What’s lacking?Why……..?

Recently, with all these happening around us, I am wondering and keep asking myself, what’s wrong.? Why all these are happening? Endless political grandstanding, political bickering, kidnappings, communist rebellion that seems far from ending, Muslim secession in Mindanao. I mean, can all these thing, or should I say, if we do all these thing, can we change our future for the better? Can we feed our hungry poor Filipino brothers with these? Can we help the ordinary Filipino citizens cope with the present world economic crisis?

Politicians, Senators, Congressmen, leftist, right wing, ordinary citizens, all talking righteousness. Everybody is criticizing each other, forgetting in the process that He, too, is not that righteous anyway, hiding in his own pocket tons and tons of his own wrongdoings. Why? What’s lacking, what’s wrong with us, Filipinos?

We’ve gone too many revolutions, too many rebellions. Our forefathers fought for our freedom from the Spanish and American colonizers. We’ve deposed a dictator, we’ve unseated a president accused of plunder. We’ve gone too far, yet we’re still here, trying our best to change things to suit to our own taste and likings. We’re stuck in the mud! We cannot go on any further. Why? What’s lacking?

Then, I remember what my Japanese boss told me when I was in Japan. One time, he asked, ‘What do you think is missing to the Filipino people why you can’t make the Philippines developed, first world country?’ I replied, maybe we lack funds, we lack money. He said, ‘No! You have enough money, the Philippines have enough money.’ I said, ’so maybe we don’t have the necessary resources.’ He said, ‘No! The Philippines have all the resources that you need.’ I was trying to think what must be the right answer to his question but cannot think of anything. So I said, ‘ maybe we lack the necessary skills and training in order to become useful to our country.’ He said, ‘you’re wrong! You’re not here in Japan if you lack the necessary skills, Filipinos would not be here in Japan if you lack the necessary skills. Filipinos would not be everywhere if you Filipinos lack the necessary skills, in the middle east, in europe, in japan, in america, everywhere. Other nations, other races, look upon you, Filipinos as intelligent, skillful people. Only one thing is missing, what is it?’ Unable to think of any more excuses, I said, ‘maybe discipline?’ He said ‘Yes, you’re right! You Filipinos lack the necessary discipline in order to become a successful nation. Discipline and respect to each other is the key…’

Come to think of it now, maybe he is right…he is damn right!