Qualified traits
Admittedly, the above said no less than a threefold depreciated qualifying trait makes a rather negative perception as well as a disturbing attribution when appended to any person, whose humanity is wherefore in many ways questioned and even undermined. Truth to tell, individuals sporting such “inhuman” traits are by and large the misfortune of others – their respective communities, their own families well included. To have a closed mind is bad enough. It is definitely much worse for someone to furthermore have a heart that is stone hard plus a fist that is tight towards others.
To be closed minded means a one track thought process such that no rational argument to the contrary could change or modify it. It is enough that the Church has dogmatic pronouncements in the realm of faith and morals where the distinction between facts and fictions remain defined. But in basically secular concerns, the same as in temporal matters, rational arguments and logical propositions should be received with reasonably open minds – under penalty of some mental stagnancy or a certain dysfunction of the judgment faculty.
Being hard hearted is the same as in effect being heartless in the sense that an individual thus described is seen as devoid of benign feelings, deprived of human understanding and compassion. This is essentially the same as being cold hearted which is predicated of individuals whose actions and actuations are anything but considerate or kind. Let it be said that kindness is one top value human attribute that people readily recognize and appreciate. In the same way, to be kind – kind hearted – is tantamount to being cruel which is a big shame to humankind.
Having a tight fisted stance readily implies being stingy when some generosity is reasonably called for, where some consideration is logically expected. No, this is not in defense of prodigality nor in promotion of foolishness in the handling of well earned assets or hard earned resources. This is but in deference to the truth that the destitution of many as some claim on the affluence of few others. In the same way, the abundance of someone at times has to yield to the necessity of another. In other words, there is a time to keep just as there is an occasion to give.
What is the relevance of all the above observations? How come these introspection is brought to fore? Why address the matter of being closed minded, hard hearted and tight fisted? Here: The three well known giant fuel corporations in the Country might want to examine their respective multi-corporate conscience specifically in terms of their big earnings vis-à-vis the big destitution of their clients. It is a moral certitude that they have been earning much for such a long time from progressively poor Filipinos. Perhaps they might want to lessen their take in terms of giving back some of it to their helpless patrons. Just perhaps.