BY EDISON MARTE SICAD
“All that we achieve and all that we fail to achieve is the direct result of our own thoughts. In a justly ordered universe, where loss of equipoise would mean total destruction, individual responsibility must be absolute. Our weakness and strength, purity and impurity, are our own and not another’s. They are brought about by ourselves and not by others; and they can be altered only by ourselves, never by others. Our condition is also our own and not another’s. Our suffering and our happiness are evolved from within. As we think, so we are; as we continue to think, so we remain.” – James Allen
WITH FREEDOM comes responsibility. And our responsibility to others is an extension of our own responsibility to ourselves. Ironically, I learned a lot about responsibility when I became unnecessarily dependent on others.
I also learned that dependence could become a “learned helplessness.” Other people, especially the family members, can unintentionally teach their loved ones to be dependent on them.
Under the guise of affection, protection, or family support, a mother could create a man-child. Under the idea of No Child Left Behind, a teacher could train a student to love “easy learning,” and hate learning through effort or repeated instructions. Under the concept of helping the poor (ayuda and 4Ps), the government could promote laziness among its constituents.
With the interlocking and myriad factors involve in human interactions, the expected results could be different from the eventual consequences.
From the foregoing, trial and error becomes the effective learning process of a person who is fortunate enough to have discovered that he or she has the freedom to take charge of his or her life.
And the idea of freedom or the lack of it, can be gleaned from the way we do our work.
Surprisingly, some employees in the private and public sector consider their work as a necessary evil — a modern slavery. If given the chance, a typical employee will choose not to go to work.
On the other hand, there are those who go to work to avoid family responsibilities. Some report to office to access free unlimited internet connection and relax in an airconditioned room. And there are those who do their job to forget the outside world.
I am not saying that we have to be excited all the time or to always look forward to Monday (but to a determined and goal-oriented person, this is possible). But as employees (free individuals?), we are free to make the year 2025 way better than last year.
In my case, I planned to make the following actions a possibility this 2025:
1. To report to work at least 30 minutes earlier than required. In fact, I am planning to be really early so that I can do some walking in the Iloilo Esplanade (I work in the Hall of Justice);
2. To finish the day’s tasks before 5pm. This is to train me to “work when it is time to work.” In our own small ways, we can discipline ourselves to efficiently manage our time; and
3. To avoid using family concerns as valid excuses for a lackluster work performance and to stop using the busyness of work as reasonable justifications against home obligations.
Despite all the politicking, the aggressive social media distractions, and the insidious *anomie around us and within us, I remain hopeful that I/we can be better this year.
Of course, there would be setbacks, disappointments, and unmet expectations. But by having a growth mindset, everyday would become a character-building day.
This year 2025, I/we can choose to be responsible.
* Anomie, in societies or individuals, is a condition of instability resulting from a breakdown of standards and values or from a lack of purpose or ideals. — Encyclopedia Britannica/PN
