A Great amd Humble Statesman and Boxer - Manny Pacquiao
Just an excerpt from an article written by Michael D. Sellers
INQUIRER.net First Posted 12:10:00 11/19/2010
"Pacquiao as a sportsman who transcends national boundaries and the niche of boxing, hearing him speak reminds us that while on the one hand what we see in Manny is unique, in another way it is not, because what is on display when Pacquiao speaks is essential Filipino values that typify the elusive best of a country whose people’s humble and gentle virtues are not particularly well understood abroad."
“The truth is, it’s easy for ignorant westerners to under-estimate
and misinterpret the gentle, gracious nature of the Filipino character –
yet somehow Manny Pacquiao is singlehandedly changing that, teaching the world
and reminding the Philippine universe that humility, grace, compassion, and empathy
can coexist with the heart of a warrior.”
The interview finished with Pacquiao saying:
“That’s all I can give. I’m trying to make people happy.”
"For a boxer to say “I want to make people happy” seems overly simplistic on one level
– but when you think of where Pacquiao comes from – not just the Philippines,
but the mean streets of the Philippines, a place of grinding poverty
where there is no escape and where hope is often all but extinguished –
the power to “make people happy”
- is a power that means more than producing a transitory moment of enjoyment.
- It’s an ability to fundamentally alter that state of mind and heart for people
- to lift them up and make them feel that there’s hope,
- and good things are possible in a tough unfriendly world."
"For Manny Pacquiao, to “make people happy” is something
far more profound and meaningful than it would be
if the same statement were coming from an American boxer."
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Author: Michael D. Sellers served at the US Embassy in Manila from 1986-1989. He also made movies in the Philippines from 1990-2000 (Umiyak Pati Langit, Anak Ng Dagat, and Goodbye America). He is married to a Filipina and has been living in Los Angeles since 2000. He is still making movies and misses the Philippines a lot.
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