The whole world is mourning Corazon “Cory” Aquino’s death.
Pictures and video footage are all over the news, and I just wanted to explain something: the “L” sign, which was one of Aquino’s trademarks. The “L” stands for laban, one of the Tagalog words for “fight.”
I just thought this may be helpful to my non-Filipino readers.
Note: You can read the comments to see more details on the “L” sign and how it evolved. My readers have shared some historical insights.
I have several friends (including former students) that work in call centers here in Manila. Most of them make pretty good money–call centers probably offer the highest average salary of any other industry.
But the relatively high salary comes at a price. You’ll often hear call center employees refer to the physical and psychological impact of working the “graveyard shift.”
There’s something that concerns me even more: the spiritual environment–the “call center culture.” The following seems to be common among call center workers:
*Heavy drinking and smoking.
*Sexual immorality (homosexuality, cohabitation of non-married couples, promiscuity).
*Moral relativism (no sense of absolute truth).
*Wasting money instead of investing wisely.
*Disconnection from church/worship (in part due to the non-traditional work schedule).
Please don’t get me wrong–I’m not saying all call center workers live ungodly lifestyles. What I’ve learned, in fact, has mostly come from Christians who are struggling to keep their faith in this toxic environment.
I believe we (Christians) can do more to reach those working in the call center industry. Next month I’ll be helping a church conduct a seminar for call center agents. It’s a small step, but maybe it will be the beginning of something big.
. . . I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.
-1st Corinthians 9:22b