GRATITUDE.
We may be a Third World country lacking in so many things that First World nations have in abundance. But let it not be said that we lack gratitude.
My own Mom always drilled this into me. Say “Thank you”. As a kid, I heard her tell me this so many times. It almost sounded like nagging when she’d remind, “Say thank you, say thank you…” But I’m glad she did.
A netizen friend and social media advocate, Gang Badoy-Capati, must have had a Mom like mine, because after traveling to the places hit by Super Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Yolanda), Gang posted this picture online.
Her thank you campaign eventually reached the Dept. of Tourism (DoT) which posted this tweet:
Today, Feb. 8, 2014, thank you billboards in different key cities around the world have been unveiled. These cities are:
- Times Square, New York
- Piccadilly Circus, London
- Potsdamer Platz cor. Leipziger Platz, Berlin
- Galeries Lafayette, Paris
- Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo
- ION Orchard, Singapore
- Yonge-Dundas Square, Toronto
- Darlinghurst, Sydney
Here are some of them (I took screenshots from the Twitter account of the DoT, @Tourism PHL).
I just discovered today that another good friend, Jim Paredes, had composed a thank you song. Listen to it. The lyrics and tune are, as always, a beautiful Paredes composition.
And, of course, our very own DoT came out with their own #PHthankyou video:
Rehabilitation efforts are still underway. The job isn’t done yet. It will take years, even decades, to reverse the effects of the super typhoon. But the gratitude we, as a people, feel for those who rushed to our aid in the hardest of times, will always be there.
Are you in any of these cities? Check the #PHthankyou billboard in your city. Take a selfie. Use the hashtag and logo on your social media accounts. Whatever. Let’s all just find time to say thanks to the world today.
This is awesome and really appropriate! Thank you World! 🙂