Admirable Men

At certain points in our lives, we get to admire some famous personality — sports heroes, entertainment and media people, and others who hog the limelight day in and day out.  Some, if not most of them, are people who are so sure of themselves that they come across as possessing egos bigger than their houses or ranches, maybe.  Some of them, though, are on the opposite side of the spectrum.  There are a number of popular figures who have remained humble despite their enormous success and fame.  To this category belongs two men I currently admire — Manny Pacquiao and Arnel Pineda.

Manny Pacquiao does not need any introduction, except, of course, if you’ve been living in a place deprived of access to sports news.  The 5-foot-6-inch tall Filipino has conquered fans from every corner of the world, including those from his favorite punching foes’ place of origin, i.e., Mexico.  What’s admirable about Pacquiao is his humble disposition.  His opponents and their trainers have hurled insults at him, left, right and center.  It is amazing that he never retaliated against any of them in any way.  He just let his fists do the talking or his esteemed trainer, Freddie Roach, do it for him.  But, Manny doesn’t do it himself.  Pre-game media hype would always feature him as declaring what his strengths are and that he cannot, in anyway, underestimate his opponent.  What an example of humility despite success and millions of dollars to boot.

Arnel Pineda.  Rock music enthusiasts know him by now, especially the melodic rock lovers, or the genre is also known as AOR or adult-oriented rock, meaning, rock music with melody and sense.  Who wouldn’t after his much-publicized Cinderella story care of Youtube.com.  A perfect success, rags-to-riches story in our internet age.  He was able to resurrect a thirty-something year old American band.  A little Asian guy aiding an aging yet ageless Caucasian band to regain its foothold in the hearts of millions of fans.  Arnel’s first album with Journey, Revelation, has reportedly hit the double-platinum mark.  Not bad for an Asian import whose musical talent and energy are boundless and contagious.  I saw him at a concert once and he’s just amazing.  Like Manny Pacquiao, success has not swelled Arnel’s head, and it looks like, and we hope that it will not.  He has remained humble despite his achievements with Journey.  He continues to see himself just as an ordinary Filipino overseas worker, earning a living for his family and extending his help to less-fortunate youth for he was once a street urchin, sleeping in a Manila Park and doing odd jobs just to earn his keep.

Both Pineda and Pacquiao had humble beginnings — poor, uneducated — yet both have hearts that know how to fight the battles that life offered them early on.  They have minds that taught them never to forget where they were once before, and I think, that’s what keeps their feet on the ground, that’s what makes them  conscious of being “humus” or soil.  Doing so makes them truly human.