To ask or not to ask

Conclusion

On the other hand, because of our culture, we have also been able to say things in such a manner that the other person’s feelings are taken into consideration and would not feel rejected. There are two different ways to look at this situation and while some people say that one public servant is better than the other, in truth, we have ultimately failed to realize that we have two very different public servants with very different personalities. Does one therefore malign a sitting President for not giving his watch to a cadet? Traditionally it is not required and personally, he too is not obligated to do so. A graduate tried his luck on the matter but didn’t succeed. Such is life. Nothing personal. Did it make him look bad? Perhaps that reaction is subjective.

On the other hand, the Vice President expressed that there must have been a better way to handle the situation as, after all, she is first and foremost a mother. Looking at context, both sides must be given the benefit of perspective. Either way, and in hindsight, while many went on social media to a point of taking sides, objectivity on the matter was lost in translation when in fact, it is to me just a matter of difference in personality. Former President Duterte once gave his watch to a graduate and that was out of the ordinary and while it was highly celebrated, it was unconventional and must therefore be taken in its proper context.

What I would like to highlight, however, is the fact that we Filipinos still need to properly gauge our expectations when sometimes we do get what we want but are not very prepared in the event that we receive nothing in return. In short, when it comes to asking, one must remember that while it is alright for you to do so, it is also just as right for the other person not to respond in the way you want.

As for our culture, there is still so much on perspective that we must exhaust thoroughly as well as learn to look into the issues deeper and go beyond personalities in order to be fully prepared for a cutthroat, honest-to-goodness outcome of situations. In this instance, the matter at hand can just be about that thin line between etiquette and entitlement.