Am I Crazy?

Everyday, I follow events that occur in the Philippines mainly through the online editions of various newspapers as well as a few favorite blogs.

Everyday, from my perch in the Oklahoma panhandle, I get the sense that I am about to descend into an environment that is humid and hot and dusty and unsafe. Why then should I bring my four young daughters into this maelstrom?

Because the Philippines is my true home. It is where my parents live and it is where my brothers and sister still reside. I strongly desire for my children to develop a close relationship with their kin before it becomes too late and they become permanently deprived of an opportunity that I feel made me become what I am.

I leave my Oklahoma exile at the peak of my medical practice. While most of my fellow Filipinos who remain in the Philippines would likely exchange places with me, my wife and I have made a decision to return to our Philippines on our own terms.

We cannot default on our responsibility to contribute to the country that nurtured us. We feel that we cannot leave our country at the mercy of all these traditional politicians. How can we complain if we don't enter the arena? What example would we be setting if we simply chose to selfishly continue our sheltered and prosperous lives?