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[Master J]

Dear Friends,

Here is a good article sent by Dr. Arsenio Martin of Fort Arthur , Texas ..
Enjoy reading.

THE DIFFERENCE

The difference between the poor countries and the rich ones is not the age of the country:

This can be shown by countries like India & Egypt , that are more than 2000 years old, but are poor.

On the other hand, Canada , Australia & New Zealand , that 150 years ago were inexpressive, today are developed countries, and are rich.

The difference between poor & rich countries does not reside in the available natural resources.

Japan has a limited territory, 80% mountainous, inadequate for agriculture & cattle raising, but it is the second world economy. The country is like an
immense floating factory, importing raw materials from the whole world and exporting manufactured products.

Another example is Switzerland , which does not plant cocoa but has the best chocolate in the world. In its little territory they raise animals and plant the soil during 4 months per year. Not enough, they produce dairy products of the best quality! It is a small country that transmits an image of security, order & labor, which made it the world's strongest, safest place.

Executives from rich countries who communicate with their counterparts in poor countries show that there is no significant intellectual difference.

Race or skin color are also not important: immigrants labeled lazy in their countries of origin are the productive power in rich European countries.

What is the difference then? The difference is the attitude of the people, framed along the years by the education & the culture & flawed tradition.

On analyzing the behavior of the people in rich & developed countries, we find that the great majority follow the following principles in their lives:

1. Ethics, as a basic principle.
2. Integrity.
3. Responsibility.
4. Respect to the laws & rules.
5. Respect to the rights of other citizens.
6. Work loving.
7. Strive for savings & investment.
8. Will of super action.
9. Punctuality.
10. and of course...Discipline

In poor countries, only a minority follow these basic principles in their daily life.

The Philippines is not poor because we lack natural resources or because nature was cruel to us. In fact, we are supposedly rich in natural resources.

We are poor because we lack the correct attitude. We lack the will to comply with and teach these functional principles of rich & developed societies.

If you do not forward this message nothing will happen to you. Your pet will not die, you will not be fired, you will not have bad luck for seven years, and also, you will not get sick or go hungry.

But those may happen because of your lack of discipline & laziness, your love for intrigue and politics, your indifference to saving for the future, your stubborn attitude.

If you love your country, let this message circulate so that many Filipinos could reflect about this, & CHANGE, ACT!

[yllorco]

I love this article MJ.  Let me say, "ATTITUDE DETERMINES ALTITUDE."  What a heavy loaded phrase!  Kayo nalang bahalang mg-interpret nyan.

[:::OrnjirA:::]

Thanks for sharing MJ.  I totally agree.

I've been to Japan and Singapore, the citizens of these countries exemplify the attitude/behaviour listed. 


#7.  Strive for savings & investment.  Thailand.  Do you notice the long qeues in the atms here? ....for "Deposits"!

[ajarn_ph]

Master J, this is a very good discussion "Why Is The Philippines Poor?" and make ways how to solve the problems. in my opinion, the number one problem is corruption and second population. these two problems have more issues. Some will agree and some won't. If we look at countries that are less corruption and less population, they are rich. <ajarn_ph>

[Madam H]

I think our country is corrupt because we lack all of 1-5, as stated in Dr. Martin's article. Corruption is not THE problem, I think, but rather it is just the manifestation of the lack of ethical values, integrity, discipline, and respect for our laws and the rights of others.

China, in earlier times, was run by ethical people, because in order to become a government official, you have to pass an exam that would require extensive knowledge of Confucianism. That time, many believed that if a person knows Confucius' teachings, they will maintain order, are moral and rational.

We Filipinos do not have strong philosophical ideals. When somebody believes in ideals, we even laugh or ridicule them. Or sometimes, there are those of us who cling on to ideals that are not also founded on rationality and common sense.

So I say we are poor not because we are corrupt. We are poor because we are not moral.

Just my 2 satangs....

[lengradwilson]

The Philippines is poor because of mismanagement of the country's resources and the inability of the people to cooperate.

Let me explain:
Mismanagement of the country's resources means that the government officers and employees from the past and present did not manage well the different resources of our country.  Inability of the people to cooperate means that most of the people are not cooperating in following the laws of the land and the teachings of their religions.

[defect]

The Philippines is poor because of mismanagement of the country's resources and the inability of the people to cooperate.

Let me explain:
Mismanagement of the country's resources means that the government officers and employees from the past and present did not manage well the different resources of our country.  Inability of the people to cooperate means that most of the people are not cooperating in following the laws of the land and the teachings of their religions.

i agree

[ro_se]

I,higly recommend Value REFORMATION to all Filipinos. During my 15 days vacation in the Philippines, I was able to observe that our values are degrading, example: priority of expenses... wala daw pambili ng bigas pero may pang autoload naman, may pantaya naman ng jueteng, may pansabong, at pangkain sa fastfood, pangrugby pa, panigarilyo, pang inom, pang videooke, pang mall. example 2, rice traders na nahohord ng bigas to increase the rice price... sana masunog mga kaluluwa nyo 3) masyadong mapolitica ang bansa natin.

[:::OrnjirA:::]

bump.





Rice crisis.

Runaway population explosion.

Unstoppable Corruption in all levels of govt.

Moral degradation.

...what else?




Honest question.  do you see light at the end of the tunnel?


..

[LAPU-LAPU]

kasi 'andito tayo thailand eh.

maliit na lang ang natira na super heros sa pinas.

buti na lang andoon pa si Lastikman!

 

fish yo!

[:::OrnjirA:::]

THE ONLY HOPE FOR THE PHILIPPINES
by Father James Reuter, S.J.

By her own admission, GMA rightfully assessed that
"over the last decades,our republic has become one of
the weakest, steadily left behind by its more
progressive neighbors." Forty years ago, we were only
second to Japan in economic stature, and way ahead of
Singapore, Hongkong, Malaysia, and Thailand. Today, at
our present growth rate, it will take us 30 years to
get to where Thailand is today.  But, by then,

1. A population of 160 Million;

2. Of those, 70 to 90 million (equivalent to our
current population) will live below the poverty line;

3. Our national debt is estimated to be at US$200B
(compared to US$28B when Marcos fled, and US$ 53B today);

4. We will be competing, not against Thailand or even
Vietnam, but against Bangladesh;

5. We will be the most corrupt nation in Asia, if not
in the world (we're already ranked 11th most corrupt
nation by Transparency International).

The signs are clear. Our nation is headed towards an
irreversible path of economic decline and moral
decadence. It is not for lack of effort. We've seen
many men and women of integrity in and out of
government,NGOs,church groups & people's organization
devote themselves to the task of nation-building,
often times against insurmountable odds. But not even
two people's revolutions, bloodless as they may be,
have made a dent in reversing this trend. At best, we
have moved one step forward, but three steps backward.

We need a force far greater than our collective
efforts, as a people, can ever hope to muster. It is
time to move the battle to the spiritual realm. It's
time to claim GOD's promise of healing of the land for
His people.

We have tried people power twice; in both cases, it
fell short. Maybe it's time to try prayer power. GOD
never fails.

Is there hope? YES! We can rely on GOD's promise, but
we have to do our part. If we humble ourselves and
pray as a people, GOD will heal our land. By GOD's
grace,we may yet see a better future for our children.
GOD bless and GOD save our country (from stupid and
corrupt politicians)!

"If My people, who are called by My name, will humble
themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from
their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, and
will forgive their sins, and will heal their land."


...


so, Mr. Reuters suggests that only a divine miracle can stop the Philippines' downward spiral...



start thinking of changing your passports from green to maroon, if you can't get the blue.. seriously.


...

[LAPU-LAPU]

THE ONLY HOPE FOR THE PHILIPPINES
by Father James Reuter, S.J.

By her own admission, GMA rightfully assessed that
"over the last decades,our republic has become one of
the weakest, steadily left behind by its more
progressive neighbors." Forty years ago, we were only
second to Japan in economic stature, and way ahead of
Singapore, Hongkong, Malaysia, and Thailand. Today, at
our present growth rate, it will take us 30 years to
get to where Thailand is today.  But, by then,

1. A population of 160 Million;

2. Of those, 70 to 90 million (equivalent to our
current population) will live below the poverty line;

3. Our national debt is estimated to be at US$200B
(compared to US$28B when Marcos fled, and US$ 53B today);

4. We will be competing, not against Thailand or even
Vietnam, but against Bangladesh;

5. We will be the most corrupt nation in Asia, if not
in the world (we're already ranked 11th most corrupt
nation by Transparency International).

The signs are clear. Our nation is headed towards an
irreversible path of economic decline and moral
decadence. It is not for lack of effort. We've seen
many men and women of integrity in and out of
government,NGOs,church groups & people's organization
devote themselves to the task of nation-building,
often times against insurmountable odds. But not even
two people's revolutions, bloodless as they may be,
have made a dent in reversing this trend. At best, we
have moved one step forward, but three steps backward.

We need a force far greater than our collective
efforts, as a people, can ever hope to muster. It is
time to move the battle to the spiritual realm. It's
time to claim GOD's promise of healing of the land for
His people.

We have tried people power twice; in both cases, it
fell short. Maybe it's time to try prayer power. GOD
never fails.

Is there hope? YES! We can rely on GOD's promise, but
we have to do our part. If we humble ourselves and
pray as a people, GOD will heal our land. By GOD's
grace,we may yet see a better future for our children.
GOD bless and GOD save our country (from stupid and
corrupt politicians)!

"If My people, who are called by My name, will humble
themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from
their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, and
will forgive their sins, and will heal their land."


...


so, Mr. Reuters suggests that only a divine miracle can stop the Philippines' downward spiral...



start thinking of changing your passports from green to maroon, if you can't get the blue.. seriously.


...

greetings hello keyser_soze, 

I believe what Father James Reuter, S.J. is trying to tell us is the seeking/asking/receiving of the Grace of GOD.

The Grace of GOD is not the opening of the red sea or money raining down from heaven. it is never like that. only in the movies.

 

but in reality,
the Grace of God is the power of the Holy Spirit. the power to change people's hearts and minds! The Living Presence of The Holy Spirit in each of us.

there are only two beings who has the power to change your heart.

YOU and The Holy Spirit!!!

 

a change of heart and thoughts to guide our actions! 

salamat po!

Mabuhay Filipinas!!!

peace and goodwill to men!



my thoughts

[Darfur]

wow. what a question. here's my share.

MY SHORT ESSAY ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES
Jaeyoun Kim

Filipinos always complain about the corruption in the Philippines . Do
you really think the corruption is the problem of the Philippines ? I do
not think so. I strongly believe that the problem is the lack of love
for the Philippines .

Let me first talk about my country, Korea . It might help you understand
my point.
After the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in
the world. Koreans had to start from scratch because entire country was
destroyed after the Korean War, and we had no natural resources.

Koreans used to talk about the Philippines , for Filipinos were very
rich in Asia . We envy Filipinos.
Koreans really wanted to be well off like Filipinos. Many Koreans died
of famine.
My father & brother also died because of famine. Korean government was
very corrupt and is still very corrupt beyond your imagination, but
Korea was able to develop dramatically because Koreans really did their
best for the common good with their heart burning with patriotism.

Koreans did not work just for themselves but also for their neighborhood
and country. Education inspired young men with the spirit of patriotism.

40 years ago, President Park took over the government to reform Korea
He tried to borrow money from other countries, but it was not possible
to get a loan and attract a foreign investment because the economic
situation of South Korea was so bad. Korea had only three factories. So,
President Park sent many mine workers and nurses to Germany so that they
could send money to Korea to build a factory.
They had to go through horrible experience.

In 1964, President Park visited Germany to borrow money.
Hundred of Koreans in Germany came to the airport to welcome him and
cried there as they saw the President Park . They asked to him,
"President, when can we be well off?" That was the only question
everyone asked to him. President Park cried with them and promised them
that Korea would be well off if everyone works hard for Korea , and the
President of Germany got the strong impression on them and lent money to
Korea . So, President Park was able to build many factories in Korea .
He always asked Koreans to love their country from their heart.

Many Korean scientists and engineers in the USA came back to Korea to
help developing country because they wanted their country to be well
off. Though they received very small salary, they did their best for
Korea . They always hoped that their children would live in well off
country.

My parents always brought me to the places where poor and physically
handicapped people live. They wanted me to understand their life and
help them. I also worked for Catholic Church when I was in the army. The
only thing I learned from Catholic Church was that we have to love our
neighborhood. And, I have loved my neighborhood. Have you cried for the
Philippines ? I have cried for my country several times. I also cried
for the Philippines because of so many poor people. I have been to the
New Bilibid prison. What made me sad in the prison were the prisoners
who do not have any love for their country.
They go to mass and work for Church. They pray everyday.

However, they do not love the Philippines . I talked to two prisoners at
the maximum-security compound, and both of them said that they would
leave the Philippines right after they are released from the prison.
They said that they would start a new life in other countries and never
come back to the Philippines .

Many Koreans have a great love for Korea so that we were able to share
our wealth with our neighborhood. The owners of factory and company were
distributed their profit to their employees fairly so that employees
could buy what they needed and saved money for the future and their
children.

When I was in Korea , I had a very strong faith and wanted to be a
priest. However, when I came to the Philippines , I completely lost my
faith. I was very confused when I saw many unbelievable situations in
the Philippines . Street kids always make me sad, and I see them
everyday. The Philippines is the only Catholic country in Asia , but
there are too many poor people here.
People go to church every Sunday to pray, but nothing has been changed.

My parents came to the Philippines last week and saw this situation.
They told me that Korea was much poorer than the present Philippines
when they were young. They are so sorry that there are so many beggars
and street kids. When we went to Pasangjan, I forced my parents to take
a boat because it would fun. However, they were not happy after taking a
boat.
They said that they would not take the boat a gain because they were
sympathized the boatmen, for the boatmen were very poor and had a small
frame. Most of people just took a boat and enjoyed it.
But, my parents did not enjoy it because of love for them.

My mother who has been working for Catholic Church since I was very
young told me that if we just go to mass without changing ourselves, we
are not Catholic indeed. Faith should come with action.
She added that I have to love Filipinos and do good things for them
because all of us are same and have received a great love from God.
I want Filipinos to love their neighborhood and country as much as they
love God so that the Philippines will be well off.

I am sure that love is the keyword, which Filipinos should remember. We
cannot change the sinful structure at once. It should start from person.
Love must start in everybody, in a s mall scale and have to grow. A lot
of things happen if we open up to love. Let's put away our prejudices
and look at our worries with our new eyes.

I discover that every person is worthy to be loved. Trust in love,
because it makes changes possible.
Love changes you and me. It changes people, contexts and relationships.
It changes the world. Please love your neighborhood and country.

Jesus Christ said that whatever we do to others we do to Him.
In the Philippines , there is God for people who are abused and
abandoned. There is God who is crying for love. If you have a child,
teach them how to love the Philippines . Teach them why they have to
love their neighborhood and country.
You already know that God also will be very happy if you love others.

That's all I really want to ask you Filipinos.

If the trend continues, then there will be no light waiting for us in the future. Some changed citizenship. Some hate being a Filipino. Some don’t care and only reacts if they are directly affected by the problem. Some want to get rich by being a politician. And almost everybody wants to work abroad for a greener pasture. Sad to say, I think we are on the verge of losing our identity. Let us not forget our country. No matter how bad it is. In Thailand, let us not do bad things that will affect our identity as Filipinos. Let us put in their hearts that we are good citizens by being professional in everything that we do.

[blubinginone]

First of all I apologize in advance to anyone who considers themselves to be religious, because I will now proceed to post an anti-religion sentiment.

I am surprised by Father Reuter's claim that the only hope for the Philippines now is prayer. He said:

Is there hope? YES! We can rely on GOD's promise, but
we have to do our part. If we humble ourselves and
pray as a people, GOD will heal our land. By GOD's
grace,we may yet see a better future for our children.
GOD bless and GOD save our country (from stupid and
corrupt politicians)!

I disagree. The Philippines is the only Christian nation in Asia, and yet one of the poorest and most corrupt. There must be a correlation somehwere in there. Ergo, religion is not the answer. Or more pointedly, belief is not the answer. The Philippines is already on its knees, many people humbled and living in humble circumstances. Many already crying out to God for help. I don't believe it is the lack of prayer nor the need for humility that is keeping us from getting out of the rut.

I do believe we should stop depending on and eventually blaming politicians. The Japanese care very little for their pols, to them, they are just some state functionary. In our country, the padrino system has hindered independence. Everything is a handout to people, especially in the province. We have become a cult of personalities, deifying our so-called leaders and looking to them for salvation. We must give it up! Look to ourselves for improvement, look to our families for support. We should tell those people to shut up already, give up the tv drama and sound bite/photo opp and start working. Then we follow our own advice.

I do believe that we should learn to think for ouselves [more on this a bit later on], I do believe we should start working out our own financial salvation. Beginning with applying self control and a little logic on a very personal basis, then moving out from there.

Starting a family: do not start if you aren't prepared.

I'm sorry to say that the church itself is partly to blame. I have always wondered why married people look to unmarried men in robes to dictate to them how and when to plan their families. The church has always been against family planning and been very vocal about distributing contraceptives. And now they are left wondering why we have a runaway population problem. Why do I mention population control? If a couple have no resources, why pop out babies that they have no means to feed, clothe, much less educate and care for? I have mentioned this before: a family living under the bridge along Quezon Avenue in Quezon City, and a young family living and travelling in a kariton. WHY? It's not rocket science to guess their futures and exponential increase in many more people like them.

The church knows they hold the people in the palm of their hands, and teach them that to have many children "is a great blessing", without regard for personal circumstance or the economy in general. They have repeated outdated sentiments that people, for some strange reason, latch on to because "it feels right".

 I am sure that these men in robes understand the finer points of bodily functions, and should therefore should educate couples by giving the go signal for contraceptives and advocating that their followers plan effective family resource management. That, or people should really start thinking for themselves.

Lastly, our need for "good time", "gimmik", and "showing off". I know people in the countryside who will borrow money from their neighbor just to have a party for some out-of-towner relative who is visiting. This is just too much! People going into debt just to feed the barangay when someone gets married [because it is considered "rude" not to invite everyone down to the last toddler to this event]. We should stop this reverse modesty and false generosity, to continue means to dig a deeper grave for ourselves.

Buddhist Punk’s contention to his argument (never her, my psyche dictates) is based upon the quote of Fr. Reuter (I still cannot find anywhere the proof that he quoted this wholly esp. those in parenthesis– please help) to wit:

Is there hope? YES! We can rely on GOD's promise, but
we have to do our part. If we humble ourselves and
pray as a people, GOD will heal our land. By GOD's
grace,we may yet see a better future for our children.
GOD bless and GOD save our country (from stupid and corrupt politicians)!

Mr. Punk blatantly disagreed with Fr. Reuter’s pronouncement without strong and logical presentation and even without clearly understanding the entirety of the father’s message.  He averred the following:

* Ergo, religion is not the answer. Or more pointedly, belief is not the answer.

This is a misleading statement.  Nothing in the passage was an enunciation of religion being the answer to the Philippines’ woes.  It simply talks about prayer being a factor for salvation which may provide hope because it was clearly stated that in hope there should be our part, the people’s part in order to see the light of days – in order the land be healed.  And prayer should never be associated solely to religion as an atheist prays to himself believing that his own standpoint is always relevant to his existence.  And prayer in this case is not about religion, so I may say because an atheist does not have any religion at all.  Prayer, as Collin’s Cobuild puts, can mean as a strong personal hope for something – not just a thing of religion.  Buddhist Punk is just a loud and really voluble articulated little piece of art in this regard.

* I do believe we should stop depending on and eventually blaming politicians.
* I do believe we should start working out our own financial salvation.

I am more specific about these two connotations.  Buddhist Punk clearly stated as it appears in his first declaration that “belief is not the answer” even adding in the beginning the phrase “Or more pointedly”.  If he doesn’t believe in belief, why is it now he is saying “I do believe”?  Ergo (I have never seen him used this word in his posts prior to my usage – thanks for adopting), his beliefs will never be a material suggestion to the Philippines’ woes.  Thus, annulling all of his entire irrelevant stand on the issue.  He disagrees by presenting “self-unbelievable” suggestions as to how Philippines can be redeemed of her problems.  The worse is he took a stand and consequently dismissed it along the way.  His disagreement ricocheted right straight to him and….Kaboom!  His stand on this issue is thereby confusing.  In debates, we call this sophism - sending debater’s arguments to the bin because they are confusing and thereby considered worthless.

In summary, is prayer the only answer?  No, it was never explicitly stated in Fr. Reuter’s passage.  The passage is just an enlightenment for us to see that there is hope in prayers.  Yes, there is hope but it is not the only hope.  We need action after we pray.  It is one of the best alternatives that people can do.  If we pray to God, our thoughts will be surely cleaned and the Holy Spirit will come in; and then we can do a lot of things for ourselves and for our country.  And if we pray for others, they might follow suit.

Yes, we have to take cognizance of praying to God for the solution of the two major problems of our country, population and corruption.  We have tried so much solving these problems by our own minds, but we never tried so hard praying to God together.  God can clear our thoughts, other thoughts and give us all strength, i.e. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Ps. 46:1).  And after He gives us strength, we need to take action TOGETHER by inventive thinking and bold leadership.  This is not just a religious sentiment but also a logical point of view, to wit Nelson Mandela once said, "I want to find God, and because I want to find God, I have to find God along with other people. I don't believe I can find God alone. If I did, I would be running to the Himalayas to find God in some caves there. But since I believe that nobody can find God alone, I have to work with people. I have to take them with me. Alone I can't come to Him."

Indeed, it does begin with, Filipinos being nice to each other.  Filipinos praying together!

[Darfur]

First of all I apologize in advance to anyone who considers themselves to be religious, because I will now proceed to post an anti-religion sentiment.

I am surprised by Father Reuter's claim that the only hope for the Philippines now is prayer. He said:

Is there hope? YES! We can rely on GOD's promise, but
we have to do our part. If we humble ourselves and
pray as a people, GOD will heal our land. By GOD's
grace,we may yet see a better future for our children.
GOD bless and GOD save our country (from stupid and
corrupt politicians)!


hahahahahaha. i dont know but this one made me laugh. autistic yata ako. grabe ha. gusto ko magorganize ng debate for filipinos only dito s thailand para makita ng mga tae-tae kung gaano kagaling mga pinoy. hihihihi

I disagree. The Philippines is the only Christian nation in Asia, and yet one of the poorest and most corrupt. There must be a correlation somehwere in there. Ergo, religion is not the answer. Or more pointedly, belief is not the answer. The Philippines is already on its knees, many people humbled and living in humble circumstances. Many already crying out to God for help. I don't believe it is the lack of prayer nor the need for humility that is keeping us from getting out of the rut.

I do believe we should stop depending on and eventually blaming politicians. The Japanese care very little for their pols, to them, they are just some state functionary. In our country, the padrino system has hindered independence. Everything is a handout to people, especially in the province. We have become a cult of personalities, deifying our so-called leaders and looking to them for salvation. We must give it up! Look to ourselves for improvement, look to our families for support. We should tell those people to shut up already, give up the tv drama and sound bite/photo opp and start working. Then we follow our own advice.

I do believe that we should learn to think for ouselves [more on this a bit later on], I do believe we should start working out our own financial salvation. Beginning with applying self control and a little logic on a very personal basis, then moving out from there.

Starting a family: do not start if you aren't prepared.

I'm sorry to say that the church itself is partly to blame. I have always wondered why married people look to unmarried men in robes to dictate to them how and when to plan their families. The church has always been against family planning and been very vocal about distributing contraceptives. And now they are left wondering why we have a runaway population problem. Why do I mention population control? If a couple have no resources, why pop out babies that they have no means to feed, clothe, much less educate and care for? I have mentioned this before: a family living under the bridge along Quezon Avenue in Quezon City, and a young family living and travelling in a kariton. WHY? It's not rocket science to guess their futures and exponential increase in many more people like them.

The church knows they hold the people in the palm of their hands, and teach them that to have many children "is a great blessing", without regard for personal circumstance or the economy in general. They have repeated outdated sentiments that people, for some strange reason, latch on to because "it feels right".

 I am sure that these men in robes understand the finer points of bodily functions, and should therefore should educate couples by giving the go signal for contraceptives and advocating that their followers plan effective family resource management. That, or people should really start thinking for themselves.

Lastly, our need for "good time", "gimmik", and "showing off". I know people in the countryside who will borrow money from their neighbor just to have a party for some out-of-towner relative who is visiting. This is just too much! People going into debt just to feed the barangay when someone gets married [because it is considered "rude" not to invite everyone down to the last toddler to this event]. We should stop this reverse modesty and false generosity, to continue means to dig a deeper grave for ourselves.

Buddhist Punk’s contention to his argument (never her, my psyche dictates) is based upon the quote of Fr. Reuter (I still cannot find anywhere the proof that he quoted this wholly esp. those in parenthesis– please help) to wit:

Is there hope? YES! We can rely on GOD's promise, but
we have to do our part. If we humble ourselves and
pray as a people, GOD will heal our land. By GOD's
grace,we may yet see a better future for our children.
GOD bless and GOD save our country (from stupid and corrupt politicians)!

Mr. Punk blatantly disagreed with Fr. Reuter’s pronouncement without strong and logical presentation and even without clearly understanding the entirety of the father’s message.  He averred the following:

* Ergo, religion is not the answer. Or more pointedly, belief is not the answer.

This is a misleading statement.  Never in the passage was an enunciation of religion being the answer to the Philippines’ woes.  It simply talks about prayer being a factor for salvation which may provide hope because it was clearly stated that in hope there should be our part, the people’s part in order to see the light of days – in order the land be healed.  And prayer should never be associated solely to religion as an atheist prays to himself believing that his own standpoint is always relevant to his existence.  And prayer in this case is not about religion, so I may say because an atheist does not have any religion at all.  Prayer, as Collin’s Cobuild puts, can mean as a strong personal hope for something – not just a thing of religion.  Buddhist Punk is just a loud and really voluble articulated little piece of art in this regard.

* I do believe we should stop depending on and eventually blaming politicians.
* I do believe we should start working out our own financial salvation.

I am more specific about these two connotations.  Buddhist Punk clearly stated as it appears in his first declaration that “belief is not the answer” even adding in the beginning the phrase “Or more pointedly”.  If he doesn’t believe in belief, why is it now he is saying “I do believe”?  Ergo (I have never seen him used this word in his posts prior to my usage – thanks for adopting), his beliefs will never be a material suggestion to the Philippines’ woes.  Thus, annulling all of his entire irrelevant stand on the issue.  He disagrees by presenting “self-unbelievable” suggestions as to how Philippines can be redeemed of her problems.  The worse is he took a stand and consequently dismissed it along the way.  His disagreement ricocheted right straight to him and….Kaboom!  His stand on this issue is thereby confusing.  In debates, we call this sophism - sending debater’s arguments to the bin because they are confusing and thereby considered worthless.

In summary, is prayer the only answer?  No, it was never explicitly stated in Fr. Reuter’s passage.  The passage is just an enlightenment for us to see that there is hope in prayers.  Yes, there is hope but it is not the only hope.  We need action after we pray.  It is one of the best alternatives that people can do.  If we pray to God, our thoughts will be surely cleaned and the Holy Spirit will come in; and then we can do a lot of things for ourselves and for our country.  And if we pray for others, they might follow suit.

Yes, we have to take cognizance of praying to God for the solution of the two major problems of our country, population and corruption.  We have tried so much solving these problems by our own minds, but we never tried so hard praying to God together.  God can clear our thoughts, other thoughts and give us all strength, i.e. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Ps. 46:1).  And after He gives us strength, we need to take action TOGETHER by inventive thinking and bold leadership.  This is not just a religious sentiment but also a logical point of view, to wit Nelson Mandela once said, "I want to find God, and because I want to find God, I have to find God along with other people. I don't believe I can find God alone. If I did, I would be running to the Himalayas to find God in some caves there. But since I believe that nobody can find God alone, I have to work with people. I have to take them with me. Alone I can't come to Him."

Indeed, it does begin with, Filipinos being nice to each other.  Filipinos praying together!

[Steve St. John]

"Why Is The Philippines Poor?"

It is because, Filipinos think they're smart. Or maybe they're too smart.

Instead of looking for a solution, They have to complain first.

We are luck of support and trust to our fellow filipinos. And the reason for that is, our pride

is to high to reach. We have this crab mentality thing. We are poor because we don't have our

own thing. We like to imitate. We force something even though we already know that, we can't handle it.

UNITY, Trust and Love are key to our success.

Keep the Faith!

[blubinginone]

And prayer too, right? Filipinos praying together.

Say it, Steven.  Say it. 

[:::OrnjirA:::]

Buddhist Punk’s contention to his argument (never her, my psyche dictates) is based upon the quote of Fr. Reuter (I still cannot find anywhere the proof that he quoted this wholly esp. those in parenthesis– please help) to wit:

Is there hope? YES! We can rely on GOD's promise, but
we have to do our part. If we humble ourselves and
pray as a people, GOD will heal our land. By GOD's
grace,we may yet see a better future for our children.
GOD bless and GOD save our country (from stupid and corrupt politicians)!


Indeed, it does begin with, Filipinos being nice to each other.  Filipinos praying together!

well, BB1, this is just one of those chainmails i got, 3 years ago...still so relevant eh?

a similar quote can be found ---> here that leads to a lively and entertaining discussion


...

[blubinginone]

Ok, thanks. (So, sinabi pala talaga nya yung nasa parenthesis).  But still, the thread you gave just showed a post which was not even written by Fr. Reuter.  I was just thinking that maybe it was just added somehow by the forummer.  I just hope not because it really made an impact to the passage.

Anyway, my stand has never changed. 

Just a question: Is this a case of a deadlock argument?  I guess so because it is flawless, I rather say.  Please quote my original post.

Cheers!

[blubinginone]

WHERE HAS MY IDOL BP GONE? I thought I expressly declared a deadlock.  Exemplary debaters always encourage a deadlock unless they see it fit to be broken.  Does this mean debate halted, no further arguments?  I won then.  Yehey! 

I am just really starting to miss him. 

Please extend my regards to him.