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.

What Can We Do to Stop People Harming Others?

Have you imagined our world without laws? What do you think will happen if there are no laws? Without laws, the world will be much worse and more chaotic. Extensive stealing, throwing trash everywhere, smoke belching and other activities that are contrary to the law will be prevalent. There will be no discipline at all. And each nation will not become a better place to live in.

When our professor asked us the difference between legitimacy and legality, I began to think carefully because for me, they are just the same. During the class discussion, he explained how these two terms differ from each other. I learned that legitimacy is acknowledging or recognizing the authority because there is something in return, while legality is concerned with laws. Without legality, the world will be no peace and order. While listening, I realized that knowing difference of legitimacy and legality is important because it enables us to understand the role of laws in our lives. In the Philippines, legality loses its sense because it is not being practiced properly. For example, admit it or not, when we go against the traffic law, we give some money to a police so we will not surrender our driver’s license. I have nothing against the police but this is the reality. Unfortunately, this is happening in the real world.

Laws have an important role in our lives. They are fundamental. They are here to guide and protect us so they should not take them for granted. However, most of us do not abide by them since we are not oriented about them. Laws should be practiced properly by us, so they could be effective. We should take an extra effort to follow these laws to keep our country peaceful and orderly. On the other hand, law-makers should be a combination of metaphysical, decisionist and democratic, rather than a realist. Laws should not be made as a result of self-interest. They should be "people-centered". In other words, they are focused on the good of the people, to serve them in a just way. Our professor shared that we should be the protector of human progress. We can have the peace and order tand even justice, once we learn to understand the importance of the account of law.

Why Do Some People Think They Know What's Good for Others? What Makes the World Dangerous?

I believe that the nature of the human person consists of two sides: the good and the evil. However, the good side weighs more than the other. People think they can do something good because they can. They do good things, like helping those who are in need, because they give them a sense of fulfillment. Doing so can make him or her feel good about themselves. In addition, the environment is a factor that influences the people to be good because of the moral values that revolves within it. However, there are some circumstances that prevent them from doing good. There are times when they are forced to do bad because it can affect their well-being. For instance, when children disobey the order of the elders, they tend to lie because they don’t want to be reprimanded. People can also do bad things for their benefit.

Conflict is justifiable when people think that what they are fighting for is right or is good for the others. Our world leaders do everything to address the concerns of the people, to end global conflict and violence, because everyone is already affected. They even come to the point wherein they set aside their differences and try to bridge the gap between them and the others. By doing these things, I think that they can somehow end this global concern. Unfortunately, there are others who do not participate in the leaders’ advocacy. How will the global conflict and violence end if these people continue to challenge the world leaders’ orders?

The world leaders can promote peace among all nations by being humble enough and selfless. Like what my classmate Claude said, I think that this is a difficult task for the leaders because this kind of act makes them swallow their pride. But I honestly believe that this is a better solution. In this way, it would be easier for them to reach out to others. Through their humility, they would be able to listen more to the voice of the people, to work together and to understand each other, to resolve their issues. If only all the world leaders will be like this, peace is being achieved.

Why Does Politics Turn to Violence?

In class, Professor Bugarin said that violence and war are embedded in our culture. Unfortunately, they are considered as a cultural phenomenon. As we grow up, our family and school environment teach us the moral values and the ethical standards because they want us to become better individuals. Through these moral values, we are able to learn about the difference of what is right from wrong. However, isn’t it ironic that the world is becoming more violent and people are more engaged to war? As a matter of fact, whenever I watch news, there are reports about mass killings and murders and I hardly see news about people doing good things to others. It seems that some of us have forgotten about the moral values and the ethical standards.

Economics, territorial ambitions, evil leaders, political ideologies, and strategic concerns are factors that trigger violence among the different countries around the world. Adolf Hitler had these factors in himself when he was still alive. These factors made him a very powerful man. He used his brain to achieve his dream. During his time, a lot of people died because he allowed violence to reign in order to get what he wanted. He conquered Germany and got rid of the Jews. Some people had no choice but to follow him because they were afraid of him. Good thing I was not born at that time yet because I don’t think I would have survived.

I think that “evil things” happen around us because we are not brave enough or scared to stand up for our rights--- for what we believe in. Yes, it is our duty to follow or obey orders of our leader/s. However, if we feel, know and believe that they are not good for everybody’s welfare, we have to practice our right to object and say “no”. Perhaps, it is time to end violence and war because they have caused so much chaos in our lives. But the question is, can we do this?

Honestly, I’m quite worried because this kind of culture goes on and on. I’m wondering about how our future will turn out if they continue to shape or control the society.

How Is Internet Changing the Way We Live?

Professor Teehankee once said that the geeks and nerds will rule the universe one day. This can be true because nowadays, the Internet completely dominates our lives. On one hand, the Internet is very convenient because it has information that we need to know. Gone are the days when we spend hours in the library, looking for the right books to satisfy our curiosity. Today, the answers to our questions are just one click away because Yahoo, Google and Wikipedia exist. On the other hand, it becomes an avenue for us to keep in touch and updated with our loved ones and friends who live abroad through electronic mails and social networking sites such as Facebook, Multiply, Twitter, Tumblr and Friendster.

The Internet has affected my life in various ways. It helped me see the world in a different way and learn more about different things through researching in Yahoo, Google, etc. The Internet has become a part of my school life and without it, I might have not survived. And like I said, it is a tool for me to get connected with my relatives and friends who live far from our home in Laguna or the Philippines itself.

I believe that the power of the Web 2.0 can be harnessed by giving more people opportunities to learn about it so they can create designs, programs or softwares that can make Internet surfing, researching, job hunting and the like more accessible. By teaching more people about Web 2.0, there might be programs or softwares that can cater to those who don't have full access to Internet (and it includeds those who have special needs). These can help them learn how to use the computer and have Internet access in a much easier way. As a result of this, the digital divide can be resolved too.

Since I have mentioned the positive effects of the Internet, now it’s time to look at its negative effects. For instance, the use of the social networking sites allows us to express ourselves and let the world have a glimpse of what is happening to our lives. But, if we are not careful enough, it can be damaging. They can be used as a tool to invade our privacy. That is why using them can be scary at times because what we post there might earn a point against us. It can give some people who look at it a wrong impression about ourselves. Therefore, when we use the Internet, we must be careful in everything that we say and post to avoid things like this. It should be an instrument to build positive relationships with others and not otherwise.

How Can We End Poverty?

What we saw on the previous master lecture was quite related to this topic: poverty. The master lecture started by showing us pictures that are quite similar to the real-life scenario outside of Brother Andrew Gonzales building, the tallest education building in the Philippines. The pictures portray the life of the people who are living under the poverty line. In the pictures, we saw houses made of pieces of wood, metal and the like put together so they could have a place to stay. These pictures were not pleasant to look at and they made me realize that I’m luckier than one hundred million people (or more) because I get to study in a good school, live in a nice house, eat good food and sleep on a comfortable bed.

Poverty has been a worldwide concern and those who are in power keep on thinking about the possible solutions to solve it. But as years go by, it becomes even worse because more people suffer from it. In the Philippines, there is a growing number of people who can’t afford to go to a good school, who are homeless, who seldom eat food. Since we are education majors, our professor gave an example that is related to our field. I couldn’t agree more with what he said in class, “everybody has the right to be educated, but not all can go to good schools”. The people who didn’t have the opportunity to receive quality education end up doing nothing or trying things or job that make them completely forget their dignity, as long as they can have money to survive.

I have learned that the reason why we experience poverty is because we don’t have a structure or economic policy to improve our third world state. There is something wrong with our structure and we, together with our government, need to exert more effort to help our fellow Filipinos who are greatly stricken by poverty. We should work hand-in-hand so we can come up with the best and possible ideas and to solve our country’s problems in a more systematic way. In addition, we should learn to love our own, so we can have a better future. By loving our own, we can somehow improve the current situation of our country. For instance, if we buy our own products, our condition of our economy might change in a positive way and the unemployed would have jobs. It can also motivate us to produce products that can compete in the world market. We are talented and creative people. We should make use of our talents and creativeness to make the Philippines a better place to live in. This is possible if we begin to teach the next generation to appreciate our own culture. I strongly believe that it is our responsibility to help them develop a sense of Nationalism, and enhance their potentials so they would be able to contribute something beneficial for our society. We should always keep in mind that the future of our country is in their hands.