Desiree B.

Jaculina BSE_ ENGLISH 1

5:30 MWF

Oration Piece

Corruption and Despair

Good morning every one. I am here to share my reflections to you about the worsening problem
of our country; it is a problem whose name even street-children who have learned how to speak
can pronounce.

I am not here to define the word. I am not also here to give examples because we are very tired
of it. As a writer, I have formed the habit of reflection. I believe this is the only thing a writer
has, the ability to reflect about the things that happen in the world. Otherwise, how can poets like
me write something unique out of the ordinary?

Wherever I set my eyes to, I see traces of this problem. Like you, I am also getting tired. For a
change, I thought about thinking the reason why human beings are able to do the things that
destroy of corrupt us.

We know the meaning of hope. The newly-elected 44th  US president Barack Obama, said that
hope is not blind optimism. It is the courage to face every day trials knowing that we will
overcome and accomplish the things we long for and dream of.

In other words, Obama was saying a person who has faith has the ability to look at not only the
things that occupies him at the moment, but also the things that are not there yet. He is able to
see beyond today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, a week from now, a month, a year, ten
years, one generation from now.

Corruption is so widespread in our society I believe we have lost hope in eradicating it. I
compare corruption to garbage. All my life I have not littered but the streets are still full of it, so
what for? A candy wrapper could no longer aggravate the piles of garbage in the streets. The
shortsightedness of this view leads us to despair, and despair pushes us to commit acts not done
by people who hope and continues to hope. The mind that thinks this kind of thoughts no longer
believes in the saying what we sow we reap. His vision could not extend far enough to the
harvest season, so he does not believe in will come, why plant? Hunger and despair are his only
motivation; not hope anchored in the belief that tomorrow brings an opportunity to ease the
sadness, feed the hunger, and fill the need.

What I really want to say is this: corruption is a symptom of a soul who has lost hope and
direction in life. If we really want to eradicate corruption, we need to toil to bring back hope and
faith in our lives. Let us believe in the power of good deeds, and let us hope that the integrity we
planted will bear abundant fruit so that all may prosper.

Thank you very much, and mabuhay.