Thinking versus Believing

Education in the Philippines, especially during the formative years in grade school, has always been and still is mostly about the business of silly believing via silly praying; hardly about intelligent knowing via intelligent thinking for the sake of more and deeper learning as a life time adventure. Indeed, in the Philippines, schools are places where they teach you how to save your silly soul for the glory of Jesus up there. It has nothing to do with how to develop the power of your mind, and how to cultivate the beauty of your heart for the glory of your country down here. If, however, you have desires to learn how to recognize the existence of things that are bigger, taller, and greater than you are - such as your family, your country, and indeed, the whole of humanity - never, but never will you learn them by going school; especially schools own and operated by the Catholic church! There are more than 1,200 of such Catholic schools, colleges, and universities established all over the Philippines - the only Catholic country in Asia. I, myself, some 60 years ago, enrolled at De La Salle university - our learning was mostly about daily praying; specially praying daily to: "St. John Baptist De La Salle, pray for us, and live Jesus in our hearts forever." And also, to faithfully follow what the holy bible says in John 2:15: "Love not the Philippines, neither the things that are in the Philippines. If any Filipino love the Philippines, the love of God is not in him." Thus, the arrest, incarceration, and death by public execution of our Jose Rizal! Finally, happily, and constructively, I got expelled out of high school. Today, in my home library, at 77 years old, I am still learning and educating myself. Especially, by reading so-called "bad books" taught me in school never to read because it might endanger losing my soul. That I will only offend God If I dare to entertain the usefulness of my precious mind to think; especially as a life time adventure! Indeed, that it is sin for me to be aware of the lies and deceptions that's keeping us poor and obedient as a people, and to foreign investors why we must only remain subservient as a nation! Poch Suzara