That Attitude Called Gratitude
Quite a late posting, but still very relevant… read on…
(This article was published in the "View from Taft" Column of the
BusinessWorld last November 25, 2004).
That Attitude called Gratitude
By Erly de Guzman
Of the many Western traditions that Filipinos have adopted and
now observe – Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day,
Grandparents Day, to name a few – one of the most noteworthy of all,
Thanksgiving Day, is something that we (ironically) do not
commemorate. Americans make a big to-do about the last Thursday of
November as a pilgrim remembrance that brings togethers siblings,
parents and other extended family members. Others observe this day
to "give thanks for the bounty of the harvest ", for the "fruits of
the earth" and for the "blessings of the year past".
Even if just from a purely business or marketing standpoint, we
would do well to emulate this celebration. More importantly,
Thanksgiving is good for the soul and fodder for the spirit,
especially as we usher Christmas in. It's the bleak forecast and
gloom-doom talk that make both Christmas and this Thanksgiving
proposition hard to put forth. Marketing savvy isn't wanting. We
have seen the newspapers crowded with Christmas theme ads. We ride
or drive or walk through festooned streets and malls. We hear the
sounds of holiday tunes in the air. But our hearts do not seem to
have caught on. The reality of inflation, higher energy bills and
tight business conditions have dampened all plans and prospects.
And this will continue to be so… unless we celebrate Thanksgiving. I
reckon.
As some of you know, I've put my life at stake for the Galing
Pilipino Movement, a private non-profit initiative that aims to
counter negativism and hopelessness, not by parodying a gospel or
message, but by bringing to public consciousness the reality that
there is good and galing in our midst. There are Galing Pilipino
achievements that began as "only-in-the-Philippines" or "made-in-the-
Philippines" and ended up doing a world of good. There are Galing
Pilipino solutions that have defied odds and created or invented a
new way of configuring or doing things. And for that, I am grateful
I was born Pilipino.
There are a lot of things about our country we should be
thankful for. Our 1896 revolution inspired Mahatma Gandhi to obtain
full independence from Britain for India and for Ho Chi Minh to free
Vietnam from French rule. The Eighth Wonder of the World, our very
own Banaue Rice Terraces, is unique among the rest of the world's
wonders in that it is the only one built by freemen, not slaves or
conscripted army men or coerced citizens. That was kusang-loob that
is kusang galing!
Philippine flora and fauna boast of the richest biodiversity in
the world. Throw a seed on Philippine soil and (almost) tomorrow,
you have a tree. Try this: There's a tuna highway in the world.
That's the spawning ground for tuna which is 5 degrees North and
South of the Equator. We are blessed to be in that geo map. The
Philippines is the no. 2 tuna catching nation in the world and no. 5
in canning. GenSan businessman Rodrigo Rivera leads the business not
just here in the Philippines but also in Papua New Guinea. And he
started as a low-level rank and file employee. That's sipag and
tiyaga – galing na magiting!
How true is it that we have one of the richest gold deposits in
the world? How true is it that NASA satellite maps show our gold
ore deposits all over the archipelago? Mindoro (a.k.a. Mina de Oro)
and Cagayan de Oro are not named as such for no good reason. How
true is it that every day that the world turns, three meters of
heavy hydrogen (deuterium) moves and drops into ocean trenches, the
deepest of which is the Philippine Deep? If Russia is utilizing this
energy resource from the Russian Trench to energize provinces and
propel their space program, if Mercedez Benz has been selling
hydrogen-powered cars, couldn't it just be possible we tap on this
jewel in darkness as well? All of these are an emphatic statement of
potential sources of wealth for our nation. That prospect alone
gives us reason to be thankful and hopeful. That's right on galing
with the Thanksgiving Day spirit.
So what is keeping us from enjoying the fullness of these
gifts? As my good friend Bobby Lagman would say, our land is indeed
the "Lupang Hinirang" – a chosen land, and our people, Pili-
pino. `Pili' denotes chosen and `pino' means refined. No small
wonder therefore why, as a people and as a nation, we are being
tried and tested, sifted and shoveled, chiseled and pounded. "To
whom much is given, much is required". It's going to take a lot to
handle what's coming our way. Perhaps we are not being given the
green light from above because we are not yet ready to handle the
blessing – to steward the wealth and be God's channel of blessing.
To appreciate blessings and pass them on – that's Galing
Thanksgiving!
How can we do this? Maybe all it takes is an attitude of
gratefulness, both for the big things and the little things. Or
maybe it takes faith. Faith that with our giving, more will be
coming, to keep us giving. That's the virtue cycle we can put in
force today. It depends on what you and I do after you're through
with this article.
If you think we're just blabbering, think again. We know
of `Galing Pilipinos', individuals doing ordinary things in an
extraordinary way, because we meet them everyday – and because we
purposively search for them.
Just recently, we encountered some of them when we held our 2nd
Galing Pilipino Young Leaders Camp at Hotel La Corona de Pagsanjan.
We gathered fifty (50) of the best students from participating
Manila schools for three days of leadership and teambuilding
workshops that will equip them with the vision and skills to
organize community development programs. Adamson University, Asia
Pacific College, College of the Holy Spirit, De La Salle University,
Far Eastern University, Manila Waldorf School; New Era University,
Polytechnic University of the Philippines, San Beda College,
Technological Institute of the Philippines, University of Asia and
the Pacific, and the University of the Philippines sent their
delegates. We also reached beyond Manila, and invited students from
our partner schools such as Baliuag University in Bulacan; Christian
Values School in Cavite; Joseph & Mary Academy in Laguna; Sunrise
Christian College in Butuan City and University of San Carlos in
Cebu. In the camp, we met young leaders who not only have the best
of minds, but also and more importantly, the sincerest hearts to do
something for their country and for their fellow Filipinos.
We also saw firsthand that "bayanihan" is still very much alive
in the country. Many of the resources and facilities we needed were
provided by GPM partner organizations. The SOS Children's Village in
Lipa City served as our home for day 1 of the camp. Victoria Court
Group's Hotel La Corona de Pagsanjan provided the accommodations,
workshop venue and rope courses pro bono. Chowking provided free
meals for the entire duration of camp activities. The city
governments of Marikina and Makati and Jasper Jean Transport Service
provided vehicles to bus the campers from Manila to Lipa City to
Pagsanjan and back to Manila. Acts of benevolence by these
organizations are truly admirable and noteworthy as they have not
required reciprocal business and mandatory PR values from GPM.
Against the backdrop of frustration, cynicism and hopelessness,
GPM challenges all of us – every Filipino – to be proactive and be
the best he or she can be, knowing that he or she has the power to
make the needed changes.
For the sake of Thanksgiving Day, why not give complaining
tendencies, cynical predilections and sarcastic snides the cold
turkey treatment? Let's focus on the good and galing in those around
us. And say it. Express it. Live it.
Let's celebrate Thanksgiving Day the Galing Pilipino Way. Let's
be givers and bless-ers. It gets easier with practice and constant
application. It begins in the heart – with that attitude called
gratitude.
From my heart to yours, thanks for taking time to read this
column. I've been blessed. Mabuhay!
---------------------------------
The author is Marketing Professor at the De La Salle Professional
Schools, Inc. Graduate School of Business, and President of the
Galing Pilipino Movement (GPM). For comments, e-mail
erly.deguzman@galingpilipino.com. For further information about GPM,
call 631.3932, fax. 633 1089 or visit
http://www.galingpilipino.com.
(This article was published in the "View from Taft" Column of the
BusinessWorld last November 25, 2004).
That Attitude called Gratitude
By Erly de Guzman
Of the many Western traditions that Filipinos have adopted and
now observe – Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day,
Grandparents Day, to name a few – one of the most noteworthy of all,
Thanksgiving Day, is something that we (ironically) do not
commemorate. Americans make a big to-do about the last Thursday of
November as a pilgrim remembrance that brings togethers siblings,
parents and other extended family members. Others observe this day
to "give thanks for the bounty of the harvest ", for the "fruits of
the earth" and for the "blessings of the year past".
Even if just from a purely business or marketing standpoint, we
would do well to emulate this celebration. More importantly,
Thanksgiving is good for the soul and fodder for the spirit,
especially as we usher Christmas in. It's the bleak forecast and
gloom-doom talk that make both Christmas and this Thanksgiving
proposition hard to put forth. Marketing savvy isn't wanting. We
have seen the newspapers crowded with Christmas theme ads. We ride
or drive or walk through festooned streets and malls. We hear the
sounds of holiday tunes in the air. But our hearts do not seem to
have caught on. The reality of inflation, higher energy bills and
tight business conditions have dampened all plans and prospects.
And this will continue to be so… unless we celebrate Thanksgiving. I
reckon.
As some of you know, I've put my life at stake for the Galing
Pilipino Movement, a private non-profit initiative that aims to
counter negativism and hopelessness, not by parodying a gospel or
message, but by bringing to public consciousness the reality that
there is good and galing in our midst. There are Galing Pilipino
achievements that began as "only-in-the-Philippines" or "made-in-the-
Philippines" and ended up doing a world of good. There are Galing
Pilipino solutions that have defied odds and created or invented a
new way of configuring or doing things. And for that, I am grateful
I was born Pilipino.
There are a lot of things about our country we should be
thankful for. Our 1896 revolution inspired Mahatma Gandhi to obtain
full independence from Britain for India and for Ho Chi Minh to free
Vietnam from French rule. The Eighth Wonder of the World, our very
own Banaue Rice Terraces, is unique among the rest of the world's
wonders in that it is the only one built by freemen, not slaves or
conscripted army men or coerced citizens. That was kusang-loob that
is kusang galing!
Philippine flora and fauna boast of the richest biodiversity in
the world. Throw a seed on Philippine soil and (almost) tomorrow,
you have a tree. Try this: There's a tuna highway in the world.
That's the spawning ground for tuna which is 5 degrees North and
South of the Equator. We are blessed to be in that geo map. The
Philippines is the no. 2 tuna catching nation in the world and no. 5
in canning. GenSan businessman Rodrigo Rivera leads the business not
just here in the Philippines but also in Papua New Guinea. And he
started as a low-level rank and file employee. That's sipag and
tiyaga – galing na magiting!
How true is it that we have one of the richest gold deposits in
the world? How true is it that NASA satellite maps show our gold
ore deposits all over the archipelago? Mindoro (a.k.a. Mina de Oro)
and Cagayan de Oro are not named as such for no good reason. How
true is it that every day that the world turns, three meters of
heavy hydrogen (deuterium) moves and drops into ocean trenches, the
deepest of which is the Philippine Deep? If Russia is utilizing this
energy resource from the Russian Trench to energize provinces and
propel their space program, if Mercedez Benz has been selling
hydrogen-powered cars, couldn't it just be possible we tap on this
jewel in darkness as well? All of these are an emphatic statement of
potential sources of wealth for our nation. That prospect alone
gives us reason to be thankful and hopeful. That's right on galing
with the Thanksgiving Day spirit.
So what is keeping us from enjoying the fullness of these
gifts? As my good friend Bobby Lagman would say, our land is indeed
the "Lupang Hinirang" – a chosen land, and our people, Pili-
pino. `Pili' denotes chosen and `pino' means refined. No small
wonder therefore why, as a people and as a nation, we are being
tried and tested, sifted and shoveled, chiseled and pounded. "To
whom much is given, much is required". It's going to take a lot to
handle what's coming our way. Perhaps we are not being given the
green light from above because we are not yet ready to handle the
blessing – to steward the wealth and be God's channel of blessing.
To appreciate blessings and pass them on – that's Galing
Thanksgiving!
How can we do this? Maybe all it takes is an attitude of
gratefulness, both for the big things and the little things. Or
maybe it takes faith. Faith that with our giving, more will be
coming, to keep us giving. That's the virtue cycle we can put in
force today. It depends on what you and I do after you're through
with this article.
If you think we're just blabbering, think again. We know
of `Galing Pilipinos', individuals doing ordinary things in an
extraordinary way, because we meet them everyday – and because we
purposively search for them.
Just recently, we encountered some of them when we held our 2nd
Galing Pilipino Young Leaders Camp at Hotel La Corona de Pagsanjan.
We gathered fifty (50) of the best students from participating
Manila schools for three days of leadership and teambuilding
workshops that will equip them with the vision and skills to
organize community development programs. Adamson University, Asia
Pacific College, College of the Holy Spirit, De La Salle University,
Far Eastern University, Manila Waldorf School; New Era University,
Polytechnic University of the Philippines, San Beda College,
Technological Institute of the Philippines, University of Asia and
the Pacific, and the University of the Philippines sent their
delegates. We also reached beyond Manila, and invited students from
our partner schools such as Baliuag University in Bulacan; Christian
Values School in Cavite; Joseph & Mary Academy in Laguna; Sunrise
Christian College in Butuan City and University of San Carlos in
Cebu. In the camp, we met young leaders who not only have the best
of minds, but also and more importantly, the sincerest hearts to do
something for their country and for their fellow Filipinos.
We also saw firsthand that "bayanihan" is still very much alive
in the country. Many of the resources and facilities we needed were
provided by GPM partner organizations. The SOS Children's Village in
Lipa City served as our home for day 1 of the camp. Victoria Court
Group's Hotel La Corona de Pagsanjan provided the accommodations,
workshop venue and rope courses pro bono. Chowking provided free
meals for the entire duration of camp activities. The city
governments of Marikina and Makati and Jasper Jean Transport Service
provided vehicles to bus the campers from Manila to Lipa City to
Pagsanjan and back to Manila. Acts of benevolence by these
organizations are truly admirable and noteworthy as they have not
required reciprocal business and mandatory PR values from GPM.
Against the backdrop of frustration, cynicism and hopelessness,
GPM challenges all of us – every Filipino – to be proactive and be
the best he or she can be, knowing that he or she has the power to
make the needed changes.
For the sake of Thanksgiving Day, why not give complaining
tendencies, cynical predilections and sarcastic snides the cold
turkey treatment? Let's focus on the good and galing in those around
us. And say it. Express it. Live it.
Let's celebrate Thanksgiving Day the Galing Pilipino Way. Let's
be givers and bless-ers. It gets easier with practice and constant
application. It begins in the heart – with that attitude called
gratitude.
From my heart to yours, thanks for taking time to read this
column. I've been blessed. Mabuhay!
---------------------------------
The author is Marketing Professor at the De La Salle Professional
Schools, Inc. Graduate School of Business, and President of the
Galing Pilipino Movement (GPM). For comments, e-mail
erly.deguzman@galingpilipino.com. For further information about GPM,
call 631.3932, fax. 633 1089 or visit
http://www.galingpilipino.com.
posted by shy @ 4:02 PM
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