#societalproblems

[moonlitace]

“The Will Behind the Wheel”

Modernization brought innovation, introducing new opportunities and solutions to existing societal problems. But will this modernization truly solve the problems of society, or will it create new hindrances for some?

On a daily basis, most Filipinos have to commute—whether for work, school, or other important destinations. One of the main modes of transportation in the Philippines is the jeepney.

The jeepney became the most popular mode of transportation among Filipinos because of its passenger-friendly fare. However, this affordability has also become one of the main reasons why jeepney drivers face numerous challenges.

One of them is Mr. Sean R. Hernandez, who travels the route from Dinalupihan to Orani and within the city of Orani. Mr. Sean is one of many Filipino jeepney drivers experiencing daily struggles behind the wheel.

Every day, Mr. Sean wakes up early to work as a driver. Oftentimes, he gets up as early as 3:00 a.m. to prepare for work and returns home at around 9:00 p.m. Mr. Sean shared that being a jeepney driver is not just a simple workload; rather, it is a service to the Filipino people. For him, driving a jeepney is not merely a job but a form of public service. Along with this service come constant challenges.

“Hindi lahat ng gumigising sa umaga ay nasa mabuting kalagayan. Tulad nating lahat, may stress sa trabaho, sa pinansyal, at sa pag-aaral. Lahat ng iyan, samu’t saring ugali ng pasahero at commuter ang haharapin namin,” he said.

This emphasizes how jeepney drivers must endure chaotic days on a daily basis. According to Musa (2023), over 8.96 million people ride jeepneys daily in the Philippines. This supports the claim that jeepney drivers encounter different individuals every day and must endure various behaviors and treatments from their passengers.

On the road, respect is unevenly distributed. Those behind the steering wheels of private cars often look down on those who serve the public. While one car carries comfort, one jeepney carries the city. Despite these challenges, jeepney drivers also face unseen struggles caused by government policies. Mr. Sean emphasized that modernization would significantly affect their lives as jeepney drivers. He stated that individual operators cannot afford the modernization program that the government aims to implement nationwide. They cannot cope with modernization if the government does not provide subsidies or sufficient assistance.

Oil price hikes, low minimum fares, and daily hardships—these are only some of the problems jeepney drivers face every day. Modernization is not the sole solution; rather, the government must recognize and listen to the voices of those most affected.

Behind the wheel, Mr. Sean does not raise his voice in anger. He does not curse the government nor reject the laws that govern the road. Like many jeepney drivers, he obeys the rules, pays his taxes, and keeps his vehicle registered—not because it is easy, but because it is necessary to survive each day. Yet despite this compliance, he feels forgotten by those in power. Fuel prices continue to rise, spare parts grow more expensive, and what he brings home is often just enough—or sometimes not enough—to get by. Modernization threatens to remove him from the road, but no clear alternative is offered in return. If the jeepney is to disappear, he asks only for dignity: a livelihood that can replace what will be taken away. Until then, he continues to drive—not in protest, but in quiet endurance—carrying workers home, students to school, and families back to each other, proving that behind every jeepney is not just a vehicle, but a man sustaining the nation one trip at a time.

[denim-milallos0719]

These are the linear graphs of records of the societal problems (Unemployment Rate, Low Food Production, Illiteracy and Spiraling National Debt)  that the Philippines has been facing in the past 10 years (2010-2020).

References:

: https://countryeconomy.com/national-debt/philippines?fbclid=IwAR3If0oOA7wZG2hKZFH2jWprpiMzW5uTFgHwuF9ZNUhC-GSe5SDH6l0x-WA

: https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2011/12/23/department-of-agriculture-2011-year-end-report/

https://knoema.com/atlas/Philippines/topics/Education/Literacy/Adult-literacy-rate

https://www.bworldonline.com/jobless-rate-likely-to-remain-high-until-2022/?fbclid=IwAR00mjSVlaIBNg2gHZHJod44mwwRnD984AtShFp-DhcCvnTOlvdWenMlhlc

[gonialmonica]

The Concept of Evil synopsis

As a preface to this, this is an early synopsis on the concept of evil, so I won't have a download to a full pdf of it at the bottom just yet, but there will be an updated version soon to come. I only have about three pages written so far and I intend on having around 15-20 pages.

      Evolution has taught us that when things become vestigial, they fade away, such as our coccyx or our wisdom teeth, but our population is too large for those to go away so they are, in a way, a legacy of our barbaric past when we would lose teeth more often, or when we had tails. Evolution isn't strictly organic, however, it can happen interpersonally, geographically, or, most interestingly, socially. We abolished slavery, but we have remnants of it through racism and subjugation; they have become vestigial, if not a hindrance to society.

     There are many social constructs other than racism and slavery that have been abolished from society, such as the caste system, inequality, proper education, and extremist leftist/rightist political ideology, but one social construct, which still has slight purpose, is the concept of evil. I say concept, because evil does not exist outside of our human perception, same goes for good, as both are subjective and social driven. Evil has been used as a means of controlling the masses through the use of creating a common enemy for society, thereby deeming the opposing society as evil, however the opposing society now sees the original society as evil, so neither can be deemed good or bad.

     Without the concept of evil in our political system, the world could unite to solve the problems humanity has created, such as climate change, over population, and because of the latter, food production, and those will become the evil that replace societal evil, such as Japan vs China, the United States vs the Soviets, North Korea vs South Korea, etc.

     Before the Abrahamic-monotheistic, black and white thinking, early religions got that the idea of evil comes from the taoist idea of everything has an opposite, but some religions such as the Bahá'í Faith believed that that idea is a human perception misconception, similar to how if it isn't hot, its cold, or if there isn't knowledge, there is ignorance, but these come from a human bias. Is a monkey ignorant, or is its knowledge being placed elsewhere based on its environment?

[nooberoob]

I am so afraid for this world because of our generation and those behind it.  The sheer and sickeningly vast amount of stupidity that seems so rampant these days is disgusting.   Teenagers drive at over a hundred miles an hour, smoking pot and doing other drugs is commonplace, and any form of  work ethics or motivation to complete even the simplest of tasks is unquestionably…. absent.  It Is so sad.