My pride
Half time and my social media feed gets all crazy. It's Rio or nothing, well at least a second place for the Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA Asia cup. As of this writing, our national basketball team is struggling to get past one of the hardest opponents for this cup. Not to mention, they are also our "mortal enemy" when it comes to territorial dispute over the West Philippine Sea. I could not ask for anything more, but more hoops for us to win the game. We need this, a kind of Philippine pride.
Yet, it is sad to note that these people do not get the support that they deserve. They are backed up by conglomerates that sponsor multi-millions so they can fly to China (irony, in opponent's court) so they can represent the country. They wear the Philippine flag on their uniforms, sing the Philippine national anthem with conviction and gladly pose their citizenship before the whole of Asia, or the world.
It is not that we could not afford to send a bunch of men to play basketball across Asia. Maybe there is less appreciation for prestige as such. If they win, and I hope they do those who have paid less attention claim to be one of them then calls the boys in for a courtesy thanking them for a job well done. What a spat in the face. Not to mention, a very typical Filipino attitude. Claiming rights when the glory has been made but there was no support in the process.
Will Smith made a remark when he said, "If you're absent during by struggle, don't expect to be present during my success." But why is this mindset? How long will we be leeching off the effort of others? Our fellowmen are humans too and they need support in every way. Why can't we love our own the way we have loved the ideals of the West?
When the waters turn bad, we blame whatever we can - judges, system, culture, race - just to call it "cooked" or in our colloquial terms "lutong Macau." Games are games, there is always a winner and a loser. That too I realized when the University of the Philippines Pep Squad lost for the third time to National University in the recent UAAP Cheerdance Competition.
It was a very tough competition, I had to say but UP's was flawless; even had no deduction as the judges showed the numbers. But somehow they lost the championship and social media retracted at how the whole thing was made up or how the winner didn't deserve the spot.
Going back it shows our culture and it's never ending clamor to bring others down. Hence, the crab mentality. This is something that we need to get past noting that not everything will always go our way no matter how hard we try. Life's a wheel, or at least that's what the Aegis song said.
Instead of pulling others down and looking for loopholes, why not improve on what we have and support those that need it the most. It might not be a stellar solution, but at least it's not hitting on anyone.
Human nature is so fine and sometimes too complex to understand. How much more the Filipino race? The Juan who cannot even define himself: Filipino or Cebuano? How hard could that be. But then my pride is mine, I know for a fact that my roots trace to this topsy-turvy archipelago. Heck, I love it. If only though, an awakening will be happen.
I guess that lies on the next set of leaders your thumbmark will be setting. Good luck!
- Latest
