Skip to main content

What Matters Most?

Image from: baptisthealth.com

Last Sunday while I and my friend were heading home, we saw an old man maybe in his 80's lying on his side by the road. It was scorching hot. We immediately asked him if he was okay. We couldn't understand what he was saying but he just stretched out his hand to signal that he needed assistance. 

So we helped him stand on his feet and gain balance. We then assisted him towards his bike parked a few feet from us. But as he rode his bike and started to pedal, he kept losing balance. He was really trying to push himself. We felt uneasy looking at the situation so we decided to stay and watch him, and we kept asking him if he'll be fine. We stayed until he could steady and was beyond our sight.

Then as we turned at the corner going home, I and my friend looked at each other and we started crying. And we both agreed, it wasn't a feeling of fulfillment for being able to help. It was a complete feeling of pity for all the other older people living alone in Tokyo.

Before we saw that old man, there were a few people who walked past him. I cannot blame them for ignoring. You see, in Japanese society, old people refuse help for some reasons. One, they don't want to burden anybody. For them, it's rude to take somebody's time. Another, they don't want to appear helpless. That is why at first, we had to ask that old  man  if he was fine. 

I had experiences of older people rejecting my offer. So, my Japanese friends would just tell me to let it go, that it's totally fine. But it is so conflicting in my part. It was midday at 30 degrees. How can you just ignore somebody by the road obviously needing help? 

I believe the Filipino society loves our elders. I grew up with my grandma and grandpa and this is common. We are so family oriented that we sometimes choose to have an extended family living in one roof. It is not our obligation to take care of our elders, but it is our way to show respect and honor to them no matter their behavior. 

I cannot just dismiss the family values instilled in me since I was young. Although, we feel so burdened of providing for our family, to us it's rewarding. It makes us more human. To us, our family is our treasure.

This reminds me of this Cebuano proverb, "Bahala'g saging basta labing." which figuratively would mean "Having less won't matter, just as long as we love each other." Literally, "It's alright if we're just eating bananas (our entire lives) as long as we're in love."  

This may be the reason why us Filipinos are complacent. That sometimes we just settle for a life of poverty and mediocrity. But right now I thought, really, before coming to Japan, I was happier despite having less. Actually, the recent happiness index showed that the Japanese are happier than Filipinos. I'm a bit surprised.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am grateful of what I have, the dreams that I have achieved, the financial breakthroughs and all the worthwhile experiences. They are all by God's unending grace. Yet if all these are removed from me, I will be fine. Seriously, I will be fine. I will just go home and eat bananas happily with my family.

P.S

We were not supposed to head that way where the old man was, but my friend forgot something and we took that shorter route.

P.S.S

The old man has that red tag, too.

Click here to know what a red tag is.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Filipino Stores and Restaurants in Tokyo

For somebody who craves for Filipino food and snacks from time to time, here are the stores I frequent to. I can only share a limited perspective but solely based on my experiences. Read on! Filipino Stores 1. Asia Yaosho (Kabukicho, Shinjuku)  While they mostly have Filipino products, they also sell Thai goods. I think their prices are a little lower than the other Filipino stores I've tried. However, they have limited stocks and they often run out of items that I usually need, like Bearbrand. 😁 Credits: This photo is from this website .  2.  Ameyoko Center Underground Marekt (Ueno)   This market is heaven for Southeast Asians. They have a lot of varieties, dry goods, frozen meat, and even fresh seafood. There are also two Filipino stores in the area. They sell more items than Asia Yaosho but they are a bit pricey.  Credits: Photo is from this website. The market is underground. The entrance is on the side of this building at the center of this photo.  3....
Post a Comment
Read more

Seven

Favor! As I was preparing to apply for this job, I felt that certain peace and assurance that this would go well. True enough, I got shortlisted for an interview. But it wasn't only an interview, there was also a written exam and a teaching demo. All happened in one day. Then the waiting starts. Two months to be exact. This position isn't always available. It's uncertain how many teachers the city would accept in a year. And a lot of us would want to get in. The perks and benefits that come along this direct employment are something foreign workers are longing to have. Then they called me and told me I was first on the waitlist. We were all put on the waitlist. I heard there were over a hundred applicants. Less than half got called for an interview. Then about twenty were considered for the position. But it was still uncertain how many of the twenty will successfully sign a contract. Another week passed when I finally received a mail. It was the contract package. Then they ...
Post a Comment
Read more

But Before Summer

Today, I held back my tears as I was watching my student hitting his head while saying, 'Atama ga warui' which literally means 'My head is bad'. The more precise translation would be 'I'm stupid' or 'I'm dumb'. The students were using their school provided tablets to do some listening tasks and yet this particular student was just carelessly tapping the screen, opening random school apps. So I approached him and tried to help him navigate the school portal. And as soon as we could open his digital workbook, I left him so he could find the pages and the audio file on his own. I went around the class to help the other kids. But I would from time to time check on that student at a distance. Then not long, he started hitting his head again and repeatedly telling himself 'I'm dumb'. It was so painful to watch. But then suddenly one classmate sitting next to him stood up and helped him and another one followed. I was moved by such sight.  H...
Post a Comment
Read more