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Jeepneys are the most common form of public transportation in the Philippines. Known as the King of the road, jeepneys symbolize Filipino ingenuity.

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I'm not sure if you're a foreigner or a Filipino who happens to live most of his life abroad, because if you are, to follow your "suggestion" of scrapping or dropping out some cultural behaviors would be an anti-thesis to your post of "having colonial mentality" because basically, you are just imposing your "western" point of view.

In any case, I would treat your post as something innocuous and academic.

1. Colonial Mentality. After having been colonized for 333 years by Spain, a couple of years by Japan, and a couple of years more by the US, i'd say this mentality is pretty much ingrained already and probably Filipinos have the Stockholm Syndrome even before it became a concept. But I guess, this is slowly fading, and I mean slowly, with movements calling for #SupportLocal and that sort of stuff. And yeah, we hated Barazza and demanded that our Queens be dressed by local designers. So I guess we're slowly moving away from that mentality.

2. the Mañana habit was actually vilified by the colonizers if I'm not mistaken. Historically, they thought Filipinos were indolent for doing siestas or afternoon naps and thought they were procrastinating. But they failed to realize that Filipinos back then were already working in the field as early as 3 or 4 in the morning. The tropical heat also prevents them from working during midday, so they do siestas instead. Basically, I'm saying the mañana habit isn't as bad as we think they are. Filipinos are hard workers.

3. Crab mentality. I can't say that this is uniquely Filipinos. So yeah. I do not agree.

4. Bahala na Mentality. I don't find anything wrong with this, unless it means mediocrity or that we settle for less. But if it means that after all the efforts exerted, lifting everything to God (or chance) is not something negative. We just believe that there are things that are beyond our control.

5. Filipino Time. Same with Crab mentality. this is not uniquely Filipino. In fact, in Costa Rica, they also have "Tico Time". I bet, most countries have this too. So, it's time to drop the discussion on this.

6. Ningas Cogon. No comment. I don't have any historical or sociological inputs on this.

7. Balikbayan box mentality. there is no such thing. Filipinos just love to give "pasalubongs". Those balikbayan boxes are actually filled with love. in the words of Queen Pia, "I don't see any problem with that at all"

8. Kanya-Kanya Syndrome. I don't think this is entirely true. Filipinos, sociologically speaking, are a cliquish lot. We tend to do things as a group, hence, the "bayanihan". So this is not entirely true. I think we still have a sense of community unlike in the U.S. or other western cultures.

9. Onion-skinned syndrome. Where do you get all these made-up syndromes and mentalities? I never heard of this. I don't think Filipinos are that onion skinned. They may be sensitive the same way other nationalities are sensitive when they felt they're being attacked. So yeah, not uniquely Filipinos.

10. Fiesta Syndrome. Again, never heard of this. But why would you want this scrapped out?

11. Pointing lips. Why what's wrong with this? To drop this just because the "western culture" find this funny is basically your finest example of colonial mentality.

Food For Thought

 

Sen. Trillanes, mahina din pala | Ogie Diaz

Seen Somewhere

 

On Viewpoints and Perspectives

 Thank you guys for your input.  The more we discuss, the clearer our understanding of who we are.  We contradict each other once in a while, but that's the process of having a discussion. 

According to Lifestyle Desk and I quote, "There is no right or wrong, in a discussion only a difference of perspective. In life, we often feel that our point of view is the correct one, and those differing from us do not have the entire picture and, therefore, are wrong. But, can it be that the concept of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ is a sham, and it is always about perspective?  And that two people can have varying points of view, but are both, right?

There was a mystical tale, where two students belonging to a spiritual community get into an argument and seek the intervention of the great master, who tells them they are both right, leading to a massive confusion: how can both be right? So they meet with the great master together to pose the same question again, and he repeats that they are both right.

“The fascinating message of the story is that when we get too fixated on ‘I am right’, it always leads to a fight. We only see things from our point of view. A point of view is always limited, it is never comprehensive. The way I see a room is bound to be different from the way other people see it”.

“Knowledge is a point of view, and wisdom is a viewing point; the ability to see things from many different perspectives. The teacher was operating from wisdom. He was able to see one person’s perspective and also the other person’s perspective. Which is why for him, truly both were right,”.

“To hold on to our point of view is the most stubborn thing. To learn to let it go, and witness different thoughts and different points of view… we can have a true connection and true higher understanding,”

Learning to let go and agreeing to disagree are key to a higher understanding.

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