Many people have lost respect for the Senate. Every day, a circus of sorts plays out. Do they think us fools? Do they think us so stupid as to believe the performances they put out? By whatever name you call them — zarzuela, telenovela, soap opera — one thing is clear: the Senate is devolving into an ensemble cast of D-list actors with terrible direction and scriptwriting.
A Few Good Men and Women
As with the world we live in, there are only a few good men and women out there. To the few at the Senate who are not without sin but nevertheless fight every day to do better and to defeat the forces of evil, know that you do not walk alone. I despair at the deteriorating morals of our nation.
Corruption has always been around but it is deeply disturbing that it is getting worse through time because of leaders who set a culture of corruption, infecting everyone including those who started out with idealistic minds.
Faith and Hypocrisy
We take pride in our faith. We worship God. We light candles. We attend church services regularly. We pray to the saints. We venerate Mother Mary. A+ for subscribing to the rituals. F for living the life that God calls us to live. How did we become so depraved? No one becomes evil overnight. But it starts with power. Too much of it and too long with it can numb our senses and impair our ability to see the perspectives of others. Once we believe we are the center of the universe, we lose the capacity to feel empathy for others.
The Slippery Slope of Power
Fame. Money. Influence. Position. Status. Success. These give us power. It happens slowly. The degeneration. The decline. We fall into the Devil's lair through small, incremental acts that compromise our morals. These ethical compromises start out trivial and harmless but they can lead to more serious and serial crimes like plunder and murder. Through time, we learn to rationalize our choices to worship the Devil.
Everyone does it. It's okay. This is the lie you tell yourself. It is flawed logic to believe that because everyone is doing the wrong thing, the wrong becomes right. And yet, you would be surprised how many end up getting afflicted with the pathology of normalcy.
The Birth of Blind Following
This is how cults are born, how blind following flourishes, how the herd mentality succeeds in blinding and binding its followers into a cycle of abuse, disinformation and oppression. When you stop thinking and start following blindly, convinced that because everyone is doing it then it must be right, that is how things start to go wrong in your life.
I do not believe that God calls us to a life of obedience subservient to the values of truth, justice and integrity. He does not call us to follow blindly. He calls us to do the right thing, to call out wrongdoing and more importantly, to refuse to do the wrong thing.
Normalizing Corruption
Corruption is the norm in our country because we choose to normalize it. We choose to accept it as part of our lives. But we do not have to. Because when we accept that lying, cheating and stealing are all part of life then we become part of the mindless herd. The Senate, supposed to be populated by legislators, now seems populated by bad actors, gas lighters, liars, lawbreakers, felony collaborators, plunderers and obstructors of justice. It is absolutely appalling.
Many people have lost respect for the Senate: the theater of bad acting, the theme of viral memes, the laughingstock of the assembly of parliaments around the world. How could we have sunk so low? We were stupid. We laughed at their jokes. We believed in their lies. We installed them into office. So, if they think us fools, perhaps, they are right.
