Why Are People's Movement Restricted?

Colonization and globalization have affected our lives in many ways. We act, think, and behave in this way because of them. We tend to forget our own identity because we are too dependent on what colonization and globalization have taught us as years go by. As a matter of fact, the culture and beliefs of Spaniards, Americans and Japanese are still present and alive within us because we continue to practice them. We are not totally free because we are “restricted” too dependent on these foreign influences. For some reason, we are capable of losing our own identity because of them.

A lot of people all over the world are migrating to other places because they want to have a better life. They try to look for their luck in the countries where there are more opportunities to get a good and stable job. However, it is unavoidable that sometimes, they tend to do it in an illegal way. Just imagine our fellow Filipinos who live in other countries who cannot go home to the Philippines because they might not be able to go back to their work. Thinking about it makes me feel bad in a way because they are not with their families. They sacrifice their own happiness in order to give their loved ones money or to provide them with their basic needs.

I think that things like this can be avoided if we only give our very best in making our country more competitive and nationalistic. I’m still hoping that one day, the Philippines can be as successful as China, Japan and Korea. If we learn how to appreciate our culture and try to enhance our talents and skills in different fields, there will be more jobs for the people and the economy of our country will be better. If other countries can do these, why can’t we?

Can We Move Beyond Conflict?

In a society, conflicts are inevitable. Peace cannot enter easily in societies where war, violence and trauma are evident. However, there are some conflicts which can be solved or managed while some are not. The author of the article, Roland Bleiker, focused on the situation of Korea. As we all know, Korean peninsula is divided between a communist north and a capitalist south because of the influence of the countries that colonized it such as America, the Soviet Union, China and Japan. Based on Bleiker’s description, I clearly saw the difference between the North and South Korea. For me, their situation is similar to the Prince and the Pauper. The South Korea is the prince because it is more successful and its economy is in full bloom. On the contrary, the North Korea is one of the poorest countries in the world and isolated. Unlike in the South, violence in North Korea reigns. And it is more capable of doing mass destructions. As a matter of fact, the people who live there are very eager to push through their nuclear program. However, this has yet to be approved because a lot of countries are not in favor of it, since they know that nuclear power is dangerous for everyone.

I suddenly remember some situations that we experience in our everyday interaction with our friends and family. There are times wherein we develop “petite conflicts” with them due to misunderstandings. But whenever one of us tries to talk to the other and say sorry, we become “friends” again. However, this kind of approach is not effective for North Korea. It becomes even more aggressive when “confrontational approach” is being used to negotiate with them. Several South Korean Presidents have had developed some plans and agenda to negotiate with, engage and encourage North Korea to end their nuclear power ambitions. It somehow worked because it reduced conflict in a way. Because of this, North Korea is often seen as “evil”.

After reading the article, I realized that pen (or rather engagement for this case) is mightier than the sword. War is not the answer to solve any conflict. In order to move beyond conflict, I learned that each party involved should learn how to look at its roots to be able to deal with it. Instead of dwelling on the past, why not try to move forward and look beyond, right? Although they take time, I think that we have to learn to forgive and forget in order to create and promote peace. I honestly believe that by doing so, they can definitely make us live with no regret, feel happy and be peaceful in the long run.