US and China Relation

        Sino-American or US and china relation refer to the international relationship between the people’s republic of china and the United States of America. Most analysts have characterized US-China relations as complex and multi-faceted. The United States of America and People’s Republic of china being neither allies nor enemies. The US government and military basically regards china as an adversary, but as a competitor in some areas and partner in others. The US has the world’s largest economy while china is second. China on the other hand has the largest population while US is third largest. These two countries are the world’s largest consumers of oil and the two largest emitters of greenhouse gasses.

       

Relations between US and China have generally been stable with some period of tension especially after the breakup of Soviet Union, which removed a common enemy and ushered in a world characterized by American dominance. Over the past few weeks, there have been issues regarding the US-China relations like the cyber-attacks on Google, China’s reaction to US arms sales to Taiwan; US president Obama’s meeting with the Dalai Lama; disagreement over Iran’s nuclear program and the debates over the value of China’s currency and climate change.  

We can see that there have been many misunderstanding between the US-China relations but then there have also been some advantages. I think the conflict between these two countries will continue to rise and there will be more conflicts that will happen but then we cannot really predict what will happen or which country will eventually win and be the number one. Even though these countries will become allies, there will still be conflict because they will eventually protect their own country and they will protect their own interest. I think the best thing to do is to have a clear agreement or a treaty between these countries so that everything will be clear. This agreement should include the things that is allowed and not allowed for these two countries like having nuclear weapons for an example. These countries are competing hence they will try to be on top of the other so there might be wars and that might harm other countries or the whole world. So they should fix these conflicts as soon as possible to prevent further conflicts or tensions between the US-China relations. 

Poverty in the Philippines

          When people speak of poverty, the things that go through their minds are most likely the informal settlers or the “squatters” that wander around the streets of the Metro. Day to day, people give but little care to them and, most of the time, act towards them like they were some kind of lesser beings like animals (Most often than not, I am sure that the pets we have at home receive better treatment and more love than them.). 

          Most of the time, people act as if they don’t see or notice what is happening in our streets and quite sadly, even the government can do very little to stop this because of mismanagement and corruption. The result is that in all the years this issue has been revived, poverty has never ceased no matter what or how we try to resolve it. It sort of feels like an impossible problem that could not be resolved when people think about it, the issue of stopping poverty. I am quite sure that even each and every one of us here is guilty of not helping these people, what goes through our minds is that we often think of syndicates or “mga sindikato” are the people responsible for putting them in the streets or another is that they put themselves there in the first place by not focusing on school, doing wrong things and being lazy in general. 

          When we think about it, maybe these people were just born at the wrong place at the wrong time, thus resulting to this happening. The kids on the streets begging for food, I’m sure, wants to go to school. The young girl we see that has plenty of children should not be blamed for her ignorance to each one of her babies, she simply had nothing better to do and this is the only means of enjoyment they have. Some of these stories I know from people who I have talked to during immersions I have had in the past. Many of them are stuck in the dogma of that life and I am sure if they had a chance to escape it, they will. The main problem is they lack education on the how and hopefully, we can do something about it.

   

          The very reason why everyone chooses to ignore it the best way they can is that they think that nothing can happen already or it is hopeless for something to change. If we continuously believe that nothing good will ever come out of this, then nothing good will, but if we believe otherwise, that something good may arise, then it most definitely will. I myself have doubts while this blog is being made that something would actually happen. A mere dent in their lives coming from us will make them feel as if they have won the lottery. Therefore, I see the importance of keeping the ball rolling to keep striving for change and give them a shot in having better lives. 

          Just think of all our efforts and the difference we can bring to our country once we can overcome this situation and change their conditions for good and the long run. It would be a much better sight for us in our country and even towards the outside world. If corruption can stop or, even in the slightest of chances, be lessened (something that would be quite a feat if it would actually happen), our government can dedicate a bigger percentage of the budget to education so that the people will have sustainable livelihoods, searching for jobs for people to increase their productivity. This is return will generate a much bigger GDP and GNP figures for the Philippines which simply means that we, the citizens of the Philippines will have more jobs and in effect, more money, and at the sliver of chance we get to eliminate this problem, we will start seeing the difference that may happen to our country. 

Thought Experiment: If I could be someone else

Imagine that you could be someone else, and you could choose your gender and ethnicity, and when and where to live. Assuming you wanted the best chance of being well off, what would you choose?

           

        If I could be someone else, I would still choose to be male because I think the male gender has more capability to work, thus having more chance to be well off. When it comes to the ethnicity, I wouldn’t probably choose to be a Filipino living in the Philippines simply because life is hard here. I want to be a European living in Europe probably in England or any first world country in that continent because living in a developed country would give me a better chance to be well off. Furthermore, I chose to live in Europe for simple reasons such as their history is interesting, the environment is nice, and it has always been my dream to go to every country in Europe. With regards to when I would live, I would still choose to be born in the 20^th century because it was at this time when most of the transitions from things done manually to machines created through technology occurred. By this, I would be exposed to the old and the new and be able to undergo that transition as well.

What is the right answer so as to have the best chance of being well off?

          

        According to what I read, the right gender to choose is male because it is the gender known to have the capability of working and earning money for the family. However, this is not always true anymore especially in the present times wherein gender equality is being encouraged and women are starting to acquire high positions in the business world. The right ethnicity would be American because it is the ethnicity that the world always sees as the superior one; thus they would never be discriminated when it comes to their race. It is also a good idea to live in America to have a chance of being well off but the problem with this is that we do not have the right resources and maybe opportunities to do so. Bottom line is to choose a developed country because these kinds of countries would have a good economy, good job opportunities, and good living conditions. Lastly, the right to live, according to the reading, is now which is the 20^th century.

Will I have a chance of being well off with the choices I made?

          

         Based on my answer in the first question, I think I got most of the answers correct. I just didn’t choose to be an American living in America; it would probably be the obvious answer because of the status of America in our world today but I kind of like Europe better. I think I will still have a good chance to be well off with the choices I made if I were someone else. I also think I would have a greater chance if I were someone else than who I am right now. It’s not about my ethnicity because I believe Asians are great but it is more of the country I live in since it is not a developed country.

Why are some people better off than others?

            According to what I have read, one indicator that you are among the better off people in the world is when you are functionally literate which would also mean you were able to attend school. Just by having the opportunity to receive formal education puts you on the top half of educational achievement worldwide. If you have gone to college, then that places you on the top quarter. It is true that attaining a high educational level such as a college graduate or even higher than that would draw the assumption that he is better off because of the money required affording it. In developed countries, around two-thirds of students are able to go to college; on the other hand, only one in six in developing countries have the opportunity to enter college. Thus, given the choice of where to live, it is always the better choice to live in a developed country.        However, living in a developed country does not guarantee getting in to college; there is still a chance that you would fall under the one-thirds of students who don’t reach college. Bottom line is, wherever you may be, you can make it to college when you are better off.

            So what does education have to do with being better off than others? Education has everything to do with it; the more education you obtained makes you earn more when you start working. This is because education is the basis of how much you know and to what extent your capabilities are. Obviously, if you know less and can do less, then you would end up with a job that is simple and low-paying. And if you are at least a college graduate, you would be needed for a much complicated job that would require your skills and capabilities; this leads to a higher salary. People who have lower income will have a hard time sending their children to college while people who earn a higher income will more likely be able to send their children to school. Looking at how our world works, it is like a cycle from generation to generation wherein rich families will remain rich and less fortunate families will remain as such. In most cases the rich don’t just remain rich, they even become richer in the expense of the less fortunate. This is what our world is facing right now; the inequality in our world is becoming more evident. The gap even becomes wider as years go by and this is why some people are better off than others.

            How do we solve this global issue? In my opinion, if education is the basis for who are those that are better off and those that are not, then education could also be the solution to help those who are less fortunate. The government should focus their efforts in providing affordable, if not free, education because it is something that would help them have a bright future. With education, they could get employed for better jobs with better pay and eventually earn a good amount of income. My father always told me that education is that one thing that you would always have with you and it is one of the most important things in life. He was right when he said that, which is why I turned a new leaf when I started college; I started taking my studies seriously because I eventually realized how important it would be for my future. I hope everyone else also realizes how great the impact of education is in our future. Overall, education is indeed a valuable thing that we should all treasure.

            

International Organizations

        We are in a world wherein we want to achieve unity in diversity and I believe that international organizations best represent that goal. We unite with different countries for a common purpose and a common objective. I’ve been familiar with famous international organizations existent in our world today; but what I am not familiar with is if these organizations have been effective in living up to their purpose. International organizations are created for different reasons; it may be because of collective interests of states, for conscious decision-making by political elites, or from recognizing interdependence among different states. But whatever the reason may be, I believe that what matters is what they do to the common good.

            There are a lot of international organizations formed by powerful people all over the world; some are well known and some are not. One of the most popular international organizations is the United Nations (UN) which aims to promote world peace, international security, and respect for human rights and international law. It is a big and complex organization which allows them to solve a lot of issues but having a lot of conflicts at the same time. It is said that the UN should not be called as such because technically the members of the said organization are not nations but instead they are states. Using the word nations would require them to include the national population in the organization and not just the leaders themselves. By this, some might think that the UN is based on popularity in politics. Another interesting point is the use of the word “united”; using this word to identify their organization may either mean that they are really as one in solving world issues or it could also mean that being united is what is required of them but they haven’t fully attained that yet.

            The UN has been interfering with different issues such as wars in the Middle East and the like to try to maintain peace and security in our world. I was curious about how effective they were in achieving one of their main objectives and I found out that they are both effective and cost effective at the same time. This is because they’ve had success in maintaining peace in around 13 countries which clearly shows their effectiveness but also had failures in 3 countries. Even if the number suggests that they are indeed effective in general, the cost of the conflicts and lives lost in those 3 countries that they failed in are quite high. This leaves the UN to ponder about their actions and find ways to improve their strategies in maintaining peace and security.

            In my personal opinion, the UN is a symbol of the efforts of leaders all over the world wanting to build bridges and work together for the good of mankind. Even if this is the case, some may think that the UN is no longer needed because of reasons such as disruption in the balance of power, ineffectiveness in avoiding wars, and basically not fulfilling their objectives. There are always two sides in a story, some say they are effective and necessary, some say they are not. But the bottom line is who gets to decide their fate, the leaders or the people?

Are We Shallow?

      An article by F. Sionil Jose struck me for the main reason that I never thought of us as shallow people which made me very curious for the reasons why we are as such. The first thing that came in my mind was that it was probably caused by our culture ---- now that’s shallow answer for it was more than that. According to the article, one factor that contributes to our shallowness is education; the way we are taught in schools and how important subjects are not taught with dept. Schools provide us with knowledge in terms of concepts and theories but it is up to us to convert these into wisdom through interpreting, analyzing, and applying them in real life. I think it could also be related to how we are raised at home and how we look at our parents as role models because of the fact that they were the first ones who taught you.

         

     We are also known for our pride and arrogance which is said to be another factor in our shallowness. We don’t recognize our limitations and weaknesses and always think that we are capable of anything. It’s good to be optimistic but it should go hand in hand with being realistic. It is okay to admit faults, mistakes, and weaknesses; we are not perfect and whatever we do we will never be perfect. This is why I admire leaders who know themselves well and are not ashamed to ask for suggestions and opinions in fields that they are not experts in.

       Additionally we are shallow because we value money, power, and fame above all else. A good example is how we choose our political leaders; we select the candidate who is rich and famous and yet we don’t even know what he is capable of. This is probably why nothing significant happens in the government. Another example is how people get intrigued by celebrity gossips and how the media tries to invade their privacies just to produce a story that people will get interested in. Yes, I truly believe that is shallow because there are more important things people should give their attention to. And lastly, we value money so much that almost everyone’s goal in life is to be rich; I for one admit that I am one of these people who have this kind of goal.

         Lastly, we are shallow because we don’t read; when we need answers we just search it in the internet. We watch the movies based on novels instead of reading the book itself. I am one of these people who don’t really read that much; I usually read things that are required in school. I know reading is a good way to gain knowledge and boost my vocabulary and maybe this is the eye opener I need to start to love reading books.

         In the end, I ask myself this question ---- Are we really shallow? I believe the answer to that question is yes, we are shallow but I also think we shouldn’t generalize because there are a few people who stand out and manage to stay humble no matter what. I personally think that I am not part of those few who are not shallow; I realize now how shallow I am. But how do I change myself? Where should I start? I think the answer to my question is acceptance ---- accepting that I am shallow, materialistic, and arrogant. By this, I am in a way showing humility and willingness to change. I do hope others would also have that realization of how shallow we are.

The 11th Hour

Saving the environment has always been an ongoing issue up until today. People all over the world have different ways on how to contribute to solving this problem. Some companies are creating eco-friendly products, some are creating environmental laws, and some are simply raising awareness. It is good that we have our own ways to save the environment, but are all our efforts enough? It is possible that we are supporting environmental causes because we feel obliged to; but do we believe in it? I feel it is important that the thought of possibly losing our environment should sink in with each one us so as to feel the urge to do something about it immediately. In addition, it is better to make it a priority as well so it would be innate in us to revolve our lifestyles to saving the environment. And since humans have the tendency to think of our own good, one way to make the environment a priority is to plant in our minds that we cannot live without the environment and all the natural resources that go with it. Knowing that we value our life so much, I hope we could really do something about our current situation because we need the environment and our survival depends on it. By this, we should treat the environment as a person’s life as well. Another question that I had in my mind is if we still have time. As the documentary implies, our time is running out so we have to act now and hopefully we won’t be too late. People should realize how precious time is especially in a situation wherein we are trying to save something of that importance. We may be tired of all those documentaries and movies reminding us to do something about the environment but they wouldn’t continue raising awareness if we have already opened our eyes and actually did something about it. Overall, we need to start disciplining ourselves for the environment’s sake and eventually for our own good as well.