REFLECTIONS
REFLECTIONS : ARE YOU A PEARL ? AUTHOR Teresita Bacani-Oropilla , MD
As a child , I used to hear an uncle sing this song as a lullaby to put my baby sister to sleep .
“ Neath the foaming blue waves , Far off in the eastern seas , Bloom the isles that saw my birth , Where grew palms and bamboo trees . Where mayas gay sing songs , The gives joy to my breast , ‘ Tis the land I love , The land I ever loved the best .” -An old Filipino song
Now , in my old age , a song such as this awakens memories and the only possible response is love .
In their lifetime , most naturalized American citizens do not cut off relationships with their native lands where elderly parents , siblings , children and other relatives still abide . Instead , they have made the world their oyster . While giving back , they thrive on the abundance , love and security of both cultures .
Like a nidus slowly being coated by a lustrous substance , they gradually change identities and become pearls of great value . People do take on a new identity that embrace their own and varied cultures as they begin to know more about themselves and others .
With increasing interest in one ’ s own roots , we are tracing our origins as far back as we can by family lore , old records of births , baptisms , changes of abodes and DNA testing . Definitely , past patterns of migration , a country ’ s history of discovery , of riches
and usable goods that can be plundered or sold , commercial gains , colonization , subjugation and travel all play a role in the mixing of the races .
Consider the case of a modern family in the Philippines with original Malayan roots . History shows they were a literate society , brown skinned , straight haired , and fun-loving , and in friendly contact with the neighboring countries to their south . One should not wonder then , how a family in modern times can produce among its members a daughter or son with lighter skin , curved eyelashes , taller than other siblings , with a more prominent nose .
Ancestry . com when consulted reveals Portuguese / Spanish genes . No doubt these have been passed on as remnants of the discovery of the Philippines in 1521 by the Spaniard Magellan , then the consequent colonization by priests , soldiers and entrepreneurs .
Any other aberrations might be attributed to the Arabs , or merchants from India , or Chinese traders who plied the southern Philippines and left not only their genes but some of their language , customs and religions behind .
If these happenings occurred in the eastern part of the world , so must it also in the rest of our inhabited earth i . e ., in the West , North and South .
Are we then all related to one another , just plain people carrying residual genes of similar ancestors in our collective earth ? Are we all trying to make this world our oyster ?
Are we pearls of great value ? What think you ?
Dr . Bacani-Oropilla is a retired pediatrician and child psychiatrist .
APRIL 2021 27