Road to Fifty Reflections: Day 75
“ But to recommend thrift to the poor is both grotesque and insulting. It is like advising a man who is starving to eat less .” ~ Oscar Wilde This was a quote I heard from my brother yesterday after hearing the public discussions on DTI’s proposed five-hundred-peso Noche Buena. The reactions were immediate... many saw the amount as impractical, while others viewed it as dismissive of families who work hard and hope to prepare a proper meal for Christmas. Yet the issue extends beyond a single recommendation. A similar “five-hundred-peso mentality” appears in everyday settings.. in workplaces where employees are paid below fair standards, in the absence of incentives despite steady performance and in the general lowering of expectations placed on the poor. These patterns diminish not only economic well-being but also BASIC dignity. There is also a tendency to judge how others spend, whether on simple comforts or occasional indulgences, while some rely on donated meals for anything beyo...