Honoring the gifts in the filipino psyche
Dennis dela Torre
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Subject: Honoring the gifts in the filipino psyche
The Learning Exchange Series
Monograph 1
An RMY Consultancy Publication
Copyright 2005
Honoring the Gifts in the Filipino Psyche
What is the spirit and soul of the Filipino? What are our gifts? What do we affirm in ourselves? After more than three decades of development work, which meant implementing programs and running workshops for various sectors all over the country, one gains insights into the Filipino psych, his/her soul and spirit. Some of these observations have been derived as well from studies and articles long read, opinions of colleagues long said. Prodded by a consulting colleagues Susan Vidal to write, this article articulates and shares observations that have long simmered. For someone who believes in the collective unconscious – that memories of one’s ancient past remains stored in the psyche and can be quickened to life, here are themes that are observed about the Filipino psyche.
The Filipino is an artist. In ancient past are artifacts of the craftsmanship of the Filipino in gold, jewelry, weaving and tattooing, and the expression through song and dance. The Filipino is a dancer and singer par excellence. I once run a workshop in Jolo. For our merienda break, the participants led us to a spontaneous dance number. In various workshops I have handled, it is so easy to let participants prepare a short skit, play, musical and dance number. In our life, I think we all know someone who is a good singer, or a good dancer. There is a rhythm running through our bodies. In other artistic endeavors, we have our beautiful designs in fashion, jewelry, fine furniture, animation, architecture, and in the visual arts. Such a gift underlies careers in entertainment, in jewelry, and in other design careers. Magaling kumanta, magaling sumayaw, magaling magdisenyo at makulay ang mundo ng Filipino. At madrama pa.
The Filipino is a navigator, a wanderer. He is not a swimmer, but a man of the sea. Our ancient ways of traveling by balanghay’s or big boats is known. We navigated with a sensitivity and an attunement to the forces of nature, to the movement of the wind and sea, and the knowledge of the stars. A true-blooded traditional navigator that once talked with from Guam said there is a special training and gifts for this – one that did not rely on mechanical instruments but the honing of oneself as the instrument. With this gift, we have the capability to chast our way through turbulence and chaos, through uncharted territory, as well as have the patience when things remain still and unmoving. There is a sensitivity to forces that be and the deep knowledge of the right way to act and to respond. In present times, we man the seas. We also man and lead companies abroad. We have our social and psychological navigational skills, which allow us to meander, to take the circuitous route, to be linear in our path, and have tolerance for ambiguity. Kayang sumakay sa anuman. Marunong tumimpla, makibagay, at makioagsapalaran. Kayang umalis at pumunta sa anumang lugar.
The Filipino is a tribal person. An expat friend once remarked to me that the Filipino is very tribal. That struck me. It offended me initially. But I reflected Filipino needs to have a tribe – whether such a tribe is a tribe of school friends, one’s family clan, one’s regional mates, one’s work buddies, one’s professional colleagues, or one’s neighborhood association, etc. Whatever type of grouping, he has a tribe that he belongs to. If there is none, he/she will create one. So his boundaries encompass whoever is his tribe. Apart from people, also encompassed are shared nuances of meanings and shared symbols. The tribe has a language of its own. A thought. Can teamn building he called “tribe building?” Maaalahanin, mapagmalasakit, mapagmahal – sa kanyang ka “tribo.”
In context of the above tribal nature is a hero. The Filipino is a warrior-protector. He is not a warrior-conqueror. The bayani of ancient past, as Marian Pastor-Roces (cultural writer and lecturer) notes, led rather than ruled. And they took on their leadership tasks collectively. Their authority was earned rather than inherited, and discussion rather than authoritarian dictum was the norm. (As shared by F. Landa Jocano, an anthropologist, our breath-taking Banawe rice terraces were built through slave labor and violence). The most revered by bayani was poetic and could go into beautiful epic singing. Could this be the template in our psyche for the kind of leaders desired? In the ordinary Filipino, this gift manifests itself in the defense and protection of his family, his tribe. Ipaglalaban at ipagtatanggol niya ang kanyang mga minamahal.
The Filipino is a healer. Of ancient past, there are accounts of the babaylan, who was a healer, ad doctor and a weaver. She played a significant and respected role in the life of the tribe. Knowledge about plants and the forest enabled the babaylan to concoct healing potions and medicine. She was a herbalist. In present day times, there are many accounts of men and women with extra-ordinary powers of healing. I myself am surrounded by people with such gifts. But more than these esoteric gifts are gifts of ordinary people – gifts of pranic healing, gifts of healing hands, gifts of caring heart, and gifts of a soothing voice. Such gift is a foundation of careers that take care of the sick, the terminally ill, the elderly, and the very young. Magaang ang kamay, malambing, at masarap mag-alaga ang Filipino.
The Filipino is a mystic, an intuitive. While closely aligned with his healing and navigational (and even artistic) abilities, stories abound about experiences and abilities of people to be in touch with realm outside the ordinary – who can see beyond what normal people can see, who have a connection with living beings and forces (seen and unseen), and who thereby experience a sacred force beyond oneself. Magaling ang kutob. Magaling umamoy ng sitwasyon. Magaling magbasa ng tao. Malalalim ang paniniwala sa Diyos. Bukas sa karanasan na mister
The Filipino is an islander. Absorbed by what is happening in his/her own island, deeply engaged in the life of his community, there is focus, there is depth, and there are shared stories. Babad na babad. Mahilig mag-usyoso, alam kung ano ang nangyayari. Makuwento.
However this gift, when combined with the tribal nature, can be a shadow force… a force that is self-absorbed, parochial, fuses with one’s place, oblivious and clueness to what is happening in the bigger world. Makitid ang utak. Maliit ang mundo. Tsismoso. It is the navigator and wanderer that can pull him out of the shadow mode of the islander.
As an aside, can we deconstruct the visual picture we have of our country? Can we see how the waters of the islands unite us rather than divide us?
The Filipino is a revealer. Horacio de la Costa, S.J. and historian, has written about pre-Hispanic Filipinos, and how they knew how to party. They danced, they sang, they made merry, and wore colorful clothes. The Filipinos knows how to party. Knows how to give a party. Knows how to make people happy, and knows how to have fun. The Spanish influence of the fiestas was just an overlay to an already existing psyche. Events organizing and party giving are possibly old and ancient skills. Mahilig makipagsosyalan, magaling maghanda, masarap magluto (at marami pa), at Masaya ang Filipino.
And last but not the least, the Filipino is a child of Eden, a forest dweller. Lawrence Heaney, Field of Chicago director, and a forest explorer of the Philippines, has written about the Philippines being 97% covered with tropical rain forest before the Spanish came. Think about it. That was Eden. That was paradise. The ancient memory of being in such a state remains in our psyche. Joyful, naturally happy, child-like, spontaneous, and having a kinship with nature – as one imagines life to be in Paradise. Is this why we top the happy survey of the world? Madaling tumawa. Maganda ang ngiti. Masayahin ang Filipino.
Assuming the above observation themes are shared by others, do we tap these gems, these gifts of the Filipinos? Do we value these gifts? Do we put a premium on these strengths? Do we build on them? Or do we devalue these? See them as weaknesses?
Let us affirm who we are. Let us appreciate ourselves. Let us use ourselves as our own yardstick, as our own standard. Why do we force-fit the Filipino into a mold that is not us? Let us build schools to nurture our natural abilities. (In a recent development research I conducted, more and more voices are calling for us to pay attention to our innate qualities, to put premium and build service industries around our strengths). Let us use methods and approaches that flow with these gifts. Let us think Filipino when we plan for the Filipino. Let us be proud of our psyche.
Isn’t it about time that we claim and capitalize on who we are?
Rose Marie Yenko
January 2005
The writer is a Jungian psychologist and organization development consultant. She does therapy and family business consulting. She also designs programs and facilitates workshops for organizational change and social development. Comments on the article are welcome. Please write to rosemar...@yahoo.com. Or contact tel. number 898-3826 or mobile number 0917-512-3763.
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Dennis dela Torre
for Zona and other classmates,
zona tamayo
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Date: Wed, 3 Nov 2010 23:39:39 +0800
Subject: Fwd: Honoring the gifts in the filipino psyche
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