THE WORLDS CULTURE OF LOVE

To be able to love others cultures, one must first love his own.
The Philippines is a country that has been under the hands of colonizers for
several years and it is because of this fact that we seem to have lost ourselves during
the process. We were Spanish, we were American, we were Japanese, we were all
these yet we are none of these. We look different from each other, we have different
skin tones, we speak different dialects, we wear different clothes, we have different
beliefs, we practice different traditions, and we worship different gods. We are many, yet
we are one. This is our culture, a culture of diversityand that itself is our identity. We
are called Filipinos, this is who we are.
Knowing ourselves was a difficult process, and at some point in our history,
having our own identity seemed to be an elusive dream. We were successively under
foreign rule for more than three centuries and when these colonizers gave us
independence, we were left asking ourselves who we are, we kept wondering what we
are. We didnt know what our culture really was. Culture is a way of life, but what way of
life did we have? We kept looking for ourselves only to realize that we must stop
searching because only when we stop searching do we truly find our self. Its called
acceptance. And through this acceptance, we were able to love ourselves despite all the
differences. We were able to bridge the distance between thousands of islands and
reach out to each other. We help each other despite the difference in skin tone,
language, clothing, beliefs, and even religion. We call this part of our culture as
Bayanihan; it cannot be translated into a specific word in other languages, because it
is uniquely ours. It refers to the spirit of communal unity and cooperation. Through
Bayanihan, we set aside our differences and work together to achieve one goal. We do
this for everyone, not just for Filipinos. It is a part of our culture that cuts across races
and transcends borders. If only the whole world starts practicing this, we will all live in a
better place.
Acknowledgement and respectthese words are the key to opening the door to
a better and peaceful environment. There are a lot of varying, and at times,
contradicting cultures and traditions in all parts of the world. More often than not, these
differences are the roots of conflict among nations. Conflict that when not given
attention escalates into a destructive and traumatic war. In order to prevent this from
happening, the world first needs acknowledgement, we need to accept the fact that we
all have our different culture, similar to the way we all have our favorite colors and our
favorite food, and it is something subjective. It is something that we are entitled to have
even without the permission of others. Second, the world must have respect. Respect
for rights, beliefs, tradition, religion, and even history. Respect for each other. The time

when everybody learns how to acknowledge and respect each other will be the time
when the world will know love and peace.
Developing acknowledgement and respect is no easy feat, gaining love and
peace on the other hand, is an even more difficult goal at present. Difficult, but possible.
The youth is a big help in the fulfillment of this dream. According to Jose P. Rizal, our
very own national hero, The youth is the hope of our nation, and now, to make it better
and more fitting, it is proper to say that the youth is the hope of this world, our world.
What the youth can do is to start from himself, for his own country, his own
culture. As others would often say, you cannot give what you do not have, to give
acknowledgement and respect, you must first have it. The youth must first be proud of
their cultural heritage; they must be the first ones to promote and show it others,
because to be able to love others cultures, one must first love his own.