We are a nation looking for solutions to the growing political, social, and economic problems that plague us, searching for winds that would propel our wings to smoother flight. We are a country experiencing growing-up pains, a people in dire need of venerable heroes, inspiring leaders, and a noble, stirring national vision.
This is a defining moment in our lives. The times pose both a looming threat and golden challenge. We must unite and endeavor to win the battle lest we suffer the dismal annihilation of the already-greatly-battered Filipino spirit.
No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again today. —Buddhist philosophy. It is never too late to be the great nation our forefathers dreamed of and died for, the illustrious country we might have been had we not fumbled and fallen. The beginnings of all things are small. —Cicero. We must sweat the small stuff (e.g., follow traffic rules, not litter, etc.) then the big things will comfortably fall into place.
Our tomorrow depends on our vision today. Ideas shape the course of history. —John Keynes. Our vision will be our North Star, the guiding light to lead us where we want to go. It will specify and solidify our national aim. Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When you don’t know what harbor you’re aiming for, no wind is the right wind. —Seneca.
Unless our leaders (the President!) define and tell us where we are all headed, we will all be going in different directions, accomplishing little. It is the set of the sails, not the direction of the wind that determines which way we will go. —Jim Rohn.
The best way to predict the future is to invent it. —Author unknown. We must create a blueprint for our future, not let it happen by chance. Things do not happen. Things are made to happen. —John F. Kennedy.
The change has to start in each and every one of us if we want it to be effective and lasting. To move the world we must first move ourselves. —Socrates. We must be the change we wish to see in the world. —Gandhi.
We need to reawaken our belief and respect for ourselves, and most especially our respect and faith in our leaders. Our stalwarts in government have to win back our trust; they must prove their mettle and sincerity.
It is important to re-program the Filipino mind and install ideas, concepts and habits of greatness. The youth have to be taught, very carefully taught. Nurture your mind with great thoughts. —Benjamin Disraeli.
Leaders should be in touch with their constituents. Ineffective is the leader who doesn’t directly hear the voice of the people. If you get close to people, you will catch their dreams. —Anonymous. And here’s a caveat: There are no bad followers. Only bad leaders. —Anonymous.
We must inculcate in our people a new mode of conduct. They must do things a certain way because that is the right thing to do, and this behavior should be integrated consistently into daily life. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, it is a habit. —W.B. Prescott.
People have to act and aim for excellence. If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well. —Martin Luther King Jr.
Indeed, we must work towards a united Philippines so that someday, we will be one island in mind and one people in spirit. We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. —Martin Luther King Jr.