GUILT TRIP 3: NEGA

“E di yung pangit na mataba!” was my immediate answer when my wife asked me last night who should be the first to go in Pinoy Big Brother. Me and my big mouth. Napaka-pintasero ko raw, she said. Oo nga.

I guess for many of us, it is easy to find fault. I agree wholeheartedly when people say “if you have nothing good to say, keep your mouth shut” but somehow it is so difficult to do.

Last week I was at a workshop in Batangas where results of a baseline research across the country were presented. “87% of the respondents do not have savings” proclaimed one of the findings and that made us go “aaaaaargh!!!” collectively. On the surface, the statement looked innocent enough. A fair interpretation of tabulated data. Then it hit me that it focused on the weakness, rather than on strengths. Perhaps if it had been presented as “13% of the respondents have savings”, then it would have generated a better sense of something positive to build on.

For years, we have been so used to dwelling too much on the negatives. You hear mothers shouting at their kids “Ang tanga-tanga mo kasi!” until the poor kid believes he is indeed tanga. We even celebrate defeats like “The Fall of Bataan”.

It is said that the deepest principle of human nature is the craving to be appreciated. That is why I think Jessica Zafra is lying to her teeth when she proclaims “I have no desire whatsoever to be liked or admired. Try it; it’s liberating.” Yeah, right.

Say a good word to someone today.



WHO WILL BE EVICTED? Pinoy Big Brother