Development of Conscience and Responsibility In class we have discussed different models of development, and most of them, if not all,

refer to the concept of change. When growth rates and per capita incomes increase, there's some change, economically. When a nation stands up and develop its own state of affairs, there's change in their political system. When people are lifted from poverty and are empowered on their rights and freedoms, there's change in perception. When communities gather to create culture and share action, there's change in society. But with all of these models of development, I have noticed that something very important is missing. We may talk of development in economic terms; most of the time we refer to economic indicators such as GNP, growth rates, interest rates, and so forth. There's even this notion that economic growth automatically trickles-down to the poor, but as so many cases here and around the world has proven, it does not seem to be the case. Most of the elite gobble up all of the wealth, and as those rallyists often say, workers only get the scums. We may talk of having a lot of billionaires such as Henry Sy but at the same time reflect of those who survive on 5month contracts, and some unfortunately, so desparate to find work that they resort in crime. We can also talk of development in political terms, forms of government, and how democracy has been achieved and developed. But of course in our country and some other parts of the world as well, corruption cases and widespread violation of laws has been a panacea even those who became industrialized. Wrondoings and greed of top officials from the halls of parliament to the presidential palace has wiped off hard-worked economic gains, mostly through civil dissatisfaction, and much worse, civil war. We can also talk of development in terms of rights, how much needs has been distributed and fulfilled, how much rights has been assured by law. But there's a danger of talking of too much rights, because admit it or not, we can be greedy if we are too free. Talk of too much bread in Europe because of over-consumerism while most of Africa's poor cannot

even afford to have one. Free speech has been abused to promote racial slur and conflict. Even the right to have a gun has been a big issue since most hands tend to be a little bit itchy in shooting that pistol. And also we do not forget the environment which obviously is our lifeline of existence. We cannot live without its abundance, but as what we see now even if its protection has been a buzz word and even a cry in the international scene, development has still forgotten its role. Irresponsible mining of resources has caused disasters and even deaths. Construction of dams in indigenous communities caused them a lot of pain since their land has been converted into reservoirs. And even the encroachment of science in lifeforms, such as the rise of Genetically Modified Organisms, can also be considered a disrespect to the natural way of doing things. Hence, it is a danger to talk of development while at the same time forgetting one thing that must be developed in all of us. Conscience can be a term, or maybe, responsibility. Our quest for development has left us to act, as what my Sociology professor gives it a word, civilly indifferent to one another. Modernity has made us into independent, disconnected beings, concerned only to ourselves, our time, our own quest for success, mostly in financial terms. We may have made leaps and bounds in the sciences and in business, but still we feel alone and helpless. We may resort to greed and accumulation of more money to satisfy the hole but the patch made nothing. I still want to give emphasis that even if how developed we are, we still cannot remove the presence of a higher being in our lives. Yes, we live in a secular world but it does not mean that we should throw away our believe in a god. Mere belief in him gives us guidance and conscience, and the need to be responsible to ourselves, to others and to life soon follows. Problems of development may soon be inexistent, if I would be generalistic enough to conclude. If conscience is existent in every capitalist, he may realize that his workers are not just mere parts of production but partners in business; that without them his business would not exist. He may be able to understand why decent living wages is necessary, why is there a need

to pay right taxes, why is it important to be truthful and responsible in the creation of goods and services. After all, profit is always boom and bust; money can always disappear in the blink of any eye. People may be given all the rights they need but at the same we should always emphasize the need to be responsible in his actions. I remember this song, and I would like to quote a line: Ang lahat ng bagay ay magkaugnay. I guess it's still true, hence, we should learn to enjoy the rights given to us while remembering that we live in a society where everyone has the right to live happy without the encroachment of the rights of others. In the halls of congress, in classrooms and courtrooms, laboratories and the galleries, the need for conscience and responsibility must be emphasized. If conscience exists on our congressmen maybe they may have thought of how they can uplift the urban poor living beside Batasan. Scientists may have made the best inventions and medicines but if these may cause more harm to life than good then it's useless. Policemen, judges, clerks and even artists will act the best in their work if they know they do not work for themselves but for others as well. Development is not just about uplifting the state of mankind nor it's about economic crunch numbers. Progress can always be wiped by greed in the blink of an eye. I guess, another development is needed, one that is centered on the development of responsibility in every step that we do. I have referred to change a while ago, and maybe what we all need to have a better world after all, is a change of heart.