The news we hear these days make us recall the classic words of Charles Dickens in his tale of Two Cities: “The best and worst of times.”

Shocking news about the Maguindanao massacre of so many innocent people including a high number of journalists, the devastation wrought by three deadly typhoons in just a matter of two months—all these events in this recent period. It’s understandable then that many people are planning to emigrate in search of greener pastures in developed nations, because these tragic stories seem endless, not to mention, in the run-up to the elections this May 2010, the brewing political tension threatening to boil over.

Yet some positive and inspiring news have also offered sparks of hope to our weary nation, rocked by political and natural disasters. Conquering the ring, we have the People’s Champ, Manny Pacquiao, who, with tremendous skills and by his faith and perseverance, now holds a record of seven titles in boxing history. And conquering the streets, Efren Peñaflorida Jr’s heroic struggle in favor of poor street children, has been recognized by the prestigious news network CNN, making him last year's "CNN's hero of the year".

As Filipinos are leaving the country, attracted by the many material rewards and benefits from working abroad, perhaps we should pause for a moment, before giving up on our nation, and really think of what we can do to make our homeland more as we would like it to be. Certainly, we should really thank Overseas Filipino workers as they send green bucks home to their families here, and contribute so much to the economic resiliency of the country in the face of the global financial crisis. But we should now focus on how to really heal a nation lacerated by so many divisions and dismembered by so many gaps - the weak and the poor on one side, the powerful and the rich on the other, or ethnic tribes psychologically and socially antagonistic to one another, if not outrightly at war.

Much can be done. We have seen it happened before. Call it destiny or providence, but the dreadful calamities which have recently befallen us have been the very circumstances that, for a moment, united us once again as a nation, in a moving witness of deep concern for the other, and selfless sacrifice. It was a tragedy that touched us all, somehow, sparing no one, and moving everyone in a concerted action to assist those who were hardest hit. For believers, it was a moment of grace that made us realize and rediscover the great capacity we have to show love and concern for each other.

The reasons for wanting to emigrate to escape poverty and conflict in our underdeveloped nation may be evident. But, given this recent experience showcasing the true Filipino "bayanihan" spirit, shouldn't we also take a moment to reflect on and assess our situation, beyond simply material considerations? It will certainly surprise us to see how, by accepting ourselves as Filipinos and really caring for each other, we can discover new horizons, a vast universe within, so rich and much more exciting than being out there crossing oceans and flying global air lanes from one airport to another or even traveling in outer space.

Efren Peñaflorida Jr. just did what his heart told him, to reach out to poor street children by bringing education through pushcarts, and the world took notice. Efren isn't the only one. We can make a long list of modern heroes just among us and within our reach. It just proves what ancient Greek philosophers affirmed: what is most particular is universal, and what is most universal is particular, especially when accompanied by sincere love.

Thus by being ready to give ourselves for our own countrymen, we will see opportunities unfolding before us, and the need to seek greener pastures elsewhere starts to fade. We have a gold mine right here in our own backyard.

In his acceptance speech at the CNN award, Efren Penaflorida Jr. shared how he felt that the real hero is within each of us and we can do things better by doing them together. We have proved that collective efforts bring real change - like when together we faced an abusive autocratic rule and overthrew this through non-violent means, or when we got waist deep in mud to reach out to and help our typhoon-struck brethren. In this way we discover that going out towards others saves us from that superficial nationalistic or clannish pride that excludes others because, in a sense, we are all children of this earth, and we need other nations and peoples as they need us.

Embracing our own people, and reaching out to others opens up before us a vast universe which becomes more challenging and fulfilling. Then as we do things together, encouraging each other, we may just be surprised to discover that indeed the hero is among us.