The Course of Discipline

By: Tristan Jhae C. De Vera

At this moment, our country is facing many issues such as corruption and environmental pollution. But do you know where these issues rooted?  It’s simple, lack of discipline. We can change all of these by having that sense.

Since childhood, we have a responsibility for our country, but because of the liberal ideology, we’ve forgotten the authoritarian one, discipline. That authoritarian ideology has lost its course since we regain our freedom.

Look around at this room and tell me whether I’m right or wrong. Throwing trashes in the trash bin, fixing your things, and respecting someone talking in front of you, are we doing it properly? Go out, vehicles counter-flowing, people jaywalking, and traffic congestion, all of these acts lack discipline.

We will not experience any progress if we do not make an action. Batanes, Davao, Singapore, Japan, their people have discipline because they love their city, and country and they want their lives to have progress. Before the lady in yellow proclaimed our democracy, people are more disciplined then than today. Just look at those vintage pictures, you will realize what we have become over the past century. We can be like them if we’ll just have discipline to ourselves.

As former Singaporean Prime Minister, Senior Minister and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew once said and I quote, “The Philippines needs more of discipline than democracy.” He is right, we need more discipline than democracy because having discipline means we are capable to stop ourselves from doing unnecessary acts such as those aforementioned above. Sometimes, let the old replaced with new ones. Our generation must correct the wrong actions that our predecessors made in the past. We must act right now, not tomorrow, but now. Remember, we are Filipinos, it is our duty to protect, and develop our Motherland.