Creative Filipinos, Huh?

Filipinos I think are the most creative people in the world. They have painted jeepneys showing babies or cartoons that color the roads of the city. There are also the manongs and manangs who sell cellphone chargers, chicharon (pig skin), corn on a cub, buko juice in the streets. I guess they have analyzed the markets that pass by their area of responsibility, checked out their needs and creatively matched these with the little means that they have.



The beggars have also innovated. Most of them are not knocking at your side windows anymore. Some of them are now your car cleaners who approach you at the stop light and wipe your windshield with an odd yellow color liquid. Another group of youth would entertain you with a song and dance number before the light turns green. Then just today, I saw another innovation! A kid about 10 years of age climbed onto a jeepney and wiped (or shined) the shoes of the passengers on board.

Even robbers have found new ways of stealing. I heard from the news this afternoon that there were two boarders who rented a room at the second floor of a building. They were living directly above a pawnshop. What they did was they had sawn off the floor right under their toes while playing loud music and grabbed five million worth of cash and goods from the pawnshop below.

I'm writing this blog not to condemn the Philippines. I love the Philippines. I actually admire our creativity. A great number of our artists are leading in the New York fashion scene, singing with other internationally acclaimed celebrities and writing for the whole world to see.

Sadly, many use their gifts for the wrong reasons, for selfish, sinful and other pathetic reasons. Their decisions depend mainly on short-term happiness. They have the five million peso now to buy foods, clothing, gadgets. They can run, they can hide but they cannot get away from God's eyes. They can't see that in the distant future they will be stripped off of everything and they will be severely punished (both on earth and in hell).

What we can do instead is to use our creativity in ways that can solve the problems in the society. I know this sounds boring. But there are plenty of businesses or organizations that have risen out of the small seed of a noble cause. Efren Penaflorida, the CNN Hero of the Year has shown us a great example. He pushed his adorable cart full of books and toys to teach children in the streets. Many of them cannot even buy three nutritional meals a day, much less shoes, books and bags. They were his target market and he was blessed with loads of support. There is also the silent sisters who create bags out of recyclable plastic bags to help lessen land pollution. Believe it or not, they are also making money out of it!

Now that the country is suffering from a great disgrace (in the whole world's eyes), plagues (dengue and sore-eyes), calamities and all the other compounded problems (lack of education, poverty, etc), I believe this is the best time to challenge our creative juices. Looking at it as glass half-full, these problems are in fact opportunities! Let's strike the iron while it is still hot!

So, what are you good at? Cooking? Teaching? Creating crafts? Doing business? Share your blessings and help PNoy. Please. He cannot bring up the country on his own. Pray how you can be of help. You will definitely be blessed and provided for by our loving Father.