I was channel-surfing the other day and I saw again that new Johnny Delgado ad. I first saw it a week ago (channel-surfing again, I need virtual board shorts) and I was moved by the sentiment it imparted.

It is a very simple and straightforward commercial. Mr. Delgado sitting in the backseat of a taxi, contemplating on how Filipino's act when they're in a foreign country as opposed to how they act here in the Philippines. He said something like: (Me Paraphrasing horribly)

"Bakit ganun tayong mga pinoy? Kapag nasa ibang bansa tayo, masunurin tayo sa batas at marespeto sa ibang tao. Hindi tayo umiihi sa kalye at nagtatapon ng basura kung saan saan. Kaya naman pala natin eh, Bakit pag andito tayo sa sarili nating bayan, hindi natin ginagawa." (Why are we Filipinos like that? When we are in a foreign country, we follow rules and we respect other people. We don't urinate in public and we don't litter. How come we don't behave like that in our own country)

It's a sad sentiment but true nonetheless. The closest I could come to an analogy is being a teenager and visiting a friend's house. We were always on our best behavior, prim and proper, when we stayed at a friend's house (especially when their parents are there) but in our own house we were the biggest slobs (or I was at least).

Too much of anything is bad.

Rules, both legislated laws and unspoken rules of propriety, are there for a reason. They keep things in order and make sure we act like decent human beings. However, We can't be unquestioningly obedient and perpetually well-mannered (unless we're programmed like that), its just not human nature. Too much of anything...

On the other side of the spectrum, We need to be true to ourselves. Home offers a certain amount of comfort and security where we could let our guard down and be ourselves.. this is a good thing. The freedom to be who we are and do what we want to do is what democracy is all about, but not to the point of public urination. Too much of anything...

I feel like I'm making an essay for a Social Studies class... oh well.

Labels: blah (3x), filipinowledge, i-rate, pseudo-serious