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Editorial

Volunteerism & Newton’s Third Law

Newton’s third law of motion states that “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”.  This statement means that in every interaction there is a pair of forces acting on the two interacting objects.

This motion theory could at certain times be analogous to volunteer works.  Pursuit of such noble undertakings could inspire others to do the same – or for some to try and find fault with whatever a person or organization is doing, and worse, discredit the integrity of those in active participation.

DBI as an organization is facing the same predicament.  Despite the sincerity of its officers and members, many are still those doubters who just couldn’t face the fact that there could actually be persons of integrity and selfless devotion to the cause of love for the hometown and its people.

But then again, the third law will always be there.  The organization could respond with an equal degree of force: this time not in a destructive but in a constructive manner – in a way that would cause union and not division, peace and not strife.

Whatever the case may be, the third law is always about motion, about reaction.  It is the same law that we see in the flight of birds, in the capacity of the fishes to swim through the current, or for a car to move across the pavement. 

Criticisms and other forms of feedbacks could be regarded as reality checks.  They could be constant reminders to those concerned that their positions hold them prey to public scrutiny.  They could be scales over which the weight & depth of their works could be measured with against their capacities. 

Summing up, whether we are working behind the scenes or are in the front lines, we could respond to such negative reactions in a positive way – equal in intensity but towards an entirely opposite direction and motivation. (bulusanon@hotmail.com)

Vol. XV No.9 (September - October 2003)

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