Manila: Can you hear us?

I saw an article today about artists helping to clean the smog out of Manila by using air purifying paint in highway murals and thought about this time in my life.

I had quit my corporate job to be a writer. Once a collector called me from a major credit card company. I asked him where he was calling from. The collector said, "Manila."

I had just joined the revolution and was keen to follow the Occupy Movement and the first words out of my mouth were something like, " I believe the American credit card companies are responsible for the enslavement and degradation of our society and I am through with them, but I don't blame you."

I then proceeded to tell him that I understood he was just doing a job to feed his family and I respect that. Then I told him that I had been to Manila once and I found people to be very cautiously friendly and rightfully so. I also told him I knew they were suffering and that even though Americans for him just stood for a voice on the other end of the line dodging questions... there were people who really knew what was happening to their city and country.

Manila was full of shanty towns - true, but oh so much more. Like smiling faces and warm greetings and dancing and singing karaoke to your hearts content and cold San Miguel Beer.

I told him not to worry. There were people out there in the world who wanted to help them. The light-workers...the poets, the prophets, the sages were uniting!

I remember the kindness in his voice when he said, "I wish there were more people in the world like you."

I told him... there are many.

street-artists-join-the-war-on-manila-smog  ------click here for a fore mentioned article------

Photos by Eric Vladimir De Leon w/ me in Manila -2008