something inspiring

on government service...

in this post, i'm making way for an excerpt of haydee yorac's response to ateneo de manila university during the 2004 special university convocation held last september 15, 2004.

even if i wasn't there, i feel like i was there because of this:

"Government service has been largely shunned by those who have options as to work. The pay is low, the work is heavy, government is perceived to be generally corrupt and incompetent, and there is too much interference by those who have nothing to do with the office.

But there are unseen rewards, not illegal or immoral, in government service. My work in the Commission on Elections for example, enabled me to see the distant provinces in the country and to interact with all sorts of people including the military, the warlords and the ordinary people. It was an experience more instructive than all the Political Science and Sociology courses I took in the university. It enabled me to understand why rules on elections did not seem to operate in many parts of the country; it caused me to know how to make the formal rules work. The bonus is seeing the beauty of the country such as watching the sun merge with the calm and quiet Sulu Sea during sunset.

I, therefore, encourage particularly the young people, especially those who are not burdened by family responsibility to spend three to five years in government. In this way, you do not leave the government largely in the hands of the mediocre and indifferent and the corrupt. We have no right to moralize, unless we help when given the chance.

We are living in a time of crisis.

The tendency is to be cynical or helpless. This is the beginning of despair that will surely make things worse and institutions spiral downward for the worse. It is precisely during these times that we should be determined to make things better, to dredge our reserve of strength and moral conviction to counter the down trend. It is the time to renew our faith and our hope that we can do better for our country. Not faith and hope in the abstract, but faith and hope founded on our commitment to work and do things for the better." -- Haydee B. Yorac, 2004 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Government Service

for those who are not quite familiar with the ramon magsaysay awards, they are a set of awards that honor the memory of the late president ramon magsaysay and are only given to "individuals and organizations in asia regardless of race, creed, sex, or nationality, who have achieved distinction in their respective fields and have helped others generously without anticipating public recognition".

i know i'm inspired when i feel better; and reading what i quoted above made me feel better. so there. i just had to share it. weeeeeeeeeee.


-¤-
what color are you?
brought to you by Quizilla


"You are the color red. You are the most controversial of all the colors. You are often easily angered, but as easily as you got excited, you come down. When angered, do you have the tendency to be malicious? Afterwards, do you end up begging for forgiveness? Maybe. But you're incredibly generous, and, odd enough, needy. You love to hate, and sometimes, you hate to love. This color describes you as generally edgy. When in a bad situation, you're pessimistic, and when you're in a good situation, you're extremely optimistic. You're painfully temperamental, and sometimes it hurts the ones you love. But with an exciting and stimulating attitude, you enjoy talking to people and being social. But aside from your bold and outgoing attitude, you're attention-needing and attention-getting. This color is associated with lust and desire -- and you are both lust and desirous. You're a protective person when it comes to the people you love. You're incredibly sharp-witted and powerful (not to mention intelligent!)."

for the record, my favorite color is yellow (lemon yellow, to be specific), and NOT red. pffft. why can't i be yellow?