The Western world has been very
divided lately. The great divide between the far-right (conservative) and
far-left (liberal) groups has intensified especially in social media. In the
Philippines, I don’t usually associate myself with millennials – whom I used to
stereotypically view to be overly liberal, individualistic, socio-politically apathetic
individuals engaging in grievous sins (like pre-marital sex). However, on the
economic stance, I agree with some left-leaning stances such as universal
healthcare and socialized tuition fee and housing. The balance, I believe, must
be maintained. Greedy corporations run by capitalists have a tendency to worsen
economic inequality. (Like what happened in the Paradise Papers scandal).
Too much socialism eradicates the need for work and influences lazy tendencies
in people.
In the Philippines, I began to
appreciate liberal people especially during discourse of various ideas. Many of
them willing to listen, and are open-minded about different ideas (ranging from
economic protectionism to personal expression methods), the exact opposite sometimes
exhibited by traditionalist. However, I, being a believer of the necessity of regulation
in some aspects of life, side with traditional conservatives when it comes to religious
beliefs, language preservation, and topics regarding the family and sanctity of
marriage. I even believe in an elective constitutional monarchy I do not
condemn or judge other people, unless they can be subject to judgement
depending on the circumstances. Sometimes I find myself like posts relating to Crusader
memes (e.g. “Deus vult!”) or Roman imperial memes (Ave Roma!) and discuss Catholicism
with heavily conservative folks. On the other hand, I see myself liking posts regarding
socialized housing, anti-American imperialism, LGBTQ rights (except same-sex “marriage”),
and pro-Reproductive Health Bill (pro-RH) posts and memes (except those
advocating abortion).
Being on the middle ground is not
bad, as long as you’re not fence-sitting for a long time. At least, we can show
that centrists still believe in careful balance and are least to be radical
(which I believe is different from being passionate in a certain field).
