⌛ Our damaged culture needs urgent repair

I met my wife who is from Mindinao in Manila. She would say we can trust a complete stranger because he was Visayan. As far as I can tell she is perfectly fluent in Tagalog but must have an accent because she always felt she was treated as a second class person in Manila
When we were deciding where to stay permanently it was an absolute necessity that it was Cebuano speaking.

 

Just a further thought. There is an old saying, I think it's Chinese. My brother and I against the town. My town and I against the province. My province and I against the country. My country and I against the world. At least something like that. I think that the provincial and tribal differences are kind of like this and aren't really about hate.

 

United we Stand, Divided we fall!

Like most States, Counties, Province's, Towns, Villages, Barangays, call them what you want. Black, White, Asian, Chinese. We don't always get on BUT as a Country, we WILL come out fighting Together! Whichever County we talk about.


Jack P.

 

Kojak, regarding Filipino’s inherent honesty…I really would like to believe that. I don’t even want to confine it to honesty alone. I would like to extend it to being inherently honorable. I am neither young nor old, and I was raised in a family that upheld principles above anything else (certainly above monetary gain).

With the decades of hardship that Filipinos have had to endure, much of that trait has been eroded. And, lamentably, it is a slippery slope. I hope to see the day when traditional virtues are restored, and doubtless, countless others feel the same, but it will be a very arduous climb.

 

In a previous post, I mentioned that in my younger years, I reacted differently to different accents. It was instinctive…Filipino social circles, although big in size, in my time, did not do much mingling with other circles. It is reflected in where we live and where we go to school. And, in our communities and schools, the social groupings are usually quickly established.

Like I’ve intimated before, the diversity in dialect has something to do with it. Even if you do understand the next province’s dialect, there are so many nuances that you think you might be missing, thereby making you cautious.

 

I am sure that we all feel this about all our Countries. I know we are talking about the PI in this thread but it is worth a note that this issue is world wide. Respect has gone out of the window. I use the word Respect because no matter what we call it, Virtues, Culture, Tradition it all boils down to the same thing, Respect. You are so right about this.


Jack P.

 

Well I'm glad that we've sent all of our 3 kids to a school here, that still teaches the 3 "Rs" then.
Not the usual 'Reading/'Riting/'Rithmatic' either, but 3 values/traditions/culture that most people seem to have forgotten nowadays: -
1) Self RESPECT, 2) RESPECT for others and 3) taking RESPONSIBILITY for one's own actions.
Thankfully, there's at least one educational establishment still left in this town, that still sets it's priorities in a traditional, if not, an old fashioned way.

 

The Filipino culture question certainly had my attention…it’s not an easy question to ask of any nationality, but I am up for the challenge.

Filipino culture, being a hybrid of East and West, is a study in contrasts, punctuated by regional differences fostered by its coastal topography. When you peel back the layers of dissimilarities, the Filipino is almost universally:

warm and hospitable
devoted to family
loyal to true friends
passionate about food, song and dance
imbued with religious fervor
capable of remarkable resourcefulness and resilience
apologetic for his/her shortcomings

I am content to be what I am and have no need to shout out that I am proud of the Filipino culture, but I am pleased that I can think of reasons to be.

 

I am certainly no expert in Filipino culture.....nor am I professionally qualified to evaluate other cultures....but like most of you I can not help but note the differences in the local culture and my own..... in some cases it is mystifying..... on one hand a filipino will stop and press the "door close" button on an elevator so you wont have to wait for the timer....in the next instance they will block an entire highway rather than move twenty feet down the road where there is room to enter and exit the pedicab without obstructing...... They will not hurt your feeling by rejecting your invitation and just say "I will try".... yet will laugh at and make fun of some poor uneducated man who is trying to speak English on TV...... They will fight to the verge of murder with someone; then three weeks later be best friends again..... they hate the embarrassment of speaking in public.....but will eagerly sing off key and badly in front of the world..... they can be absolutely brilliant and multi-talented; but unable to chose their daily wardrobe without getting affirmation on their choice from others..... they wont pay attention to the opinions and comments of those close to them; but will worry all night about what strangers are thinking...... they will take a frown or a scowl and create a whole negative melodrama; but if you tell them straight what you think they look for a hidden message; usually negative..... they have difficulty being confrontational but will gossip until the caribou dies of old age

 

I can subscribe to that limited assessment..... while those traits are generally positive.... they sometimes can be carried to an extreme which can cause them to become almost negative.... the last one for example..."Apologetic for his or her shortcomings".... I find that often this manifests itself in almost a total lack of confidence resulting in a lack of willingness to try.... a fear of failure (pride)..... there is an almost paralytic fear of failing....of losing.... to the point some Filipinos will not even try
EVERYONE fails.....failing is not the shame.....not trying is the shame