Practicing Virtue Under Cynical Conditions
In our religiously zealous country, built on a zeitgeist of both superstition and faith in higher powers, the colonial presence of the Spaniards had come to intensify such a devoted fervor. That very impressionable spirit led to a deep embedding of Christianity in our history and culture.
And so, one would think that after nearly five hundred years of Christian (particularly Catholic) influence, our people would have become devoted followers and practitioners by now. And this is true, and no misconstruement shall ever come to reject this notion.
However, if we examine the situation through anecdotal lenses, we would see a disconnect between their purported inclusion of religion in their day-to-day and the affectation and demeanor they possess. So, the question is, are Catholics truly practicing the values and ideals preached to them?
I had inferred (after discussing with a fellow Catholic and learning more about the evolution of the Catholic church in the Philippines and its role in local spiritual upbringing) that there exists a distinction between the churches that still honor their traditional lineage and those that undertake more populist approaches.
In the more impoverished sectors of our economy, wherein the minimum wage worker commits to 2-3 hour long commutes to and from the workplace, while the accessibility of material vices—fake jewelry, alcohol, cigarettes, and gambling methods—along with a blatant deprivation of basic education and other social services lead to unfulfilled individuals living in ignorance, low comprehension, a normative engagement in petty squabbles, and the dilution of sermons in certain local churches, the question must be asked: can salvation through purity of the self as Catholicism envisions it exist under these circumstances?
Why is this cynical world still trying to present itself as virtuous and graceful? Where does the distinction lie between a practicing catholic and one in name only? What is a "true" Catholic?
How can men love one another when street vendors curse their fellow vendors for selling in their territory? How can mothers teach their children honesty and loyalty when they assemble with the neighborhood mistresses for gossip? Why do we see jeepney drivers adorning their steering wheels with crosses and rosaries as they cuss out fatigued passengers, slur derogatory remarks towards fellow drivers, and display manners unbecoming of a Catholic?
There is no truth in the practice. A necklace with a cross shall have no bearing for a man who actively indulges in sins so easily avoidable—for other individuals, that is.
On the other side of this conundrum, we visit the world of the middle class: the comfortably secure who may have less or even none of the deep-seated angst and material deficiencies that might more easily degrade the moral values and principles scrutinable within the more downtrodden niches, and who can afford therapy meetings and the time to go to confession booths at church. They may have less pent-up stress as compared to men who constantly feel the burden of feeding ten children with a measly salary and an occupation they never idealized.
These observations are not contemptible affronts upon the downtrodden: quite the opposite. I empathize with them. It takes a valiant and incorruptible fortitude to remain a practicing moral man under times of great impuissant repression in this nihilistic climate. We must exercise our ability to comfort and empathize so that we may help deliver them from this cesspool of insipidness and moral drear.
Nevertheless, these are speculative generalizations by nature, based on personal and anecdotal observations. Yet, because I have only been able to observe it in certain instances, it should not negate the feasibility that it exists (or is even prevalent) elsewhere. Therefore, it is imperative to understand why cross necklaces become mere fashion accessories as the individual behaves in non-accordance with the actual ideals of said religion.
Such is a multifaceted subject, and of course, one that requires valid quantitative and qualitative data before we can fully pinpoint a precise diagnosis for this dilemma. And the Church must forthwith do so, towards the path of virtue.
Sean Cruz is an Economics undergraduate at the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila. A Social Scientist, he uses his knowledge of economics to address contemporary social issues and bring criticism to the immoral, unethical, and irrational.