If you take a look at the Philippines, what do you usually see at first glance? From my perspective, it is a country with people struggling everyday to compete with the international economy. It is a country in the works, continuously striving to be a part of the “big boys” But it is also a place filled with people who are grounded to where they came from, a country with traditions that are older than time itself. We have our beliefs in both our mythology and religion. Here, family is more important than anything. They have strong ties with where they came from, and we use the famous saying of our Philippine hero: “A person who does not know how look back from where he came from, will never get to his destination.” So before everything, let me introduce to you the concept of the Lexus and the Olive tree. As some of you may know, the Lexus is one of the world’s most expensive brand of cars. It is one of the top line cars out there, with its sleek designs and up to date equipment. Now imagine an Olive tree. An Olive tree has its roots firmly held unto the earth. Some of their huge roots can be seen above the soil. The Olive tree has gone through many things, but still firmly holds its ground. For the past semester, my teacher has been teaching us the world of globalization. I have learned that globalization is like tying up the world with one big knot. That knot includes the exchange of information, culture, economics, ideas and etc., between countries around the world. This way, everything is evened out for each country, giving each country the chance to compete against each other. It is like gathering countries together into one big ship, and being able to converse to each other freely. This also could assist businessmen in expanding globally, giving people jobs with each investor that comes in. Globalization also aids political leaders to become aware of what is happening in other countries. It also lends a hand in the advancement of technology, and giving people the information needed about our environment. Through globalization, the world is moving forward in the era of modernization. Our telecommunications has played a great part in tying up the world, making people go to places without leaving the comfort of their own home. Imagine a world without communication technology. A world without the internet, maybe we have a chance to survive. A world without your phone, perhaps. A world without your radio, maybe. A world without TV, maybe. But what about a world without all of these altogether? Before these inventions came to life, each country was blind with what was happening with the other. Products that are for sale would have different prices in different parts of the world, because there is no uniform price for them because of the loss of communication. Politicians would not be as “friendly” to each other, as they have to travel in person to meet one another, which can be tiring. People would not be aware of what is happening across the oceans, whether or not a war is happening or if there is a change of politics. Everyone would be technically blind with the world, and everything we know will shatter. These advancement in these innovations are categorized as the Lexus. For our Olive tree, we can simply describe this with the concept of our native land. These are the values and traditions that hold together a certain society, and has been a guide to how one must live. The Olive tree is just as important as the Lexus, because with the Olive tree is a world filled with history, lessons from mistakes and etc. With these in mind, where does it leave my country? We come from a strong Olive tree, rooted to the the land for thousands of years. Even with the colonization of different countries, we still have our values and traditions that keep us together. However with the fast paced world, we now constantly sacrifice our Olive tree in order to move ahead with the rest of the globe. We are struggling to find a balance between the two, barely holding on to the other. We compromise one so the other could succeed, and usually we are slowly uprooting our Olive tree to be able to drive our Lexus. In the end, it would really depend on the people within our country. Neither the historians nor the businessmen can dictate which would prevail in the end.
I believe however, that the Filipinos know better than to let go of the Olive tree. Because no matter how much we try to attach ourselves to the modern world, we would still be yearning for the simple life that we have grown accustomed to. No matter how many times we eat at Mcdonalds, we would still yearn for that home cooked meal from our mothers. No matter how far we are from our country we would still strive to keep to our values and the things taught to us by our elders.
But even with all of this, it’s still a world with opportunities that could be lost in a snap of a finger, and everyone is on their heels trying to even get a whiff of the opportunity. The Lexus is still trying to pierce through the Olive tree, almost crashing itself to it. We will only be the ones to blame if we allow the fall of our Olive tree. What others may not realize, is that we do not have to sacrifice one with the other. But that’s a real struggle isn’t it? You have to learn how to move fast, without really leaving where you came from.
And with the world as it is, will we actually find our balance between the Lexus and our Olive tree?
How about your country? Do you think you have found the balance with the two?
I believe however, that the Filipinos know better than to let go of the Olive tree. Because no matter how much we try to attach ourselves to the modern world, we would still be yearning for the simple life that we have grown accustomed to. No matter how many times we eat at Mcdonalds, we would still yearn for that home cooked meal from our mothers. No matter how far we are from our country we would still strive to keep to our values and the things taught to us by our elders.
But even with all of this, it’s still a world with opportunities that could be lost in a snap of a finger, and everyone is on their heels trying to even get a whiff of the opportunity. The Lexus is still trying to pierce through the Olive tree, almost crashing itself to it. We will only be the ones to blame if we allow the fall of our Olive tree. What others may not realize, is that we do not have to sacrifice one with the other. But that’s a real struggle isn’t it? You have to learn how to move fast, without really leaving where you came from.
And with the world as it is, will we actually find our balance between the Lexus and our Olive tree?
How about your country? Do you think you have found the balance with the two?