We are living in a world where selfishness and personal gratification has become so common, it’s the norm. I keep on seeing the “I want” in Facebook and Twitter statuses that it’s becoming a routine. Somehow these status messages give me an idea of that person’s values.  I also see a lot of ranting for about delayed services, non-working devices, and the undying fanaticism over their choice of gadget brands, i.e. Apple, Android, Blackberry, etc.

I guess that is expected in this age of instant gratification. But being the norm doesn’t mean it’s correct.

If there’s a trend I would like to see, it will be the “I WANT to help” kind.  I believe that not everything that starts with “I WANT” should be about ourselves. If we see more people wanting to help, we wouldn’t have a problem moving toward solving problems in our society like corruption, pollution, traffic, and population.

Let’s start looking for ways to help our country; we all know the problems, unless you lived under a rock for the past 100 or so years.

Complaining without acting is stupid. If you see the problem, address it.

If you see a good initiative to address a problem, for example the RH Bill, study and support it. Whatever your priests say, our population growth is not slowing down, abortion  is not part of RH Bill, and overpopulation and deficient maternal healthcare is a fact.

You can even start at the most basic. Obey traffic rules. Cross at pedestrian crossings. Throw your garbage in the trash can. Don’t smoke in public places. Pay your taxes.

We all know these. How can we expect major change, if we ourselves cannot do the simplest tasks to improve our society.

Deep in your heart you feel these are the right things to do. Just let the goodness in you come out. Unless, again, you have total disrespect for others, and you are one selfish person.

I lived in Singapore for a couple of years. I was quite amused that the government there had a program to promote graciousness. I found it amusing because in the Philippines, graciousness is a fact of life for me.  I hope we don’t lose that trait.

Let’s reflect a moment and see if we really care for this country and what we can do to help.

We can all start with, “I WANT to Help the Philippines.”

If you feel the same way about helping the our country, please share this article.