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Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Editorials: Facing what 2006 offers
The yearly ritual of predicting what is in store for the country in 2006 has started, although not many take these forecasts seriously, not even the people issuing them.
This is because the general view about predictions is that the most that we can divine about the unfolding events are but the hazy features of these, making them less useful as guide for future actions.
Besides, many of those who read or listen to predictions more often than not forget about them as the year moves on and continue doing what they want to anyway.
Pessimism
So will 2006 be better than 2005 or will it be worse for us?
Nobody can say for sure, although there is no question that last year was not the best for us in almost all aspects, more specifically in politics and economics.
In this sense, it is not difficult to be overly pessimistic about what will happen in the coming year, considering too the widespread feeling of frustration and indifference.
Indeed, when one is on a losing run, one’s confidence in the future sags, and it takes time to get over the hump of despair.
Optimism
It would be tempting then to paint a positive picture for 2006, but that might be too assuming or stretching one’s imagination too far.
Processes do not just magically end after one lights a firecracker to celebrate the New Year; they follow their own course of development until their denouement.
Thus, one cannot just be too optimistic in, say, the country’s politics with the same personalities that tangled in 2005 doing their thing in 2006.
Or in the economy that only started to look a bit better in the latter part of 2005.
Good, bad
This does not mean, though, that we will fall off the cliff.
The country has been through the worst a number of times in its history and it is a testament to the Filipinos’ resiliency that we have survived and plodded onwards.
But we can’t be overly optimistic about the prospects for the country in 2006 in much the same way that we can’t be too pessimistic about these.
Or we should not look too far ahead and end up either worrying too much or drowning in overconfidence.
We have to take the good that will come together with the bad.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (January 3, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
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