THE FACE OF CHANGE

Will we know it when we see it?

We love to shake our fists in the air, demanding change in government, in society, change at last, change, change, change...but are we ready, as individuals, to will it? I wonder now as I encounter the various reactions to Nicanor Perlas and his intention to run for President of our country in 2010.

Is he winnable? Oh, what a dreamer. Brave, but he just won't win. Does he have money? What machinery does he have? I'm going for the "sure" candidate. He doesn't even figure in the surveys. Nobody knows him.

Do these questions and reactions bring authentic change to mind? How can we be vessels of change when our thinking echoes patterns of the past---the very consciousness that created the mess we're in? How can we be bearers of change when we don't even see our role in it? Winnability? Who and where did our present standards come from? Are they really relevant to you? Is that how you see the world? Surveys. This is another standard created by certain people in society that really only carries as much weight as we put on it. I haven't ever been approached to take part in any survey and the current results certainly don't reflect the sentiments of my network--which isn't puny, mind you. To me, they mean nothing. Surveys will not affect my vote because I vote with my head, heart and will in total and unsinkable harmony. I will put my actions behind my deepest and truest aspirations for this country, no matter what anybody else says.

When we say we want change, exactly how do we see this happening? Though there are a brave few who have stepped-up and decided to be part of this new energy no matter what, a lot are still hanging back with the fears and misconceptions of the past, despite their loud cries for change. So many of us are unable to see that change is upon us because we keep looking at the world through the lens of the past. Alas, new worlds do not emerge from there.

If we say we believe in one person but won't vote for him because he isn't "winnable", we are saying that our votes count for nothing. We are saying that winnability rests on the candidate alone and our participation in the process has no bearing on the outcome. When we say it is unrealistic to run without throwing hundreds of millions of pesos away, we are saying that integrity and qualifications don't count--the very things our country has been thirsting for, for decades. We are not just saying that the practice of spending a crazy amount of money is an acceptable standard; we agree that it is valid. When we say no one knows him, we're saying we won't take the time to and assume others won't, or that new and unheard of Filipinos-- never mind that they are qualified or that we've been praying for them all our lives--will never stand a chance because, well, they're not popular enough.

Has any popular candidate today and in the past, with lots of money to burn, and who met all our so-called ideas of "winnability", topping all possible surveys, ever given us the change we so need and want? How many times have we convinced ourselves it was smarter to vote for someone who would win, instead of someone we wanted to win? Where has that brought us? Has anybody who has only ever followed existing molds ever inspired a nation?

It is always those who create new and untrodden trails who do. When there is someone new at last, will we be able to recognize him or will we still be looking for the old where he stands, because our standards are stuck there, unable to move towards the future? Are we really clear about the change we want to make happen and are we sure we will able to move in its direction?

For as long as we are just mouthing the words, we cannot be vessels of the new. If we are tied down and immobilized by concepts of the past that have been rammed down our throats by the external world, and not moved by our inner longing, heartfelt hope and higher thinking, we are zombies of the past. If we think that change is created outside by others--the system, the leader--then it truly cannot happen in this lifetime. But if we can finally wake up to our human calling of being co-creators of this world, able to not only destroy as we too often do, but to restore, heal and transform what is around and beneath us, then can you imagine the possibilities?

Change begins inside us in mostly painful ways. I think of the pain as making space, denting the perfect sphere of clay so that you can begin to shape the chalice. It is painful because what was--whatever that is--can no longer be. It means finding squares and triangles where circles used to be and letting go of things that no longer work. It is a difficult but rewarding process that cannot happen without our mindful participation and our love for what is true and just.

Change is upon us. Obama winning (he wasn't winnable either, does anyone remember?)is just part of this larger picture of change wanting to happen in the world and waiting for us to be ready at last. It can happen here but only if we acknowledge that it isn't and never was in the hands of one or a few. It is in yours, too, should you decide to take it on and see it through. This is the moment when we can finally make the shift from "why" to "why not".

Really, why not? Let us not wait for change to come to us; instead, let us allow it to come through us. I think it has become ever more clear that it is the only way true and positive change can manifest today.

JUNE 27, 5pm at the PETA Theater Center

BE THERE!!! Please click on the poster.

WHO IS NICANOR PERLAS?

Who is Nicky Perlas? I was tasked to introduce him during the press announcement of his intention to run as president of the Philippines last June 17.  I didn’t think twice about leaving out the qualifications because you only need to google him or go to his website (www.nicanorperlas.com) to get all that. I figured, the best way to get a picture of him is to talk about his “pagkatao”.  It is easy to study in “universities that matter” or even find yourself in positions of power, but the “pagkatao” is what will dictate how you will fare wherever you are, how will you behave in any situation.   I believe the best way to introduce him is to share the lessons I’ve learned in the decade or so I have known Nicky.

I learned many things from him and one of the most important lessons was this: the fastest way to heal is to engage in the world. I learned from him that what is most personal is also universal and that your personal life is intricately linked to the world outside. Since then, everything I’ve done, I’ve done not just for myself or my children but for the greater reality that includes country and necessarily includes everyone in it. It is amazing how your life changes when you begin to live in full awareness that everyday, you are contributing to the state of your country—whether you choose to give a cop a P100 because you took an illegal shortcut and he caught you, you lie in front of your child, or took a bribe no matter what the reason.  The way you live your life impacts the state of the nation. It is so empowering to know that everyday, we have the chance to shape our nation. From the day I met him, Nicky has been doing this in his own life.  Everyday, in everything he does, he continues to shape our nation positively, whether we are aware of it or not.  He has been living this since he was seventeen.

I learned from him what unity really means because I’ve seen him listen so intently to groups and groups of people from different backgrounds and bring them all to a place of mutual and respectful understanding of differences.  He is always able to bring everyone—no matter what religious, political or spiritual persuasion—to that space where we find what is truly common, without dismissing or marginalizing anyone.  To him, the united whole contains all the parts in all their vibrant individuality and creativity. Indeed, to him, diversity is a potent force and gift.

His integrity is unquestionable. If there is anyone who can go into a system full of  temptation in every shape and form and maintain his integrity and values AND clean up the mess, it is him. He simply cannot be bought because his love for country is authentic. He has lived his life out of this love and all those who know him see it everyday. I believe this is because he has a fully integrated spirituality. He is not one to hear mass on a Sunday and then on Wednesday lie, cheat or steal. His life is a living expression of his spirituality.

His understanding of systems and how they interact is simply amazing—deep, coherent, whole. Through him I saw that the main problem of this country is not JUST politics, not just economics but culture. What an interesting and accurate diagnosis.  He can diagnose systems and patterns, connecting the dots and helping you connect the dots so that you can see the whole. How can one lead if one’s diagnosis of the current state of the nation is wrong or incomplete? How can one lead if he only knows how to address one or two aspects of the issues and not the whole?  

His understanding of CHANGE is unparalleled. We all talk about change but everyone talks about it in broad strokes. It was only through Nicky that I realized that change happens in your heart, in your thinking, your mindset…before it can happen outside. He is the only one who helped me see exactly where and how true and positive change begins. There is a science behind change and he is well versed in it.

His qualifications are unmatched and you can just google his name and find out, or simply visit his website. It’s all there. But what I’ve shared with you are my own personal experiences of this man—a true leader, if I ever saw one. Because of him, I went to the Comelec office in Silang Cavite, and became a registered and sure-to-vote citizen at the age of 42. He makes me believe that I can see this country rise to its full height and glory again so that not just my children-but every Filipino child rich or poor-- can be everything they are meant to be, right here in their own country. Because of him I know that there is true hope that no mother should ever leave her family again in order to make ends meet. 

Before you shake your head and call him foolish or unwinnable, get to know him. It is with a full heart and the highest hopes for our country that I introduce him to you.  Nicanor Perlas is a true Filipino leader with a clear and living vision of the emerging Philippines.  If you have been longing for true change get to know him, put your money where your mouth is, and help be part of the change that is waiting to be born.  The Philippines of integrity is ours if we choose to co-create it.  Nicanor Perlas is the man who can make it happen, but change doesn’t rest on one man alone.  Everyone has to stand up at last and be part of it.

I stand tall and ready.