New Year's Wishes

I just wish three things to happen next year.

The first one, is for Filipinos to realize hiya. There is no English transliteration of this purely Filipino term. Some say, it's a loss of face, but others say, hiya is more than a loss of face. Hiya sometimes is equated to mean, shame. Yet, this is more than feeling shame.

Hiya is a feeling of a person who considers it banal for him to treat others inhumanely. It is something which bars him from doing something when that something harms another or when it harms his reputation or the family values.

The reason why there is a proliferation of graft and corruption in our society is the sole fact that Filipinos lost this trait altogether. Or some lost their hiya, to be precise. I still believe many Filipinos still feel hiya because many are still respecting and obeying the laws of this country.

Another wish that I would like God to realize is for every Filipino to realize that his small acts impact on the general welfare of everyone living here in this country. When someone realizes that dirtying the streets by spitting or throwing garbage around harms the entire country, that begins the process of loving this country. As they say, we sink or swim together.

The last thing I wish for our fellow countrymen is this--for everyone to fear God. There is no more hiya and there is no more love of one's country because many do not fear God. When one fears a God, he recognizes authority over him. A recognition of authority leads one to follow the rules of the land and respect other people's rights.

Those who violate the law do not fear God. God is the law.