Be Informed: A Prelude

The issue on the RH Bill has not yet waned. Though I have not heard much of it from my friends, people in the congress are still on it, advocates of both sides are still fighting for what they believe in, and all of us under the law are still affected by it.

The thing is, this issue is not just an opinionable matter wherein you're asked whether you're PRO the bill or AGAINST the bill, and then you choose. It's also not about hearing both sides and deciding which is good for you. These are not enough. You have to know what the bill exactly states. You don't just trust anyone telling you what it is about, or worse, to simply believe what they say it fights for. You will be enthralled by how they put it always in the positive note, or discouraged by how the against group is always contradicting what the pro bill would say. The thing is, to be convinced is not the best way to form a conviction. To have conviction is not merely to be encouraged/discouraged to believe in something, but to actually own what you know, own what you want to happen, believe in it and you act on it. 

I understand how doing that will not exactly win me people to side with me in opposing the bill. I also understand that there are people who have real conviction on pushing the bill to be passed. But for that matter, the point is for people to know what they are standing for, not to be indifferent, at the same time, not to be closeminded. 

Given the picture that both sides claim they are pro-life, pro-family, and pro-choice, how would you know to which should you side on? The easiest way is to know both of their proposals, and see what's more convenient to follow. Sometimes we give in to what is surfacely appealing. But do we really know what the bill exactly states?

Given the situation that they both claim the same values, family, life and freedom, is there a way for you to know objectively what these values really mean? The answer is a big, bold YES. Know what it really means to value these three things, and see which side is being true to these values.

The RH Bill to me pretty much responds to the problems as if those were the only correct responses. I say, we be critical and see how these responses will make an impact to the society in the long run. And by impact, I mean it to be both positive and negative.

They say to be smart is to know the right things, I say to be wise is to be critical and know better how to go about the wrong things. It's not about hitting the question with the right answer, but a matter of changing your failed responses to a right and fitting response.