PLIANT LIKE THE BAMBOO BY I. V. MALLARI (AN EXCERPT) Image There is a story in Philippine folklore about a mango tree and a bamboo tree. Not being able to agree as to which was the stronger of the two, they called upon the wind to make the decision. The wind blew its hardest. The mango tree stood fast. it would not yield. it knew it was strong and sturdy. It would not sway. It was too proud. It was too sure of itself. But finally, its roots gave way, and it stumbled down. The bamboo tree was wiser. it knew it was not as robust as the mango tree. And so every time the wind blew, it bent its head gracefully. It made loud protestations, but it lets the wind have its way. When finally the wind got tired of blowing, the bamboo tree still stood in all its beauty and grace. ******************************************* The Filipino is like the bamboo tree. He knows that he is not strong enough to resist the vigorous attack of superior forces. So he yields and has survived. This means that the Filipino would accept any kind of life that God would present to him. For this reason, he is contented, happy and at peace. to him, as to that oriental poet, ” the past is already a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision; but today, , well – lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.” The Filipino is very resilient, he has the ability to recover from any obstacle that comes his way. Man – made or natural forces, he emerges triumphantly. He never gives up, no matter how hard life was before and even now… the FILIPINO remains to be PLIANT like the Bamboo.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 07:16:26 +0000
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