Chinese Garter (May 8,2007)

Chinese Garter
by: Maria Reylan M. Garcia

My elementary days were simply the picture perfect moments of my life. I was carefree and innocent of the issues grown ups have been constantly squashing their brains. For me anywhere was my playground and life was my play time. My childish acts didn't linger much on my conscience. I never realized it was unruly then to call my fat classmates pigs, or start mischievous rumors on my most disliked teacher. At my young but blooming age, I start to reminisce those times and sometimes would laugh at my talent for disorder.

During recess, the best game to play at that time was the ever-famous Chinese Garter. Everyone was hooked to this fad, even my Physical Education teacher joined in one time. It's like an addictive drug that I can't bear to neglect. But there's one little problem, I'm too short to jump over higher heights in the game. I get annoyed most of the time, in my group I'm always the baby, I always go first, I always let my team down and let the mother save us all. I'm doing fine from the ankle level, knee level, and waist level but when we reach the armpit level, I'm a goner. I practiced and tried to enhance my skill in jumping over that height, but my physical limitation forbade me to achieve it. Not contented, know what I did? Sly as I am, I chose the two shortest girls in school to hold the garter when I jump, so naturally I could jump over the armpit level even up to shoulder and head level.

However, not long after, I realized what I was doing was cheating. My classmates would have not known about it but it did not escape my conscience.
Relating it with the coming election, it is such a pity that cheating happens just about everywhere. I'm not only referring to cheating in terms of money, that is, bribing voters to vote for councilor A for a certain amount, to write senator B's name in the ballot in exchange for a gift certificate in a nearby department store. Cheating also comes in other forms like a politician discrediting his opponent by maligning the latter's person. I don't know why professionals as they are, the candidates, would go down the level of attacking their opponents below the belt just to keep an edge. For sinking down low and ruining other's reputation, you, mister are a loser too. I was molded by my parents not to judge others until I look at myself in front of the mirror. If I'd laugh on someone who mispronounced a word during a conversation, it is but a must to first recall if I myself had enunciated flawlessly throughout our chat. Let me apply it to a bigger setting. Before maligning your opponent, smell first your own body odor. Before citing your views on a malfunction of another candidate review your records first. Life evolves in karma. So, beware.

These politicians, like me, may have had Chinese Garter experiences too. But, maybe they failed to realize that using two short girls to hold the garter, all because you can't reach jumping it, isn't a valid way of winning. The same is true with politicians employing bribery and persecution among their opponents, you may win the position you want but surely you will be bothered by your conscience as long as you live.

I hope the candidates would come across the same realizations that I had as a Chinese Garter enthusiast. Respecting the value of a ballot is one great act an aspiring public servant could give his country. Would it be sweeter to find out that from 100 voters five voted for you fairly, five supportive people who believe in you and know you can uphold their dreams, who entrust to you their families' future, who give you the key to the country? Rather than getting all the 95 votes but neither one voted for you because of support, but because you bribed them to, because they have a few hundreds after writing your name on the ballots, because they'll have a sack of rice waiting for them after suffrage, because you forced them to.

Jump Honestly...
even if you won't reach shoulder level...
still Jump Honestly.

(For comments and reactions please send an email to reylangarcia@yahoo.com or an SMS to 09186363090)