⌛ Our damaged culture needs urgent repair

I don't think anyone is trying to slag off on the Philipinos here, it all boils down to one thing and that is change.
The people here want change, but are hard pressed (some might even say stubborn or scared of change) to accept new concepts.
If the Filipinos are serious about change and moving forward, they have to be open to new ideas as most developed countries are.
Sorry if my posting sounded like I was trying to degrade anyone, I may not have worded it quite right.
On another note, a friend and I do a lot of walking here in Cebu and we look in on new construction sites as we walk.
We are both interested in building construction and we look for different styles used here.
Some are pretty good, such as the use of channels@ P17.5 per foot as opposed to wooden studs at P25 per foot.
Some are downright dangerous too and we know not to use their methods.
We saw several new construction sites with bad flaws and even two of them in which the walls had already fallen down.
It is just a process of learning and none of us can allow our pride or stubbornness to stand in the way of that if any of us are to improve our ways of life.

 

I do not know what "slag off" means .... but the implication is to insult / criticize our host.... and I TOTALLY agree.... not only is it bad manners.....it is counter productive.... acerbates the schism that often exists between host and guest.... something I try to minimize rather than increase

If I have slipped and fallen afoul of trying to make things better rather than worse....I apologize.... my intent was to note differences not criticize.... or denigrate.... If I did not love the Philippines I would not be here... if I did not love the Philippines I would not aggressively seek ways to help

To those Filipinos who have been "offended" ....Please send me an email a set me straight.... educate me....

 

In my travels I have found people do what they are allowed to get away with.....it is not necessarily ignorance as much as greed....a "human" condition everywhere.... I have found a wealth of intellect in the Philippines.... I came here 7 years ago with my own prejudices and biases.....only to discover how WRONG I was..... how much I needed to learn

I take some pride in being a "fair" chess player.... I strode into "Club 64" confident in my playing superiority....after all I had won tournaments in America.... I was quickly taught the danger of egotism.... twelve year old girls beat me..... I had to acknowledge that Filipinos are often superior chess players.... I had to re-examine myself and all of my preconceived opinions
.....not just about chess but everything.... I have met Filipinos who not only know the problems that plague their country (making our telling them rather superfluous).... but also actively working on trying to solve those problems
..... and understandably....after 500+ years of foreign domination..... they want to do it themselves.... Filipino solutions implemented by Filipinos

Many western "answers' do not fit Filipino problems

 

Works both ways and some people on both sides just don't understand that.

 

Enchanted Backyard

Here is a PDF attachment dealing tongue-in-check with shamanisn that my husband sent to his cyber friends. You may find it interesting. He often makes write-ups like this and calls them "Ramblings". Many are posted on one of the Tanjay websites, specifically:

Tanjay Association, U.S.A., Ang Tanjayanon Newsletter, Tanjay City, Tanjay

under the section on Rambling and Travelogue.

Felisa Gil

PS tried uploading it but file exceeds limit. Check above link anyway, and look at other articles that have the word "Shamanism".

 

"host" and "guest"

Is one who pays, an amount which many Filipinos earn with full time work, to share a part of the earth a "guest"?

 

Plot Lost!

:( I get the feeling that most of us, do not understand this Thread at all. It was never about US! the foreigner. It Started as it is Headed, "Our DAMAGED Culture needs URGENT Repair" lets find out what Needs repairing? Too much said by those that seem, not to understand what the OP was trying to say! Us! my wife and I have empoyees, I do not always understand them, I say to them WHAT! is the problem ? No answer! but then, Socrates said it all,



" I can not teach anyone Anything BUT I can make them think! "



Seems a good answer to me!


Jack P.

 

For my part, I tried to give an answer, but apparently an answer is considered degrading and called slagging.

 

I'm American, and I am quite tired of the guest/host stuff with regards to being in the Philippines..

We don't expect visitors in the US to view us as hosts just because they are in the country. Nor do we consider tourists coming into the US as some sort of privileged guests like I keep reading about on PI forums.

Beyond that, I personally know Americans who fought the Japanese in the Philippines during WWII. One 86yo neighbor fought on Leyte, Samar, and Okinawa. There are many many more Americans who died on Filipino soil and in Filipino waters to rid the country of the Japanese.

The older generations of Filipinos appreciated the efforts and sacrifices of the US soldiers. The younger generations..well it's just history to them and it's fading into not much more than that as time marches on.

The 86yo has been relating some war stories to me he's never told anyone. Then he asks if modern day Filipinos appreciate what was done for them during the war... I don't have the heart to tell him.

I tried to drum up some interest for another veteran who fought the Japanese outside the town of Murcia near Bacolod in 1945, losing some comrades that day.

The woman in the tourism office for the most part couldn't be bothered.


.

 

These things go both ways.....Did you know there were Filipinos fighting in our Civil War.... That Filipinos have fought beside Americans in almost every war we ever had.... Even the Philippine Insurrection of 1896....Philippine Scouts fought their own brothers and sisters on our behalf.....
Filipinos have been the most loyal friends America has ever had.....

Do they appreciate the sacrifices American's have made to the Philippine people?..... I think more Filipinos appreciate us; than Americans appreciate them..... or even know of their sacrifices

EXAMPLE The history of the WW II "Los Banos Raid"..... where thousands of POW's were rescued from certain death.... our history books gloss over the Filipino contribution to that raid....Colin Powell cite it as the finest military operation of its kind ever executed.. We hear about the bravery of our troops....but the bravery of the Filipinos is rarely mentioned.... a young Filipino boy risked his life crawling in and out of the concentration camp coordinating the rescue.....the first Japanese soldier to be killed was at the hands of a Filipino in hand to hand combat..... the Filipinos who participated were a diverse group who laid down their differences and fought a common enemy.....they had communist Huks...... and the personal guard of President Quezon..... they hated each other but they hated the Japanese more.

Most people know the sacrifices of our nation for the Philippines..... but few appreciate what they have sacrificed for us