Happy Labor Day

Know your rights as a worker.  You are entitled to them.  Anyone who doesn't respect your right should be educated not just for your sake but also for theirs.  

If only our workers know and understand the law, if only our workers know how to assert themselves and fight for their basic rights the law protects, and the elite few in our society who run business know that our workers know, the likelihood of their taking advantage of our common Juan who toil day and night, I believe, will somehow decrease.

You have the right to speak; don't let others take that away from you for fear of being branded as a whiner or a complainer or a negative person.  If you feel in your heart as your senses tell you that the reality around you is oppressive and that your rights are trampled, do you close your eyes along with it or do you choose to question?  I hope that you question instead.  You question to the point that it creates controversy that other people who hear your question also think.  This is not to create disturbance.  This is to genuinely empower people with their own thoughts that they may think freely - freely that it opens up their senses to reality whether such oppression or trampling of rights really does exist.  As Emerson puts it, "To believe in your heart what is true for yourself is true to everyone, that is genius."  You, the worker, are your own genius because you also know that without your labor, no institution would prosper nor even survive.  You are the real power.

In an institution where most people are afraid to speak up to the ones in power, evil is more likely to prevail.  Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely even the ones who possess it.  Unfortunately, the possessor does not see it this way, the possessor sees the ones who speak as a threat to their status quo and to preserve it some of them will suppress your thoughts and make you believe in what Orwell understood to be the solidity of the wind.  Some of them will use their charms and their rhetorics and the workers' best defense from this is the pruning of their mind that they may distinguish rock from air.

As I have oftenly rephrased and quoted, "The only necessary thing for evil to prevail is for a few good men to say nothing."  And to the oligarchs, and capitalists who serve only their interest in profit, listen to Shore, "The only necessary thing for evil to succeed is to treat everything as business."  People are not businesses.  They are a part of your business, an inseparable part in fact.  Remember there's more likelihood for a business to survive without the few ones on top rather than without the many ones below.  Remove the top of the pyramid and the bottom part survives.  Remove the bricks below and the top of the pyramid crumbles.

So, fellow workers, know the law, understand it and use it.  Speak your minds and assert yourselves.  Empower yourselves.

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To all the hard workers, most especially to my co-teachers, happy Labor Day.  We choose this profession not so we can profit monetarily but so our future kids can profit from the promise of a brighter future; because we teach the next generation not to be victims of commercialism, not to be victims of profiteering, not to be victims of preachers who cling to flowery words to hide their intentions, and not to be victims of themselves by becoming the profiteers who take advantage of others.

Let's teach our students to open their eyes that they may see what Socrates put above all of us - Truth.  Let's teach our students to speak up their minds no matter how their ideas may seem eccentric or unusual, that we may guide them to see what is real, that we may strengthen their senses to perceive reality.  After all, God is God of truth, not of lies.

The Hashtag Generation

(The speech below is as should be delivered in MIIS HS Baccalaureate 2014.  It was cut short during the actual delivery because of an unexpected turn of event.  Comments are most welcome.)

#SOCIAL MEDIA #TEENS #SELFIE #YOLO

#QUOTES

by June Canicosa Hebrew

            “I would like you guys to know that I love you and I will miss you in case you don’t know yet but a part of me would like to believe that you already know that.  Most of you have always told me,  “ I love you, Sir”, or “I missed you, Sir” and I will surely miss the sound of your sweet greetings as I walk through the hallways.  But then again if we feel we want to express how much we love and miss each other, our gadgets are just right inside our pockets and all we’ve got to do is just to press on those keypads our messages to each other and voila - we are connected.  To add, whenever we want to know how each other is doing, all we’ve got to do is to entertain ourselves with the “hashtag selfie”, or “hashtag YOLO”, or “hashtag coolteenquotes” of those whom we miss.

            Technology has brought us so far; in fact, I don’t see many students enthusiastic to go to the library anymore since a lot of information are now googleable.  Wherever we go, mobile phone companies have also found a way to bring social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and many more right there on our very fingertips.  Along with this trend, a lot of advertisers become more competitive as they take advantage of making not just their products but also their ideas present wherever you go; the future ahead of advertising is “social media marketing”.  They will make sure you see them, you buy them, and ultimately, you buy the new definition of life as how these advertisers want you to be.  Truth of the matter is, all of us are their target.

As much as we rejoice our connectedness because of technology, it also drives us apart.  It drives us apart not just from each other but also from the everlasting principles technology just by itself would not understand.  It is scary.  It scares me as a teacher – that the influence of the advertising media makes you, teens define your lives as mere hash tags. 

Most girls are now a generation of “hash tag selfies” and it makes me wonder, “Is it really necessary for this generation to check through their camera phone how they look every moment of the day? Is it really necessary for these kids to make different kinds of facial expressions with their lips pouting, eyes bulging, mouth opened? –

You name it, I have never seen a face gets distorted so many times in a few seconds for the sake of vanity or “likes” received in the social media.  Researches also found how many teenagers feel bad when after their hash tag selfies they don’t get too many “likes” in their social media accounts.  What scares me more is right after the typhoon Yolanda and pictures of victims spread the Internet, many teens couldn’t care less and their hash tag selfies seem to be, for them, worth more than the pictures of the victims. 

Another scary thing is that the posted images of the devastated province and its homeless victims get “TOO MANY” likes and I was wondering, “What was there to like?”  The meaning of “like” seem to be changing as well.

And then, there’s “hash tag YOLO”.  Teenagers rejoice doing stupid things and then they would be proud of them because well, “You Only Live Once”; “YOLO, dude!” 

I have read over the Internet, “My brother was kicked out of his hotel because of peeing from the balcony of his hotel room; hash tag Can’t Stop Laughing, and hash tag YOLO.” 

And then there’s another one, “Exchanging seats while driving “hash tag YOLO”. 

What do you think happened after they exchanged seats?  Luckily, they survived but it is not unfathomable that teenagers because of the influence of too much social media craze would take a picture of the ZERO’s in their exam and hide it under the guise of “hash tag YOLO” with the effect of devaluing the essence of education.  In one of the high schools in the United States, whenever they see “hash tag YOLO” the faculty and staff become alert to see what’s going down or what pranks students would pull.  Does these hash tags not scare you, students?  Parents?  Teachers?

Lastly there are those “hash tag cool teen quotes” that students use as an excuse to be lazy – hash tag education does not define success.

“Sir, why do we have to go to school?  Even Bill Gates, or Mark Zuckerberg didn’t finish college but they are wealthier than most of us!  They are successful!” 

To which I replied, “If you have the IQ or even the parcel of knowledge and technical skills of Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg before they created Windows, or Facebook, come back to me and then ask again that question.”

Hash tag – “It’s the journey not the destination.”

“Sir, I really did my best here.  Can I get a passing grade for effort?”

Hash tag – “Character is more important than knowledge” or “EQ is more important than IQ”.

“Sir, don’t worry, even if I don’t know the answer to that, I have a good heart.”

With the vast amount of information available within your reach, you tell me you don’t know the answer to my simple questions. 

Perhaps you are busier selfie-ing, YOLO-ing, or tweeting your angst against the whole wide world.

Einstein’s version actually sounds like, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

But then again, even Einstein was knowledgeable himself.  I can only deduce that when Einstein said this phrase, he knew he was knowledgeable and that his knowledge would be useless if he didn’t use his imagination.  Therefore, he was not eliminating knowledge in the equation.  When he said that quotation, there was presupposition of the existence of knowledge before imagination could even make sense. 

Character is more important than knowledge you guys would tell me to defend your failing quizzes or tests, but let me ask you, “Would you even know the essence of character without having checked the dictionary or without having read stories discussing the concept of character? - Or having listened to lectures or team building, retreats, and other venues for you to learn of such?

Character and EQ are important; but your foundation, which is knowledge, and your ability to think are equally important.

Do not just fall into quotes thrown into your face by the popular psychology promoted in social media.  These quotes are designed to make you feel temporarily good.  But soonest as the quote doesn’t feel appropriate for the situation anymore, you will look for another quote to make yourself feel better.

With all those said, what happens if the power goes out and the last battery dies?  How will you survive when you can’t “hash tag selfie” anymore? Or “hash tag YOLO”?  Will it make your life less meaningful that you can’t see how many likes you get or how your other classmates do stupid “YOLO” stuff?  And how are you to make yourself feel better when no quotes over the Internet seem to appeal to your emotions anymore?

“I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction.  The world will have a generation of idiots.”  Albert Einstein allegedly said that.

Students seldom think these days.  If they forget the spelling, there’s spellcheck; grammar, grammar check; phone number, cellphone.  It seemed as if there are ready answers for everything that now a mere use of their faculty seems to them as an insurmountable effort – to spell words properly, or to even construct correct sentences, or even memorize emergency numbers.

Have Einstein’s fears been realized?

Actually it’s not Einstein’s fear since no one has actually proven the quote came from him.  I believed it was from him.  But after some research, I found out it achieved its viral status with its dubious ascription riding in Einstein’s popularity. 

I probably am becoming an idiot, too.  And it’s scary. 

Our dear MI students, I would be lying to you if I say that we have prepared you enough for what’s out there.  However in my attempt to make you feel better about yourself, I could not say you are prepared.  Truth of the matter is no one in this room is prepared.  Each day we wake up, we are unsure of what’s to come.  As a matter of fact when your parents gave birth to you, they were scared as hell but excited greatly well; when it was your first day to school, the teacher who received you was also scared as hell.  When it was your teachers’ first day to teach, they were also anxious, they didn’t know what to expect.  They prepared themselves, yet at the end of the day they tell themselves, “I could have been better prepared.

We are never fully prepared.  We make ourselves believe we are ready because believing in such does not threaten our self-esteem.

Allow me to reiterate differently the M-I Way.

So what then if you are not ready – that’s when you choose to selfie or to love others; that’s when you choose to YOLO or to learn when your friends make you choose between your schoolwork and gimmicks; that’s when you choose to believe cool teen quotes or actually lead by being a person others want to follow.

Ultimately, yes, we are never fully prepared for whatever the future shall throw on our way but we can always choose to do what is right when no one is looking.  Do this and you have passed the ultimate test of all and you will be on your way to AWESOMENESS.

Thank you for listening.

            

The Other Side of the Optimist (Part 3 of 3)

Where to Go From Here?

It took me quite some time to wrap up this topic.  One probably would just merely identify the other side of the optimist as that of his being a pessimist just like with the two sides of the coin - head or tail.  On a deeper perspective, however, one would find that the other side of the optimist could be that of what has become of him as he embraces mostly the personality ethic without the strong foundation of character ethic.

A few years back, a student of mine gave me a video.  It was "The Secret" written by Rhonda Byrne.  When I watched it, I was moved with the testimonials of the persons who attributed their success to the power of positive thinking and the law of attraction.  According to this theory, the mind attracts what it thinks.  Thus, when you think of positive things, you will attract positive things.  It added that the clearer you see what you want, the easier it will be for you to get it.  I was amused, impressed, and even inspired by this yet another psychology technique that would alter your thinking and lead you to your success.  I tried practicing it for quite sometime - seeing people that annoy me under a different kind of light so they would become more likable; reframing my perspective so that a negative situation around me would seem wonderfully okay; psyching myself to believe that I look good and that I feel good so that I would exude positive energy.  As I interacted with difficult people, and hard situations, or whenever I was feeling down, I noticed that the world seemed brighter - at least inside my head.  

On another note, however, I have witnessed how some people abuse this principle like it was drugs - they don't realize they've become addicted to it to the point that they shut themselves out from reality; worse, they use the other similar principles to manipulate other people into looking the other way so that they could get what they want without being noticed; worst, they intentionally take advantage of this optimism strategy.

I noticed these optimists to be selective - focusing only on the positive things (and when I say only, I mean ONLY).  At some level, they denied themselves of the reality of the present and it observably weakened their senses.  Noticeably, it blurred their eyesight, deafened their ears, and it made them fake human interaction and people they interact with notice the lack of sincerity.  They cast off negativity as if anything negative would disrupt their balance and so they left no room for it.  Their positive confirmation bias became so strong that with the mention of any negative statement, their eyes would roll and they would suddenly try to redirect their thoughts and language (even those of others') just to make sure that they are positive.  

I have also encountered motivational speakers who take advantage of this popular psychology by advising their employees to think positive instead of noticing not just the flaws of the organization but also its wrongdoing.  I have heard employees inquire about their employment terms and conditions and instead of giving a direct answer, these employers know how to make their employees think positive, be thankful, and have a sense of gratitude.  The employer, having smoke-screened the situation, would get his or her way.  The employee, on another hand, would either just look the other way around or wonder what just happened.  The organization, unfortunately, 

And yes, worst would be that some of them intentionally use this as a manipulative technique.

Poser-sitive Optimist

I have also met some so-called leadership and management gurus.  For some of them, I would be all hands up for their words translate into practice, but for MOST of them, lip service is the name of the game.  Most of them have mastered the art of PR and human relations technique, and get their way by taking advantage of others.  They would preach about good management practices and how leadership is an integral part of running an organization.  Virtues such as integrity, honesty, sincerity, etc. would seem to be their line of expertise.  A closer look however would the opposite.  In my recent FB post, (https://www.facebook.com/june.hebrew) I narrated how this lordy-lordy guy preached in his organization about the value of leadership and management, and even about sincere human relationship.  He would appear as a father image to his employees as he gave them pieces of advice about work ethics and life in general.  The sad truth was each time the same employees leave the organization, they would wonder "How the hell did I believe that guy?" 

He also had in his direct employ less than 10 employees which he hired on a job-contract only basis even if these employees deserved to be regularized.  Most of these employees served the company for more than 4 years yet they didn't even see a single contribution in their SSS, or Phil Health.  The reason? - they are contractors.  Even if they should not be merely as such.  He was good with the use of his words saying that most people don't get anything anyway from SSS and Phil Health contributions so they might as well become contractors.  The employees, charmed by his rhetoric would just agree with him.  If you look closely enough however, you would find out that he just didn't want to bear the responsibility of having to regularize these people for the fear that his people might demand benefits.  (His organization by the way earns millions and millions of pesos with the help of at least two marketing staff who never got a raise in their contract fee and even got lesser and lesser commission.)  Just like The Secret, he subscribed to positive thinking techniques telling his people to have a sense of gratitude, develop positive thinking, instead of questioning the unethical practices of his organization.  He also subscribed to PR, and advertising making sure positive things about his organization was heard.  He would tell his audience in his talks his vision for the country and the audience who didn't know how he ran his backyard would look at him in awe as if a lord has come down from the heavens.

Recently, a colleague of mine received an email from his boss.  It went something to this effect - "I really appreciate your openness.  Thank you for agreeing to the terms of payment."  My colleague was stunned.  He never agreed to any terms. The terms offered was lower than his usual rate.  When we spoke to each other, we knew how some people would take advantage of their knowledge in psychology to take advantage of others.  He decided to accept out of respect.  After this, I wondered whether such respect to the boss would stay.  Manipulative psychology - starting with a positive note (I appreciate…) to prime the recipient and sneakily transitioning to the real intent (lower terms of payment).  

Has the use of positive psychology gone too far in these instances?  

Sometimes the optimist has a dark side.  The optimist would use his words and charm to appeal to someone who is vulnerable in thinking and feeling.  The other side of the optimist is dangerous.  He could be an expert in cult indoctrination and before you know it you have been forced to swallow, without you knowing it, the bitter pill disguised by the sweetness of his words.  He will throw you quotations - "Do not work for money, work to improve yourself", "Do not ask what the organization can do for you, ask what you can do for the organization (sounds plagiarized?)", "Work with cheer and money follows" and he won't run out of them.  The truth is it's easier for him to say those because after all he has the money.  

It is not bad to optimistic.  After all, hope is all we have left in this ever unsure changing world; but with this, let us all be reminded, if it's too good to be true, it can't be that good.

Acta non verba.  Actions, not words, are the true measure of intent.