Is the Philippines worth defending?

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I recall enjoying immensely the book Rocketmen which I mentioned briefly in my piece Great nations achieve great things:
Craig Nelson introduces his book Rocketmen, with the story of a 1969 Senate briefing (shortly after Apollo 11 landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon) where Fermilab physicist Robert Wilson is asked how a $250 million atom smasher he proposes be built will contribute to the security of the United States. Wilson responded by saying that it will contribute nothing, but that the American people's capacity to undertake endeavours like those is what makes the United States of America worth defending.

Perhaps from that simple anecdote we can begin to understand why Filipinos feel they owe nothing to their country. It is because they see in it nothing to be objectively proud of -- nothing to serve as basis for pride that is of substance.

Comments

  1. EdMarch 20, 2012 at 3:37 PM

    1) You read a book. The typical pinoy will watch noontime network programming and not read a book. That affects their values and perspectives.
    2) Who cares about people who adminster concussions or can sing other people's songs? If you want to look for a reason to be proud or ashamed of our country men look no further than the 2010 elections and who came in first, second and third and what values were promoted and what the electorate responded to. Nothing really matters after that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. qwitzachMarch 20, 2012 at 3:54 PM

    Ahahaha. The country's armed forces can't even defend the Philippines. Clutching at straws here.

    ReplyDelete
  3. DarkDestinyMarch 20, 2012 at 4:41 PM

    Mahatma Gandi once said:
    "You must be the change you want to see in the world."

    Disowning and hating on the country is just taking the easy way out. Instead we must be the change we want to see in our country. We can't say that it's their(Filipinos) problem, it's ours.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ben KritzMarch 20, 2012 at 6:41 PM

    Even Uganda has a space program.

    ReplyDelete

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