the political self (understanding self), Slides of Philosophy

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The Political Self

Understanding The Self

Developing a Filipino Identity: Values, Traits, Community and Institutional Factors

• (^) The Filipino culture is a mix of both eastern and western cultures. The beliefs and traditions of pre-colonial Philippines were mainly an indigenous Malay heritage (Baringer, 2006).
• (^) The Malay temperament is a basic factor of a Filipino personality.
• (^) When the Spaniards colonized the islands, the Hispanic culture influenced the natives.
• (^) The Americans shaped the modern Filipino culture, and this is primarily manifested by the widespread use of the English language in the Philippines today. It was from these influences that formed the Filipino character.

Developing a Filipino Identity: Values, Traits, Community and Institutional Factors

• (^) Home environment– Filipino children are taught to value family and give it primary importance.
• (^) Social environment– characterized by depending on one another to survive. This dependence on relationships and the struggle to survival make Filipinos group-oriented.
• (^) Culture and language– depicts openness to foreign elements with no basic consciousness of our cultural core.

Developing a Filipino Identity: Values, Traits, Community and Institutional Factors

• (^) Colonial history– the culprit behind our colonial mentality
• (^) Educational system– Schools are highly authoritarian. Early on, children learn that well-behaved and obedient students are praised and rewarded.
• (^) Religion– taught us optimism and resilience; however, it also instilled in us a fatalistic attitude.
• (^) Economic environment– The hard life drove Filipinos to work hard and take risks, such as leaving our families to work abroad.

Strengths of the Filipino Character The Filipino traits listed here is certainly not exhaustive, but these are mostly what we have in common. The strong aspects of the Filipino character are:

1. Pakikipagkapwa-tao 6. Faith and religiosity
2. Family orientation 7. Ability to survive
3. Joy and humor
4. Flexibility, adaptability, and creativity
5. Hard work and industry

Pakikipagkapwa-tao

• (^) demonstrated in the Filipino's openness, helpfulness, and generosity
• (^) Bayanihan or mutual assistance
• (^) The famous Filipino hospitality

Joy and Humor

• (^) Filipinos are also cheerful and fun-loving.
• (^) Our various fiestas and social gatherings demonstrate the Filipino joy and humor.
• (^) We can laugh at those we love and hate, and we can make jokes about our good or bad fortune.

Flexibility, Adaptability, and Creativity

• (^) Filipinos are tremendous in adjusting and adapting to any circumstances.
• (^) We can improvise and make use of whatever is at hand to create and produce.

Faith and Religiosity

• (^) Can be related to our bahala na mindset.
• (^) For Filipinos the bahala na attitude could serve as a "kickstarter" or a "pampalakas loob" to move him or her into action.
• (^) The Filipino version of the famous line "Hakuna Matata," meaning no worries.
• (^) The phrase is said to have originated from "Bathala na," where Bathala means God, and the phrase meaning leaving everything into God's hands.

Ability to Survive

• (^) The salawikain or proverb "matutong mamaluktot habang maikli ang kumot" aptly depicts our survival instinct.
• (^) We can endure, make do, and get by on so little while looking forward to the coming of better days.
• (^) This trait is the reason why Filipinos continue to carry on even through our harsh economic and social circumstances.

Extreme Personalism

• (^) Licuanan noted that Filipinos function in the world by personally relating to things, events, and people.
• (^) We find it difficult to separate objective tasks from emotional involvement.
• (^) This is where palakasan system springs from.
• (^) Extreme personalism is another elements that has led to the prevalence of graft and corruption in the country.

Extreme Family-Centeredness

• (^) Family is valued above anything and everyone else. Thus, concern for the rest of the community and for the common good is less important.

Passivity and Lack of Initiative

• (^) Filipinos have a very high respect for authority.
• (^) For instance, there is a strong reliance on leaders and the government to solve the nation's problems, but ordinarily, Filipinos also do not feel the need to initiate or contribute to the solution.

Colonial Mentality

• (^) Generally, Filipinos love anything foreign.
• (^) Foreign elements are adapted and incorporated into our image, and in the process, we are also losing our cultural identity.
• (^) Licuanan noted that this colonial mentality is connected to our generate feelings of inferiority, where we think foreigners–especially Westerners, are superior.