The Shift From Within
I always thought of myself as a disruptor, always wanting to break the system in order to fix it but after a while, I was becoming more tolerant of things, resigned in fact because I felt hopeless. It was frustration at the system I believed I could at least make some change in, in home base, what was my turf. If I couldn’t make a difference at home, how would I anywhere else?
Today, I realised I had begun to see things from another point of view, it was my spring awakening. I have come face to face with senior members of government asking them how I can help them, wholeheartedly pure in my intention yet always misconstrued.
There is a fine line between being self-serving and self-centered; self-serving as putting one’s concern before others, and self-centered as preoccupied with oneself and one’s affairs — close but not quite. This is what innovative corruption looks like. In a world that is already so broken, we find ourselves in more conversations that are deeply hypocritical, where bad actors are like sheep in wolf’s clothing, only there to bend to the will of the overarching greed so prevalent everywhere.
The man who keeps the land of the brave and home of the free on their toes, he who is known as the greatest in NBA history, and the biggest political upset by far, architected by that whiz kid in a garage — they all look like they could have made a real impact but when their head couldn’t even tame their heart, that was the beginning of the end.
Change starts small, inside you, it then extends to your innermost circle. It is when you come to a place where all the situations you found yourself in, each article you read, and conversations that have been and gone make sense. Its like you just gravitate in that direction and there is no looking back. If science found a way into more minds, then logic and reasoning would be more algorithmic and eventually, turn into common sense.
Blockchain technology is going to #breaktheinternet — in a more disruptive way than what we know today as disruption, making #metoo a part of daily conversation as its not to be embarrassed about, and most importantly, #sorrynotsorry has #nofilter. This will stop fake news in its wake, restore truth in advertising, and truly turn this into the world wide web of choices. Without a person to blame or institution to hide behind, the power is returned to us, and keep those given the responsibility, accountable, and that goes for every single one of us who choose to participate. What the technologies expose and displace, then circles back and will enable the very people made invisible by the system.
In these pockets where I can speak my mind, be okay with being unsure and better yet, have people challenge my views, are my Safe Spaces. It’s a sense of camaraderie that’s not just pare pare lang, we all want to do something big, and it will only go places if we do it together. If this is what getting myself out of retirement means, I’m ready. I don’t want reason to question those I put in office, and that goes for every Filipino. This is where I know I’m heard for the validity of my views, recognized for my differences, and celebrated for my victories.
I found my tribe, my barkada; I found The Cool Kids.
