CASE #1

                Your daughter is determined to become a nun even though she knows she could never marry or have children. She thinks her primary obligation is to serve God. You think she has responsibility to her family and society, too, to become a wife and mother. Dissuade her from her decision.

                Religion is a very important aspect of living, and one should always try to lead a morally uplifting life. But you can do that without turning your back on the rest of the world. You can be holy and serve  others… as a teacher or nurse or doctor… and still be true to your family obligations… and your own joy!… by getting married and having children. And you can then train your own children to live their lives the right way.

CASE #2

                Your daughter is dissatisfied with her looks. She is convinced that only Western women are truly beautiful. As a result, she wants to get plastic surgery. Persuade her not to do it.

                The most important fact is that you are already beautiful. But no one looks perfect, even after plastic surgery. Indeed, most people look worse afterwards, because they have lost their natural appearance. Also, even so your face will continue to change throughout life, and any cosmetic changes you make now will look increasingly undesirable and artificial as years go by.

CASE #3

                Your son wants to become a politician in order to help society. He thinks that our problems are so serious that only government can help relieve them, and then only if the government is run by capable, well-meaning people. But he is young and doesn’t completely understand how the world works. Persuade him consider another occupation.

                No politician can long be true to his ideals. Political success requires constant compromise with other points of view, even if the politician retains his own integrity. But, perhaps at first out of notion that the end justifies the means, most politicians succumb to corrupt practices such as influence peddling, bribery, and opportunism. And once they take the first crooked step they are lost; and dishonour, loss of self-respect, and maybe even prison lie ahead.

By: Gina R. Bagtas |T-II | Limay National High School