Through the Eyes of a Foreigner
By Andrew Engel
Ever tried to hold on to a Spinning Wheel, with your Teeth?
Can you imagine what you might do if one morning you woke to find you were the President of the Philippines.
Would you have an agenda to work on? Would you have a vision for the future of the country? Where would you start and what would be your priorities? Who would be the first person you would call?
It’s a mental exercise you might consider doing. Step back from the role of citizen, observer or commentator and put yourself in the hot seat.
I’m sure for many their first instinct would be to doubt their ability, their qualifications to do the job. Immediately, the magnitude of the role would start to dawn, the subjective and narrow concerns each of us holds would be swamped by the concerns of the whole body politic…….. and 100 million Filipinos.
Does the burden seem a bit heavier now you are in office?
So you are concerned about education. What are you going to do? How about health, defence, foreign relations, economic growth, corruption, financial systems, the global economy, the constitution, separatism, framing a budget, selecting the heads of departments, regional issues, making speeches, answering questions on all subjects, picking a cabinet, the environment, power and energy, urban planning, infrastructure, population growth, agriculture, industry development, foreign investment, taxation, poverty alleviation, social welfare, culture, the arts and sport, dealing with vested interest, political strategy, tactics, vision, the law and the list goes on….and on.
How do you feel now?
Are you ready to go back to bed yet?
No, well let’s get on to personal qualities and traits
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Whatever your character, your personal failings, human weaknesses, you can expect that the people will have high expectations for you.
Were the position to be filled as a result of a job application we can surmise in thinking about people’s expectations that it would contain the following human qualities: honesty and unshakable integrity, selflessness, gallantry, intelligence, loyalty, vision, kindness, concern for others, knowledge, patience, strength, supreme communication skills, credibility, decency, a humanitarian, historian and citizen of the world.”
The Job ad could be headed, “Required: an extraordinary human being”.
You will need to have the fortitude to remain confident in the face of criticism, but be open to better ideas, while keeping a firm eye on the political consequences of appearances. The job ahead will require a personality with the strength to act, the ability to organise, the certainty to know what is right and the arrogance to believe you are correct, all while harbouring doubts, not knowing anything for certain and showing humility.
Hmmm, this is getting harder all the time.
There are serious messages underlying the question, in particular that the job is one that can only be done with the help of the majority. It should remind us to be a little less certain in our criticisms, or at the very least more understanding. Yes, criticism is valid, indeed essential, but it is not too much to ask for a touch of humility in the process, particularly when the job is being done with honest intent.
It is worth reflecting on not only the magnitude of the job but also the complexity it entails when we jump in and offer our arm chair expertise.
To cherry pick that which concerns us, and let the rest pass by, is a luxury only the uninvolved get to enjoy.
The point I intend is that the job of running a country is beyond difficult, it is near impossible and no single human has the capacity to do it perfectly.
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In playing this question game with friends and family, another human trait has been most evident, and that is humour. I have been left in fits of laughter as people confront the question. Usually, they have nothing to say at first, struck dumb by the implications, a nervous laugh preceding a puckering of the brow.
One friend spent the first few minutes just shaking his head in dismay as he tried to put it together in his mind, before finally saying the first thing he would do is have breakfast! Typically Filipino wouldn’t you say, let’s eat first. Here is a sample of some other responses:
I’d resign. I’d find out how much I was being paid, than I’d resign. I’d take a sick day. I’d call my mother.
Yep, as much as we might want to have the power of the Presidency, most of us would not take it even if it was handed to us on a golden platter.
It would be a bit like the proverbial dog chasing a car wheel, catching it and then thinking, what the hell do I do now? To complete the imagery, picture the dog spinning through 360 degrees at speed being belted each time it hit the ground.
The next time you comment, reflect for a moment what you would do if you woke up one morning and found………………..The more I think about it, the more I think I’ll just go back to bed.
(You can find Andrew’s article and comment on andrewengel.blogspot.com)
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