Time for a lifestyle change

Sunday afternoons in our house are spent sleepily lounging around, watching a little TV and reading the newspapers. We all have busy schedules and so this is the only time we can sit down and really absorb the latest from the papers. Usually, I sit on the floor beside my parents’ bed and wait for them to pass me the lifestyle section. As the guys jump for the sports section, I always ask for the lifestyle section before anything else. The lifestyle section is my favorite. When I was in high school, I’d scan the lifestyle section in between bites of pan de sal during breakfast while my parents perused the rest of the newspaper. I would come down the stairs knowing what kind of lifestyle section would be in between the pages of Philippine Star. If I wanted more tips on weight loss, I’d eagerly await the Health and Family section on Tuesdays. If I wanted to see the latest fashions, I’d look through the Beauty and Fashion section on Thursdays. Obviously, Young Star came out on Fridays, I read it if I just wanted to be amused and look at myself in this column. Last schoolyear when I started college, I wasn’t able to get newspapers every day and so Sunday was the only day I could catch up on my favorite columnists and the latest lifestyle updates.

Often I’d skip the rest of the newspaper just to read the lifestyle. I’ve even totally disregarded the front page, even with the big, bold headlines telling me what’s up in the country. When I was a kid, I thought that everything in the news was boring. I just wanted my cartoons. Same thing with newspapers. I read the comic strips and then I’d be off before my fingers were soiled with newsprint. I guess the idea that news was boring stuck in my head as I grew older. I was never surprised that I did so poorly whenever my Araling Panlipunan teacher would test us on current events. I usually had to ask my classmates to fill me in on the latest events right before we had a check-up quiz. I never knew simple things, like the names of government officials. I don’t know if my inability to remember names had anything to do with it, but I was always completely horrible in current events.

A few months ago, I was able to register to vote for the first time. It was pretty exciting and sort of tiring to be standing in the middle of so many people, waiting for my turn to be called so they could take my picture and fingerprint marks. I felt a lot older, knowing that I had an important responsibility to my country as a registered voter.

As the elections draw nearer, people start to ask who I will vote for. I suddenly realize that I don’t know yet. The names of the presidential candidates are all familiar (Thank goodness! There’s still hope for my name-remembering problem.) but I don’t know who is worthy of my vote and who isn’t. I haven’t been aware of what these people have been up to or fighting for. I had been skipping the main section of the newspaper for too long. It’s my first time to vote, but I know it’s more than just writing the names of people on a piece of paper and hoping they win. These candidates will be both leaders and servants of our country. We need people who are truly sincere in their desire to lead and serve and capable of doing so. And as there may be several who fall under this description, it’s up to us to pick who the best person for the job is. How are we supposed to do this without any knowledge of these people or what their positions entail them to do? We all know what could happen when the wrong people are seated in office. Our country needs huge improvements and enlightenment, and these coming elections we’re given the chance to help ourselves and make it all happen.

I was disappointed at myself for having been apathetic about relevant news for so many years. My lifestyle – and the lifestyle of all the other Filipino teenagers – would not be the same without our varied interests. But it would not be complete without our knowledge and understanding of our country. This is one of the things that set us apart from the rest of the teenagers all over the world. We all dream of becoming one with all the other nations, to be part of the huge global village. Yet what can we tell the rest of the world about our country?

Once on a foreign trip, a Malaysian asked me what I thought the biggest problem of the Philippines was, and I found myself fumbling for an answer. If we don’t immerse ourselves in our country, we will never know ourselves. Yes, sometimes (or most of the time) the news can be depressing and quite pitiful, but the more we ignore it the longer it’s going to last. A lot of people feel like they can’t do anything but watch our country just deteriorate, but I guess in a way, by watching and being aware, they’re doing a lot better than those who totally disregard any news. All they have to do is take the next important step – to use this awareness to the fullest. In a couple of weeks, we could all use our awareness to choose our future leaders.

I have decided not to be an apathetic person. I am proud to say I have been paying attention to the news all summer. I now scan all the sections of the newspapers, from the front page to the sports section to the editorial and of course, my favorite lifestyle section. It takes a lot longer for me to read the newspapers, but it’s a lot more worth it. I have also decided on whom to vote for. A first for me and hopefully a shift in my lifestyle.