the road to May 29 talk

The title was "The Philippine Treasure called SERVICE"

I spent the days leading to that Saturday talk doing research and calming myself down. I had so much to say. And in moments like that, there is always little time.

Had to calm myself.

I ended up weaving together two different and continent-apart talks I gave in the past then injected and fused new materials. On top of this, I delivered it in a more matured and "designed" spirit.

It was a journey of sorts for me after reading and studying the many materials that I found. It came to a point that I was staring to hate the Internet for its ability to bring to my eyes seemingly never ending data, information and misinformation. Had to see through the clutter and understand what was coming.

But one thing stood out.

For all the bad things that has happened in our country in recent times, I was surprised to realize that we are still ranked the 36th largest economy in the world according to purchasing power parity. A list made by IMF. This list is 180 countries long.

I am not among the ones that will hold on to this fact as a silver lining. In fact, my heart broke. How could we allow ourselves to be in this mud when we truly have more than enough input to be a league that we all aspire for? I mean, we are this bad and we are still ranked 36th?

What is that we have that we do not see that somehow stops or slows our journey to the bottom?

How could we behave so badly and so wrongly and still be in the first 20% of the list?

What is it that we do not see about us? About the Philippines? What is it that we do not understand about us? About the Philippines?

The tide is turning...

"... why think like mere men?"