When to quit

Winners never quit and quitters never win — a quote we hear in sports, but this is not the case all the time, particularly when you no longer believe in what you are fighting for. There can be valid reasons for quitting, such as a lack of purpose and meaning. If your job has been causing you to develop bad habits, or when it has become a source of dread, then it may be time to find something else to do.

In an ideal world, your passion is your work and work is your passion. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case, unless you are an artist or athlete. For office workers, the passion must be somewhere deeper than the day-to-day deskwork, rather it is found in the ability to make a difference, inspire, and help other people, may it be your colleagues, co-workers, or clients. When that passion is sucked out, by something or someone, this results in an emptiness that worsens by the day. Time to ask yourself if perhaps your purpose is found somewhere else.

Quitting happens time and time again in government. Administrations last every six years, and there is a revolving door on who sits atop key offices and institutions, and this affects all those down the line. In this administration alone, we have seen several high-profile resignations. In August, we had Agriculture Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian amid the sugar importation controversy. Soon thereafter, Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles, and CoA chairman Jose Calida followed suit. Their resignations had different reasons, and we can only speculate on what the real reasons were.

Now, we have certain sectors calling for the resignation of Justice Secretary Jose Crispin "Boying" Remulla because of the arrest of his 38-year-old son due to drug importation. As I have written before, I see no reason why Secretary Remulla should resign since he has made it clear that he will not intervene, in any capacity, in the criminal investigation against his son. Secretary Remulla should instead ensure the proper procedures are followed since this will be a model to be followed for all other drug offenders arrested in similar circumstances. Verily, Secretary Remulla has shown great character and poise in handling this difficult situation where he has to separate his being a father and Secretary. I can't imagine the discussions at home and pray the family overcomes this debacle.

In the private sector, it can be a different matter, but let us realize that people depend on companies, just as much on the government. It is a source of livelihood and people rely on private companies for different reasons, depending on the industry. Shareholders and insureds have the right to know about the operations and workings performed by management.

As for the public sector, calls for resignation must be meritorious and for a substantive reason. The public has the right to scrutinize government officials, both elected and appointed, since they, in effect, pay for their salaries. The reason why government officials are often subjected to these is that their salaries come from taxpayers' money. With how this administration is running the government, it can be assumed that there will be more resignations that should, in the end, benefit the country.

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For comments, email him at darren.dejesus@gmail.com.