So yes, the Philippines has been shaken—by corruption, by calamity, by injustice. But we are not broken. We are a nation of storytellers, of dreamers, of fighters. And our story is still being written—not in the ink of despair, but in the bold strokes of hope.
Alexander Pope wrote An Essay on Man: Epistle 1 and there lies that phrase Hope Springs Eternal, and yes, that old ballad from the Survivors “Ever Since the Worl Began” where we have these lines :
“And even though the seasons change
The reasons shall remain the same
It’s love that keeps us
holding on
Till we can see the sun again”
After Opong, there came the 6.7 Earthquake and now another Typhoon is inching closer all these while we unmasks and uncover the Gargantuan Corruption that overwhelmingly encompasses any structure built by that agency which we cannot name without feeling revolting. Is there hope?
Hope in the Philippines is not a passive wish. It is an active force. It is the mother who rebuilds her sari-sari store after a typhoon washes it away. It is the student who studies by candlelight after an earthquake knocks out the power. It is the community that bands together, not just to survive, but to thrive.
Hope is a bit elusive nowadays, as problems natural and man-made came crashing in, we look up for inspiration. As the inspiration is not here anymore. We are sad and yet we cannot help but wish that hope is still within reach. And that as Alexander Pope said Hope Springs Eternal!
