Hello my dear good friends!
I visited the Philippines with a few objectives. One is to pursue a business that can help both Filipino farmers and Japanese health conscious consumers. Second, meet important people in my life. Third, share my thoughts, feelings, and aspirations to a larger audience.
Before visiting the Philippines, I prepared myself to stay grounded and be still despite the rampant aggression and chaos. As I stepped outside of the plane, I felt it, not the aggression, not the chaos, not the hopelessness, but I felt the light, the hope, the aspirations, the life force, the happiness. Yes, there was chaos and aggression and dark energies but my eyes and soul was immediately focused and attracted to the positive energies that a few people carry. The smiles and the laughter that I am hearing were sincere, were hopeful of a better future. Maybe it is I who have changed and now I see everything in new light or maybe Philippines is indeed changing.
I usually utter the phrase "Malayo pa ang tao (Humans are still far)". Far from what? From the truth, from Goodness, from the Oneness, from the Source, from God. My visit here in the Philippines led me to trust otherwise.
There are amazing people hiding like mushrooms hiding under the shade, humbly spreading their roots under the fallen leaves, but they are spreading millions and millions of spores and further spreading their network. I met people who are starting their gardens, people who have read Anastasia and are now looking for land, those who are spreading the awakening of people, those who are sincerely trying to change their community in their own ways.
I have also seen the University changing. I have always seen education institutions as dogmatic and closed to new traditions but when I visited my alma matter, I felt the complete opposite! The institution allowed me to share about Co-creation, about Family Homesteads, about Anastasia, about Kin's Domain, Spaces of Love- words that have subconsciously never been allowed to be heard in the institution! Professors, farmers, gardeners, retiring overseas worker, students- the audience was a mixture of beautiful people from different roots but carrying the same core. I had a talk with my past thesis adviser, who is now a director of the institution, and I was pleasantly surprised as to how the vision for the institution is slowly changing. There is definitely something significant going on here.
When I finished all of my business in the University, I went back home using our public transportation. Many are already aware of the situation of the roads and transportation in the urban area. The Philippines is losing time, money, and energy everyday just because of the situation of traffic. I rode the provincial bus going back to our house in the city and the situation remained the same. The roads were congested, people were crossing the road without care for the rules, and there were countless private vehicles. I saw people desperately trying to get ahead of one another, pushing, shoving their way through the traffic of both vehicles and people. Once you see an image like this, the common reaction would be to get stressed and wallow in the darkness or give up and accept this as hopeless. I thought that this would be a great opportunity to practice deep looking and listening. What I experienced was something that can only be explained once you felt it. I felt that many are suffering from an affliction that they themselves are not aware of. It's like you have a disease and you do not know it so you don't go to the doctor to get yourself healed. Like a tumor that has spread all over your body yet you do not feel or you ignore the symptoms. Many people are unaware because of their surroundings, the way they were raised, their experiences, the media, and their own choices. Layer after layer of suffering has covered the seeds of truth within us. The image is grim and bleak and if you allow yourself to succumb to it, your light and hope may also fail you but when I witnessed these images again, I immersed myself to beautiful images and my attention was directed immediately to the small candlelights within my reach. I saw the children, carrying tremendous potential to change the community, sleeping beside their mothers who are placing all of their love to their children. I saw people who are trying to change themselves and improve despite the great economic hurdle that must be overcome. I saw people cleaning the streets, picking up trash, no matter how ubiquitous the plastic rubbish covered the streets. I saw in the faces of some people the living force that exudes through their will. The dire situation of the city can either further darken the character or it can steel the mind and heart of an individual and become an unwavering light.
It is always easier to give up and let the darkness consume us but it takes greater courage, faith, and trust to be the candlelight that illuminates the expanding darkness. These people that I met are flickering candlelights who have the limitless potential to become stars that can brighten the the sleeping universe. Their humble lights attracted my light-seeking spirit and allowed me to meet them and obtain a deep insight to the situation in the Philippines.
There is goodness.
There is goodness, just look for the candlelight.
We are all wading through darkness with our eyes closed. We just have to open our eyes to be guided by the humble light radiated by these people.
A new mission has sprouted within me but there are proper steps and infinite doors or ways to be a light in this world.
I think I will be saying "Malayo pa ang tao (Humans are still far)" less for now.
"She is waiting, for an unimaginable long time, for us to return to her bosom and live in paradise. All it takes is one confident, mindful step of trust to the door opened by Mother Nature."
(Photo of Mount Makiling taken at People's Park in Tagaytay, Cavite, Philippines)
