Category Archives: social consciousness

How Much is Your Life Worth?

Posted on November 25, 2009 by greenbucks| Leave a comment

How much is your life worth? No, I am not talking about life insurance rates but something else.

One time while I was listening to news on the radio, the topic was about people who are paid to end the life of other people. To my astonishment, I learned that it takes not much to pay for someone to do such thing.

As with the recent massacre that happened the other day, it is not surprising if money changed hands. How much for the lives of 40+ people?

I don’t know and I probably don’t want to know.

Whoever said politics is dirty is probably right although dirty is not the name of the game anymore. In this case, it is gruesome. Or perhaps indescribable is more apt.

In Philippine politics, is it “if you can’t beat them, k!ll them?” or “if someone wants to beat you, cut short his/her life?”

I hope not.

Posted in Philippines, social consciousness, Thought Bubbles

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Goons and Guns Amidst the Poverty

Posted on November 25, 2009 by greenbucks| Leave a comment

The grim scene that happened last Monday down southern part of  the country is considered by a lot of people as barbaric, savage and dastardly act.

This happened after Efren Penaflorida was awarded as CNN Hero of the Year for 2009.

What a shame, the massacre that is.

No wonder some people who live there have moved to different parts of the country.

No wonder a lot of professionals have opted to work and live overseas than stay here.

In this impoverished country of close to a hundred million people, poverty is very much apparent that even the basic needs of the people are not given due attention.

Health care? Can not be compared with Blue Cross North Carolina because even the “Cheaper Medicines Bill” took a while to be passed. Nurses, good ones are almost extinct because they are overseas earning greenbucks. Doctors are going that way too, as well as other health care practitioners. And teachers. And engineers. And everybody.

Sure basic education is free but that doesn’t mean children go to school. No, they can’t go to school because it takes money to pay for transportation, food, uniform and school supplies. Money that their families do not have and if they have, these would rather be spent buying food for sustenance.

Politicians are so visible these days because elections are nearing.

Bah, I don’t believe in promises anymore than I believe in dilly-dallied alliances.

God help this country.

Posted in Current Events, Interesting Topics, Philippines, social consciousness, Thought Bubbles

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November 2009 Blog Blast for Peace

Posted on November 5, 2009 by greenbucks| 20 Comments

In an ideal world, the conditions of poverty, social injustice, inequality, environmental degradation, and the weak do not exist.

Alas, we do not live in an ideal world but in a real and dynamic one where all these things, and more, exist.

We may not have time to pause and ponder on these issues while we go about minding our own business.

We may think we live in peaceful existence when we are not bombarded with these issues. Do we?

We can not carry and fathom all the world’s troubles and everyone’s worries but initiating positive changes, even when taken in small steps, can go along way.

My idea of peace, as I have written before, still stands true for me:

No matter what we do, we can not live in isolation and we are not immune to the ills of the world.

Oppression. Killing. Famine. War. Terrorism. Environmental destruction. Natural disaster. Even family matters that seem trivial, all these and more, cause disturbance of peace.

Through it all, maybe peace is a mindset, a lifestyle and a kind of wishful thinking. With all the negative things happening, can one really have a peaceful mindset?

For me, writing about peace is just one step in achieving it because even if one writes about peace but does not live it, then the effort would be futile.

Words are wonderful but actions are more than so.

November 2009 Blog Blast for Peace

Posted in blogging101, Current Events, Interesting Topics, Memetag, Photos, social consciousness, Thought Bubbles, World Watch

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How Can You Help

Posted on October 22, 2009 by greenbucks| Leave a comment

I have written about volunteering here for the packing of school supplies for those who were affected by floods.

It was definitely a fun learning experience for me who used to be a volunteer too.

I know it takes a tragedy for some people (maybe I am one of those) to decide to do volunteer work, however short, or sacrifice not buying a few choice items like make up, a new dress, a new pair of shoes, eye wrinkle cream and even a dinner in a fancy restaurant to be able to get some items needed by those who were affected by these kinds of tragedies.

Time can also be given, not just material things.

Last week I heard a call for help, for emotional relief goods but booo! to me, I was not able to jot down the group needing volunteers for this. Tsk, tsk.

Posted in Current Events, Interesting Topics, Philippines, social consciousness, Thought Bubbles

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Organizational Leadership Program

Posted on October 22, 2009 by greenbucks| Leave a comment

I met my brother last weekend. It was our first time to see his cute daughter Amara (my first niece!).

Brother went here to accompany his wife and daughter who will have a short vacation. Brother also planned to enroll for the second semester for his Master’s.

We got to talking about the alternative of enrolling in an online program to save on fare and time travel. If road conditions prove to be not good, he runs the risk of not being able to go to school.

He majored in Industrial Psychology. I can’t particularly remember what he is majoring in right now but during our talk, we got to discuss the merits of enrolling in a program that about organizational leadership.

He was at first not sure if there are online programs being offered for that course so we were surprised when chanced upon an online Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership when we were scouring the web for programs like these.

Now, if only he can afford it, I know he will enroll in this program because it offers a lot of good topics like problem solving skills, strategic planning, team building and instituting change within an organization.

My brother was particularly interested in organizational communication and psychology of motivation.

If I may say so, students these days are too busy with mundane tasks (social media for one) that they need a lot of motivation to keep focus on their studies. Oh well, maybe its just me.

Posted in File and data management, Interesting Topics, social consciousness, Thought Bubbles, web tools

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