Finding Nobility.

Earlier today en route my MCLE seminar, the radio host commented on the lack of clear stand on the RH Bill, particularly from the members of the Congress. When Malacañan summoned them for a discussion, a clear stand was not definite. Some representatives are afraid to receive the backlash of the Catholic Church if ever they will vote for the passage of the RH Bill. Then it hit me, being noble nowadays is such a hard trait to possess, like a dying breed in the league of gentlemanly act, tact, and good manners.

Merriam-Webster defines noble as “possessing outstanding qualities”. There are more definitions in Google, but they seem fairly vague. Traditionally, we think nobility as being right and true and good, when in fact it can also mean being “better than everybody else”. Of course, the concept of being better is highly debatable.

Nobility may be literally naked to the eyes.

 

This, therefore, makes it quite strange as an aspiration. If people want to be noble, it means that they want to or have to be aware of what people think of them or of various third parties approving of their acts and manners. In this case, it can be an act in hypocrisy. One does something not because it is right, but because everybody else’s thinks it is right.

But then, that tends to contradict the common notion of nobility—being an exemplary person above and beyond the call of duty. Theoretically, a person who would qualify as noble doesn’t give a damn on how other people think. So if an individual wants to be considered noble, one should not want to be noble. If the individual does, he does not act out of nobility, but out of a completely different motive.

So where does our good representatives stand? Nowhere, I surmise, and not even on the terrain of good behavior.

The sad part is, it could be an opportunity to be noble, and nobility does not mean voting outright for the passage of RH Bill. Being noble translates to standing ground to a cause bigger than oneself and one’s bloated ego. But, recent events make us aware that nobility is indeed a dying breed.

Which begs the question: Is it too much to ask from our representatives, who thrive on the ridiculous taxes that we pay to the government, to assume a higher plateau of responsibility? Or, we just have to raise the bar in choosing our representatives. Easier said than realized when more than majority of the populace elect based on face value and name recall.