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The Philippines: Through the Eyes of a Child 

Many years ago a friend of mine told me that you can't put an old head on young shoulders. I used to think that was a pity; now I say - thank God! But I have just found a way to put a young head on old shoulders - thank God again!

I have been reading Ray Bradbury's "Zen and the Art of Writing" - "Every morning I jump out of bed and step on a landmine. The landmine is me. After the explosion, I spend the rest of the day putting the pieces together. Now it's your turn. Jump!"

And, "Zest, Gusto, Curiosity. These are the qualities every writer must have . . . ."

About half way through the book I had a revelation; suddenly I realized why I love this place, the Philippines. It's because here I see everything though the eyes of a child. Others would look at the shanties and call them slums; I see them as through the eyes of a child. Those shanties are amazing; almost magical. There children live in poverty and yet they are happy. They have no toys so they invent them out of sticks or stones as I used to when I was a kid.

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