From Flood Control Corruption to Plato's Noble Lie

From Sumbong sa Pangulo website.

      These are the flood control projects in our town of Manito in Albay for the years 2023 and 2024. 

     The reporting website is a great initiative from PBBM.   Try it to find projects in your area.  

     This site/service should be expanded to cover other infrastructure projects because the top 15 contractors in the President's list are most probably also the top contractors in road and bridge projects.  The site/service should also be expanded to cover those undertaken in the Barangay level so citizens can report unfinished/substandard works and other corrupt practices.  It is no secret that a lot of people want positions in government so they can cash in on "SOPs" from projects like basketball courts, barangay roads, and other similar projects.

     This is why Plato's myth of metals still intrigues me.  What if we can implement some modified form of the "noble lie" -- a socio-political structure that can make people in positions believe they are made of gold so they would no longer hunger for gold and everything related to power and wealth?  

     Could we really raise philosopher-kings -- philosopher-mayors, philosopher-kapitans, philosopher-kagawads, philosopher-representatives... who only live to lead in excellence and nothing more?  

     Would our current barangay councilors and higher ranking leaders who only want power and wealth be convinced to be "simply" merchants, farmers, and artisans?  And would this make our military, police and all those in the uniformed services concern themselves only with matters of the State's security and the public's safety instead of accumulating wealth through online gambling, e-sabong, kotong, moonlighting as body guards, and planting evidence to meet quotas?

I believe that Biblical Christianity is, in a way, some form of this myth or noble lie, because sincere adherents would not think of this as a lie but something they are truly convinced in.  However, Plato's idea will only work if everyone in society subscribe to the myth and play within their roles.  

     And that is the problem.  Because true Christianity cannot be imposed by force, by subjugation, or by some form of manipulation.  Add to this the irony that those who are competent and sincere do not want anything to do with government and politics, while the incompetent, greedy, and power hungry are the ones who covet the titles "Honorable" and "His/Her Excellency".

     Wouldn't it be even better if we wouldn't even need the noble lie?  What if we could all just be noble, without the lie?