Should I Step Out of My Comfort Zone?

I've been used to writing ideas hoping that one day the theories and guidelines I've formulated would be followed by a government o civic leader. (In my "idealist mode",  clearly reflected in the stories I write, my organization will be the ones who would enact my statutes, ordinances and recommendations.) Today, a different though came upon me. "What if I step out of my comfort zone?" Here are some of the things I would do given the time and resources:

- start volunteering in cleaning up the Manila Bay
- boldly pick-up trash along the streets of City of Manila while wearing an anti-littering placard on my back
- preach to children on the bad effects of littering
- boldly attack illegal loggers but not kill them (using chemical weapons [i.e. molotov cocktails])
- run for SK Chairman (too late na 'ata....)
- join EcoWaste Coalition, Greenpeace Philippines and Tzu Chi Foundation
- if I had 10 Million Pesos, I would adopt an estero and pay unemployed tambays to clean it up with me taking the lead
- if I had 100 Million Pesos, I would fund militant environmental organizations to help suppress illegal logging and illegal mining


Of course, the ones above are simply ideas. I do hope some of them would be fulfilled in the near future, God willing.


- PNK (Pluma ng Kalikasan/Darvinos de Mariquina)

New Theory: Why China Wants to Rise "Again"

China, now the second largest economy by nominal GDP in the world is aiming for greatness once more. Naging bully na rin sila.... dahil kung titignan natin ang kasaysayan, ang Tsina ay sumailalim sa tinatawag na Siglo ng Pagkakapahiya (Century of Humiliation), dahil nakuha ng mga Kanluraning bansa (at nang Hapon noong Ikalawang Digmaang Pandaigdig) ang marami nilang mga strategic na teritoryo.

Poster calling on Filipinos to boycott Chinese products.
Lifted from: http://dalubhasangpinoy.files.wordpress.com

Ito ang isang dahilan kung bakit talagang tila hagad ang Tsina na makamit muli ang karangalang, na ayon sa kanila, ay nararapat sa kanila. Ito rin, ayon sa pananaw ko, ang dahilan kung bakit gusto itaob ng Tsina ang dominance o paghahari ng mga Kanluraning bansa. Siguro nga mainit ang mata nila sa Pilipinas kasi ang Pilipinas ay ang malapít sa Estados Unidos. (Ang USA ay isa sa mga karibal ng Tsina sa paghahari sa ekonomiya ng daigdig.) Isa pa, malapit lamang ang Pilipinas sa Tsina.

Ano ba ang mga nangyari sa kasaysayan na nagdulot ng ganitong ugali sa Tsina? Abangan sa mga sususnod na sanaysay...

Why I Believe in Benevolent Autocracy (Opinion) [Part 1]

There are many theories of government, each having its own pros and cons. The main categories of government polity according to power source are Confederal, Federal, Hegemony, Imperial, and Unitary, respectively. To make things brief, here is a short explanation of each of the power sources:

• Confederal
• Federal
• Hegemony
• Imperial
• Unitary

My personal preference is a Federal one, led by a benevolent autocracy. What is this benevolent autocracy? Why is it benevolent? Are there non-benevolent monarchies? We shall discuss this in this blog post.

A benevolent autocracy, especially a constitutional one, could be safeguarded from abuse. An abusive monarch cannot simply abuse his subjects without bypassing the safeguards, that is, an independent legislative and judiciary body, not to mention an infallible constitution. 

The Real Reason why we need a Patriotic Autocrat

The New Society movement of Former Philippine Dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos once had the slogan "Sa ikauunlad ng bayan disiplina ang kailangan" (Discipline is needed for the prosperity of the nation.) Despite his downfall, I still admire this slogan and the person(s) who conceived this idea. I think discipline-training towards youngsters should be re-instituted here in the Philippines. Halata naman na may kakulangan na sa disiplina ang mga Pilipino, diba? Kasi nasa ugat na ng ating lipunan ang kawalan ng patriotismo na siyang dapat nag-uudyok sa mga tao na sumunod sa batas. (It's obvious that Filipinos now lack discipline, right? The lack of patriotism, which should of brought forth obedience to the law, is now deeply embedded in our society.)

What should an autocrat do? He should be the embodiment of national identity. A good example, perhaps. "A country without a monarchy is like a body without a soul" says a Russian princess. (Though I only partially agree to that statement, since there are good countries which has a republic form of government. 

Here is a definition of "benevolent autocrat":

The benevolent autocrat sees himself as a superior father figurehere who makes all the important decisions and then convinces his subordinates to go along with them. He may allow some decisions to be made by some subordinates within a framework set by himself. Rewards as well as punishments may be used to 'motivate' people.


The social contract theory, which I adhere to, is a good principle that can help people choose their benevolent autocrat.

[To Be Continued...]

On Plato's Republic

Recently, we were asked to research on the ideals and political philosophies of many great thinkers. Upon learning of Plato's The Republic, I was able to relate myself in one of it's parts, the section tackling a propsed "tripartite class structure". I cite below an excerpt from the Wikipedia article of Plato. Sensya na, nagmamadali. It says:

Plato, through the words of Socrates, asserts that societies have a tripartite class structure corresponding to the appetite/spirit/reason structure of the individual soul. The appetite/spirit/reason stand for different parts of the body. The body parts symbolize the castes of society.

• Productive, which represents the abdomen. (Workers) — the labourers, carpenters, plumbers, masons, merchants, farmers, ranchers, etc. These correspond to the "appetite" part of the soul.
• Protective, which represents the chest. (Warriors or Guardians) — those who are adventurous, strong and brave; in the armed forces. These correspond to the "spirit" part of the soul.
• Governing, which represents the head. (Rulers or Philosopher Kings) — those who are intelligent, rational, self-controlled, in love with wisdom, well suited to make decisions for the community. These correspond to the "reason" part of the soul and are very few.

I believe that I should be part of the governing caste, not because I'm boasting that I'm smart and all that, (no I'm not), but I believe that I love wisdom enough to be part of the "reason" section of the soul. I may not be decisive in some occasions due to some of my psychological backlogs but I believe my ideas (some, if not all) could save this world from Climate Change.