Ralph Allen M.

Rayos November 13, 2021

NSTP 2-XA2

I. Week 3 Searching for Political Why’s

In Philosophy, Aristotle asserts that man is a political animal for he is compelled to

engage in political discourses and be man for others, not just for the powerful people, but also for
the poor. The Philippine government is full of role-playing politicians just like the recent news
on filing of candidacy - and, as a result the marginalized suffers. To engage in politics is not just
to vote during elections, it is not about accepting money during candidate campaigns, or joining
caravans to support a candidate. Are we not tired of corruption, injustices, extrajudicial killings,
and other unsatisfactory acts of the government such as letting our sovereignty be puppets of the
powerful? Are we still letting our ego decide rather than being rational for the common good?
Logically, if we are tolerating the bad doing bad things, then, we are no less than of them. To
engage in politics is a role that everyone should partake, it is not something that we are to
disregard, it is part of our daily lives. There is a need to engage in political rhetoric for us to be
associated with the truth. I deemed that people who support this so called ‘heroic politician’
whose prominent work is to kill people, are not fully engaged in politics. They are one-sided, if
not prejudice, to their views in politics. They do not read the narratives of their enemies but only
their beloved politician. Other than being equipped with an autocratic kind of political ideology,
this is one of the problems for people who engage in politics. They do not listen. They do not
wish to know the truth and, they do not wish to go against their supported politician. To dwell in
politics is not an easy task indeed, it challenges relationships and consumes much of your stress
however, if we do not speak for the poor and the oppressed, who would speak for them? We
cannot let them suffer in vain, we cannot let them be fooled with the truth. We cannot sit, sleep,
and eat without figuratively thinking about their condition. In a nutshell, there is a need to
engage in politics because of the injustices.
The metaphorical statement from the podcast was about the fact that we are in the same
boat. For those who are self-proclaimed ‘religious layman’ and all religious people who wanted
to live their lives apolitically; Pope Francis even said, “A good Catholic meddles in politics,
offering the best of himself, so that those who govern can govern.” It is true that we live in the
same boat, and if that boat sinks, we all sink together. It is no surprise that many Filipinos do not
engage in any aspects of politics since, the majority’s intuition of politicking is that it
complicates life. But there is one reason, as to why people do not abide in politics, in which I am
very mad of – the fact that some people have privilege and, the circumstance that majority of the
people are experiencing does not affect them. The society, in general, is inhabited with the
powerless and the powerful, and this is analogous even in the peripheral areas of a country. The
farmers and their lands are controlled by someone who’s powerful than them, and that’s just it. It
saddens me to think about that, that even in the lowest sectors of the society people are not free.
How can we address this metaphor? First, by activism, it is by far, the most common go-to for
tackling political concerns. Second, human beings can engage into politics by simply voting. It is
our fundamental right to vote for a candidate, but voting should not be practiced as if we are
cheating on a quiz. We should have prior knowledge on the candidates first. Lastly, as students
we can engage in politics by joining organizations that are centered to legislate and hold
discourse such as debates about politics this way we can hone our political views.