Omniverse One

Personally I think that the Philippines has a long way to go before it becomes a truly "developed" country. I mean, lots of other countries not just in SEAsia but all over the Third World are aspiring to better themselves - just like the Philippines - but progress comes at a price, and that progress is slow and hard. That's why we're still a developing country, and that's why a lot of developing countries are still developing countries.

It's kind of saddening when you think about it.

BUT (!) that's not the only thing you should think about.

Think about it, though. Yes, the Philippines still has a loooong way to go. But those truly developed countries, America, Canada, Whatever-land, they did not develop overnight. They did not suddenly become First World nations. Their development occured over a very long span of time, and their people also endured long and hard before they reached the point where there are now.

So, no one can really say that it's hopeless for the Philippines. It's not. It's NOT hopeless for the Philippines. It's not hopeless for ANY nation, or any people - irregardless of how lousy their situation is today, or yesterday, or tomorrow.

Yes, progress will come slow. Progress will come hard. We ourselves might not even SEE that progress happen in our lifetimes. But that is NOT what it's all about.

Just think about it. Those Founding Father guys of America didn't do what they did because they thought that their nation would become great instantaneously. Likewise, people like Jose Rizal, Emilio Bonefacio and Andres Aguinaldo or whatever didn't fight because they thought that change would be quick and easy.

These people did what they did because they wanted to make things better. But they didn't do it for themselves. They didn't do it because it was quick and easy. They did it because they wanted to make things better for TOMORROW. Not for themselves, but for their children and their children's children. These people tried long and hard to make things better even though they themselves would never see the results in their lives.

They never saw the results in their lives. They did it for tomorrow. And that tomorrow they were trying to make better? That tomorrow is OUR TODAY. They made things better not for themselves, but for the people in the future - for their children and grandchildren. Us. They did it for us.

Yes, our country is not perfect. It's far from it. Yes, it'll take a long time to make our country match the standards of those better-off nations. But these things take time, and these things aren't only for us here today, but for the people who'll come long after us tomorrow. Our tomorrow will also likewise be their today, and they will be living in it. Our today will be their yesterday, and they'll look back and see what we did - or what we didn't do! - and they'll know that what happened in their past was what made their present what it is. Their past is today - NOW.

Hah, that screws with your head, doesn't it?

But yeah. Despite the current conditions, despite what's going on in the present, there's still good reason to be optimistic. Tomorrow never dies, everyday's a new day, and there's no fate but what we make for ourselves. So these are some encouraging words for those who are willing to stay and fight the good fight and do what's right and what's moral and just to make the country a better place.

Because things WILL get better. For 333 years the Philippines was under the control of the Spaniards. Imagine that? Three hundred thirty three years. Imagine those revolutionaries, from Lapu-Lapu to Diego Silang to Rizal or whatever, they fought even though they would never see freedom in their lifetimes. Things only got "better" long after they passed away. And even after that, the Americans came and then the Japanese came and then the Americans came back and then the Americans went away.

But things got better.

So, yeah. Today the Philippines is corrupt and poor. But at least the Spaniards aren't colonizing us, the Japanese aren't eating our babies, and the Americans aren't Americanizing us.

Looking back at all that, things were pretty terrible. But those guys in the past did great things to make things better, not for themselves but for us. Hopefully, we will also do things that the future generations will appreciate - that the future generations will be eternally thankful for bettering their lives.

Gee, John. That was very profound and awesome and long. Man. Totally.

I still want to go abroad though. Good luck guys.

Acatalepsy wrote:It's not bad, but it reads like a counterargument to something someone else said...which means that it's hard to evaluate absent that argument.

Acatalepsy wrote:So yeah. It takes a while. But hey, you've got sovereignty. You really don't need revolutionaries right now. Now all you need is wealth, and that comes from having people getting educations, getting good jobs, starting businesses, etc. And not being dicks to each other. That's really the biggest thing that will keep a country "third world" - being so busy being dicks to each other than they forget what's really important; that is, being dicks to all of the other nations out there.

Kingmaker wrote:Hmmm, well I'm afraid that the Philippines really is SOL, Shroomy. You see, during the 19th century, the various Great Powers gathered up all of Earth's money, and then they spent it all during the 20th century. The current economic crisis being caused by the fact that there is no more money left it the world (it turns out it was a non-renewable resource--who knew?). Until we find a green replacement for money, it will be quite impossibly for anyone else to achieve prosperity.

But really, what's this bullshit about the Philippines being hopless? It's been what, sixty years since Philippine Independence? I mean, what was America doing sixty years after independence? We were at war with Mexico. Following from this example, it is clear that the Philippines' next step on the stairway to greatness is to go to war with Mexico. A country is not truly great until they have proven that they can beat up Mexico and take their stuff.