Since when did self-righteous indignation from those without any moral ascendancy over us become acceptable? The scales have been tipped. Our system of checks and balances has been skewed to the point where fear and greed have become the motivation and incentive for government action.

Meanwhile, the masses toil tirelessly, living a hand-to-mouth existence. Each day is a struggle for survival only to wake up to the same thing the next day. Most of them too exhausted to worry about the state of our nation. This is exactly the kind of apathy and exhaustion from the daily grind that has allowed unchecked impunity to thrive.

Frustration. Disappointment. Disillusion. These are only some of the negative feelings evoked by what I read and watch on the news these days. We can try to ignore it, but there is a sense of foreboding hovering over us. Just when we thought the worst had passed after hurdling the pandemic slump, we find ourselves embroiled in another potentially economically devastating political upheaval.

I wonder how we somehow managed to find ourselves in this mess again. Have we brought it upon ourselves? Do we suffer now because of our choices? Where can we put the blame? How could we allow this to happen to us again? Haven’t we learned anything at all? Or was this inevitable in the vicious cycle of history and politics? Maybe no one has the answer to any of these questions but can we at least figure out how we can climb out of the hole we dug ourselves in?!

I am all for employing Machiavellian means if only for the greater public good. But never to serve the interests of just the privileged, entitled few. I remember a time when basic decency and delicadeza meant something, even in politics. Gone is the subtle art of scheming and dealing that once held me enthralled in the world of politics and the real-world version of The Game of Thrones.

I don’t see any of the major political movers and shakers today displaying the kind of finesse one would expect of seasoned politicians. Makes one wonder: where are the good, the better, and the best of us? What will it take to stand up, be heard and be counted? Who will take up the cudgels to spark hope and rekindle the fire in our people’s hearts?

I look around desperately trying to find someone we can call to rescue us from this sh*tshow, but sadly no one comes to mind. It appears that all we have available at our immediate disposal are “lesser evils.” But a lesser evil is no savior, it’s simply a more palatable or acceptable outcome — maybe a tad or smidgeon better than the worst-case scenario we dread.

The faint of heart have cowered and slithered into obscurity for fear of being caught in the crossfire. The opportunists are patiently waiting on the sidelines to pick on the pieces left after the political slaughter. The greedy have no shame flaunting their lavish lifestyles while the poor endure and beg for what is rightfully theirs in the first place.

The May 2025 midterm elections is crucial. It will mean the difference between hope and doom for our country. It will be a referendum and vote of confidence (or no confidence) on the actions, policies and decisions made by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and his administration since his clan’s return to power in 2022.