The future is born
Of course, it will seem like partisan politics. Many great movements are born in the flesh because of political dynamics. But it is more than that. Oftentimes, especially in the last 50 years, it will seem technological. After all, the world had stepped out of the old times when cutting-edge technology, the information age, the Internet and digital dimensions came to be. And life will never be the same again.
But there is another wave of change, no less radical, that humanity is starting to experience and will continue to do so in the coming decade. Its forerunners had referred to it as the Age of Aquarius. Except for astrologers or for those who had dabbled into what seemed either flaky or paranormal in the 20th century, what was Aquarian was never understood by mainstream consciousness. Its main sense, though, was radical change in both consciousness and form, with new technology. Today, its spirit and strange forms are creeping in as the way of millennials and XYZ generations.
The pandemic has been a powerful change agent. It brought a whole human world into temporary paralysis, and then into painful catharsis. What was normal was challenged and fatally fractured. Of course, a way of life and understanding does not go away quickly nor fade away quietly – no matter how terrible they had been for most of mankind. We tend to point to progress through the monetary and material. We highlight the best and most beautiful at the top yet remain blind to the suffering masses of humanity.
We had inherited a failed system no matter the flashes of nobility in the famous personalities who displayed the finest virtues. Evidence is the great suffering of the majority of human beings, billions of them existing in truly degrading circumstances. We pay little attention to them, preferring to salivate at the wealth and lifestyle of billionaires, local and global. There is an ocean of misery around us but it matters less than the dreams of being rich and famous, like winning the Lotto.
Because we chose to be cross-eyed in the manner we value and assess life, we miss the opportunities to build new ways and kinder lifestyles. With money and power as our demigods with greater magnetism than what faiths and religions try to teach, we surrender to the will of those who have mountains of money and fame even if scarce in goodness.
Worse, in a democracy as empty as the values we have chosen to live by, the responsibility and accountability of each citizen has been ceded to politicians. We live on the promises that we know will be broken, but the fantasy continues, hoping for that one winning Lotto ticket. It does not come, of course, and we wallow in broken dreams and a lifetime of frustration. Democracy of the people, for the people, and by the people has become a slogan, not a struggle for nationhood.
Until very recently. The values of responsibility and accountability have found their way into young hearts, specifically in the pink army of Leni volunteers. They know that their presidential candidate had totally anchored her decision to run on the spirit and muscle of volunteerism instead of established political machinery formats. Leni volunteers now realize that they are her political machinery. They have coined and bannered their own terms – abonado and resibo to signify their contribution to democracy and determined to show proof of it.
Only from attendance of rallies for the Leni-Kiko team, the pink army has long gone beyond the 1-million mark and inching by the day towards the second million. They are not mere attendees of rallies, they are now campaigners on the ground as well. That is the basis of their responsibility as aspirants of democracy, their willingness to make ambag (contribution), their generosity for the extra miles until they are abonado. They are offering blood, sweat, and tears to convince others to go for Leni.
So, I ask myself. Is it Leni? Of course, it is Leni. But more than that, it is the aspiration for change, radical though that change may be; and it is the values that they look for to build, the ugliness they wish to cleanse. They see glimpses of their emerging dream and the character they wish to be through the persona of Leni Robredo. She is the trigger of change they resonate to.
And, so, I answer myself. What is being born is not just the tip of an iceberg but the head of a spear. An iceberg may be powerful in itself, but a spear is dynamic and will hit targets faster and further. This newborn movement will have a growth spurt. It is unstoppable because the young are driving it from passion and idealism. They are our children and grandchildren. Why will we even want to stop them?
For almost 40 years, I had hoped and toiled for this day to come. I have seen the wealth and power of the few. I have seen the quiet desperation of the vast majority. I have seen the dynamics when privilege dominates even justice. I have joined sustained efforts to bridge the scandalous gap between the few and the many, struggling to raise the poor and marginalized with compassion. Yet, I realize that those like me cannot change the collective circumstance without those who are prejudiced by it doing the heavy lifting themselves.
Well, Leni has shown that her vision and her compassion can be the shining light towards building the culture of an empowered citizenry. It starts with herself being willing to share the leadership directly with the people and not just a cordon sanitaire. That will be a monumental start and there is nothing more radical than that.
Now, I eagerly wait for the younger generations to move in greater numbers, because they will.
