Daily Lessons from Life 31 January 2011 - Success or not?

It is the last day of January 2011. 31 days have just flew past us without any pause. Scary and showed that once the days are gone, they are gone forever!!

"Philippine lawmaker hid drug in underpants: court - Mon, Jan 31, 2011 AFP

HONG KONG - Philippine congressman Ronald Singson admitted Monday he had attempted to smuggle cocaine into Hong Kong as a court heard the lawmaker hid the drug in his underpants to elude airport security.

The colourful 42-year-old, who is from one of the Philippines' most high-profile political families, admitted to bringing 6.67 grams of cocaine and two tablets of the narcotic Nitrazepam into the city on July 11, 2010.

The politician, also a music promoter whose business interests include the music station Channel V in the Philippines, admitted to trafficking and faces a maximum life sentence and a possible fine of up HK$5 million ($640,000).

But he denied any plan to re-sell the drugs and pleaded for leniency.

Singson said he had the drugs because of "political pressures", "pressure of faltering businesses" and relationship problems, adding that he was suffering from depression.

"Even though I was successful in my own right, I didn't feel happy," he said."

'Colourful' was used to describe this man. Maybe he has been fed too many sugar-coated niceties despite his many failings due to his 'influential' family background? It is a curse to be born in to a rich and powerful family when the moral bearing is skewed or lost.

Lessons for me are:

1. political patronage that work in one jurisdiction may not work in another. So, if you try to extrapolate one to the other with a drugged out mind, be careful of the consequence as in this case;

2. does he deserved pity or compassion? may be or may be not depending on if he is truly remorseful or not. Was he thinking of re-selling the drug? Probably not. It is not really worth it for a man of his wealth, supposedly wealthy anyway. Is the reason for consuming the narcotics due to various pressures a valid reason or an excuse? It is more an excuse if you adopt the 'tough love' stand. It cannot be good to be consuming cocaine in such regular and large doses. He will get kill by it eventually and not IF he will get kill or not!;

3. narcotic and gambling are both very addictive and destructive. If he is sentenced to a life imprisonment, he will get help to kick the habit. With good behaviors and what not, he can get out after serving half the sentence? It is an interesting case to watch as Hong Kong judiciary deal with the Philippines Congressman after the deadly hostage incident in Manila last year!!

May he be given the fair sentence and that he get help to kick the habit and really show that he is remorseful.