What Jim Did

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I didn't see it, but among the hottest issues today is the selfie video of Jim Paredes which was said to be shocking, necessitating even his public apology to somehow assuage the repercussions. But it's been made public and some people say the apology is already too late. Well, no apology is too late, except when made on Judgment Day.

And no public apology would be needed if the video hadn't been uploaded by some crooked spy for public consumption. Right?

The apology is actually a wise decision, if it's sincere. And if so, then it'd mean he'd stop criticizing the president--or anybody else for that matter--realizing that no one is perfect. If you're a believer that nobody's perfect, you'd stop criticizing people. Well, analyze or challenge events or ideas or principles objectively, perhaps, but no more demolition works. No more personal criticism. We all have this natural urge to critique because God designed us as rational creatures. But we should do it objectively and not just personally assail someone.

I used to like Jim Paredes a lot as a teenager, even in college, because a lot of his compositions were my favorite songs. But I didn't like his "Look at me!" act at the EDSA Shrine to humiliate some protesters disrupting their assembly there and that changed everything. I didn't hate him because of that--I just changed my mind about liking him. I shook my head, thinking, "sayang."

And that's how politics affects people. Once gentle, likable and fun-loving folks become rabid and vexatious, turning into something else. I suspect that Dr. Bruce Banner was really metamorphosed by politics, not gamma rays.

Okay, so he did something stupid. Don't we all? I did a lot of stupid stuff before and have apologized for them. The only difference is, I wasn't a public figure. Jim is. He should've known that as a public figure, someone is apt to always go after your downfall. But he still has a chance to recover if he does things right this time--foremost of which is to stop being critical of specific persons, including Duterte. By the way, I'm no avid fan of Duterte. Just for the record.

Well, there are lots of times we couldn't help but note what the president says or does, especially if you're not an avid fan and you're after truth objectively. You may criticize, not to put down anyone, but to express your views for the greater good, careful not to merely malign anyone. It's okay to criticize, and I hope Duterte die-hard fans would understand.

Now, here's the main thing about Jim's story. We shouldn't do him further damage especially when the guy has apologized in public. Let the issue rest. We're all stupid in many ways. As the bible says, all have sinned--and even a lot of the faithful in church still sin, though secretly. And God treats all sin alike. In God's eyes, telling a "white" lie or keeping grudges or hatred against someone is as bad as an obscene video--yeah, even as bad as committing a heinous crime. We should learn to forgive and let go. God will have mercy on those who are merciful to their fellow.

And God makes sure that one day, you too will be caught unaware with your stupidity and exposed to public shame--if you don't quit and don't forgive others who have similarly sinned but have apologized. Mark my word. God makes sure that everything is put in a balance. I'm sure Jim has learned this lesson well.