It’s still Thanksgiving on the other side of the globe, even if it is already Friday here in the Philippines.
No single country, however, has a monopoly in gratitude, and so for today, for a change, and in defiance of all the toxic things happening in our nation and in the world, we take a moment to acknowledge the things we are grateful for.
We are grateful for the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. We do not know what fate awaits the Middle East in the coming days, but the breather is most welcome especially given the death, destruction and disruption that confront civilians who suffer the most.
Here at home, we are thankful that we are able to pick up from the wrath of nature as seen in the six nearly consecutive storms that came our way. We grieve the lives that were lost, however, and we hope we do right by them by being better able to protect ourselves and our communities in the future.
We are grateful that more Filipinos are attuned to what is happening in our country, intently following the news as it relates to human rights, social justice, and transparency in the use of public funds. This is our shared future, after all, and the people should be vigilant about what their leaders are doing to keep them in check and ensure they do not commit abuses or atrocities.
It is good that another election is coming up in a few months — another chance to make democracy work for our ultimate good.
Given the conveniences offered by technology, it has become so much easier to rely solely on devices. Still, we are thankful that many Filipinos are able to think independently and critically, not immediately believe what they see or read or hear online — and may they increase in the days to come.
Finally, we are grateful that no matter the noise and distraction, we the people remain cognizant of what is more important than theatrics, which is the bigger task of uplifting the lives of Filipinos, and ensuring that the future looks ever brighter than the present.