Stop, Look and Listen

It has been another long and rough week. The only relief is that pellets of rain have finally decided to visit the scored earth of my beloved Philippines. Nearing days’ end, I recap what has happened and realized I have been confronted with many issues in my head. These issues have caused almost sleepless nights.  Issues that affect not only me but also others.  I reflect on my own thought process when I am faced with issues of great consequence.

There are at lease two sides to every story. When an issue is at hand, you can bet your ass that there is a “pro”(in favor)   and a “con”(unfavorable position) that  will always present it self. 

The most important thing is that you listen to both sides before making an informed decision. 

Every issue must be dissected. An issue must be examined from the inside and out, whichever which way you want , in order to get all the facts and opinions on the table.  Only when you get the opinions out of the way will you be able to weigh the merits of the facts at hand. 

First hand observation, while may be directly used to record facts, may not always be the truth. Remember, not all that you see is really what it seems.  Things can be hidden in plain sight. Things that may appear to be obvious may truly be the opposite if cleverly disguised to create willful  confusion. If you fall into the trap of relying purely on observations without correlations, you will develop a bad habit of  over-simplification.  You will always dismiss an issue with a premature conclusion.

An issue should always be tested for biases.  If you already have a bias or preconceived notion when an issue is presented, then your decision is already clouded with prejudice.  Remember, before making a decision, test the “issue” if it can tell a coherent story.  If you can’t get a coherent story out of an issue, you are probably biased already. 

How are biases developed? Two things. Maybe it was how you were brought up(nurture) or how you are genetically wired(nature). 

Not everything is what it seems.  The truck driver  that you always see in the morning picking up the garbage in your neighborhood can not be interpreted as a marginalized individual automatically. He might be temporarily be taking this job because he just moved from a war-torn province. He could also be a wealthy guy working his way up in the family business.  While the examples are quite extreme, it is the lesson of keeping an open and unbiased mind that is important. 

After you have examined both sides of an issue, learn to discern between opinion and facts. If your observations can be tested against bias, then you can make an informed decision.  After making a decision, whether pro or con, you are still entitled to change it. After all, we are all human, with faults of our own.  

If ever you find your self face-to-face with an issue that you already have a bias, remember the prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi :  “ Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference”

The light drizzle of rain, I consider  a blessing of this day, has stopped. It’s also time to stop thinking about the issues of the day and let both mind and body rest.. Tomorrow is another day, thank God for weekends.

KENYA

We often wonder why things happen for no apparent reason. We also wonder why despite all of the right reasons, things simply don’t happen as planned. No matter how strategic and critical thinkers we are, some things will and will not happen because it is God’s will. I have accepted that because it is my Faith.

Today I bid goodbye and goodluck to another special person who graced the pastures of our Tumana.  She is very special to me.  I remember the first few weeks of working with her. She was very bubbly and seemed to bouncing off the walls with her uncontainable energy. To my mind, that was her “planting time” as she would later grow into her own mold.

I can still remember when I talked to her seriously about her voice-mimicking of an extra-terrestrial life form which she did during work.  With a straight-face I told her that the “alien” had to go or it would be you who will take the next spaceship out.  It was both a time to weep and time to be silent. She dropped the act and became more serious in her work and attitude towards others.

Her salt or worth was proven when the crisis of May 2008 hit the Tumana and we were asked to step up our game.  She stood side-by-side with the very lean work force that we had back then.  Not minding sleep deprivation and abusive conditions of the work-place, she proved to me that when the chips are down, I can count on her. It was literally “a time to kill”the enemies and she did just that.

She matured as person because of her relationship with a very special someone which I will simply refer to as JBOY.  JBOY and his family have been a very big blessing to her.  She would share both stories and pictures of their adventures that would pretty soon end up were most happy couples eventually go.   Yet, she is not lacking in her experience of sorrow as the passing of JBOY’s parents come one after the other.  She has had her fair share of time to weep and a time to laugh.

When I realized how quickly time has passed, I asked her to explore new things outside the Tumana.  She got back to me with a definite “NO”.   I told her that she may need to explore new things like what she did four years ago when she was a newbie in our group.  After several weeks, she came back and wanted to try life outside the tumana. She had the look of a basketball power-forward who wanted the ball at crunch time.  Well, my friend, let me tell you this, winners always want the ball when the game is on the line. Whether you shoot it or create the perfect assist doesn’t matter. It is the determination to put your fate within your control is what actually matters.  This your time, Toots, to shine and be recognized in a new light.

I never called you “anak”or  “child” because that it is not what I saw in you. I would rather call you my good friend.  Thank you and good luck.

A Time for Everything – Ecclesiastes 3

 ^“There is a time for everything,
       and a season for every activity under heaven”

“a time to be born and a time to die,
       a time to plant and a time to uproot”

“a time to kill and a time to heal,
       a time to tear down and a time to build”

“a time to weep and a time to laugh,
       a time to mourn and a time to dance”

“a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
       a time to embrace and a time to refrain”

“a time to search and a time to give up,
       a time to keep and a time to throw away,”

“a time to tear and a time to mend,
       a time to be silent and a time to speak”

“a time to love and a time to hate,
       a time for war and a time for peace”

FOR THE COMMON GOOD

I had my own reservations and hesitations when I was asked to go on another mission that was clearly beyond the normal scope of my job.  It was a dog-gone mission to say the very least. But still, it is a mission assignment which I could not refuse. 

I would gladly go on a mission that involves the intricacy of cloak-and-dagger which I prefer. This game of intelligence is something that I believe keeps us sharp in mind and focused in spirit.

When you are asked to be a negotiator for the collective good of people, the mission parameters are often unreasonable.  The daunting task of bridging heaven and earth falls upon your shoulders. I must confess, I am certainly no saint, not even close to the whispers of angels and yet I am tasked to carry out this mission.

In preparation for this mission, I have dedicated at least 4 hours a day for one week reading through various materials involving negotiations of this nature.  I have interviewed people who have actually gone through the same exercise. Their feedback is always common, you are negotiating about money yet you are dealing with human emotions as well.  The two combined, makes for a volatile mixture.  I was frequently warned of tempers flaring up during the negotiations because of the economic provisions that will affect the lives of many people.  I shall bring my experiences as a soldier, spy, and human being, as resources when I sit at the negotiating table.  I do not expect the outcome to be just a  show of one man upmanship.   I expect  the parties in the negotiations are able to set aside their differences and put forth concessions for the common good. For my personal expectation, I am looking forward to becoming a better person after this mission is over.

TECHNOLOGY AND PROCESS

Last Monday, May 11 Y2010, will be etched in Philippine history as the first computerized elections. 

All the anxieties and fears were laid to rest after reports from almost 85%  of all the voting precincts confirmed that the PCOS machines were working. 

While the assistance of the computers was a technological leap into the 21^st century I must say that the election process was almost a disaster. 

The process for a computerized election was not clearly communicated to all the personnel manning the precincts.

The queuing of the people to exercise their right to vote was a very annoying procedure. The average waiting time would be 2 hours. I have personally seen voters who gave up falling in line and went home. I can’t blame them. The terrible heat, cramped corridors, and poor precinct structure was compounded by the threat of a possible stampede. The queues extended into the staircase of most polling precincts and that is a death trap waiting to be sprung. The Board of Election Inspectors(BEI) simply didn’t prepare an orderly queuing process while they knew the average voting time per individual was estimated at ten minutes each. 

The segregation of Senior Citizens was not implemented properly. It was left to the discretion  of the BEI on how they handled the elderly who turned out to vote.   Their simply was no process in place.  Small “fights” broke out while falling in line because of this.  I salute all  those aged 55 years old and up who bravely trooped to the precincts to cast their vote. I sincerely hope I would have their same courage when time has left me grey and withered. 

The clustering of precincts due to the lack of the PCOS machines couldn’t be avoided. However, the officials manning the clustered precincts should have also reallocated the BEI inspectors to adapt to the ratio of precincts vs voters.  The outcome was a delay in the Verification of Voters because the BEI personnel were not augmented in the precincts.  How do they expect to finish on time with 3 BEI personnel when you clustered 2 to 6 percents at the average. 

To the credit of some upstanding voters themselves, they have sought quick representation with the BEI and volunteered to   fix the queue.  From a chaotic start, the lines were fixed by a very simple tool.  Pieces of paper with hand-written numbers were distributed.   You don’t have to queue anymore, you just observe and listen to what number is being served. No rocket-science there.

I hope the government officials in the COMELEC have learned invaluable lessons in process this time around. I would hate to think that they did this on purpose to sabotage the elections. It should never happen, that’s why I keep my beng-beng close, just in case. 

Technology and Process could be summarized in the words of an unknown voter who queued for two hours ….” Mga putang ina ‘nyo, pa kompyu-kompyuter pa kayo eh di nyo naman maayos proseso nyo! ”