From: vxv4@po.CWRU.Edu (Virgilio Velasco)
Subject: Re: HOME-BOUND
Reply-To: vxv4@po.CWRU.Edu (Virgilio Velasco)
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Date: Sun, 23 Aug 92 21:27:47 GMT


In a previous article, albert@AMS.SUNYSB.EDU (Jose Albert) says:

>To start with, I wish to elucidate on 
>my statement that there is more to life than money. I 
>never implied that money is unimportant.  Only nincompoops would
>think such rubbish!  All I wanted to say was that
>you are a moron if you believe in the equally rubbish idea 
>that money makes the world go round.  (Sorry for the brutal language!!) 

Pardoning your brutal language, I must agree with your sentiment.
The truism that "money IS important" is often abused to justify
excessive self-interest.

>Further, I never ever implied that all Filipinos should go home!  
>It is healthy for peoples and cultures to mix and to learn from each
>other, but what I have noticed in the US-RP relationship 
>is that it has become very lop-sided (especially when taken in 
>comparison with the relationships of the US with other
>"developing countries").  Thus, I was glad to read news about
>some Filipinos who have decided to go home for good.  

For my part, I would stress that we all have God-given callings, which
we must heed.  Given the dire need back home, I think that a lot of us
are called to help our nativeland.  However, if someone has truly
examined the situation, and genuinely feels that because of his strengths
and weaknesses, he should stay in the U.S., and is not acting out
of greed, selfishness or apathy, then I am not about to condemn that person.

>There are a lot of my very good friends who have decided otherwise.
>They instead opt to find greener pastures (whether it be here, Australia, NZ, or
>elsewhere) and that is why I wrote:
>"  I am not critical of those who have left the Philippines
>   to study or to earn, "
>In fact, one of my sisters has changed her citizenship and I respect
>her decision.  She fundamentally believes that
>opportunities for her back home are not viable (at least not yet).  
>There is nothing wrong with realizing that one has to eat.  I can not censure 
>circumstances that may dictate what someone has to do.

Like I said, we each have our callings.

>What I am critical of are attitudes of :
>
>(1) those who are hungry and yet do nothing 
>(we have a lot of them back home, so does America and possibly
>all countries in this world).
>
>(2) those who have once come from nothing and now made a good life 
>for themselves but refuse to make life easier for the millions
>of others who are trying to follow their footsteps. 
>(i think we can easily see some of these folks in the GOP, and
>even amongst the elite back home).

Yes!  A lot of these people justify their attitudes by saying that
they just want to make life good for themselves and their families,
without realizing how bad things are for 50+ million people at home.
 
>(3) those who are full and yet decide to sell their vast tracts of 
>lands only to come here because "this is America."  Some Filipinos 
>in this category call their homeland "hell"" and America "heaven."  
>These are their words, not mine.  

Colonial mentality, to be sure.

>One tiny addendum to the host of opinions I have expressed -- 
>I noticed that we seem to be afraid to 
>label a lot of our attitudes as "colonial thinking."  
>Are we afraid to call a spade a spade ? 

Obviously, I'm not.

-- 
Virgilio "Dean" Velasco Jr., grad student & roboticist-in-training, CWRU

"If God does not judge the United States, then He owes |    My boss is a 
 an apology to Sodom and Gomorrah."   - Billy Graham   |  Jewish carpenter.