It’s around 11 in the evening and I have just received my fast food delivery. I remembered clicking “with cutlery” on foodpanda. But to my utmost frustration, walang nakalagay. I’m not usually that intolerant of a simple mistake, but this time a fuse in me went off. I got fed up with this slacking culture that seems to be preeminent in the land.

It is one of my greatest beliefs that excellence is not an option, but the bare minimum. That in everything we do, we must uphold excellence. Because isn’t that what we must do? Isn’t excellence what we deserve in a way.

As a writer-researcher, one of the characteristics of my job is that I have to be accurate on the tiniest detail. Screwing up on something as small as a word can create detrimental effects. A word can change a finding. A simple punctuation can change the meaning of a whole sentence, a whole paragraph, and so on. So, I try to be excellent. I try to live up to my own potential and it has been a habit thriving under pressure. I, now, excel under pressure.

But, it’s a whole other thing to see the world around me not living up to their own potential. It’s a whole other thing to see relatives suffer the consequences of their own actions just because they chose wrong or they cowered in fear or they just simply gave up. I hate to see them where they are now and I refuse to feel pity nor feel guilty for their situation. It’s just one of those phenomena of dissonance, where what should be is not what is and it leaves you helpless and in question.

I hate to see this for the rest of the Philippines and it is my prayer that God would cast the spirit and culture of excellence in the lives of every Filipino- for God and country. I’d hate to see the parallel between where you are and where you will be. I want to see you grow and develop for causes beyond you. It is my dream to see you fulfill your God-given destiny and it starts with imbibing a culture of excellence.

Here’s to not having to be tolerant of slacking mistakes anymore. And to actually being able to enjoy my midnight snacks again!