OR CREATE the exceptions, for not everything can be confined within the rules. Approach problem-solving with ingenuity, for life does not provide a manual that guarantees a successful life. Neither can anyone give you a step-by-step instruction that you have to follow to make your dreams come true.
The year 2025 is about to end, and I have observed that there are two things that mostly dominated our day-to-day living: the noise of showbiz-politics, and the individual’s incessant yearning for attention on social media.
But there are those who are busy building their personal empire. There are those who focus on living their lives in quiet excellence.
“Can a good lawyer be a good man?”
This question was asked in our Legal Counseling class. As our professor discussed to us the challenges of trying to harmonize personal life with social responsibilities, I realized how troublesome my conscience has been and how thrilling recklessness can become.
At first, studying the law is all about the rules. This may seem suffocating to others, but it can also be the foundation to have a fully functioning society. Society provides us with the means of putting our dreams into reality, of meeting our needs, and even of satisfying our wants and selfish desires.
But there is a price tag. You live by the rules to find a way as to how to circumvent the rules when the situation demands it.
To live your dreams, you have to fight for it. And we all know that in a fight, you use the rules to your advantage. You fight to win, but you make sure that your winning is also socially acceptable. Somehow, a valid win does not necessarily have to come from a fair fight. To defend and to protect your treasures are not that easy, but fight we must if we want to survive and thrive.
Should a lawyer then be exalted or belittled based on his or her win-loss ratio? Will you choose a lawyer who aims for justice? Or will you hire one who will make you win your case no matter what?
Client: “Why should I hire you to handle my case?”
Lawyer: “Because not only that I know the law, I also know the judge.”
Knowing people and connecting with those who can help you in the future is a good leverage. But for this to happen, you must also build your reputation. It is a give-and-take approach in the context of professionalism, negotiation, and even self-aggrandizement.
Despite all the feel-good advocacies in helping humanity and saving the planet Earth, we have to accept the reality that we also have bills to pay. Life can get brutal and draining. The repetitive nature of our environment can even become lifeless.
But this is where ingenuity comes into the picture. For even if you know the judge—or anyone else for that matter—it may not matter that much if you are not that valuable yourself.
Cutting the umbilical cord
When is a person truly free? We mostly hear the word freedom in rallies and as a protest on the abuse of power by the authorities. But can you really do something about the corruption in the government? Besides the usual social media activism like the sharing of FB posts and posting about awareness and responsibility, what else is there? Marching on the streets can also get tiring, if not futile.
In the same vein, when is personal freedom truly achieved? Are you free to live the life you want? Can you be contented and happy without telling the world about it? Can personal ambition also be modern slavery?
We have to learn how to live our life in our own terms. We must eventually dare to live our life without depending on anyone. This is not so much about building a wall to keep other people out, this is about learning by experience.
To experience living on your own will help you understand how freedom is connected to responsibility and accountability.
Therefore, non-accountability is the kind of life that a slave-person is living despite his or her wealth and power. These people then are the lowest type of individuals. And sadly, we voted some of them to govern us.
Again, exert an effort to know the rules of life. Study and evaluate your own actions. Apply metacognition. And dare to set yourself free./PN
