L OST in the maze of controversies which afflict our society on a daily basis is the alarming movement toward the now almost inevitable break-up of Philippine society. We are hurling ourselves toward a collision course which threatens to embroil a whole nation and destroy not only existing institutions but prevailing mindsets as well. I t used to be that economic and political frameworks were simple and easily understood. Economically, one produced food, provided shelter for the family and lived in relative comfort; or, one starved and died. Politically, one belonged to one side and stayed there. That time is gone, a faint memory kept alive only by history books or lola's tales. T oday, simplicity has disappeared and, in its place is a complicated reality. Economics is not anymore dictated by production or the costs of production. More than 90 percent of the world's financial transactions are speculative and completely unrelated to material goods and basic services. A farmer, a fisherman, or a factory worker can go overtime and increase production dramatically yet can go bankrupt overnight because some stock or bond trader somewhere across the globe decides to unload paper investments. Things are not what they used to be. A ll the more with the basic elements which used to be the foundation of all societies. Can we still remember when fresh air, clean water and fertile earth were the natural conditions which sustained life? Well, no more. Even the essentials of life have become very much less vital with man's proclivity toward accessories becoming more important than divine intent. Polluted air, dirty water and poisoned earth define the areas which contain the majority of human life, yet money has managed to make the world go round anyway. A s if a dangerous reversal of natural values were not enough, politics and politicians have joined the march to further complicate the situation. All pretenses for political ideologies and principles have collapsed for more practical or economical purposes. Political platforms are as trite as black-and-white movies, another one of those relics from a recent past. From a political understanding where loyalty was considered a premium value, it has slid down to money politics where hard currency is the uncontested godfather. A ll these developments, sad as they may be, would still allow for societies to survive if only there were no divine design governing existence in the first place. When societal values drift toward the artificial and away from the essential, when money becomes more desirable than fresh air, clean water and fertile earth, the ensuing phenomenon called poverty emerges. Greed is simply not sustainable. Once enough of it infects society, poverty is the resultant and inevitable aberration. O ne can argue that poverty has been around for thousands of years, so much so that Christianity and Islam have special considerations for it. In both religions, alms and charity are considered virtues, promoted in societies where the poor proliferate. Why, then, should poverty today become more menacing, more threatening and deadlier than it used to be? E volution and technology together collude to raise the level of awareness and knowledge of people. It also used to be that societies accepted social distinctions, where royalty and slavery lived side by side, just like the rich of Dasmariņas Village and the poor Along the Riles in Makati. It was not until a few hundred years ago in Europe when the French Revolution cried "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity" and cut some royal heads off when the uncivilized West began to dismantle the forms of traditional societal discrimination. That's evolution. A nd modern communications technology is like a powerful ripening agent which is breaking the societal divide of our post-Hispanic society. Tri-media, especially the multi-sensory broadcast industry, has illuminated the once-ignorant minds of poor Filipinos that they, too, are human beings with certain inalienable rights that the world of nations is committed to protect. Radio, television and the Internet create a virtual library within reach of most people today and effectively debunk old myths about some being born "smarter than others." W hile poverty continues to plague our country, its victims are fast learning that things are not irreversible. They not only have the 20th century models of revolutions from Europe, South America and China, they also have our own Edsa Uno Dos, and Tres to stimulate their imagination. A nd it is not as though our poor are on their own. Tens of thousands of NGOs and the newly titled force called Civil Society are providing not only encouragement but empowerment technologies as well. We are literally witnessing the dying of an old era and the birth of a new one. Yet, most of those who control politics and business in the Philippines are oblivious to the dynamics of an inevitable transition which will radically change society. M ixing a satiated privileged class and an awakening impoverished masa is a sure formula for conflict, for a political and social drama yet unheard of in Philippine history. It is happening right under our noses but the leaders of our social, economic and political sectors remain completely unprepared to guide society towards a more gentle shift. When will they recognize that they cannot stop the process of renewal when its time has come A nd our time has come. Martial law and two-and-a-half Edsas later, Civil Society and the great unwashed later, Usama Bin Ladin and the return of the Americans later, satellites and virtual reality later, all these and our leaders keep trying to preserve a failed system? Y es we can and should fend for ourselves. But despite best efforts, when the nation hangs from its cross, can we ask Bathala to forgive them? Reference: --- http://www.inq7.net/opi/2002/mar/01/opi_jmontelibano-1.htm