I love traveling. Thats very clear. I love visiting new places- walking down the streets to discover culture, people and history. I love learning from other people. I love listening to their life experiences. More than anything, I love looking at life in a bigger picture- seeing where we are and appreciating things. Thats what travel does to me...makes me see things in a bigger picture.
Coming home from a first world country, I was confronted with the question, "why is our country the way it is? why hasnt we progressed over these years?" And throughout the trip, I saw how different people in other countries (first world countries ) are and how they live life. From a fast paced life where time matters alot, you go home to the Philippines where everybody relaxes and time just simply stands still. It's kind of crazy. It makes you realize that we are indeed in the countryside. We are very relaxed. while other countries are in a race to complete with the rest of the world, we, Filipinos are sooooo relaxed - enjoying life, living each moment. And yes...cherishing time.
But on the other hand, if we want our country to be a first world country, if we desire in any way life that is globally competitive and at par with first world countries, we better get our lives starighten out and start taking things seriously and efficiently.
Before leaving the country, we had to park in the airport parking. The security guad told us that parking lot was full and that he will allow us to park in airport employee's parking (ofcourse we just need to give him money). and so we did. We parked at employee's parking on the road going to the proposed airport parking building. I have no complain. It was very...convenient for us. I even told my husband not to take his photo, so as not to harm the guard. But as our plane flew, I realized that our convenience is what makes our country like this....stagnant. Our desire to get away with rules, our desire to be treated "special", our desire for convenience have stopped our growth as a nation. We no longer see things according to the Common Good. We simply want things our way. Thus, we live in a country where the rich get what they want, the middle class aiming to be rich ( to get what they want) and the poor suffer (because they simply dont have a choice).
When we reject every attempt to put structure and rules in our community, in our lives and even in education, we make ourselves enslaved by this perverted system more and more. We make our country harder to progress and develop. We make our Filipino brothers enslaved by this corrupted "system" (the absence of the system). and we live in a chaotic, law-less world.
Now you know why I want my Oakridge kids to study abroad. You know why I dont stop our teachers to go abroad. and why my kids will be going abroad to study, live their lives , earn, make a living and come home to contribute to CHANGE.