His conscience is clear

“Bahala na ang Lord sa kanila. Basta ako busy.” “My conscience is clear.” “I could have removed him as Mayor if I wanted to.”

These are just a sampling of PNoy’s latest snipes at his critics and at Mayor Alfred Romualdez. I’m sure those lines are very amusing and profitable for tabloid headlines but certainly a cause for migraine for the Press Secretary Sonny Coloma who has been doing his best to get everyone on both sides to move on after an emotional and disastrous month. Not only are such lines un-presidential in tone, they are antagonistic and add more holes to an already “water-logged” boat sinking in the sea of bad press and thousands of on-line pot shots.

But more than sniping at his enemies and drawing fire to himself, the President may actually not realize that his choice of words and the position he takes with his critics could get him into more trouble than he bargained for. Many people, me included, often say “Bahala na si Lord sa inyo” thoughtlessly, without realizing that by calling God to judge others we also place ourselves in his “courtroom” and under his scrutiny.

Yes, people regularly call on God to punish their enemies, the book of Psalms is full of it, but they do so in privacy or in anguish or sincere prayer and not in rash or harsh public utterance of anger or contempt that makes God look like a cosmic bodyguard or nothing more than a heavenly avenger. “Thou shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,” the Lord said and PNoy’s utterance is one example.

Perhaps the President should reflect on this thought: Would you call down the wrath of God on people just because they disagree with you or in the worst instance because they criticize you? There is a reason why some men have coined the phrase:  “I would not wish it upon my worst enemy” and “Be careful what you wish for.” They say so because they have seen it and have suffered for it as well.

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For some strange reason, when the President was quoted in Japan as saying “My conscience is clear”, I found myself researching on where those words were originally said and by whom. I never thought I would find a handful of very interesting and very enlightening quotations all available on the web. Here are just some of them:

“A clear conscience is the sure sign of a bad memory.” Mark Twain (American author 1835-1910)

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“A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner: Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time. When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, The one I feed the most.”  George Bernard Shaw (Irish playwright 1856-1910)

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“Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it.” Leo Tolstoy  (Russian author 1828-1910)

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“Betrayal is common for men with no conscience.” Toba Beta (Indonesian author)

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“The immature conscience is not its own master. It simply parrots the decisions of others. It does not make judgments of its own; it merely conforms to the judgments of others. That is not real freedom, and it makes true love impossible, for if we are to love truly and freely, we must be able to give something that is truly our own to another. If our heart does not belong to us, asks Merton, how can we give it to another?” Jon Katz (American journalist and author)

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At the top of my search is this passage where the very phrase “My Conscience is clear” actually appears and was apparently written by St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians to address divisions in the early church, about leadership, about what true Apostleship is all about and many matters very relevant in today’s setting in the Philippines. It is actually a worthwhile reading as we go into our Christmas furlough. In the mean time about what is written regarding “A clear conscience”:

“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.  I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.”  (1 Corinthians 4 v 2 to 5)

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It is of public record that I as an opinion writer have criticized President Noynoy but it is also of public record that I have also praised the President and on occasion defended him, even his mother in spite of our families’ past history. In doing both, on specific occasions I too have been criticized by others. It is the nature of men; it comes with the job.

Perhaps now that certain changes are on-going in the President’s circle, he might consider reviewing the history of his speaking engagements particularly with the media. Which group often triggers the off-the-cuff remarks from the President that he eventually pays for or regrets? Among his critics in media, whom has the President made time to clear the air with? Among his critics, has the President actually reached out to work things out or has he relied on the reports or whispers coming from multiple layers of vested interests or politics? We cannot call on God if we ourselves are unwilling or too proud to call people. God Bless you.

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