In today’s world people need to protect their precious asset in order to make sure continuity whatever benefit derived from the asset. SO we have insurances for various purposes and other safeguard and safety nets to make sure when something goes wrong it could be fixed or even restored to a better condition or situation. But the real question you and I must ask is what really is our number 1 investment.
The news today is causing such much ripple of concern. A man was killed for only his 100 peso in his wallet here in the Philippines. It is something that will really make you think what really is happening in the Philippines. Criminal elements of all sorts are believed to pop out this long Philippine Christmas season(yes Christmas starts in September in the Philippines). That is why citizens are advised to be “listo” that is quick, aware and alert. Many modus operandi of snatchers, pickpockets, and van or bus holdappers are now heard in the news. A while ago at lunch one of my co-worker started sharing her experiences of snatching and pickpockets in her day-to-day commute be it in the UV Express or in jeepneys. The sad story is at times lives are the ultimate price if you don’t cooperate. Also these criminal elements are becoming more and more sophisticated. They now operate in teams like the notorious riding in tandem motorcycle snatchers and robbers that ended in shooting a hard-working mom just to get her bag.
So do you think the most important asset you have now is your car or your house, or your business? Yes these are important but the most important first is your life.
Your life is first a gift from God or the person above us. Without your life all things you have gone through will not be possible. So taking care of your life and making sure you exist to the max of it so that you in turn will give life to others with whatever talent or skill or even wealth God has given you.
Most petty snatchers or robbers caught will argue that they did what they did because of poverty. Such reason is so low. And with that the great number of the population again blames the already ineffective police force and government for all the bad things happening. Such mentality is the mentality of the poor person, that is to put the blame on others and in the government. I am not asking you to be a vigilante but rather each of us must be responsible for our own safety and the safety of others. Also we are again gifted with skills and talents we must use those talents to generate income with hard work and not by pointing a gun or knife to a random person whom we think might have some valuables. It is really both annoying and pitiful to hear such reason to a well-built man or woman who instead of doing respectable job like a waitress or a sweeper they would rather kill so that they could have the money for the things that at times are not even needs.
In order to protect your life you must take responsibility for it.
If you can’t avoid commuting from your house to work and back then make sure that you are yourself less eye candy. Be modest in your way of dressing and avoid being a thief magnet. Don’t flaunt your latest smart phone or your thick wallet of your pricey designer bags or even your nearly like the original designer bag so that potential robbers won’t target you. If in public make sure to wait for safe moment to answer a text message with your phone or if making a payment make sure that you pull out those cash discretely.
Besides being vigilant yourself help stop crime by telling others of such unusual things you observe. I know some of our police force are at times the very mastermind or the so-called “protector” of such criminal elements but they are best thing we got to safeguard us so try to work with the good ones by helping them out identifying robbers and the new modus that robbers do.
But above all we as citizens must help towards changing how society be. We may not have a utopian community but at least let’s be a positive influence to others. Let’s prevent petty snatchers from becoming assassins for hire in the near future. Let’s share whatever knowledge we have so that these people who got themselves deep in the mud may be able to help themselves escape from the mud. They need to change their ideologies about how unfair life is in the Philippines that only the rich get richer and the poor poorer. We must inculcate that the status we are in right now are the result of our past. But such status is not permanent, we can change it and above all the greatest power to make such change. Such change starts with us.
Our life is the no.1 investment we have and the best way to protect it is make sure we don’t only protect it but the community we are in protects it as well and believes that we as part of the community can make great change thus making you and I the greatest investment a community can have.
