Nothing is impossible if we unite for our country
What can we learn from the current world situation for the Philippines?
We can learn about survival from countries like Iran and Cuba. While it’s always militarily advantageous and provides a political safety net to be a nuclear power like Russia, China, or North Korea, it also requires the will to suffer. But if that will is there, then miracles are possible, like David versus Goliath. Iran is a case in point, increasingly dictating peace negotiations with the “superpower” United States.
It’s not just cynics who are now saying that Iran has essentially won the war against the US and emerged stronger than before. Looking at its current position, one can certainly agree. US President Donald Trump must put the unpopular and expensive war behind him before the US midterms, otherwise he will become the proverbial “lame duck” for his last two years in office.
But someone who has nothing to lose can become very dangerous. Even the Cubans, in their tragic, externally imposed situation, have proven through cunning and practical resistance that they can survive not only for the last few months but for almost 70 years now.
What did all this mean for the Philippines? What can we learn from it? First, nothing is impossible. A people with a high capacity for suffering can work miracles. However, there is a caveat: if corruption and clans gain the upper hand over patriotism and brotherhood, then fairy tales come to an end.
At the moment, this “unity” reminds me more of the deeply divided US, split into two hostile camps. But we shouldn’t be concerned with the US; the Philippines should be our only love.
Like many other commentators, I also doubt that the US is still a reliable partner today. Just ask the European Nato members or countries in the Middle East. But sometimes history repeats itself. Tiny Vietnam also triumphed over the US. The US had to flee the country in 1975, much like in Afghanistan in 2021. Small, seemingly weak countries can therefore achieve a great deal if they unite in their resistance, rise above themselves, and reinvent themselves.
Can the Philippines do that? Looking ahead to the 2028 elections, I unfortunately fear the opposite. Albert Einstein once answered the question about the meaning of life with practical philosophy: “A person’s worth is shown by what they give, not by what they can take.”
The revolutionary Che Guevara expressed it this way: “Always be capable of feeling deep within yourself every injustice against everyone, anywhere in the world; then act in fraternal solidarity.” The best thing to do is start with ourselves, right now.
Jürgen Schöfer, Ph.D.,
Biopreparat.Schoefer@gmail.com
