Zoning out

I often think about why politicians aspire to be such, and what reasons they may have for waking up each day.

On the surface, or from the outside looking in, I see that many of them grab at the chance so they can enjoy the power and influence. Sometimes, or many times, a few (or too many) would surface to put new meaning into “enriching experiences.” Mostly, it’s about the fame, I think. “Uy, si Gov pala.” “Mayor!” “Boss tsip! Kapitan!” Preen!

Why do people kowtow to public servants in that way even when they no longer hold office? Pinoy culture? Hmmm. Maybe dynastic power. If you do not show respect to the family name, you might not be able to curry favor from the uncle, aunt, brother, sister now in the seat of power, right?

It’s hilarious if you aren’t sickened by it.

“Being in government means helping make people’s lives better.” This was uttered by an official in Singapore in the last episode of the Netflix series, “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones.”

It sounds so benign, so clichéd even. But how amazing it is when said in the context of the actual results of actions taken to ensure that the statement is true.

In the series, host Dan Buettner travels the world in search of the longest living humans. It is a collaborative project with National Geographic “to reverse-engineer a formula for longevity.”

The series takes us to five different places — Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; Nicoya, Costa Rica; and Loma Linda, California — which they called “blue zones with the highest rates of living centenarians.”

I got through all episodes in one sitting, so struck was I with his findings. Buettner found that the five blue zones shared “some similar elements — a plant-based diet, natural movement, and putting family first — that have been proven to promote longevity and health in residents.”

It wasn’t till he got to the last part — where he shows how he tried to create blue zones — that I became even more fascinated.

Sometimes, I think about how complicated it all seems to be nowadays to expect any changes in our country. The political realm alone is a quagmire. It takes visionary leaders to get people to make the necessary changes, but do our leaders even have the energy to think of new ways out of the old, or ways to “declutter” our convoluted environment? Why do our government leaders spend their time plotting against each other?

They should be reviewing our systems and revising what no longer serves the people.

Healthcare, for example, should not be about planning for future spending — it should be about creating an environment that allow citizens to make better choices — eat better yet cheaper food, take walks, live simply in safe neighborhoods.

We forget the basics amid the turmoil and stresses of the modern world. These are, as Buettner shows, fairly simple: wholesome food, a clean and decent place to live, family and community.

We shouldn’t still be arguing about why farmers continue to suffer, why the roads are so bad, cities getting more polluted, and why families are breaking apart in unsafe communities where jobs are horrible, the air is bad, commuting is hell and water and electricity are too expensive.

It’s too real to bear while watching political telenovelas unfold before our very eyes.

Other places in the world have managed to change — and frankly, it’s because the leaders in those places used their time, power and influence not to control people’s minds, but to change their environments. They made long-term plans and came up with practical, visionary ideas to let people change the way they lived so they can have long, happy lives rather than be uninspired listening to leaders losing control.