One of my favorite websites provide: "Plasticity generally means ability to permanently change or deform. (It differs from 'elasticity', which refers to ability to change temporarily and revert back to original form.)"
The ability to permanently change or deform. Permanent meaning "lasting for an indefinitely long time", or in the extreme sense, it may mean "without end, eternal". Change. Deform. IMHO, these words don't sound too good. While "change" is a neutral word, "deform" on the other hand is definitely a negative one. Deform may imply a change of shape through stress, injury, or some accident of growth. As a verb, "deform" means "to spoil in the form of; or, to become mishapen; or to be misfigured.
In view of all the foregoing, it is not incorrect for me to say that "Plasticity" may be defined as the ability to spoil, to become mishapen or misfigured for a lasting or indefinite period of time which may encomapss eternity.
Now I have a word for that pehonomenon which occurs to almost all (if not all) people who enter into Philippine Government Service.
After I finally became a lawyer (or in other words "a priveleged member of the distinct and noble legal profession") a lot of people were somewhat surprised why I chose to serve in the Judiciary as a Branch Clerk of Court. I always answer, "Serbisyo Publiko po muna in my first few years as a lawyer, as a way of giving back to society." or "Gusto ko lang pong tumulong sa administrasyon ng hustisya sa mga unang taon ko bilang abogado." I knew in my heart that although my answers were honest, they were incomplete. The truth of the matter is that I opted for a job in the judiciary also because I want to practice law (in the traditional sense) in the near future. And what better place to learn to swin than in the shark-filled ocean? Nevertheless, not a few people who receive such answers from me do not take such replies seriously (even though I say them out loud in a straight face that could make a world series poker player cringe). These people either think I was only joking or perhaps, label me as another hypocrite who preaches a certain belief or way of life, but do not in fact hold these same virtues oneself. Still, a few others just think that I am ridiculously out of my mind and believe.
BTW, the Greek word "Hypokrisis" is applied to any sort of public performance, while its counterpart noun "Hypokrites" was a technical term for a stage actor and was not, therefore, considered an appropriate role for a public figure. In Athens in the 4th Century BC, for example, the great orator Demosthenes ridiculed his rival Aeschines, who had been a successful actor before taking up politics, as a hypokrites whose skill at impersonating characters on stage made him an untrustworthy politician. This negative view of the hypokrites, perhaps combined with the Roman disdain for actors, later shaded into the originally neutral hypokrisis. It is this later sense of hypokrisis as "play-acting," i.e. the assumption of a counterfeit persona, that gives the modern word hypocrisy its negative connotation.
Anyway, I do not consider myself to be a hypocrite. I am just a someone who wills himself to become a man who earns his daily bread with dignity and respect, and someday make the retreat and disappear into the legal fabric of society as one of the pillars of the family. I entered in the service of the judiciary not to start a revolution of sorts. I am not here to drastically alter the state of things. I am not here to weed out the corrupt, to stop the graft, or even prevent it. There would be too much unneccessary risks on my part. And those who know me well know that I do not like unneccessary risks. I have chosen to work for the government to learn, earn, and at the same time fulfill my duties the best way I can in the service of my country whose soil I cannot leave out of pride and love. I'd rather be issuing subpoenas and signing warrants of arrests all day than taking care of old geezers in London or in the States or walking strange dogs owned by strange people in NYC. Five (5) years shall pass and hopefully by then I have done my share of duty towards the country and start making some real money to wet the beaks of my family. Then perhaps, I could finally afford a cozy little house and real car like a Mercedes and a personal driver cum bodyguard that comes along with the purchase.
Plasticity sets in at different times depending on the branch of Philippine Government where it occurs. Sadly, it is wide-spread in all branches and in all agencies. In the BIR, Customs, and the DPWH, I have heard that the same sets in in a matter of minutes. In the legislature, a few months, and in the Judiciary, a few years. Hopefully, I can get out before I catch it too bad. I just need to stay focused and try to keep my eyes on the goal. I'm way too near the basket to miss.
