Interview with a Filipino Patriot
I met an intellectually active old man who was quite inquisitive of my impression of The Philippines.
Q: If you had one chance to address the Filipino People, the Filipino Nation, from the young to the old, from those in poverty to the elite with political power and wealth, what would you tell them?
A: As a young man in the military I was given survival training. One of the things they taught us was how to catch a monkey. There is nothing special required. You only need one coconut, one banana, and a piece of wire to secure the coconut to a tree. You cut a hole in the coconut just big enough to insert a banana. When a monkey comes along and sees the banana inside the coconut shell he will reach inside and grab the banana, but the monkey will not be able to withdraw his hand while holding the banana. The monkey is trapped because he will not let go of the banana.
Q: And this is the message you would deliver to the Filipino people?
A: Let go of the banana. Let go of the greed.