Manila, Philippines. Without a doubt, each of us has been following whatever news we could gather through the tv, the radio, facebook and twitter. When you look at our country from a macro level, it seems like we are the perennial recipients of worst luck ever. As if the whole country, all 96 million of us, decided to break a mirror all at the same time. Walked under a ladder and stepped on a crack, break your mother’s back.
After a while it gets to you. True, it’s gotten so ridiculous that people have become numb to the misfortune we’ve had. It’s reached the point past being ridiculous and into the incredible and just these past few days, into the stratosphere of the freakin’ unbelievable.
Lately, the shared posts by people who no longer believe the front pages of the newspapers have been at an all time high. An editorial here, an article there, a picture of Mikey buying alcohol in a convenience store at the worst possible time. Everything wrong and corrupt is coming out. And people have been getting angry. Well, angrier than usual. First with Cory then with Ondoy, people have been shaken out of their numbness to again, feel something. Some people might call it patriotism. Perhaps it is simply the feeling that we are taking back control of our destiny as a country.
Yesterday, I went out and saw what our country looked like at a micro level. More importantly, I saw what our country could be. I don’t need to tell you the heroism, generosity and kindness people have shown these past few days, you’ve all read about it already online or on tv. More importantly, many of you are in fact, already part of that story of heroism, generosity and kindness. You see? This is what we could be.
Disasters will happen. Corruption will happen. We are here. 96 Million of us are here. And one by one, we can begin to turn the tide.
Don’t stop here.
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