Character And Capability – February 17, 2022 (48/365)

(or, ‘Cat’s Out Of The Bag’)

At first I felt I needed to write this as a reaction, but the more dug into it the more I realize I’m doing this for myself just as much, if not more than I am doing it from a position of defense.

Child, if you say that my vote reflects on my character, then you must understand that my character reflects on my vote as well… and it’s certainly more for me to say than it is for you to assume.

I will vote for Marcos and Duterte.

They may not be as experienced as someone like Panfilo Lacson, but their exposure in holding previous government positions (Marcos as a former Senator, Duterte as a former Mayor) is sufficient, and supplemented by the fact that they are children of former powerhouses, former Presidents.

There also seems to be little to no effort behind their performance in the polls. You can say that one or two of these polls may be flawed or even downright one-sided, but nobody has control over most or all of the polls at one time. They are relatable to the people, and they aren’t even trying to reach to them – in fact, it’s the people reaching to Marcos and Duterte.

They complement each other. Say what you want about Marcos’ questionable College degree, or his alleged cocaine addiction. Say what you want about Duterte’s aggression, but the way they move reveals their true character. People see past the hate imposed upon them. Marcos is a man of strategy, while Sara is a woman of power.

What does this say about me, so far? In choosing a mentor, or a leader, I prioritize capability, and I guess, from what I chose to write here, capability to me is measured by exposure. It’s measured with sincerity. It’s measured with harmony.

The way I see it this is why I’m having trouble choosing who to vote for Mayor where I live, because I’ve seen how the two top contenders are capable. I’ve seen how they have excellent exposure, they are very sincere, and they work in harmony with the heart of the people.

Something else I’ve realized about these traits – You can’t fake good upbringing. You can’t fake speaking from the heart, nor can you fake real chemistry. On the same token, you couldn’t fake capability, and you sure as hell couldn’t force anyone to believe in an image contrary to a person’s true character.

For all their flaws, I believe that Marcos and Duterte are the most capable out of all our choices for leaders, simply because they’re the ones who I believe embrace who they are for all their filth, and choose not only to stand, but to thrive.

I could probably go further, but I’m thinking that what I have here so far ought to give you a good picture of the character behind the vote.

What exposure does your choice have beyond what other people are forcing us to believe? What sincerity is there to pick up from their actions and words? How do they resonate with the people, again, beyond what other people are forcing us to believe?

Child, If you say that my vote reflects on my character, then you also should know that this applies to you as well.

So let me ask you, where does your choice weigh in, when it comes to exposure, sincerity and harmony?

Have they talked on future plans in consideration of present issues, towards a solid vision? Did they ever speak of where the country will be beyond their term?

Were they around when and where people weren’t expecting them to show up? Did they act and stay consistent to their word even when the cameras weren’t pointing at them?

Do they work well, fusing their personal agendas together and enabling the rest of the country to do the same, knowing that they serve a vision greater than themselves?

Understand that I do not ask these questions primarily to put anyone else down more than myself, because I ask myself these same questions as I ponder on if I’m even able to lead myself. And to be honest I will never have a static answer to these questions, because as I’ve been writing these past few days, there’s much learning to be had in leading.

Which actually brings me to thinking, why don’t we apply what I’ve been talking about so far this week? Where do our choices for leaders stand?

In leading others, are they leading themselves?

In leading themselves, are they being themselves?

In being themselves, are they living to learn?

In living to learn, are they learning to live?

In learning to live, what communities have assembled?

I bet some of our choices couldn’t even get past the very first question, and I find this absolutely sad! It’s not to say that I’m any better than any of them, but surely our choices for leaders would understand the point in all of these questions, and present their answers, far beyond an impressive answer spoken in words, but through exposure, sincerity, and harmony.

Child, if you must insist on saying that my vote reflects my character, then I explain my character on MY terms, and not yours.

You disrespect yourself by making a poor judgment of others.

God loved each and every one of us that much that He gave His life so we would be free of a cycle which has led countless others to misery, pain, and death – a cycle of accusation which leads us to accuse others.

We’re at peace with our choices as much as we are at peace with our past, present and future – not because of anything we ever did, but because we know for the Truth that no matter what happens, we will never be left alone, we will never be forgotten, and we will always be loved by an everlasting love.

There’s a post going around social media of a screenshot of a conversation where the people involved were praying to God for someone’s daughter’s mind to change – I’m assuming this is concerning her choice of leaders.

I’m not praying for your mind to change. I don’t believe in a God who forces you to believe, much less makes you vote for someone you really don’t like.

I’m praying that you give even the slightest consideration the Truth of Christ and how His birth, death, resurrection and ascension guarantees you peace beyond understanding, no matter who you choose to lead.

God bless us all.