Life has its woes so learn to be on your toes, be alert. – Bernard Kelvin Clive
A close friend of mine had the misfortune of being a victim of a pickpocket during the recent Christmas rush as he was alighting from the MRT. Ironically, before that happened, I even messaged him casually to beware of pickpockets. So when he told me what happened, I gave him some words of advice, as someone who used to take the MRT, to be always alert and vigilant.
I told him that when I took the MRT ages ago, all my belongings were inside a bag which was hanging from my shoulder but placed in front of me. Nothing inside my front and back pockets. Pickpockets usually prey on people who are busy, distracted or lost. That’s why we always have to be one step ahead in thwarting their evil intentions. We should outwit and outsmart them at their game.
I also heard about someone who got his phone stolen by a pickpocket inside the bus. Instead of admitting his carelessness and learning from the experience, he chose to blame and curse his own country for what happened to him and went to the extent of saying he hates it here and does not want to live here anymore. He only has himself to blame for his carelessness and negligence because “opportunity makes the thief.”
One step ahead and vigilant is a positive trait. But when one is not alert enough and becomes a victim of circumstance, I don’t like people who blame especially other people or places for finding themselves into such a situation. The elder of my two nephews has the habit of blaming the younger when something is destroyed or lost and usually gets a scolding from me. I don’t like blaming. When there is an unlikely consequence, either I stand up (as a matter of principle) and defend what I did, or admit the wrong. But to get angry at one’s home country because he is a victim of a pickpocket, and even say he doesn’t want anymore to live in this country because he is scheduled to go abroad, this is simply arrogance. I have been a victim of a pickpocket myself but never I detest my country but rather detest myself for failing to be one step ahead of thieves. I blame no one but myself.
Thanks a lot Rodel! We should never assign blame on others. We should always be responsible for our actions and own up to it. Like a man!
Was that person who blamed and cursed his own country man enough to own up to his carelessness and stupidity? Or is it his country’s fault?
Is he a real man? I replied to your FB post about exiling this person to a distant place with only a lot of beautiful women. For him, that will be a fate worse than death.
Bad luck really comes in 3s. This person got duped by an illegal recruiter and lost P50,000.00, then lost his phone to a pickpocket and, finally, experienced an epic fail in another country because of an ill-prepared trip. It’s really true. The negative vibes you spread out because of your bad character boomerangs on you. So there!