Mindset Of Ambivalence: A Stumbling Block on Our Path To Progress

To partake in nation-building is not just admirable, it is necessary. Yet, many of our countrymen today are trapped in a limbo of inaction and despair. They are dismayed by the many long-standing problems of our land, such that their desire to play a part in making our nation great and strong is wanting. There is strife, there is avarice, and most of all, there is brazen and unbridled cunning that overshadows hard work, honesty, and diligence. They feel ambivalent about engaging in civic endeavors, lest their noble efforts be subverted and prove to be in vain.

I feel the profound disappointment of these fellow countrymen; their deep-seated rancor and terse remarks of resignation are appalling. “Your good intentions will be “eaten” by the system,” and “The upstanding ones are subverted by the undeserving, ”why waste your time?” With these comments, I fear our country’s outlook is far from encouraging—our patriotic passion, which is the bedrock of a “healthy” nation, is slipping away.

On the surface, we have a nation today that strives to reach its potential. But underneath the facade of positivity lies a hideous fundamental weakness—our people’s apathy toward civic involvement that dampens the eagerness to pursue our nation’s ideals and aspirations. If our countrymen do not have the heart to partake in building our nation, no one else will. It is us who shape the future of our nation and make it great.

What should we do?

I cannot blame these fellow countrymen. I esteem them highly—their ambivalence shows they have the compunction to resist the pressure of rampant impropriety and wickedness in our country. However, I regret to say that nonchalance and inaction are not the answer to our problems. Our people’s muddled perspective, on account of being inured to the culture of iniquity and duplicity, has emboldened a sinister social atmosphere so that standing for what is right is often viewed as “punishing,” thus, ignored and thus, dismissed.

For those of us who believe and adhere to the principles of propriety, we thus become the voice that could restore order, strength, and stability to our nation. We should not hesitate to rise to the occasion where and when propriety is absent—when we do, we advance ourselves and our nation a step forward toward progress.

JULIUS TURGANO,
turgano.julius@gmail.com