#nOCONtest

Rhona Canoy .

SO… This whole Zaldy Ocon brouhaha is far from over, if I have something to say about it. And it is unbelievable just how many life lessons can be gleaned from the still-ongoing string of occurrences which are this man’s rollercoaster ride into his own personal hell. So far. I have had the greatest privilege not just to have a ringside seat in this, but to be in the ring. Of course, I can’t quite figure out my role just yet. Surely not the “prizefighter” (who Ocon seems to think he is). Surely not the underdog (who wheelchair-bound attorney obviously is). Surely not the referee (probably the courts). Surely not the judges (everyone who has an opinion). Maybe the scantily clad girl who walks around between rounds holding up a number card (I can only wish). Maybe the alalay who wipes the underdog’s sweaty and bloody brow (my fighter has to last the whole fight). Oh, and what lessons, you may ask?

1. A lesson in humility. Ocon has, for the longest time, been perceived and (I think) perceives himself as the king of self-conceit and arrogance. Not just on the radio airwaves but, it seems, in real life as well. Since his rise to black stardom in the political galaxy, he seems to see himself as above it all–above criticism, above advise, above the law, above it all. The fact that in the past he has physically harmed people is quite revelatory of the low regard he has for fellow humans. The well-known case of the RTA slapping is a case in point. And how easily threats to bodily harm can flow from his mouth is some sort of clue to this mindset. The constant parking in no-parking zones is a case in point. That he blatantly disregards the rules says a lot. If he has any sense at all, he would be well-advised to take a good long look in the mirror and re-evaluate what he sees.

2. A lesson in self-control and anger management. No matter what infantile excuses Ocon is currently making as a sorry defense for his actions, it seems obvious that he has never concerned himself with social restraint. That is evident on his daily rants over the radio airwaves (already ended, thanks to RMN president Eric Canoy’s decisive instruction to shut down his DxCC career, hopefully for the last time). Certainly his ill-placed display of rage at wheelchair-bound attorney in the lobby of the VIP Hotel shows how he allows himself to be driven by his anger. I wonder, if the attorney were able-bodied, if Ocon would have displayed physical violence. After all, he has slapped another human being before. If he has any sense at all, he would be well-advised to take a good long look in the mirror and re-evaluate what he sees.

3. A lesson in accountability. This one Ocon seems not to have learned yet. No matter who we are, there is an expectation that we are each responsible for our actions, and accountable for whatever consequence these actions may bring. That is why there are award ceremonies for the times when we do good, and there are times when we do bad and apologies and atonement are absolutely necessary. To be remorseful for one’s actions shows the ability to recognize one’s errors and to realize the fault that lies in ourselves. If he has any sense at all, he would be well-advised to take a good long look in the mirror and re-evaluate what he sees.

4. A lesson in serendipity. Ocon’s rapid fall into ignominy came about (or maybe I should say is coming about) because of the convergence of factors which cannot be explained except perhaps by fate. The chance encounter at VIP Hotel couldn’t have been better timed, surely serendipitous. The fact that the attorney was there at all was serendipitous. Attorney’s decision to have a day-late birthday get-together with old (literally and figuratively) friends was serendipitous. Ocon’s decision to have brunch at the hotel was serendipitous. Ocon’s decision to rudely pre-empt the attorney’s decades-old radio program earlier that morning for whatever ill-judged reason which led to the attorney’s stern rebuke was serendipitous. The decision of an onlooker to take a video just when Ocon was at the height of his rant and resulted in the social media shares which made the event viral was serendipitous. And so many other factors I don’t have the column inches to point out. Serendipity. If he has any sense at all, he would be well-advised to take a good long look in the mirror and re-evaluate what he sees.

5. A lesson in respect. This is something Ocon seems to have little or none of. Enough said. If he has any sense at all, he would be well-advised to take a good long look in the mirror and re-evaluate what he sees.

6. A lesson in walking the talk. I suppose this is the most meaningful, if learned. After all, Ocon prides himself in referring to God and the Bible frequently. But then somewhere in that book it also says to be wary of the man who constantly invokes the name of the Lord for he uses it to cloak his evil. Or some stuff like that. If he has any sense at all, he would be well-advised to take a good long look at the mirror and re-evaluate what he sees.

There are more life lessons that can be learned from this, I’m sure. The above are those that come quickly to mind. But then again, there are life lessons all around us to be learned, if we only take the time. Yes, Zaldy has plowed through the last many years without regard for the consequences of his actions, without regard for the people he has hurt along the way, without any apologies for the wrongdoing of which there must have been many. But life is about constantly learning and constantly evolving, hopefully for the better. I hope he is coming to painfully realize that now.

Oh, and by the way, boy — “I’m sorry it’s his fault” is not an apology.