Finding Inspiration

Finding Inspiration and Courage in the Developing World

When traveling, usually against my better judgment, I try the local hooch. In Infanta — a small town in the Philippine province of Quezon — that thirst quencher is lambanog. And on a Saturday night in the rain in August, my new friends and I raised a glass of it to my new goddaughter Lexi, while a local karaoke band belted out songs like Abba’s “Dancing Queen.”

It was in a word, perfect.

The road to Infanta Quezon is long - literally and figuratively.  Getting there, a fishing town on the pacific side of the main island of the Philippines, requires a 4–5-hour drive from the capital city, navigating both Manila’s gridlock of humanity, as well a steep mountain range.    

While Manila is booming and modern, Infanta is rural and simple.  Fishing and agriculture dominate the local economy, both practiced at a scale that’s advanced very little over the years.  Nowhere is this clearer than the Infanta Fishing Port, where fish is sold in plastic buckets, and where the entire port celebrates the return of a successful catch.

I’d come to celebrate Lexi’s christening.  Lexi is the 2-year-old daughter of Lord Arnel “LA” Ruanto, the town’s Vice Mayor, and my mentee through the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative.

Infanta isn’t a place frequented by guys like me, and LA rolled out the red carpet. Banners announcing my visit (and that of fellow ACYPL’er Numan Afifi of Malaysia) dotted street corners.  The attention is weird, but this day wasn’t about me:  I was there because my visit, on many levels, was important to LA.

But truthfully, I was also there for me.  Spending time around young leaders in the developing world is inspiring.  The word courage gets tossed around a lot in America, and 99% of the time the descriptor is total bullshit.  You want courage?  My friend on this trip, Numan Afifi is an openly gay man fighting for human rights in Malaysia, where the very act of being himself is illegal.  Or LA, who works to disrupt the political system in a country known for political violence.  That’s courage.  Selfishly, helping and spending time around leaders like them renews my own purpose.

I dreamed of being a diplomat when I was younger, and while that dream has passed, these trips are my chance to do what I love:  testify to the decency of our nation, and the values underpinning it.  I truly believe on her best day, America is both a source of goodness in the world, and an inspiration for those striving in to improve their own country.  I love trying to be an example of both in conversations with young people around the world, as well as shine a small light on their work.

The challenges in The Philippines are overwhelming, yet it’s home to a truly warm, joyful, and resilient people.  Our countries have real shared history - a history that plays out in how Americans are welcomed there.  And on that Saturday night, with the lambanog flowing and everyone saying how lucky the town was for my visit, I stood there knowing the real truth: I’m the one who received the gift. 

This was the third out of three pieces I wrote about my August 2022 trip to The Philippines.  If you are interested, here are the other two:

The Queen Margarette:http://steveschale.squarespace.com/blog/2022/9/12/the-queen-margarette.html

Golf in The Philippines -- and Meeting Ruthie:  http://steveschale.squarespace.com/blog/2022/9/5/golf-in-the-philippines-and-meeting-ruthie.html

This piece appeared in the fall edition of Influence Magazine.  You can read it in its original form here:  https://issuu.com/influenceflorida/docs/influence_fall22/65

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