MANY make the observation in obvious frustration that the Philippines used to be looked up to by our neighbors, and now it is being looked down upon. Most of our neighbors have managed to go past us and have already left us very far behind; and they look upon us with a combination of pity and condescension. Very clearly we have lost their respect.
There does not seem to be an end to our national humiliation any time soon. As we face the obstacles in front of us, at back of us, and those that hem us in from every side, we can easily lose our nerve. But before we allow despair to settle in and get hold of our spirits, let us remember these words from a sage and a Saint: "you can get over obstacles, or under them…, or you can go around them. But…., they can be overcome" (Furrow, 106)! This is the positive attitude we should have as we go about our business of helping to build our country: To look at obstacles squarely in the face, and then to look for many different ways to overcome them.
When it comes to the things of God and of our country, we can never give up. To give up is to allow ourselves to be defeated; and to persist and persevere in the struggle is to be assured of final victory. God and country will never abandon us, and for as long as we never abandon the struggle, we are assured of eventual vindication and success. Thus: "When you work for God (and country), there are no difficulties that cannot be overcome, nor discouragements that will make you abandon the task, nor failures worthy of the name, however, unfruitful the results may seem" (Furrow, 110).
Perseverance in struggle gives us an almost infinite number of opportunities for heroism. We are forced to use our wits, deploy all our talents, and practice all our virtues. We do have to "fight without respite" since we find that nothing is "done for us" and many "hitches" are found strewn every inch of our way (Furrow, 113). We find no room for mediocrity and halfhearted measures: Our generosity and commitment must be total. We can not have the luxury of being "afraid of not knowing how to please, or of making some unfortunate mistake" (Furrow, 114). In fact, we are bound to step on the toes of some people, displeasing them in the process: We should be humble enough to apologize sincerely and to rectify, if something needs to be rectified. We are also bound to commit many mistakes, but we should be smart enough to bounce back and learn from them.
For as long as we keep loving our country and showing such love through concrete and specific deeds even in the ordinary circumstances of our life, we can be assured that we are doing our share in scaling down and eventually removing the humiliation we have been suffering as a nation. We would be putting a shine to our country’s name, and bringing a smile to our country’s face. And let us remember this saying: Our "enemies live off the fear of many good people" (Furrow, 115) who are too timid to do many good things for our country. The more we have of such timid good people, the longer we would need to endure our national shame. Conversely, the more we have of committed, responsible citizens, who substantiate their patriotism with concrete, specific acts of virtue every day, the shorter we need to endure our current national trial.
