POLITICS and mercy can and should be
together. Contrary to
what many people may think, politics is in great need of mercy,
otherwise it has no other alternative but to go to the dogs.
It should never be thought of as an anything-goes affair,
an open field for all kinds of shenanigans to take place. We need to
break away from that mindset, for the simple reason that it does us no
good, it corrupts us as a person and as a people, it can only generate
a vicious cycle of evils.
When politics is merciless, one evil generates another
which reinforces the former that again spawns another evil, and so on
and so forth, until the whole atmosphere is completely polluted and
poisoned. The worst thing that can happen is when this unfortunate
state of affairs becomes normal to us.
Just like any human endeavor, politics should be done in
the framework of charity and mercy. Mind you, that framework does not
undermine the realism we need to have when doing politics. On the
contrary, it enhances such realism, but prevents it from deteriorating
into a heartless and inhuman activity. We need to explode the myth
that charity and mercy would hinder the workings of politics.
With mercy, our politics can remain human and with a
heart, capable of seeing things with utmost objectivity and realism,
and with the proper priorities preserved and defended. Charity and
mercy can only sharpen our desire for truth, justice and the common
good, without taking immoral and illegal short-cuts.
What good does a general political culture of bashing,
mudslinging and fault-finding do? If that’s our idea of being
objective and realistic, we as a people are still light-years away
from the spirit of Christ whom most of us profess to believe and
follow. Put in another way, we would seem to be in the primitive stage
yet as a people insofar as politics is concerned.
Christ precisely was undeterred by sin and the many
miseries of men. In fact, sin and the human miseries made him to be
most solicitous of us, showering us with an abundance of his mercy.
What only got his goat was the self-righteousness of some
people who were quick to judge others, to find fault in them, even if
they themselves have their own shortcomings and other worse things.
This self-righteousness is precisely what is most opposed
to the spirit of Christ. It’s not men’s sins, weaknesses and other
miseries. This self-righteousness is an attempt to make oneself his
own god, his own creator and lawgiver.
Now that we are in the Year of Mercy, as declared by Pope
Francis, let us try our best to be kind, compassionate and
understanding with the others, including the politicians, especially
those with whom we are at odds.
After overcoming as soon as possible our initial automatic
reaction of disgust, disappointment and disapproval when we see the
defects and alleged crimes of politicians, let us pray for them and
see how we can help them. This is the Christian way.
Let us see instead their qualities and accomplishments to
see if they deserve our vote. If in the end, we decide not to vote for
them, then let’s make that decision without falling into lack of
charity and mercy.
If we feel that they have to answer for their alleged
crimes so that the requirements of justice can be met, then let’s do
so without being uncharitable and unmerciful.
In this way, our political life and culture would be
cleansed of impurities that only block the proper political effort to
pursue our common good. The Year of Mercy can be a good occasion to
make a good, if not a quantum, leap in the quality of our politics.
Let’s hope that we can realize more deeply that being
uncharitable and unmerciful in our political life can do a great harm
to us as a people. It is what can constitute as a big obstacle to our
true development and progress, since it harms our soul much more than
our body. It strikes us at the most essential part of our life.
Everyone of us should make a deep examination of
conscience if only to do some adjustments in our attitude and practice
of politics. Special mention should be given to the politicians
themselves and to the media who play a crucial role in this field.
Many of us may consider this a pipe dream. But let’s
realize that the pursuit for truth, justice and the common good starts
with a dream that is continually worked on until the dream becomes a
reality.
what many people may think, politics is in great need of mercy,
otherwise it has no other alternative but to go to the dogs.
It should never be thought of as an anything-goes affair,
an open field for all kinds of shenanigans to take place. We need to
break away from that mindset, for the simple reason that it does us no
good, it corrupts us as a person and as a people, it can only generate
a vicious cycle of evils.
When politics is merciless, one evil generates another
which reinforces the former that again spawns another evil, and so on
and so forth, until the whole atmosphere is completely polluted and
poisoned. The worst thing that can happen is when this unfortunate
state of affairs becomes normal to us.
Just like any human endeavor, politics should be done in
the framework of charity and mercy. Mind you, that framework does not
undermine the realism we need to have when doing politics. On the
contrary, it enhances such realism, but prevents it from deteriorating
into a heartless and inhuman activity. We need to explode the myth
that charity and mercy would hinder the workings of politics.
With mercy, our politics can remain human and with a
heart, capable of seeing things with utmost objectivity and realism,
and with the proper priorities preserved and defended. Charity and
mercy can only sharpen our desire for truth, justice and the common
good, without taking immoral and illegal short-cuts.
What good does a general political culture of bashing,
mudslinging and fault-finding do? If that’s our idea of being
objective and realistic, we as a people are still light-years away
from the spirit of Christ whom most of us profess to believe and
follow. Put in another way, we would seem to be in the primitive stage
yet as a people insofar as politics is concerned.
Christ precisely was undeterred by sin and the many
miseries of men. In fact, sin and the human miseries made him to be
most solicitous of us, showering us with an abundance of his mercy.
What only got his goat was the self-righteousness of some
people who were quick to judge others, to find fault in them, even if
they themselves have their own shortcomings and other worse things.
This self-righteousness is precisely what is most opposed
to the spirit of Christ. It’s not men’s sins, weaknesses and other
miseries. This self-righteousness is an attempt to make oneself his
own god, his own creator and lawgiver.
Now that we are in the Year of Mercy, as declared by Pope
Francis, let us try our best to be kind, compassionate and
understanding with the others, including the politicians, especially
those with whom we are at odds.
After overcoming as soon as possible our initial automatic
reaction of disgust, disappointment and disapproval when we see the
defects and alleged crimes of politicians, let us pray for them and
see how we can help them. This is the Christian way.
Let us see instead their qualities and accomplishments to
see if they deserve our vote. If in the end, we decide not to vote for
them, then let’s make that decision without falling into lack of
charity and mercy.
If we feel that they have to answer for their alleged
crimes so that the requirements of justice can be met, then let’s do
so without being uncharitable and unmerciful.
In this way, our political life and culture would be
cleansed of impurities that only block the proper political effort to
pursue our common good. The Year of Mercy can be a good occasion to
make a good, if not a quantum, leap in the quality of our politics.
Let’s hope that we can realize more deeply that being
uncharitable and unmerciful in our political life can do a great harm
to us as a people. It is what can constitute as a big obstacle to our
true development and progress, since it harms our soul much more than
our body. It strikes us at the most essential part of our life.
Everyone of us should make a deep examination of
conscience if only to do some adjustments in our attitude and practice
of politics. Special mention should be given to the politicians
themselves and to the media who play a crucial role in this field.
Many of us may consider this a pipe dream. But let’s
realize that the pursuit for truth, justice and the common good starts
with a dream that is continually worked on until the dream becomes a
reality.
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