One most important thing that Christians must learn is how Jesus Christ started as an advocate. Jesus did not start as a group of persons having a common objective. Jesus started his advocacy of love ALONE.
All individual wants a better life; but collectively, as a society, most people does not like "change" especially those who are currently rich. In fact, people have many times collectively gathered to demand governments to torture and execute individuals who have become prominent in preaching ways to cure the cancer of society.
Genuine advocates are gifted with extraordinary bravery and passion. For genuine advocates for change, not being heard is more painful than torture to martyrdom.
Most advocates for change suffer economic loss during their time because people are hesitate to trade, deal business, or patronize their products or profession. The hesitation is a result of fear of getting associated with someone who is hated by society for the change that he advocates.
However, in the modern world that we live now, advocacies spread fast and private/corporate donations to the cause has helped a lot in the success of the advocacies.
Each one of us has advocacies for change in our heart. Some of us feel strongly supportive on environmental protection advocacies. Some on human rights, some on religious evangelism and missions. Some on direct charity to the poor. Some on population growth control. Some on gun control to eradicate gun-aided crimes. Some on cigarette control to eradicate tobacco-related illness. We just dont talk and feel about it without supporting the systematic activities of the advocacy.
Each one of us will benefit from the advocacies of change. It is not good if we are all free-riders beneficiaries of the benefit of change. Each one of us have to give voluntary contribution to individuals and organizations who are brave enough to spend full time in forwarding our favorite advocacies. As members of society, if we want the change we want to move, we have to give support to our favorite advocacies in terms of literary contribution, manpower during rallies, and most important is fundraiser.
These advocates comes in various forms and personalities. Some works for big Non-Government Organizations (NGOs). Some are highly paid media practitioners. There is no need to donate funds to these advocates.
The most important types of ADVOCATES that we need to FINANCIALLY support are those independents who are not tied up to the dictates of any manipulative corporations or personalities. You can find these fund-needy yet very effective advocates as internet bloggers, commentators of issues discussed in social networking sites, doctors who always go out on charity medical missions, academecians who do extention work, preachers who teach values house-to-house, soldiers who want change in their commands, whistleblowers who expose graft and corruptions, witnesses of crimes, and even new aspiring politicans.
Never support nor vote for a candidate for legislative position (Congressman or Senator) who has no advocacy or weak passion on his/her advocacy. Never Support or vote for a candidate for executive position (Mayor, Governor, President) whose personality has tendency to fall short of political will to execute the mandates of the law.
In this world, very few individuals are brave enough to advocate real change. Out of this few, you can only pinpoint one or two rare individuals who are willing to die with their advocacy.
We at present are beneficiaries of advocacies in the past. It is the future that benefits from present advocacies. Lucky are those who advocate change within the institution of the church -- they are connonized as Martyrs and Saints. Lucky are those who advocate change in form of arts and letters -- they are immortalized by the academe. For the advocates whose mere talent is only talking, their advocacies die undocumented. For the future generation to benefit, it is important that the advocate leaves behind traces, footprints, and documents of the arguments of his/her advocacies.
I was once asked, "Sir John, if you lived during the time of Jesus Christ, would you join the people power rally to crucify the man who advocated a major change, or you would be one of his apostles?"
My answer was: "I would be John the Baptist; the first to confirm that Jesus is Christ as he pronounced the now popularized statement saying 'Behold the Lamb of God'. John the Baptist lived as a political exhortationist during the time of King Herod and his wicked wife Heroditas. John the Baptist was executed under a political sword, they cut his head off and placed on a platter, and presented it as gift by Herod the Great to his wicked wife Heroditas who hated John the Baptist because of his exhortations."
xxxxx
I dedicate this blog to my FB friends who celebrate their birthdays today.
Byron Bautista, Glen Ortega, Guada Labastida Rakic, Mary Alberto, Miles Solomon, Nathalie Gwyn Morales, Novie Mae Engana, Sheena Costillas, Wendy Fricke, Zaleamae Dumadag
