easier said than done

For the past year a lot of people have been clamoring for change. Some want charter change. Others want a regime change. Many want economic change. We all want to change our current situation, yet no one wants to change themselves. Let's admit it, we all whine about our country's lack of progress. We are quick to criticize everything done by our leaders. We complain about how hard our life is with soaring oil prices and inflation. We throw everything -including the proverbial kitchen sink- at each other, destroying lives and reputations over ideological disputes. We do everything but solve our problems. We talk and talk and bicker and complain but we do nothing to lift our country from the muck of poverty and corruption and conflict. We are quick to point fingers, wasting time on investigations which lead to nowhere while people suffer and die on the streets.
How can we solve our problems? We should first change ourselves. To change a country we must first change the individuals who make up the country.
One thing we desperately need is discipline. "Sa ikauunlad ng bayan, disiplina ang kailangan"; so goes the slogan of Marcos' "Bagong Lipunan". Say what you want about the guy, but you have to admit he had some pretty good ideas. Our people today have little or no respect for the law. Simple rules such as "bawal tumawid dito" or "bawal magtapon ng basura dito" are ignored by many. If the simplest of laws are broken with impunity, what about the other laws? If the people don't follow such laws as "no loading/unloading here", what's to stop them from stealing or killing? Our people also enjoy short-circuiting the system -any system- as long as it provides greater convenience. Who hasn't tried to find a friend or relative in a government office when applying for a license? Who hasn't tried to bribe a police officer when caught violating traffic rules? Who hasn't tried to jump a line in the supermarket, or in the bank, or in the school cafeteria? Who hasn't cheated in school, or on their income tax return? Who hasn’t beaten the red light, or held back traffic because he/she wants to be the first to make the u-turn? We cry about graft and corruption, we cry about election fraud, we complain about the traffic, yet we fail to realize that we are doing the same things and everyday, albeit in our own little way. In doing so we contribute to the problems of our nation. Discipline is the answer to these problems. Start with the simple things. Follow traffic rules. Throw your waste at the proper place. Fall in line. Wait for your turn. Don't cheat. Set an example for the future leaders of our country by obeying the law. Our children must see us doing what is right instead of what is simply convenient or expedient.