Knowledge is power

How sad can it be, that we, who have spent years acquiring an education, are given a list of requirements and qualifications before we can secure a job, while those without are eligible to run for public office. This thought may have been uppermost in your mind, which you may also have verbalized upon seeing the list of political aspirants.

I easily filled up the slots for numbers 1 and 2 but visibly struggled with the third. After much thought, I reluctantly wrote a name, recalling a comment from a friend who described this particular candidate as a janitor fish, with the capability to clean up the mess when called for. Going through the exercise was painful, and one wonders to the point of complete disbelief. What were the main drivers of the selection process for the names that prominently appeared in surveys?

So here is a question that I post to all of you. Do we give up or do we march on and find ways to educate the public? My vote? Can we please all work toward the latter?

As a physician, the most important steps to enable to address a condition are: to obtain a thorough history and perform a complete physical examination, which will serve as the basis for an initial impression and guide the workup that is to follow. The results help us arrive at a diagnosis for which therapeutic and management decisions are made, with the goal of providing the patient with the best possible care. While one may think that this template may not be applicable in providing the basics in choosing the right people to govern the country, let me put into writing how it can be relevant. Melodramatic as it may sound, our choices are as important in helping save human lives.

Thanks to the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts (LVMA), a non-partisan organization founded in 1920, which seeks to provide and advocate for voter education for additional pointers on what to look for in a candidate, and which I will subsequently quote, to complement what we know but sometimes fail to document or sadly forget.

Chief complaint: Questionable political aspirant

History. Take a good look at his origins and family background. Is he or she a Filipino citizen?

What is his level of education? What was he involved in prior to running for office? Has he or any member of his family been involved in controversies, which had enough evidence to cause doubt about their integrity, for which they evaded or been brought to justice but which time has conveniently erased from memory? What is his track record: experience in policymaking, in providing public service, and for those who have managed to hold on, the quality over the quantity of the bills that he has passed that made an impactful change.

Physical examination. Is he or she physically and mentally fit to withstand the pressures of being in office?

Diagnostic workup. The League put it succinctly when it used the words—”See through their image … Style far more than substance weighs heavily on today’s campaigns. A political campaign is often an image campaign.”

To dig deeper, look for credible data to provide the basis for the history you gathered, detached from their social media pitches or their own website. Watch and learn from their debates and stand on issues that require prioritization and urgent attention. Do they use words fashioned toward what you just want to hear? Are these reflective of their intelligence and awareness that would influence subsequent decisive and concrete action? Do they walk their talk or have they ever? For most of us who are constantly bombarded by politically paid ads via humongous billboards, radio, or social media, the League also provided enough room for thought with questions on how much we have learned from these, such as the candidates’ qualifications. They are right when they mentioned, “You can learn about issues, even from a 60-second TV or radio commercial, if the candidate wants you to, or if you can separate the glitter from the substance.”

Be wary of personalities who unhesitatingly use God and their faith in trying to win your vote and those who highlight their underprivileged background to appeal to your softer side. While unfortunate, this is not the only criterion that makes him deserving. How many times have people been swayed to believing that he will champion their cause just because they were or are under similar circumstances?

Impression. To arrive at a decision, we need to meticulously study the information on hand and ask ourselves to think objectively. Do they have the qualities and the capability to lead?

Therapeutic management. Exercise your right to vote and encourage others to do the same. Seek to engage in healthy discussions, which may contribute to making the right choice and learn to free yourself from pointless distractions.

Knowledge is power. Give yourself enough credit to believe so.

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timmygimenez@gmail.com