"Peace is the craft of nations."
Every nation being unique as itself, we shall now consider the peace of the nations as it applies particularly to our Philippines.
Beginning with this month's exercise, we shall now explore more closely what makes us distinct from all the nations of the one family of the nations of the children of Mankind.
What is the peace of the Philippines?
What keeps our generations together as a people under God? What keeps our nation alive in our hearts?
How do we counter the corruption, deception, and dissipation of the spirit of War and preserve the one Filipino spirit?
Do we really know the spirit of the nation in ourselves enough to embrace it? Is the Angel of the Philippines real or not? Who is the Filipino?
- selah -
Who is the Filipino?
Every honest question implies a lack of certitude relative to a truth that is being sought. To know the peace of the Philippines, we must draw near to it.
We can not however, draw near to the peace we must freely share with each other as Filipino citizens if we (1) do not know it enough to recognize it; (2) do not recognize it enough to love it; (3) do not love it enough to embrace it and therefore, (4) to be embraced by it.
Having said all of this, we shall for the month of October seek to work out a more personal basis for our common identity as citizens of the one Filipino nation and then perhaps, through to December, attempt to effectively dispel any and all those negative connotations and stereotypes about our Filipino identity.
One can not love something one detests or is ashamed about, indeed these false images of ourselves as a nation have no place in the one Filipino heart.
We have power over these stereotypes but only if we recognize that they are like so much weeds choking the ground upon which we are all connected and that we own the ground by blood and honor.
My fellow Filipino compatriots, for as long as we do not exercise ownership of our own nationhood powerful enough to reverse the scattering darkness of War, we shall remain mostly powerless over the lies that plague our minds, festering like sores in our hearts, hindering the greatness of our patriotism.
But if we succeed in concentrating the strength of the one Filipino spirit against the scattering wrought by those powers that seek to deny us from becoming who we are as we are, we shall not only overcome but we shall as one nation among nations prevail over the unknown earth.
All false images lead to the truth - we only have to accept things for what they really are - from the heart.
No matter how deeply ingrained in our culture something is, for as long as it doesn't belong to the awakening dream which is our one Republic of the Philippines, and we recognize it as such, there is no power on earth or under the earth that can prevent our people from uprooting it. All of heaven itself and indeed all our kindred nations of the earth shall come to aid us to become who we must be in God's greater plan of life and of light for all Mankind.
Just as there exists a process by which negatives are transformed into photographs, there also exists a process by which a nation is transformed into its own destiny.
And if we are ready, we can begin this vital transformation today, beginning with each ourselves, by becoming our own better selves - shining as the stars - as citizens to each other, a keeper and friend - together this time.
In this sense, the most concise, functional meaning I can give you of the peace we must share with each other as Filipino citizens is this - "I accept the work and we shall do this as one nation - together this time."
- selah -
This is the peace of the Philippines:
"I accept the work and we shall do this as one nation - together this time."
DAILY EXERCISE: Citizen, who is a Filipino?
