If it fits, wear it.

"one must require from each one the duty which each one can perform," the king went on.

--from The Little Prince

William Gardner, in his study on human intelligence, theorized that humans have different kinds of intelligence and that the kind of intelligence varies from one person to another. Meaning, intelligence cannot be solely measured based on your academic standing or the grades you get from school.

A man might be numerically and mechanically intelligent but he may be poor in verbal and spacial reasoning. Likewise, another man might be good in verbal reasoning but may be poor in other areas. As it is often said, you can't be everything. Meaning, there are some things that you can do (and only you or the people with the same talents as you) that others cannot and at the same time there are also things that others can do but you cannot do.

It is therefore important that we identify the things that we can do and cannot do in order to be effective. If you are an engineer with no knowledge in medicine or even mere first aid procedures, you don't dabble with medical things and try to prescribe medicines to people. The point is, you do things that fits your capability and your skills.

This is one point that people must remember in choosing the right leader. As the King in The Little Prince said, one must do the duty in which he can perform, else, he will not be effective. If you are an actor and you're good at it, then you'd better stay as an actor. If you are an athlete and you are excellent at it, then continue doing it. Leave politics to the politicians. Leave governance to those who knows what they are doing. Popularity is not everything.

Let us be realistic about it, we need people who are educated enough to govern this country. That is a fact. You cannot just elect a person with no background on public governance because whether he likes it or not he will become a headache of the people if he can't do the job. Each one of us has a role to play, we only have to identify our roles and play it well. You cannot be the star singer if your voice is only for back-up. In the same manner, you cannot be a President if your skills are only suited for a lesser role.

It is not even enough to vote a person just because he is intelligent. Intelligence does not necessarily equates to good leadership skills. A lot of intelligent people doesn't know how to lead and we are looking for a leader here not for the next Albert Einstein. Besides, governance is not a quiz bowl.

Let us choose a leader based on what they can do---their capabilities, their talents and their skills; based on what they already did. If he is not a good senator or congressman then don't expect him to be a good President or Vice President. If he is not suited for a lesser role, he will never be right for the lead.

My only point is this, let us stop encouraging Manny Pacquiao and all those celebrities to join politics. We already have a lot of useless politicians in the country, we don't need more. Let them remain as they are. Staying away from politics is already a service to the people especially if you really have no inkling as to what the government really is. They have their own roles to play in the society and they are already playing it well.

Perform duties that you are capable of and do it well. Don't force yourself into a role that is not right for you. As the cliche goes, "if it fits, wear it." But only if it fits.