I HAVE been fighting for my dear life recently. 

Political discussions have become more intense as we count the months until election day. All over social media, it has become impossible to not come across anything related to the upcoming national elections unless you’re actively trying to avoid it. You’re bound to see campaign materials, be it subtle and not so subtle endorsements from celebrities and brands. I’ve since learned that there’s two types of people: One who engages in healthy discourse and one who resorts to attacks.

There are days when I feel like going on Twitter and responding to random tweets that don’t align with my political beliefs. My goal has always been to have a conversation and understand why they think the way that they do. As a psychology major, I try my best to understand their context, because I do want to believe there’s a reason for their political beliefs. 

What used to surprise me was how people clung tightly to what they already believed in, becoming unwelcoming to facts. People will relentlessly call those who don’t align with their political beliefs “stupid.” While these remarks are implications of someone being uneducated or ignorant, I believe that the waters run much deeper in the case of our political beliefs. The reason why a lot of people support candidates who come from terrible backgrounds–or those who have done notorious crimes in the past–is because of one’s values and principles.

I know of people who have finished their education and are great individuals but have different political views from mine. Whenever I wonder what led to these differences, I find myself going back to the varying circumstances each individual experiences. For instance: I realized that what matters most to them, at this point, is whether someone will get the job done–by any means necessary. Does this mean they are worthy of being called “stupid”? I don’t think so.

As voters seek out candidates who can fulfill their needs, I find myself confronting some deeply rooted views on the people who run for government. Many adults in my life assert that anyone who will enter politics is either corrupt or was never entirely pure at heart to begin with. These are the very people who will point out to me that, among the presidential candidates, all of them have their own secrets and self-serving political agenda to hide. These adults insist that everything candidates are doing right now is just to get the support of the people and none of it truly reflects their personalities.

These aren’t grounded by facts, since I know that we all exist within our own echo chambers. Sometimes, I still get the urge to question them. Do they believe that the war on drugs is an effective way of solving our country’s drug problem? That the pandemic requires a militaristic response because the virus is an enemy to be dealt with firearms? Regardless of the data, it remains hard to sway people to consider society as a whole or take on a more positive frame of mind when elections are to be considered. What, then, does the “good fight” entail?

While I acknowledge that I have yet to experience the brunt of our broken system, I am doing my best to believe in a Philippine society that can appoint good leaders. I still trust our government officials to do what they’re expected to do and to be great at it, and I catch myself looking forward to the future with bright and hopeful eyes. This optimism is rooted in the belief that I can persevere in actively engaging in dialogue, understanding differing contexts, and never assuming the worst of a person.

While I may be judged by my idealism and hope, I remain unshaken. As long as I am alive, I hope to live with my values and principles still intact towards a better tomorrow.

Joaquin Querido is a senior taking up AB Psychology with a Minor in Development Management. You can contact him at antonio.querido@obf.ateneo.edu.