Reflecting on the Indolence of the Filipinos by Dr. Jose Rizal

Reflecting on the Indolence of the Filipinos by Dr. Jose Rizal

        After reading Rizal's essay, I don't believe indolence is a hereditary trait among Filipinos. According to Rizal's statement," Indolence in the Philippines is a chronic malady but not a hereditary one." He supported it with many reasons that I absolutely agree with. He stated that, "We must confess that indolence does actually and positively exist there; only that, instead of holding it to be the cause of the backwardness and the trouble, we regard it as the effect of the trouble and the backwardness". For me as a reader, he wanted to state that indolence is not the cause of mishaps, but bad circumstances can cause a person to be indolent. Among his reasons were the climate of the Philippines, the piratical attacks, the negligence of the Spaniards, forced labor and abuse of the Spaniards, gambling, the influence of the church, and the crooked educational system of the Spaniards.

        Before the colonization of the Spaniards, chroniclers such as Pigafetta and Morga, stated that the Philippines are civilized and hold communities that trade with near foreign islands, proving their industry, thus negating the idea that indolence is hereditary because it is clear that ancient Filipinos were vigorous workers. Rizal also states that when the Spaniards came, tyranny began in the Philippines. They stole their lands and asked for shares in the crops planted by the natives. When pirates attacked, the Spaniards offered no help, forcing the natives to become nomads and leave their farm. These circumstances led the Filipinos to be discouraged and hold no interest in cultivating land that will be destroyed again and again or planting crops that will feed the mouths of the colonizers who abused them. The hot climate is also one of the reasons Filipinos tend to be indolent; it requires quiet and rest. I think that is why most Filipinos wake up at dawn to farm and rest when the sun is blazing hot. Unfortunately, Spaniards back then saw that as indolence; they pushed the natives to work under the heat, which could lead to death, destruction, and annihilation. Foreigners brought gambling, which influenced the Filipinos to be indolent. The promise of sudden wealth seduced them to neglect cultivating and farming their lands. The Spaniards, who always accused the Filipinos of being indolent, failed to comprehend that they were the ones who caused indolence in the Philippines. They brought faith that introduced miracles to the natives. Instead of working hard to cultivate and irrigate their fields, they hold processions and long prayers and trust in the miracle that their fields will be bountiful. Also, long masses, numerous novenas, and nights of processions contribute to the indolence of the Filipinos. Filipinos growing up were taught to pray endlessly in a language they did not understand, accept beliefs that were not explained to them, and accept absurdities while reason was repressed. The natives did not have the ideal and model of a tanned and vigorous laborer instead of an aristocratic Lord who lacked national sentiment.

        I believe that it was the Spanish reign that caused the decline of the Filipino economy. The way they forced and abused the Filipinos to work and took away their joy of working. However, with the present condition of the Philippines, I can truly testify that indolence is not hereditary. With the freedom Filipinos are enjoying now, one can work and do what he loves. Everyone is open to many opportunities, which leaves them no room for indolence. And as Rizal states, the evil is not indolence but among men and among nations. Indolence is just a sickness that can be cured if one has the discipline and will to remove it. With many opportunities presented by globalization, education, and the Internet to the present Filipinos, indolence is not a choice. Let us enjoy the blessings that our ancestors failed to experience back then.