Jose Rizal once said that the youth is the hope of the nation. He, I presume, saw idealism and enthusiasm as traits that will free a nation, a character that essentially describes the youth.
Looking at the landscape today, however, wants me to question that view. Perhaps lacking in parental direction, most of our youth would rather be stereotypes than strive to become someone extraordinary. Making a difference threatens most of them because it can make them an outcast. They believe in being a member of a tribe but not on leading it.
During our recent trip to Iloilo I met two young gentlemen who made a severe dent on my view.
A cousin is one of them. Carl, as early as grade school already set a vision for himself. It helped that he had a very good friend who had lofty ambitions but that is, in my view, more a matter of the extraordinary attracting another extraordinary. Indeed, you draw unto yourself all that builds your beliefs.
Carl is the youngest child of my widowed aunt who struggled through every adversity to make sure she sends all her children to good schools. It was this maternal effort that influenced this young man to pursue a vision. And now he is living it.
Rather than seek employment in a 5-star hotel, Carl was intent on making a name for himself as a hotelier. Now a rising star in Iloilo, he together with several partners acquired a 3-storey hotel right in the middle of the city. They are currently renovating it.
Surprisingly, in the midst of the facelift, it is business as usual for them and business has never been brisk. It takes a special hands-on approach in order for people to patronize you while you are busy reconstructing and Carl has that gift. He is essentially an other-oriented person, willing to go the distance to pursue his goals, always accommodating. He is passionate in his beliefs, full of enthusiasm about the future and driven, characters all of one who is a cut above the rest.
He is definitely his mother's son and Iloilo is blessed to have someone like him.
Another is a nephew, Philip. It is easy mistaking him for someone who is happy-go-lucky, a Red Horse drinking buddy even gadget crazy. After all most of those in his age group identify themselves this way.
We had the good fortune to have lunch at their family's seaside restaurant in Dumangas, Iloilo. The superb cuisine there is sure to make this a pilgrimage site for the discriminating foodie. The uninterrupted view of Siete Pecados in Guimaras adds to the pleasant experience of dining.
But what has truly amazed me was that Philip, the owner's son that he is, served us lunch. To translate that: he waited on us. While most would choose bossing themselves around to glaringly show their being heirs to the thrown, Philip chose to personally serve his customers. No pretense, just uninterrupted service with a smile, an honest offering of self.
We had the chance to chat on this attitude during their short stop at our hotel a few days later.
Philip said that it was his father, my first cousin, who mentored them to treasure their family's legacy, a legacy that was born of hard work by those who came before them. While it may be quite far from the city, they all learned to embrace, respect and nurture what is being handed down to them for its significance. The lights in Iloilo maybe be so alluring but it is the family business in Dumangas that shines more brightly for Philip and his siblings. And they are all willing to roll up their sleeves to keep it alive, a trait so missing from most youths of today.
Whenever I find myself in a mall these days, rather than view all the materialistic tendencies of the youth with contempt, I try to think of Carl and Philip. With them and their kind all is not lost. Indeed, this nation will be buoyed by its youth for among them are those who has vision, who believe it and who are willing to make them come true.
Thank you Carl. Thank you Philip.
