Makakalikasan & a Lesson from Mt. Mayon
Seeing the good.
During all my time in the Philippines, in Manila, Batangas and Albay, I was surrounded by things of beauty. While it is obvious beauty is there in the blue-green waters off Batangas and the lush landscape of the nearby Quintiday Hills of Albay, one might wonder where beauty is found in the concrete jungle of Manila. Surrounded by skycrapers and traffic that bustles seemingly without rhyme or reason, Manila could easily be dismissed as a place of natural beauty. But beauty is there when you look for it. In fact, many of the pictures of flowers that I took on my trip were taken in Manila. Flowers grew in unexpected places like cracks in the road, little pots on balconies crowded by laundry, and in containers of all sorts sitting in doorways and windows everywhere. It was a small reminder that when you are looking for beauty and good, you will find it.
Mt. Mayon
Perhaps that beauty is what Mt. Mayon is looking for. Local stories say that Mt. Mayon is named after a local princess, Daragang Magayon (Beautiful Maiden), and that if she is covered by clouds it is her lover, Ulap, hiding her in order to protect her from those with bad intentions. So if Mt. Mayon reveals herself to you upon your arrival, it means you have a good, pure heart. If there is no cloud cover and you can see the peak of Mt. Mayon, rest assured that Mayon has judged you to have inner beauty.
I think about that often in terms of global education: how we perceive others and how they perceive us in turn. One of the key components of global education is to study diverse perspectives so that we can see the value in diversity. Looking at other perspectives and world views builds our capacity to understand and appreciate differences. Through this we are able to consider global problems and behaviors from multiple points of view as well as gain a deeper understanding of our own beliefs, thoughts, and actions.
Makakalikasan - Stewards of the Earth
We can can look at the Filipino core value of Makakalikasan as an example of how to consider and approach global problems. Makakalikasan is the belief that we should care for our environment and utilize resources wisely, judiciously, and economically. I saw this value put into practice the first day I stepped into the 12th grade English classroom. Students had prepared presentations about world literature in which they informed us about a specific country's literary contributions. Looking at the scoring rubric, I saw much of the standard criteria, but there was one thing that caught my eye. Ma'am Lalaine, my
cooperating teacher, had also included a score for incorporating recycled materials. Instead of going out and buying new to set the stage for their presentations, students were encouraged to make use of what they already had. I was so impressed with their creativity and resourcefulness. There were Chinese lanterns made out of paper, books made out of cardboard, and backdrops made from upcycled curtains. It was great to see Makakalikasan in practice.
Outside of classroom walls, one can how Makakalikasan is incorporated into the
economy. The Philippine's use of ecotoursim showcases this. On our rest weekend in Batangas, we had the chance to go snorkeling. The water was beautiful: clear and teaming with coral and fish. Our adventures in Albay were also based on Ecotourism. We hiked up the Quintiday Hills, made pottery from the region's clay at PhilCeramics, and rode ATV's through Mt. Mayon's river valley all while respecting the environment that surrounded us. It was a wonderful way to see the transfer of Filipino core values from the classroom to the community. It was watching core values in action.
Global Leadership - Being the Good.
Our actions show the world who were are, and being a global citizen means that our actions should show the world that we value skills like understanding global issues, valuing differences, self-awareness, curiosity, and empathy. As global citizens we are called to action. When we move into action, we become leaders. And that means. transforming the competencies of global citizenship into action as well.
Let's look at the skill of empathy. Empathy by itself is a valuable skill to have. It enables us to make connections with people and look at situations through others' eyes. But what do we do with what we see? That is where compassion comes in. It is often said that compassion is empathy in action. The site Center for Compassionate Leaders has a great blog post series on how empathy transforms into compassion and what compassion looks like from a leadership perspective.
Two organizations stood out during my travels as those who put empathy into action. The first is the AHA Learning Center. I previously wrote about them and the great work they are doing providing education and life skills to those who are economically disadvantaged. Another organization is the Chosen Children Village. Their mission is to provide a home and education for those with developmental disabilities of all ages. Some of the residents had been abandoned or were unable to be cared for by their families. On our visit there, we met with some of the residents and employees, had lunch and were treated to a talent showcase by the residents. It was great to see the welcoming and family spirit of the community there. Their mission is rooted in compassion.
When we take the time to put perspective into practice, we make change. Whether it is through small efforts like cleaning up our communities and reducing waste or large organizations that fill a need in the community, life is better when go beyond seeing the good to being the good.
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