POS 100 Section D

1st Major Paper

Reyes, Earl Christian G.
Biology

5 BS

WHY DO POLITICS?
Insights on President Vaclav Havels Acceptance Speech

During my highschool years, I remember always being asked to try my luck and run
for a position in our schools Student Council. It was an opportunity for an honor student like
me to be able to go beyond academic activities and affirm my presence to the entire student
body, as well as serve for the greater good of the student population and also reap the benefit
of having added credentials for my permanent student record.
But for some reason, the field of student politics never interested me. I never found a
need to offer myself to a higher position in our student government, and ultimately believed
that student politics wasnt my calling. I believed that there were other people more willing to
undergo the sacrifice, and ultimately I didnt have a strong motivation to enter student
politics.
But then, who am I to say whether I am truly called for politics? Is there any person in
the world who is truly called for politics? And if there is anyone truly deserving to run for
office, why is there a need for them to do politics? What motivates the act of politics?
In his speech, President Havel presented a predicament that is experienced by all
politicians worldwide: what is the foremost motivation for them to continue doing politics?
He divides it into three main ideas: the presence of a state-changing idea, the opportunity to
affirm his self and the perks that come with power. Most Philippine politicians would usually
enter government work having more than one of these aspirations at hand, but continue to
masquerade in public with the reasoning that their ideas of organizing Philippine society will

solve the problems that continue to plague us. More often than not, these men are those that
come out of politics with numerous scandals ultimately ruining their hard-earned position,
and tarnishing their name for generations to come. For those few noble men who do have
pure intentions, the field of politics offers a double-edged sword: if power is used properly,
then any type of ambition for the improvement of society will succeed provided that the
politician in question has truly pure intentions intentions full of responsibility and sacrifice
for the greater good.
Yet, it is President Havel who makes his audience realize the sharper edge of the
sword: politics is, in fact, a dirty job which requires those who undertake it to continually
reassess their motivation. Yes, there are people with truly good intentions who exist and want
to enter politics; however, these same people may easily be tempted by the perks that easily
sway the souls of those who have weaker wills. As Havel stated, there is a thin line between
tolerating privileges for the sake of the country and taking advantage of these privileges of
power while taking care of the country as what seems to be a job pushed to the sidelines. The
strength of politics lies in the way people choose to govern a state, thinking of the greater
good that will come out of tolerating the good things offered to their position. I believe that if
the concept of do unto others what is done to you is followed in our political system, then
our politicians should not hesitate to give back the luxuries we offer them with our hardearned time and resources, and give them back tenfold to ensure that society continues to
offer time and resources appropriate for the progression of our nation.
If ones main motivation is to further ones own identity and find self-affirmation,
then politics shouldnt be their avenue of expression try the visual or performing arts
instead! I believe that people who truly leave a mark on the world with their existence do not
affirm themselves by the nature of what they do, but by the talent and excellence they display
while working in their respective fields.

The danger in yielding to the temptation of entering politics for self-identity is that
what was originally an endeavor for the purpose of self-sacrifice may turn into one of
selfishness and self-righteousness: a mans desire to prove his self-worth through politics
may lead him to make decisions that are not necessarily good for the majority of society, but
these decisions are what makes him feel fulfilled and happy about himself. This is partly why
I am against dictatorship as an effective form of governance: from the definition of politics
itself being the production, allocation and decision-making among groups of individuals, it
could be said that politics never existed only for the benefit of the self but for the larger
population it governs. Politics is undergone by every individual who is part of the State
through the representation of those in power, and they are in charge of reflecting the voice of
the masses.
In terms of self-affirmation, President Havel poses another problem: that the same
avenue of politics man hopes to affirm his self by is also that which will cause him to have
doubts about his identity. It is easy to fall into the temptation of living everyday enjoying the
luxuries and perks of having staff that cater to your every whim, but it is very possible that
the same things you enjoy strip you of the characteristics which have made you unique. Once
again, it all comes down to a persons inner core, whether the people around him will
influence his being and will possibly contribute or withdraw from his identity. How we take
in these temptations ultimately fall in our hands
Given all of this reasoning, let me go back to the question I posed earlier: who is then
truly called to politics? President Havel provides the answer: politics involves dirty work,
which should be done by people who are especially pure and vigilant, sensitive to the
ambiguity of self-affirmation. These people have to show an amazingly strong inner strength,
including a strong adherence to the morals and values that have molded who he is as a
person. And yet, as a politician, these people have to be sensitive to the fact that their goal of

self-affirmation can never interfere with the roles they play in improving society for the
greater good this is why I believe that a true politician is a person of action who works to
push his ideas for change forward, someone who is almost willing to sacrifice his identity to
create good that may possibly not benefit him but that which caters to the needs of the greater
population. A true politician is a man who realizes that all the perks, luxuries and goods he
receives are tools to create a greater good, one that encompasses all members of the state, and
ultimately holds this responsibility as his main motivation to enter politics.
So now I come to reflect on the pivotal question: Why do politics? After looking at
the possible motivations one may have to enter politics, I realized an important truth:
pertaining to Machiavellis philosophy stating that immorality, brute force and deceit are
required for the use of power, I may add the concept of greed as an inseparable aspect of
power. Greed and the pursuit of power seem to always come together; however, how a
politician manifests this greed may differ in my opinion.
What is presented to us by the motivation of luxuries, perks and self-affirmation is the
negative side of greed, a type of greed that is material and personal in nature and will only
benefit the self. But, I believe that greed can be interpreted positively in the concept of
wanting more for society, believing that our ideas have the capacity to initiate change and
pushing ourselves to serve more people within the range of our state. We do politics because
we believe that if power is used correctly and efficiently, than our State gains more progress,
more satisfaction and more organization. This is why we do politics, and this may only stem
from a person of purity who truly has ideas that can shape society, and uses these ideas as
motivation to take a stand in his chosen position of power. For the chosen few who take on
the responsibility, this will more or less likely remain a challenge for the whole period of
their tenure.

Realizing this, I have come to a conclusion in thinking about politics and my

experience in highschool: I did not believe I was fit for politics because there will always be a
constant doubt of whether I can accept this challenge. I can relate to President Havels
continued reassessment of whether or not a person truly belongs in politics, but I believe one
thing remains certain: the importance of undergoing politics lies in the good we have
imparted to society and the entire scope of our sovereign state, and this is something all
politicians should think about.