Speech for the Youth to be delivered at the St. Jude College on the7th of October, in front of students of the School of Liberal Arts and
Education
We have seen the dawn of the age of information, with so many inventions, innovations we now enjoy, from flat screen televisions to high technology cellphones and gadgets, to unthinkable audio and visual animations, civilization has indeed developed and progressed.
The Youth has seen itself at the forefront of the modern world, and has been a leader in the revolution of trends, in fashion, language- and often, even in behavior.
But what role does the youth have for our past and for our history? Does our youth just lavish in the ecstasy of the avant garde of today's present living? Does our youth even recognize the invaluable contribution of the past when it comes to making this generation a possibility and a reality?
True, we have seen the best of technology, and what's in store for us in the future are even better, way beyond the eyes of our imagination. But what set this stage for all of us is not merely confined in the characteristics of the modern human being, but it is also deeply rooted in the toil, sacrifices and hard work of our forebearers, ancestors, heroes...
The wonderful cultures, norms, traditions of the Philippines, often a site so rarely visited, so often ignored, so often taken to take a backseat to the features of today. The many tribes, indigenous peoples, the many ethnicities, are even more minority than what it used to be before. If the minority still has a small voice, these groups don't even a voice box to air their sentiments and grievances.
The youth, in our pursuit for many more of the new, tend to forget and disregard the old, often finding ourselves alien to what was original in our mother Philippines.
The appreciation for the many beautiful islands of the Philippines is often given by foreigners, not by our very own locals. The many zoo's and parks in the country, toured mostly by foreign correspondents, not by our students.
Our national parks, sceneries, wonders- they often become a subject of study, of field trips, of had been's, never a subject of our priority or even the thought of our long attention.
This is the present situation of our indigenous people, culture, tradition, even our indigenous wonders. Today, our youth remain foreigners to their own, remain thoughtless to preservatory action.
It is in fact a challenge for all of us, not just the youth, but even the young once, to face the Philippine flag, and ask ourselves, what is the debt of gratitude we owe to the Philippine flag?
Loving our country does not only confine itself in involvement in current political and socio-civic affairs, but it is also rooted in what made the three stars and the sun the symbols of our national flag.
Enough said about our Philippine History, just look around you, look around Rizal Park, Fort Santiago, the Manila Zoo, they represent your color, your race, your identity. The Youth must realize their being Filipino is not represented by laptops, not by modern cellphones, not even by their new clothes and accessories. The Youth must come to terms that their nationality is represented by the color of our skin, by the practice of our deeply rooted faith, and our identity of producing the most brave warriors who fought for our independence in the past.
The Youth's true home is not in shopping malls, not in parlors, not even in your cozy bedrooms. Your true home is where we were discovered, in the Banawe Rice Terraces built by the Ifugao's, the Chocolate Hills of Bohol, the Mactan Shrine in Cebu. These were the places that became home of the proudness we have for our heritage, for these places bore the true beauty of our motherland, the Philippines.
The Youth's true engine for development did not originate in new Ferrari models, or even sport utility vehicles. The Filipino's were known for the Vinta's, the Kalesa's, the SARAO Jeepneys. These inventions paved the way for the cars, vehicles you now drive.
Now, you realize what made all our great lives a possibility.
The Filipino Youth should be the engine to drive re-invention and re-discovery of the many beautiful cultural norms, practices, people we have in the country. We must do it now, or else, the future won't even have national parks/highways/sceneries to talk about.
And while we savor in the modernity of today's existence, we must remind ourselves of our origin, not only to visit and study, but to preserve and protect, not only for ourselves, but to those who want to remind themselves and inspire themselves of what made today what it is now.
The Youth has seen itself at the forefront of the modern world, and has been a leader in the revolution of trends, in fashion, language- and often, even in behavior.
But what role does the youth have for our past and for our history? Does our youth just lavish in the ecstasy of the avant garde of today's present living? Does our youth even recognize the invaluable contribution of the past when it comes to making this generation a possibility and a reality?
True, we have seen the best of technology, and what's in store for us in the future are even better, way beyond the eyes of our imagination. But what set this stage for all of us is not merely confined in the characteristics of the modern human being, but it is also deeply rooted in the toil, sacrifices and hard work of our forebearers, ancestors, heroes...
The wonderful cultures, norms, traditions of the Philippines, often a site so rarely visited, so often ignored, so often taken to take a backseat to the features of today. The many tribes, indigenous peoples, the many ethnicities, are even more minority than what it used to be before. If the minority still has a small voice, these groups don't even a voice box to air their sentiments and grievances.
The youth, in our pursuit for many more of the new, tend to forget and disregard the old, often finding ourselves alien to what was original in our mother Philippines.
The appreciation for the many beautiful islands of the Philippines is often given by foreigners, not by our very own locals. The many zoo's and parks in the country, toured mostly by foreign correspondents, not by our students.
Our national parks, sceneries, wonders- they often become a subject of study, of field trips, of had been's, never a subject of our priority or even the thought of our long attention.
This is the present situation of our indigenous people, culture, tradition, even our indigenous wonders. Today, our youth remain foreigners to their own, remain thoughtless to preservatory action.
It is in fact a challenge for all of us, not just the youth, but even the young once, to face the Philippine flag, and ask ourselves, what is the debt of gratitude we owe to the Philippine flag?
Loving our country does not only confine itself in involvement in current political and socio-civic affairs, but it is also rooted in what made the three stars and the sun the symbols of our national flag.
Enough said about our Philippine History, just look around you, look around Rizal Park, Fort Santiago, the Manila Zoo, they represent your color, your race, your identity. The Youth must realize their being Filipino is not represented by laptops, not by modern cellphones, not even by their new clothes and accessories. The Youth must come to terms that their nationality is represented by the color of our skin, by the practice of our deeply rooted faith, and our identity of producing the most brave warriors who fought for our independence in the past.
The Youth's true home is not in shopping malls, not in parlors, not even in your cozy bedrooms. Your true home is where we were discovered, in the Banawe Rice Terraces built by the Ifugao's, the Chocolate Hills of Bohol, the Mactan Shrine in Cebu. These were the places that became home of the proudness we have for our heritage, for these places bore the true beauty of our motherland, the Philippines.
The Youth's true engine for development did not originate in new Ferrari models, or even sport utility vehicles. The Filipino's were known for the Vinta's, the Kalesa's, the SARAO Jeepneys. These inventions paved the way for the cars, vehicles you now drive.
Now, you realize what made all our great lives a possibility.
The Filipino Youth should be the engine to drive re-invention and re-discovery of the many beautiful cultural norms, practices, people we have in the country. We must do it now, or else, the future won't even have national parks/highways/sceneries to talk about.
And while we savor in the modernity of today's existence, we must remind ourselves of our origin, not only to visit and study, but to preserve and protect, not only for ourselves, but to those who want to remind themselves and inspire themselves of what made today what it is now.
Modernization should never cost the deterioration and extinction of our culture,
because once we lose sight of our past, we lose our true identity as Filipino's.
AARON BENEDICT DE LEON
Secretary-General, YOUTH Philippines Inc.
2010 Lakas-Kampi-CMD Presidential Campaign Platform Spokesperson
No comments:
Post a Comment