It must be difficult to be Manny Pacquiao. Think about it. The guy carries the hopes of 95 million Filipinos on his shoulders each time he steps into a boxing ring, and does so with a smile.
One reason he is so inspirational is because he never gave up despite seemingly insurmountable odds.
Boxing scribe Oliver Suarez put it best in an article entitled Manny Pacquiao: The Passion About Pacquiao.
Suarez wrote:"Pacquiao's story of rags to riches gives inspiration to a country whose majority of citizens are in poverty. Here is a story of a young man from a broken home, who sold bread on the streets to help his family. If that was not enough, he grew up in an island where violence is part of everyday life. But with his talent combined with unrivaled determination and work ethic, he was able to overcome all the obstacles thrown at him to become successful. His story is a constant reminder to Filipinos that they control their own destiny no matter what their current status in life is."
Now that the Pound for Pound king has become the Honorable Congressman Pacquiao, his responsibilities have increased exponentially.
While browsing on Facebook recently, I was contacted by a lady from the Philippines. We began to communicate via chat.
She explained that she was from Cebu, and that the school in her town is terribly overcrowded and doesn't have enough money to function properly. She asked if I could speak with Manny Pacquiao and ask him for help on their behalf. She asserted that she was positive that he would provide assistance if only he was informed of the situation.
I had to explain that I don't have access to Pacquiao, but her plea really made me think. Even as a Cebuano, she had great confidence that the congressman of the Sarangani province could help. This is the confidence that Pacquiao's countrymen have in him.
There are a lot of impoverished people in the Philippines, and Manny Pacquiao would probably help all of them if he could, but he can't. It's not possible.
On his own, he could give away every dime he has, and it wouldn't even begin to make a dent in the poverty level of the country, and as a congressman of one small province, his ability to provide assistance to everyone who is in need is limited.
Imagine how difficult it must be for a man like Pacquiao to see people who are in desperate need of help, and having to turn so many of them away.
Arkansas boxer/trainer Stacy Goodson said: "I think [Pacquiao] remembers when he was a dirty faced kid with mixed flip-flops on his feet. He sees himself in those poor Filipinos."
I sincerely believe that Pacquiao has the best interest of the Filipino people in mind, and that is precisely why he entered politics.
It must be difficult to be Manny Pacquiao, and to have to have such a desire to help people, while there is only so much he can do, but he handles his responsibilities very well.
Let the critics and haters say what they will.
The world needs more people with the heart of Congressman Pacquiao.
Source: http://www.examiner.com
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