A Semi-Lucid Colleague's Take on Civilized
Living.
As witnessed by Jim L.
Before proceeding with this story I may need to clarify certain things. If you are not from the Philippines or are not familiar with life in third world countries like the Philippines, click here before continuing. If you are from the Philippines or are familiar with life in the Philippines, read on.
The Bar
One evening after a round of golf at the country club, our foursome retired to the bar to
sample a bottle of single malt. After about an hour of typical post-round conversation it
suddenly dawned on us that all four of us had, at one time or another, lived in the United
States for an extended period of time (anywhere from 3 to 9 years).
America!
We reminisced about life in America and looked back fondly on our experiences there. We
all agreed that America was and is a great place to call home. Which begged the question:
what were we doing here? While countless people are trying to get into America, we chose
to leave and settle in the Philippines. Why would someone living in the world's most
prosperous nation with a standard of living reflective of that fact, move to the filthy,
congested, polluted, broken down, poverty-wracked cesspool that is Manila?
Each one of us had a reason for moving back - family, friends, home, etc. The single malt-fueled discussions were becoming quite animated. Still no one could quite put a finger on why life in the third world would be preferable to life in America. Suddenly, one of our colleagues whom we thought was well on his way to an inebriated stupor, came out of his semi-lucid state and declared that he knew why life here was better.
Trash
"Take a look around you." he said, gesturing to the waterfall that emptied into
the lake straddling the18th fairway, which was now bathed in lights. "It is 10
o'clock in the evening and we are sitting in pleasant surroundings enjoying fine scotch
and equally fine conversation.". " If we were in America ", he continued
"we would be taking out the trash right about now; or worse, listening to our wives
telling us to take out the trash". We pondered that thought for a moment.
He then intoned, "By 10 in the evening we would have cooked, done the dishes, done the laundry, paid a few bills and be getting ready to rest so we could start the same routine the next day. Over here, you don't worry about things like that."
Home
My now lucid friend had hit his stride. "Life in the States is great but it comes
with a price. It's like being in a treadmill. You need to do everything yourself.".
He then focused on what was left of the day. "As soon as you get home tonight, all
you need to do is sit down at the dinner table and the food will come walking to you. When
you are done, what's left of it will walk right back into the kitchen. Your most pressing
decision will be which television channel will lull you to sleep tonight."
"When you wake up tomorrow, your coffee and breakfast will be ready beside the morning paper. Your clothes will be pressed and hanging within easy reach, your driver will be waiting to take you to work in your car that's already been cleaned and filled with gas. Let's face it, we chose to live here for the simple reason that life here is more civilized."
With that, the last shot of single malt was history.
A quick treatise on the Filipino social structure.
Hello. This is for the benefit of readers that may be unfamiliar with certain third world realities. This section will hopefully provide a reference point that will help you put this story in perspective. The Philippines is still a developing country therefore too many of its citizens are poverty stricken and/or semi-illiterate. In general, Filipinos are devout catholics and as a result, many consider birth control a sin. This guarantees that the ranks of the poor and uneducated will continue to grow unabated. This is a key ingredient in a social structure wherein labor is cheap and menial jobs are plentiful.
Jobs are created where none are required. For example, if one goes to a local driving range you will see children teeing up golf balls so that people using the driving range don't need to stoop down to put a ball in place.
That is why many Filipino households have live-in staff that are on 24 hour call. It is not inconceivable for people living in 2 bedroom apartments to have cooks, maids, and chauffeurs.