The MDG summit was a very informational event. I definitely learned a lot from the opening ceremony. It was informational in a way that I suddenly became aware of everything that’s happening around me. Yes, I knew there was poverty. I knew that a lot of kids are working instead of being in school.
Having enough and being in school myself, I tend to be absorbed by everything that’s happening in school and in my own life. I thought that the poor people should be helped by the government but I never took steps to helping them myself. The speeches of Dr. Francis J. Kong and Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson made me realize that there is more to the MDG goals than just paperwork and words. People actually need to work for it and that doesn’t exclude me.
Dr. Kong’s “transformational talk” made me see the real problem of the country. The root cause of everything that’s happening in the country is the “poorness and the smallness of thinking” of the people. It actually “keeps people poor”. Poverty is not only limited to the economic aspect but there is also the “poverty of spirit, discipline, and integrity.”
Dr. Kong also pointed out the mistake of most people. “Very few people invest in the culminating of the mindset.” If the poverty of the mindset is not addressed, people will always be “imprisoned with the smallness of their thinking”.
“I never believed that the Filipino was poor,” Kong said in his speech. “But people are products of choices they make from day-to-day.”
With his speech, I realized that a lot of people lose hope easily. Most of the students sometimes take their education for granted and dodge through school requirements without really learning. He also pointed out that a person’s attitude is more important than his/her skills. A person can achieve a lot from diligence and skill combined than skill alone.
At present, a lot of celebrities are publicly supporting a cause. As a result, a lot of people seem to support causes because it’s popular or because it’s what celebrities are into. But Kong breaks this “hype” by encouraging everyone “not to take a stand because it’s popular, but because it’s the truth.” This goes to show that the right motives would achieve a lot because you know what you are fighting for. You understand its nature and the urgency of the matter. With that understanding comes hard work and commitment which are important ingredients to success.
The inspirational talk by Dr. Kong was perfectly supplemented by Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s speech that definitely opened my eyes to the shocking truth. The statistics presented was alarming and it’s not dull at all. It made me realize that I didn’t look hard enough and that I need to step out from my comfort zone. Before the summit, I was aware but I didn’t really see. Now I am fully aware and am raring to see more of the world and do as much as I can to help.
I admit that Sen. Lacson’s speech was not as inspiring as Dr. Kong’s. But he presented the stark truth I kept on hiding from. So inspiration plus harsh facts did a lot of good my mindset.
