Filipino Spirit
By menace730
@menace730 (506)
Philippines
February 2, 2012 7:42am CST
This is more of a statement rather than a question, but I would be glad to here any response or comments you might have concerning the Sendong storm event.
I just wanted to share an observation I made after the storm.
A day or so after the storm, my wife and I took a walk (with boots...lol) around the surrounding neighborhood. The devastation was horrible. People lost everything they owned, and that included losing loved ones also. Well, we were walking down the street and I could hear someone in the rear of a lot playing "Hark The Herald Angels Sing" on a saxaphone, and they must have been a beginner on the instrument because it was not very good. There were people on the street cleaning cloths and trying to salvage whatever they could from their belongings. I started to here singing becoming louder and louder and I realized that everyone was singing to the song that the saxaphone was playing. Wow...it gave me goose bumps listening to everyone singing and smiling like nothing at all had happened. What a great moment. Through all their grief and mis-fortune everyone was smiling and singing to their new born King (Jesus). It's a moment that I will never forget as long as I live. They were celebrating with song the birth of Jesus Christ. It would have been so easy for them to be miserable and curse God, but instead they praised Him. They were not going to let this flood beat them. Nothing was going to stand between them and their Savior.
If ever I face adversity again in my life, I will stand back and remember the Spirit of the Filipino people, the spirit that they showed and the spirit that was dwelling inside their hearts.
2 people like this
6 responses
@ardoy0731 (7308)
• Philippines
3 Feb 12
While reading your discussion I do goose bumps too.That is really the spirit of each Filipino.No matter how hard it is, no matter how grave and bad the situation is,we are still looking for the solutions and ways to lighten up the situations.We always count our blessings, thanking God and still smiling no matter how hard it is.We also look at the situation as strength to survive and keep on fighting in life.
We keep on believing that in every darkness that we have right now, there will still light at the end with the help of the God.
1 person likes this
@flapiz (22403)
• United Kingdom
2 Feb 12
Thanks for sharing this experience. It is very inspiring. I do agree with this Filipinos are very resilient people. Even when things are so dark and bleak we still manage to see a little ray of light. Filipinos are united and the best way to show our unity is through music. I'm proud to be a Filipino.
@menace730 (506)
• Philippines
2 Feb 12
Yes flapiz, they made the dark moment light up. What a tribute to God and your country.
@flapiz (22403)
• United Kingdom
3 Feb 12
I hope this will remain like this always. As generations are changing some values are already fading.
@menace730 (506)
• Philippines
3 Feb 12
Things change flapiz, but loyalty to God and country seem to always survive.
@tigeraunt (6326)
• Philippines
3 Feb 12
hi dennis,
am very glad to see you back in mylot. guess it was a while you didnt have electricity.
it was really difficult to think that mindanao, more particularly your place would suffer a storm when we know that it is almost zero storm here. i have been to CDO only once and i can see the devastation the place suffered after the flood through the pictures and videos in the news. i was really worried for all my friends there. i have relatives too who were living there near the river. they have not been found.
filipinos can bounce back in no time. they are very resilient and positive people. and the music and the christian faith help them do that.
thank you for the very nice words for my fellowmen.
ann
@menace730 (506)
• Philippines
4 Feb 12
Hi tigeraunt...electricity came back pretty fast but my computer was ruined. It took a while before I got around to getting another laptop. It was amazing to me to see people as you said, bounce back so fast. Like I said in my discussion, I will never forget the song they were singing or the smile on their faces.
I'm very sorry for the lose of your loved ones Ann and thanks for thinking of me.
dennis
1 person likes this
@jaiho2009 (39142)
• Philippines
2 Feb 12
hello menace,
Filipinos are known for having such spirit.
"never give up"
Aside from being hospitable (thu, it's declining these days-but still exist thanks)
the spirit of being "jolly" will never fade and will never change.
Thanks for this post- at least this lift up some bad image of Filipinos (well-we cannot avoid negative thoughts as well)
Good day
@menace730 (506)
• Philippines
3 Feb 12
Hey jaiho...yes we cannot avoid negative thoughts but we can overcome them. We will always lose some battles but in the end we will win the war.
@edsss17 (4394)
• Philippines
2 Feb 12
That makes me smile and teary-eyed at once after reading it. I'm very proud of my fellow Filipinos who got to survived the Storm Sendong and yet, they are still positive to start a new.
This is one of the attitude I am proud that many Filipinos have.
Thank God for this.
@menace730 (506)
• Philippines
2 Feb 12
Yes Edsss17, I have never seen such positive people under such devastation. I was proud just to witness iot.
@yahnee (1243)
• Philippines
4 Feb 12
That is why Filipinos are always compared to the bamboo tree that sways with the wind. We are resilient even in the worst kind of adversary. Nothing beats the Filipino spirit not even calamities, tragedies and misfortune. We always manage to find laughter amidst the pain. We have faced a lot of calamities and disasters some resulting from the ravages of nature while some are simply made by man but we have survived. That is the Filipino spirit - to survive against all odds.
