Just because is not an answer!

After two years, I dined in at a fast food outlet... again. No, we didn't really miss out on fast food during lockdowns. But it was either delivered or ordered for takeout.

Sitting down to enjoy my chicken burger, fries, and plain sundae would've been more enjoyable inside a near-empty store. But that's selfish-me speaking.

It just wasn't enjoyable to eat with small kids running around the store as their parents ordered food, screaming in delight, and taking down the Wet Floor signs.

And while most restrictions have been lifted, wearing a mask and observing physical distancing is still a must. How come many people seem to be ignoring this already?

So needless to say, I wanted to finish eating as quickly as possible so we could get out of there and head on home.

Pre-pandemic, I would usually eat in a fast food outlet early in the day when there are few customers in-store. There will understandably be some hustle-and-bustle from early morning customers but these are folks that aren't rowdy. So, other than the usual din inside these stores, it is relatively peaceful.

Having spent 24 months in seclusion so to speak, I realize it's not an experience that I missed. Being able to eat their fare was the delight, not necessarily dining in their stores.

Is it just me, or do any of you guys feel the same way?

I'm sure it will be far different eating inside a full-dining restaurant, but I don't know if I would be comfortable enough to do that now.

COVID numbers here are really down, and continue to decrease. That's good. But with the election campaign in full swing, there are more activities that involve people converging in huge groups, although outdoors, and staying close together for protracted periods of time. So, I remain wary.

The kids want to experience a rally - the friendly and inspiring one, of course - and we'll be going to one next month. It would be good for them to get the feel of this activity.

Just because...

Is that an acceptable answer when you ask someone to enlighten you about why they are voting for a particular candidate?

Really? You can't offer a concrete reason to convince me why I would even want to consider who you are rabidly supporting?

We are voting for the future of our country. Not only that, we are fighting to restore decency and respect for the Philippines and its citizens. Have people become so hardened and uncaring that it no longer matters if we have been represented by someone who is vulgar and misogynistic in the last six years, and who has seemingly 'inspired' others to be uncouth, rude, and even violent?

It baffles me to no end that majority who say they are voting for a particular candidate can never give an answer beyond "Basta!" (just because) when they are asked to share what about that person will make them worthy to occupy the highest seat in the land.

Neither did I appreciate my cousin from the province who disappointed me with her reply as to who she was supporting. Her number one reason was because the candidate's family is from the province!

Duh?!!!

In all good conscience, I wouldn't even want a relative of mine taking on a job he or she wasn't qualified for or competent enough to handle! Why? It would be embarrassing!

Of course, money talks. And often, it speaks very loudly. I hope the recipient of these 'ayuda' (cash assistance) think long and hard how much they are 'selling' their vote for, and how far it will go towards a better future.

Years and years of being ignored does rankle. But it should teach us a lesson that in choosing who to trust to run the government we need to pick one who has at least shown they are no stranger to hard work. And can present a track record of serving or working even before politics was ever in their horizon.

The last thing we need is a president always surrounded and shielded by minions who take up his battles, who reply for him when the questions are hard, who harass those who won't toe their line, and certainly not a leader who cannot even think and speak for themselves!

At this point in time, reeling from a pandemic that crushed not just the economy but people's spirits, we need someone who inspires us to be better, to do better, even in small ways.

So telling me you're voting for someone 'just because' does little to inspire me. Instead, you will annoy me and frustrate me because you don't want a better future. It's not even an abstract answer. It's just blind support for someone who may likely lead you to be even worse off in the future.

I love what one elderly woman said in defending why she supported her candidate: Mababa lang ang pinag-aralan ko, pero nakakaintindi ako. (My education was limited, but I understand perfectly.)

Simply, she understands the price that will be exacted if we don't vote for the right person. In that way, she is way smarter than all the blind intelligent ones supporting the wrong person.

Main images from Unsplash