Filipino resilience: Concealing discomfort and agony

We, Filipinos, are widely known for our undying spirit. The optimism that we embody can turn our futility into budding hopefulness. We perceive the problems that we encounter as a beacon of ‘better tomorrows’. A test of our faith and facile recuperation. When the inevitable takes a shot at us, we aggravate for a while, accept the situation that we are in, and then move on. Like it is nothing.

Sure, we may think of it as laudable. It is what the other countries admire us for. Whenever a typhoon cripples us roughly, even if we should be on the brink of breaking down, we never fail to flash our biggest and most genuine smiles at the camera. We mantle our cries for help with a meek grin. Even if it seems like there is nothing left of us, we still hold onto a faint glimpse of hope. We still believe in the future, what lies ahead of us. Patiently waiting for better days to come.

The world views us as one of the happiest people on earth. We laugh all our burdens and worries away. We desperately convince ourselves that everything will eventually fall right back into place. That is why we don't even bother straining ourselves even over crucial matters.

The Filipino people have already mastered the habit of saying: “Bahala na kung ano ang mangyari. Wala na naman tayong magagawa.” that we just let the cycle repeat itself over and over again. It is because we have grown tired of complaining. We do not know who to blame anymore. So, we just let it all slide past us. The searing flame of desire to change inside us had died down.

But then, what now? Aren’t we going to do something? Are we just going to normalize these lingering problems?

We blanket the shortcomings of the government and choose to settle for less than what we deserve. It is like witnessing a crime but decided to remain silent instead of condemning the perpetrator’s actions. And so, he prevails. In the end, the victim loses helplessly.

The current state of our country is close to being in absolute disarray. Every day, we are bombarded by brutal acts of crime. Lives are being perished. The status of our economy is spiraling. Some government officials bluntly parade the incompetency in their field. And the list could go on. But still, we chose to do nothing. We chose to hurt for a while, move on, and then forget. We patch up all these wounds until they become dry, thinking that they all vanished. Not realizing that they turned into a faint bruise.

If we still remain unobtrusive after everything that our nation went through, we only distance ourselves from the conventional life that we ache to have. We add a step further away to actual change and development.

So let us try to actually use our freedom for a good cause. We were not given a voice just to stay silent. We were not made mobile just to stand still on our feet, to not make a move.

We are Filipinos. We should not only possess resilience. Instead, we should discover how to stand up and fight for ourselves. Because we know our worth.