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Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Of truth-telling and a simple life
By Althea P. Capacio
Ped Xing
An article on a national daily about Filipinos needing to relearn how it is to tell the truth once again caught this writer’s eye.
I decided to give it a try – start calling a spade a spade, so to speak. And the funniest (not funny, haha) thing happened. Life became simpler.
I tried it out on controversial issues – like spanking. Most child psychologists say nothing is to be gained by it.
This may be difficult to accept in our society where a “little spanking” is tolerated. But according to a husband-and-wife team, if you close this spanking option and have to force yourself to come up with other ways of dealing with your child, you will find the alternative ways more effective albeit admittedly time-consuming. But hey, if you don’t have time for your children, what else is there to do?
On a global scale, if we all agree that all conflicts would be settled every other way except killing others and ourselves, we can probably make more progress achieving world peace.
I realized how unpopular this view has become in our society when I watched a Totally Spies episode where the bad guy kept on harping about the reason he became a villain was because he was abandoned in space alone for 20 years. They were all fighting and he kept saying this over and over again, I was beginning to say: Why don’t you just listen to the guy and help him deal with his problem?
We never see this in animation: talking to settle conflicts. Instead, we show our children through these shows that these bad guys need to be annihilated. Never mind how it all started and how it can be prevented in the future. Just kill the guy.
Anyway, going back to simple talk, a news flash about the release of a Tsinoy boy from Binondo who was kidnaped explained that the child was unharmed the whole time he was in captivity.
Again, this can’t be the truth. He may not have been bodily harmed, but that boy suffered while separated from his family.
Finally, smoking. After years of medical research on whether or not there was a connection between lung cancer and smoking, the warning simply reads, smoking can be dangerous to your health.
It’s not just “can be.” It is, period.
I like how one country approached the problem. They required cigarette producers to place graphic photos of sick smokers on cigarette packs to discourage smoking.
As one smoker had to admit reluctantly, “I try not to look at the pictures when I buy the cigarette.”
Having a hard time deciding what you want with your life? Try a little truth-telling.
You’ll be surprised at how clear it suddenly all becomes.
(September 20, 2005 issue)
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