The Filipino

I have heard people compare him to a lowly dandelion, a plant that is considered a weed, a pest and a nuisance in some circles. In other circles this same plant is a green leafy vegetable used to spruce up the appearance and taste of a garden salad. Still some say its brightly colored yellow flowers can be made into good sipping wine.

Upon closer investigation, perhaps the dandelion parallel is appropriate to describe a people that are broadcast and dispersed all over the world. Like the spores of the dandelion that can explode at the wafting of a summer breeze, Filipinos can be found flourishing in every corner of the known world.

Like the dandelion plant that creeps close to the earth for survival even during drought years, the Filipino remains humble in his trade, be it as a medical professional or working as a domestic. Often he will take several smaller temporary jobs rather than go into the welfare line. Like the dandelion that's often trampled underfoot, no amount of socio-economic downturns can discourage the Filipino from giving it a good shot.

Even the deepest root remover cannot completely and successfully eradicate the dandelion. Its tap root runs deep into the ground. This is its secret to survival. In the same sense, Filipino family roots run deep. It's not unusual for Filipinos to trace their kinship all the way to the fifth and seventh degrees.

The Filipino survives because like the dandelion, he is endowed by the Almighty Creator with unequaled resiliency and the will to keep trying.