Whether by true belief, time-honored tradition or plain habit, Filipinos take active part in the celebration of the Chinese New Year. This year is no different.
The celebrations are such that evil spirits and other bearers of bad luck are warded off, inviting only prosperity, longevity, health and good relationships. As the Year of the Pig is ushered in, people talk about whether their own signs would bring luck and happiness—or their opposites.
This year is especially significant for Filipinos because there will be an election in three months and several big projects and campaigns are being implemented in government. The May elections, as well as the initiatives for peace, the environment, peace and order, and infrastructure all play an important role in determining our progress as a nation.
But while believers resort to certain practices to get rid of ill fortune or invite only positive energies, it is time we started ascribing our sorry situation less to bad luck and more to an inability to break old patterns. For instance, we keep falling for the same trap of electing candidates for their prominent last names, for their grandiose promises of change, or for the personality that they cultivate for the masses.
As a result, we find ourselves in the same rut, only with greater hatred and wider divisions than ever before.
May this year's celebrations come with an awareness that it is we who determine our own good or bad fortune, and who chart our own destiny as a people. We imagine it is easier to believe otherwise, but in the end we do get the government we deserve, and the living conditions we choose to put up with. “‹