Let’s start from what Marx said, “The philosophers have interpreted the world in various ways, the point however is to change it.”
I am no philosopher in the academic sense, but indeed I have tried to interpret and understand the world in which I live. The sociological imagination and its promise have offered rational and useful framework to make sense of our world. While our society affects us, we in turn affect our society. While we are shaped by our society, we also shape its course.
The social sciences have been helpful in our attempt to provide descriptions and explanations of phenomena and settings that baffle our curious minds and hinder our progress and development as a collective humanity. Grand and meta-theories have been put forward to help us understand the interconnected and seemingly similar events in the global scale. Social scientists have delved into the complexities of the minds, personalities, tribal groups, rural and urban communities, corporations, unions, organizations, nation-states, regions, and other aspects of human lives in the hope that these scientific endeavors would untangle shackles of ignorance, insensitivities, and irrational systemic forces that hold back our progress and cause divisions, tensions, and conflicts.
By all means, these advances in social sciences are remarkable in our lives. For example, now we know that marriage is not solely a personal decision, it is also informed by economic and social considerations. Even the most personal and individual act, suicide, does depend on the social conditions and contexts of the individual.
With the richness of the theoretical tools at our disposal, we are gratefully encouraged to put them into use in our contemporary times. The knowledge produced in the last century is enormous. The lessons may not be sufficient to address all pressing problems, but they are consequential in what we confront today.
Thus, we thought of engaging the world. We go back to the question, what kind of engagement?
To present what we have in mind, I feel it suits to narrate an example.
In the capital city of the Philippines, the taxi drivers are known to be astute. Recently, coming from Japan with my partner, we took a taxi whose driver did not want to use the fare meter. This is, sadly, common in Metro Manila. Not all drivers though, but many of them wanted a contracted trip, a disadvantageous trip for passengers. In short, we were still engaged in negotiating while we were moving out of the airport premises. The driver did not want to budge to use the fare meter. My partner wanted to get out of the taxi and just pay the minimum fare. I was bemused.
Five years ago, I would have easily regarded the desire of my partner – to get out of the taxi and walk away. My argument then was that there is no point of negotiating with a shrewd and astute person. However, the knowledge and lessons I gained stopped me from doing so. If I wanted to change a bit of my world, I thought that was a chance.
So I talked with the driver. What caused him not to use his fare meter? He said that he needed extra money to pay for the household utility bills because he had already paid for his children’s education. Hmmmm… Who did not want extra money? Most of us need extra money to make bring some comfort. But paying utility bills was not about comfort, it was basic things such as water and electricity (well, I’m not sure how his family uses energy).
Still, I pointed out that it was not necessary to charge higher fare than what is mandated. He said that he did not force passengers to pay him, they agreed to the price. The discussion went on.
Meanwhile, my partner was somehow puzzled why we did not get out yet. She asked me to tell the driver to stop and we would get out. At that time, I shifted my attention and started to argue with my partner. Then, I was able to persuade her to give me some time to make me understand the driver’s reason and condition.
The driver told us that he is the only source of income for the family of six. He works 12 hours a day all week. Despite his hardwork, according to him, he could earn enough for the food, house rent, and education to which he gives importance and emphasis. But his income could not cover the utility bills. (And of course, all other expenses such as health, social security, clothes are out of the question). According to him, this shortage prompted him to seek contracted trip and not use the fare meter.
I did not agree to the driver. I told him that there may be other ways to earn some extra money to cover other necessary expenses. At first, he dismissed the ways I had presented. For instance, his wife could set up a sari-sari store or his teenage children could contribute financially by working part-time in shops and restaurants. He did not like the idea at first.
So I asked him, what do you feel when you charged the passengers higher than the fare meter? He feels a bit guilty and ashamed, I was told. A bit. Then, what do you feel when you use the fare meter and charge the mandated fare? He said, he could talk to the passengers freely and look at their eyes.
Do you like that feeling?
Yes!
The trip was supposed to be long and tiring, but this one was something. We arrived in our destination in no time that I expected.
As a traveler, I know the mandated taxi fare from the airport to my destination. We agreed to have that price. As I was about to get out of the taxi to get my things from the trunk, the driver said, thank you. I had not yet paid him when he said that.
After all the bags were taken out of the taxi, I paid him. He said thank you again.
I like the first thank you. I thought it was the outcome of the engagement that we made. That is what we think we can do in PEACE-TAYO.
