be able to provide proper nurture and needs to help it grow the way it deserves to? And in present, is that what most people get? My faith is really against abortion and so am i but parents would be accountable for the child that they brought into this world. I remember having seminars in church that urged us to be anti RH bill. At some point I find it wrong that they're forcing us to go with what they believe because I believe that people should be making decisions for themselves. It’s like saying you have to go against something because your religion is. I think they should just discuss their side and reason to why we should support it or not. But in my experience the speakers just emphasized that my faith is against it and so should I because it is morally wrong. 

Another argue made by the speaker was that she finds it wrong that kids should be educated about this at a young age because they don’t know anything about it and it would be wrong to disrupt their innocence.  

I remember having a debate about legalizing this Bill in one of my Social Studies class when i was in high school. My teacher asked one of my classmates to why is she ANTI RH bill and her argument was just because her religion says no to it because it goes against respect for life. He argued that people living in the slums know nothing about family planning. Why? Because they don't have money to get proper education. Now given that that isn't provided by the government (such as present) who would tell them that what they're doing is wrong? Sure some people should learn the hard way but what harm would it be to give them a warning or knowledge to what might happen next.

I also asked a few family members to what their stand is and none of my family members are for it. As a side note, they do not know I am for it, I just really wanted to know why they were against it. Anyway, they are against it because they think that natural family planning should be done. I agree too but I thought how would people in the slums know what family planning is if they can't even afford food. Yes values are implicated but I think we should take into consideration the status of our country. 

Media's role in this is to show to the public familiar faces, if not people who are of influence that are in favour and those who are against it. People who are ignorant to even take a personal stand on this issue just go with whoever they think is of influence and sides with them. Also there is a sense of false advertisement wherein they hide some details to make it seem acceptable and right. I think the media should discuss this issue presenting both sides of being anti or pro so the people would know what the intentions of each side are. I also think that it would be able to minimize issues on the account because stating points of each side would set a clear view for people and would let them be able to decide accurately. Government officials are also factors of deciding for this. It would depend on their up bringing and what their purpose or intentions are. Also I think that they should educate the youth with proper values and well it is the duty of the parents to be able to teach their kids that.

My pros and cons this bill are:

Pros:

It could minimize overpopulation in our country and also it can minimize poverty too due to the population’s reduction. People in the slums would be given proper education and the youth wouldn’t be as promiscuous because they would know the outcome of their actions given that they were educated about sex.

Cons:

People would abuse the use of contraceptives and it would decrease morality by being sexually active.

The purpose of legalizing this bill is aimed at the betterment of our country by trying to solve over population  but I think that people are just looking at the bill in a negative perspective that they don't realise that our country's social issues are far worse.  Other countries that follow after this bill have been able to solve their issues on overpopulation. The effects of overpopulation in out country are far worse if you think of it to the extent that people here experience malnutrition. Severe action must be done, if not tried.

-Jerrpanx

Prisoner's Dilemma Solving the RH Bill.

         What can a prisoner’s dilemma do to help our government officials make choices? Well, for one, this can help solve the most controversial topic we have in the present, the Reproductive Health Bill (HB4244) also known as the RH bill. There are two opposing parties regarding this bill. It is between the government and the Church. It is under the Philippine law (Article II, Section 6), that there is a clear separation between the Church and the state; though, being in a catholic country, it is inevitable to apply this law. Most of the time, the Church, can interfere with the laws being put up in our government especially when they think that it is a must. 

          The Reproductive Health Bill was first introduced by Hon. Edcel Lagaman to provide for a comprehensive policy on responsible parenthood and also to regulate the increasing population we have today. The Church was against this law because then the value of the natural family planning would not be practiced. They said that it would kill unborn babies which are against pro-life. There have been debates between them together with their supporters whether to pass this law or not. This is where the prisoner’s dilemma takes place. Now, we would be able to see the possible outcomes between the government and the Church through their self-interest.

           The two possible actions regarding the situation given is to either both join and work together to weigh their interests or to both follow their own personal perceptions. If they both cooperate with each other, amendment of the bill can happen at the same time, both groups get an edge on this decision. Both of them would be able to benefit from their self interest. Then of course, both get what they want. On the other hand, when the both of them decide to follow their own self interest, then there would be a possibility that chaos would happen. Let us just say that the government would approve the bill then rallies from the supporters of the Church would be evident all over. The Church has the power to do something the state would not want. An example to this would be that, the Church can give a bad publicity to its followers that would result for them not to vote the government official in the elections anymore. It would result to a bad impact to some government officials which they do not want to happen. 

           In terms of the choices given in the prisoner’s dilemma, there are four possible choices each group can pick. A win-win, win-lose, lose-win and lose-lose situations. The four choices have their own benefits and consequences together with them.

          The government’s most preferred choice would definitely pass the bill since economically speaking; it would help lessen our population. It would give the women of today the option to decide for their own bodies. It would help people be more aware and help them be more knowledgeable. When this happens, it would create a huge gap between the Church and the government. Church would definitely protest against them. Their second option would bring them to an equal cooperation with the Church for the betterment of the both. If this would happen, then there would be few adjustments in the bill at the same time, get the interest of the Church. The third option would be to simply ignore the bill. Ignoring the bill would bring the Church to keep quiet and forget about the whole thing. Lastly, losing is their very last resort. They do not want this to happen because then they would be inferior of the Church which is the last thing they would want to happen. 

          The other group, which is the Church, would definitely choose not to pass the bill. Being a Catholic country, again, they would care for the people to practice morality everywhere. In the bill, the Church contradicts the content of it since for them it provokes people to disobey the Catholic teachings. It would ruin young people’s minds. Their second option is the same with the government’s; to cooperate together to come up with an equal decision. Both would benefit if this would happen. The third option would not to mind the bill since it would be useless to fight for it anymore and their very least preferred choice would be to pass the bill. If this happens, they would lose, giving a bad reputation to the name of the Church. 

          Until now there is no decision made between the two groups. I believe that the prisoner’s dilemma has once again helped a situation occurring in our world today. It has given opportunities for people to decide. The benefits and consequences are both weighed with its help. Now the both groups together with their supporters can finally see the pros and cons. They can judge facts based from each other without jumping into conclusions. 

         In my own opinion, I think that the government should change some parts of the said bill in order for the Church to approve it. With this, both the government and the church would benefit. In reality, this law is needed in order to keep our population from increasing though we again have to consider the Church’s interest. It would be a win-win situation for both government and the Church if they choose to cooperate and still pursue their self-interest and yet reach the mutually-beneficial outcome.

 -panda

Prisoner's Dilemma = Rizal Law

The prisoner’s dilemma helped explain the outcome of one of the most controversial bills in history called the Rizal Law also known as Republic Act 1425. Way back in 1955, before the Law was passed, it was still known as the Nolil-Fili Bill. Those who were pro-Rizal Law included the nationalist members of the Congress, the House of Representatives, Philippine Public School Teachers and even Emilio Aguinaldo. Those who were anti-Rizal Law included Catholic schools, members of the Congress who are related to a clergy, clergies, priests and bishops. Basically, this was a huge issue between the government and the Catholic Church. 

The Noli-Fili Bill proposed to make Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo a compulsory reading matter in all schools to reawaken the sense of nationalism of the Filipinos, to open their eyes and to make them feel proud of their nationality and history. Also, Jose Rizal serves as an inspiring source of patriotism and his works should develop the Filipinos’ moral character and teach the duties as a citizen of the Philippines. The Catholic Church was against this because Jose Rizal’s works attacked the Church during the Spanish rule wherein he violated the Catholic Canon Law on heresy and schism.  When the prisoner’s dilemma is applied, we could find how behavior motivated by self-interest might lead to outcomes that are sub-optimal between the government and the Catholic Church.

Two possible actions that either side should do are to cooperate with each other or think of themselves to get their self-interest. The government could ignore the protests of the Catholic Church and just go on with the approval of the Noli-Fili Bill or they could just cooperate with the church and find a solution that both of them could agree on. The Catholic Church can threaten the government by closing down their Catholic schools or also, they could just cooperate with the government and find a solution that they could both agree on.

Both opposing sides would not want to be in a position where they will not benefit from a choice they have made. Either one wins or one loses but there is also a choice of stalemate, when both choose to cooperate and win at the same time. The two individuals have different preference rankings over their possible outcomes and this can be demonstrated with the use of the Prisoner’s Dilemma.

There are four options: Win-win, lose-win, win-lose, lose-lose.

The most preferred ranking of the government, being the one who controls and has the power of everything in the country, is to get the bill passed as soon as possible. Knowing the government, they would pay any amount to get what they want and would not care (usually) of what happens to their opponent especially since it’s the Catholic Church since they should not be interfering in this situation (Church vs. State). Their second preferred ranking would probably be to cooperate with the Catholic Church since they cannot get the bill passed with another high power that is protesting against them. There are even those who are part of the government who are protesting against them (government officials who are related to clergies). Their third preferred ranking would be not doing anything about it anymore because I think they would rather not do anything than let the Catholic Church win since they want the Noli-Fili Bill to be passed. Losing is the last resort and probably not even an option.

On the side of the Catholic Church, they do not have the power to control the people but I think their first preference ranking is that both sides will win. Cooperation is the key so that the government and the Catholic Church will benefit from the possible outcome. They can add or take out something from the bill and make certain changes that can make it agreeable to both individuals. Not passing the bill would be their second preference because they are really against the Anti-Catholic Jose Rizal and his “errors of church dogma.” Their third preference would be not doing anything about it since nothing will happen and their least preferable action would be letting the government win and there is no way that they will make that happen.

In the end, the bill was finally passed and it ended as a win-win situation because the church finally accepted for it to be passed provided that, with the government’s cooperation, changes should be made in the Noli-Fili bill. The Noli-Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo shall be taught in schools in their unexpurgated version. The Noli-Fili Bill was approved, it became the Rizal Law and this showed that both individuals moved to the equilibrium of “Defect, Defect” to “Cooperate, Cooperate.” 

In this situation, the government and the Catholic Church considered each others’ reasons on the bill so that the outcome moved towards a positive condition. For the Catholic Church, they had a pretty personal reason on why they did not want it to be passed. They did not want their reputation to be ruined because of Jose Rizal nor did they want the students to learn about how the Church took advantage and abused the early Filipinos. As for the government, they wanted to bill to be passed to bring about nationalism in the Philippines. They weighed each others’ reasons and gained each others’ trust in coming up with a solution. In cooperation, trust and restoring right relationships must be present in order to be able to pursue self-interest and at the same time reach a mutually-beneficial outcome.

▲▲▲

Reproductive Health Bill: A Simple Point to which Filipino couldn’t Digest.

R.H. bill, also known as Reproductive Health Bill has been pushed by people of different hierarchies for different reasons such as, political and economical purposes. It made everyone come to their senses that our very own motherland, Philippines has long been losing its resources and could worsen if these occurrences couldn’t be solved. I’m going to give different stands from different individual/groups that made me understood the true essence of this bill and its implementation that made my stand as it is today.

First and foremost, my religion matter the most in shaping me as an individual. It taught me how to manage myself not just physically, but as well as spiritually. As this ever-debatable bill occurs, Bible and Philosophy also starts to interfere with one another. Catholicism is against the bill and would do everything to destroy its image to the Philippine mass, while Politicians care about the welfare of Filipinos, and how our country’s image is affected, as well as how it affects our society in general. Meanwhile, my religion I.N.C. (Iglesia Ni Cristo) is in favor with what the bill seems to exploit, not just about engaging in sexual intercourses, but the bill also provides important information’s about how to prevent getting pregnant and having to engage in Family-planning.

Second, my parents, well-known for not just being the: “haligi ng tahanan and ilaw ng tahanan”, but as well as the lawmakers in our home. Seriously, they are pro’s for this bill, because obviously they made use of contraceptives and family planning. They are also aware of the social stability, and poverty that is rampant in our nation these days. And chose to take their stand for the betterment of Filipinos whose needs are more than what they are paid for. I believe in what my parents are fighting for, they cradled me for my whole existence, and never failed to choose what’s best for my interests. They are also businessmen, so they know how their employees do the everyday grinding work. These employees of them, were the products of Poverty and that the bill should cut this routine of ours.

Third is what I consider my society and community, the homo’s which recently Dionisia Pacquiao insulted and oppressed in her statements, urging the gay community to fight back in their most polite manner, where Candelario (a gay representative) pointed out that being gay and taking contraceptives isn’t a demonic thing for our society. A conclusion for this is that people shouldn’t carelessly give their comments like what the evil witch said, and that we should always take account of what our perception and how to manage our stand without hurting others about the topic. The Homo society just wants freedom, respect, and equal-rights, a word and a concept that many of us toss about without much thought, which is really a simple act of understanding, but because of different factors it was kept obscured and was dominated by the first and second sexes.

Fourth is The Media men, they’ve change the face our society and how should people think of their stand in this Bill, they’ve encourage people to become a pro or a con in this topic, thru their advertisements and mass communication. They intensified the fight for this bill and were given the opportunity to let our community hear its people.

And lastly my friends, who have the same thinking as I am. PRO and not a CON. Basically, what I am really imposing in this whole thought is that we have the freedom to choose what is good and bad, and what choices will suite us the best. As a college student we don’t have much of an idea in this topic, unlike our parents, and grandparents, etc.  What we have is just a fraction of insights, but is legible enough to be understood. We are still young, and we want things to be in perfect places, just like a dream where culture, tradition, ideas, beliefs, etc., doesn’t exist hence a utopia for someone who likes freedom.

I generated my beliefs from different people, peers, and society which contributed much of what my statements is, and who shaped my thinking for the last sixteen years. Through these experiences I’ve learned to accept people’s thoughts and interests and application of different thought around me. My mom uses contraceptives and God didn’t even sue her for that, so that technically means no other people could stop us from doing what’s best for us in the most legal form of way. Also, Media played a big part in my generation of this thoughts, I’ve understand that The Reproductive Health bill would be essential in helping our community to dilate its concentration in our over-populated area, thru the program and educational services it could provide to Filipinos. The worst part is that with this never-ending poverty a good education couldn’t be attained by modest income families, In addition to this topic, the intervention of the Church really affects how devoted catholic’s (which is locally 85 percent of our population) think and act in this form of issue, in this way they could have a big impact in how their society propel in decision-makings and how to ingest the thought which the Bill is exploiting.

I’ve read my statements three times, and came to an understanding, that what my stand implies was solidified by the people of different ages that surrounds me, and that it was all my characteristics that encapsulates the whole thing. It’s my core belief that made those decisions heard and known. I always wanted to have an absolute freedom and equal-rights, that’s why no matter how people injects things that will destroy my whole concept of life, could not put my guards down, not that I’m close-minded, it’s just that those things were for me the fundamentals of achieving and understanding the process of how people can be a citizen of his/her own motherland.

                                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                       -COBUS,

 

The RH Bill: The Influences of my Stand

          The RH Bill promotes a better state for the Philippines due to the current case of overpopulation. Overpopulation has caused many families into poverty, hunger and ignorance--these evident in many areas in the Philippines. Large rates of Filipinos in the country are greatly affected by poverty. They lack education; they are in lack of responsibility and knowledge of the outcomes that may come of their actions. The RH Bill simply mends this issue for the betterment of the country and its people.

In the country today, there is an ongoing argument regarding the passing of the RH Bill. Most people outside the relations of the church approve of this bill while the church is otherwise. The people involved in the Pro-RH Bill states that if this bill would be passed, it will grant the Philippines a better society. There would be an avoidance of overpopulation and irresponsibility among Filipinos—this according to the many contents of the RH Bill.

          I am Pro-RH Bill. I have seen the state of the Philippines and I believe that the passing of the RH Bill would somehow make the country’s condition progress. Overpopulation and the widespread of impecunious Filipinos are few of the many social issues that are present today. I am concerned as well with regards to the health and lifestyle of those Filipinos who are and will be sexually active. Furthermore, my beliefs are strongly influenced by prominent people in the country and by the people who are near me.  

          According to Section 2 of the House Bill No. 5043, also known as the RH Bill, “The State upholds and promotes responsible parenthood, informed choice, birth spacing and respect for life in conformity with internationally recognized human rights standards.

          The State shall uphold the right of the people, particularly women and their organizations, to effective and reasonable participation in the formulation and implementation of the declared policy.

This policy is anchored on the rationale that sustainable human development is better assured with a manageable population of healthy, educated and productive citizens.

          The State likewise guarantees universal access to medically safe, legal, affordable and quality reproductive health care services, methods, devices, supplies and relevant information thereon even as it prioritizes the needs of women and children, among other underprivileged sectors.” This proves only the factors that would benefit the country’s rise to its improvement. The implementation of this bill would be beneficial to the country because of the many problems it is facing today; the country is truly in need of help and cooperation among its people in able to attain a finer nation. This section of the bill has influenced my stand through the tackling and study of the RH Bill during a point in time in my high school—there I developed a better understanding of the issues in the Philippines and the role of the RH Bill on it.

          People of influence such as Edcel Lagman and President Noynoy Aquino are for the bill. “The bill will promote sustainable human development. The UN stated in 2002 ‘family planning and reproductive health are essential to reducing poverty.’ The UNICEF also asserts ‘family planning could bring more benefits to more people at less cost than any other single technology now available to the human race”(Lagman, 2008). As to what I have said earlier, poverty is prevalent in the Philippines today; one way of mending this social issue is through the passage of the RH Bill. Meanwhile, President Noynoy Aquino is being attacked and threatened by the Church for supporting the RH Bill. He then stated, "I’m a Catholic, I’m not promoting it. My position is more aptly called responsible parenthood rather than reproductive health." I agree with his statement because there are many Filipino families these days that are not able to provide for themselves due to their lack of knowledge regarding responsible parenthood. I believe that the Church interferes too much on the passage of the RH Bill. They must open their minds to the reality in which the Philippines is going through today; the Philippines is in dire need of reform in order to obtain an improved country. The mere fact the many Filipinos are unaware with regards to sex education gives the implication that Filipinos are unable to give themselves a healthy and safe lifestyle that involves sex.

          Moving on, as I have said in the beginning of my paper, people close to me have influenced my stand on the RH Bill. These people are the people I am with everyday. As the issue continues on to its purpose, it has been the topic in my household for a very long time. There are instances in which my mother and my sisters would talk about the pros of the RH Bill for hours and this added to my support for the RH Bill.

           My mother, who has influenced me in so many ways since birth, is for the RH Bill. She agrees on what most people say that the country is overpopulated. She also believes that in time, the government would not be able to sustain the poverty-stricken families due to their population. I saw eventually what she meant; the government would be able to accommodate most of the people in need and it will be easier for them and no one would be left out.

          Simultaneously, my sisters say that if the bill would be passed, there would be less ignorance and informal settlers. Likewise, they said that if the stand of the church was to be Pro-Life, then why would they not let the passing of the bill when there are children in the streets dying of hunger and decent shelter. I considered their ideas as part of my stand on the bill. If the bill should be passed, fewer children in the Philippines would die of hunger and shelter; less people in the Philippines would encounter the hardships of poverty and death due to poverty.

          My ideas and beliefs come from those people who have great influence on me. Also, as a Filipino, I am only stating and standing up for what I believe that is good to my country and people. I consider the RH Bill as something that would help the Filipinos grow and improve the country’s order and state. 

-tapiocagirl

Look ahead - My stand on the RH bill

                I found out about the RH bill during my senior year in high school. It was all the grown-ups around me were talking about; my parents talked about it during dinners at my grandparents’ house, my teachers were voicing out there opinions on the issue during classes while I still had no idea what the RH bill’s contents were. Out of curiosity, I decided to look up what all the fuss was about. I read online about the RH bill’s contents and found nothing wrong with what it contains. Of course, I found the bill too idealistic and I had my doubts about how the government is ever going to make it work, if in case the bill was passed.

I have heard a lot of opinions about the RH bill from people who were close to me. My parents’ opinion on the bill was that our country needed it but the government has bigger things to worry about. They believed that the RH bill would have to wait; the government had to address other issues bigger than the controversial bill. On the other hand my teachers from my all-girls catholic high school are against the bill. My teachers and our parish priest all taught us that life starts at conception, using condoms and/or other contraceptives stops life; it is, according to them, murder of an unborn baby. This opinion sort of scared me. I mean, nobody wants to be labelled a murderer especially by religious groups in which they belong in.

Stop life. Two ordinary words when put together come up with a really bad sentence. No one in their right mind would dare utter something as hateful as this. The people who opposed the bill saw this as the main goal of the RH bill while the ones who are for it think otherwise; they believe that it is not stopping life but giving people a chance to live, a chance to survive, and a chance to move forward.

My opinion on the bill was mostly based on what I know of it, what people think of it, and whoever influences me. As a Catholic, people probably think I’d be against the bill since the church has been really really active in showing how against they are to the bill but, in all honesty, I am not against the bill. If I had to choose and if my choice would actually matter to this situation, I’d say I’m pro the RH bill. The bill may be too idealistic and sometimes unreal but I think it’ll do our country some good. Our country needs that right now.

I’ve learned to spot the difference between those who are pro the bill and those who are against it. Usually, those who are against the bill are traditional, religious, and old while those who are for it seem to be those who are open-minded and not-so-religious. That’s just my opinion, of course.

Okay, back on topic.  I remember that one time last year during my Christian Living class, our teacher told us a little insight on the RH bill. She told us that people who were for the bill are promoting promiscuity in a country that is as conservative and religious as the Philippines. I think our country probably can’t handle something as controversial as this bill since everything the bill stands for is being taken differently by those who oppose it. We first have to learn how to debate and oppose each other without bringing anybody down. That’s when the fight will truly be fair. The church and the state should know that.

I find the church’s belief regarding the RH bill to be biased and misjudged. I came to this conclusion while listening to a priest rant about the bill on and on and on during the homily a few months ago. I kept thinking to myself how biased the church was about their beliefs. To the church, their belief was right and everyone else’s belief is not. 

The way I think is influenced by the people around me. My stand on the bill wasn’t because it was somebody else’s stand; their points of view influenced me in a way that their way of thinking made me question and reflect about the bill. I thought about how the church saw the bill as something evil and how the government promotes it as the only good thing they can do for our country right now. I, on the other hand, believe that maybe in some ways both of them are right.  Maybe the RH bill could do both good and bad for the Philippines. It all just depends on a person’s interpretation of what good and bad is.

                My decision to be pro-RH isn’t because I thought the government is right and the church is wrong. My opinion on the matter was based purely on what I believe would make our country progress. I guess, you could probably say I’m a little bit biased but that’s your opinion and this is mine. I just hope they could get this over with and make new laws that people wouldn’t be afraid to stand up for; new laws where we, the people, will benefit from immediately. I mean, it’s great that people are looking to the future and seeing all the possibilities this bill could help make. I just hope that those who oppose the bill would see that; see the good things it could give us and not just concentrate on their negative ideas of what the future will be because of the bill. Okay, that’s probably it. You could interpret this blog as something that promotes the bill or some kind of rant against its opposers but that’s far from it. I just wanted to voice out my opinion and acknowledge the people who influence me with regard to my stand on the bill.

                                                                                                                                      - behindthescenes

My Own Definition of Utopia.

 

       “Someone’s utopia might as well be someone else’s distopia.” That quote was said by my professor. It made me realize that the statement may be true.  All of us have different perceptions on things. We all have our own differences. Different preferences we choose to and we believe in.  

        Way back last year, I took up an elective in my senior year on political science to enhance my knowledge about it. Not only that, but also out of curiosity regarding the subject. We learned things like government systems and ideologies. I get to answer and think rationaly like what I am doing in my Political Science subject here in college. It helped me understand the basics about it and trained me to think outside the box. Remembering all the things I have learned, I can now say what my ideal society is and how to make it possible. 

        In our group video advertisment, we descibed our utopia as something peaceful. It is a society where unity happens. Everything valuable to you can be found. Freedom is important especially to people. What makes it unique from the other groups is that, we focused ours on the love for nature. It is evident in the video that a girl was walking towards different places. Well for me, she is on her journey looking for her own utopia. There are many ways to achieve this. It is just that not all are possible with the way our society behaves. With this, I came up of five main points or solutions to achieve what we call our own personal utopia. 

       First, people should suggest and voice out their own opinions towards something. Without these, people would not be able to hear their insights regarding a said issue. When this happens, then unity can be possible because then it would be more organized. By saying we need unity in achieving a perfect society, then it is just like adding another promise to another that could pile up until it comes to a point where it would never be done in the end. Second, people should know how to compromise. This would help the society to make decisions at the same time putting together what is best not only for them but also for the best of the society. This could train people to know how to think of others sometimes. Third, people should know how to follow rules. Yes, rules are already imposed. In fact, these rules are very helpful and relevant to our daily needs. The only thing that lacks is proper imposing of these rules and people who follow because personally, I think that if everyone follows, then for sure there would be at least a slight change in this society we are in. Fourth, we should all maximize our available resources. This might be hard for others to impose soon but this could help to achieve our utopia. This would help because when people maximize their resources then there would be less people who are marginalized. Resources would be more available for the others. Lastly, I believe that being optimistic would complete the steps into achieving our utopia. Why? Because, when a person is optimistic, his or her direction in life would be affected. In relation to this, decisions and preferences are also affected in a sense that the way a person acts would affect the society. When an optimistic person affects the society, he or she can influence them to be one. When the society is then optimistic, then there you can find our meaning of utopia which is peace, inner peace. 

         If this society would be compared to an ideology present, I would say that this is slightly comparable to Neo liberalism. Only in a sense that, it has minimal control of a government which means more freedom for the people. This ideology is also infavor in the interest of the society which is like the society we have thought of. In every society, there must be a form of government to at least guide the people. In this one too, it is needed. Though, unlike the others, minimal control is needed because one of our main focuses is that people should still be able to address their own voice. The government is just there to act as a head to look out on everyoneand help organize the society to keep it away from chaos. In my own opinion, a society without a government system would fail. First because it would lack organization among all. Second, it would produce greedy and unruly people. 

        How to make this kind of society last? Well, I believe that would be easy. With the things I mentioned above, proper implication would definitely be a must. Of course, it does not end there. It is also needed to create proper consistency among everyone because if not, then this society would eventually fail. If when in the start people act and follow and then in the end they do not, then obviously it would fail. If those two things happen, then for sure this society would last.

       Like what I said, others might not look at this as their utopia. Others might think that this is just a normal society. Even you might think this is a useless one. But again, it is a person’s own perspective of what a utopia is for him or her. Sometimes, once in a while, it is also good to dream for something to happen. This is my utopia. Our group’s utopia. Maybe, someday, you would find your own true meaning of utopia too.

 -panda

Utopia, according to me.

In our Political Science course, our professor told each of our groups in class to make a video of our ideal society. We asked ourselves and thought deep about it. What came into our minds were peace, equality, non-violence and all those goody-goody things that everyone wants. Sure, we wanted those too but it sounded too cliché so my group thought deeper. We came up with something a bit more off than the usual ideal society. We thought that since we are young, we did not want to deal with the problems of the adults. No corruption? Low tax rates? A better government? I mean, those also affect us and how we live but we since we are just kids, we wanted to deal with our own personal teenage dream.

Our concept was the outdoor freedom. It is what every teenager wants – to be free. Some of us want time to fast forward and just grow up. Some of us want to stay as kids. Not having jobs, being able to do whatever we want, receiving allowance, being able to play, run and cry and it would be okay and having people to take care of you. It’s a child’s life that we want!

In our video, it shows how every kid looks forward to summer or any break or holiday. Always being out of the house, hanging out in the playground, playing sports in the park, and all those ordinary things a kid does because he has all the time in the world to do anything before school starts.

Also, we thought of a world where everything is just full of nature. Kids these days are into technology, going to malls and all that but sometimes, we just want to play around. We want to run around a field of grass and flowers, swim on the lake, and simply just enjoy nature. We want an environment that is not polluted and we want a nice view where we can see nothing but the moon, stars and the skies.

We want a society where friends can enjoy being with each other. We want a society where we don’t waste our time and lives at home just staring in front of a computer. We want to live life to the fullest.

So, how do we achieve our ideal society?

There is this one thing that we go through when we want to go out – Asking permission from our parents. Personally, I find it a hard task because I am afraid of rejection. Also, I dislike it when my parents would ask me every single detail about what I am going to do, where I am going to go, who I am going out with, etc. I know they are just trying to be protective and they want me to be safe but it kind of bugs me sometimes. When I want my freedom to go outside, the best thing to do is to be the best daughter I can be. I have to study well and excel in school. I have to do whatever they tell me to do; to be an obedient daughter. So that I can be allowed to go out, I have to make my parents happy. It makes me happy when they are happy and especially when I am the reason for it. To be able to get something you want, you must give back in return. Having a strong relationship with our parents and family is what I want in my ideal society.

Little things can make huge differences. Simply throwing trash in the right bin can help the environment become a better place. In other words, don’t litter! Reuse, reduce, recycle! I can plant trees to avoid floods and more trees = more air/cold weather = less use of the airconditioner (It releases greenhouse gas emissions and pollutants that create holes in the ozone layer). I can join outreach programs that would help out the environment like clean-ups, etc. I can lessen the use of plastic! They take forever to break down. Did you know that the first ever made plastic in history recently diminished? I could shop and use a bag made of cloth for my groceries. Use paper! There are kids right now who think smoking is cool. I will never ever ever smoke in my life. One cigarette can cause little smoke that can harm the ozone layer but if everyone smokes, that’s one huge hole coming. Since I am college now, I have to be more independent and avoid relying on my parents too much. I have to live in reality and commute! That is what my father would always tells me, “Tapos na ang buhay Assumptionista mo.” I was so used to being brought to school and being brought back home using a private car. Now, I have to commute going to school and going back home. It’s actually fun because I get to experience real life and knowing how to go to places on my own. The perks of commuting is not having a curfew and going home anytime I want! Anyway, back to the topic, lessen the use of private cars and increase the use of public transportation to reduce the amount of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions produced every day. It is also cheaper! If I go to a near destination, I could walk or ride my bicycle (no, not to school) and at the same time, exercise my way there for a healthier lifestyle.

Life would be perfect if all these could happen but in reality, we can’t have everything our way. Happiness is the solution to everything. Look at the positive things in life and don’t be a hater. Look at the glass half-full and not half-empty. Enjoy life with your friends and family because not everything lasts. Whatever you want to do now, do it. Don’t hold back. There are only so many tomorrows.

▲▲▲

Utopia