One of the most notable traits of Filipinos is our culture of Bayanihan. Coming from the root word "bayan" which means country, and "bayani" which means hero, Bayanihan is indeed a source of Pinoy pride. That's what I learned in my elementary Civics and Culture subject. And just as how the bahay-kubo (nipa hut) that is transferred from one barangay to another became almost obsolete, so is Bayanihan. When I was a kid, whenever I was asked to picture Bayanihan in my mind, I would always think of the nipa hut with all the people struggling to transfer it to another barangay.
And until now, books of my daughter would have the same concept. Honestly, who transfers nipa huts in cities? Even provinces mostly have concrete houses now. Anyway, Bayanihan would always include a house in the picture. A modernized version will be people building houses for the homeless. Most of the time, there would be celebrities or political figures holding construction materials for their publicity pictures. There are those that really show sincere heroic deeds that fit the definition, but they are so rare that we only see them during "great hopelessness" and "utter despair." According to pinoy.md, this is how Bayanihan should be defined:
That is why we are acquainted with this supposed to be Filipino tradition only and only if lives are lost or will be lost. Our concept of Bayanihan is not transferable. We don't recognize opportunities for this when we're faced with a different scenario. Remember that it is heroism, and the only thing that makes it different is that, it's communal. We find heroism within us during calamities, where people don't ask for anything in exchange of what they can give: time, effort, resources, prayers and all things we are capable of sharing. Also, donations flood when there are people asking for financial help because they are dying, or they are inflicted by an expensively-treated ailment. In general, Filipinos are generous and we can still count on each other in times of emergency, in times of suffering, in times of hopelessness. Sadly, Bayanihan turned out to be a mere occasional Filipino trait. We possess it only when we're at the brink of losing humanity.
What breaks the culture of Bayanihan is losing any of it's components: (1) patriotism, (2) love for others and (3) unity
On the death bed of Bayanihan, loom the following:
- Sin of omission - when we think of ourselves than stand against what we know is wrong.
- Greed - when we think of ourselves and value only those that benefit us, regardless if they are right or wrong.
- Self-entitlement - when we think of ourselves, our wants---everything that we should work hard for, yet we want to gain them easily.
- Indifference - when we think of ourselves than think for the benefit of the common good.
- Crab Mentality - when we think of ourselves and step on others in order to reach the top.
The list goes on and it falls in just one big problem: we think only of ourselves.
When was the time you did something for others without expecting anything in return?
Going back to Bayanihan: When was the time you thought of doing something that would benefit the country and not just yourself? Do you even consider the country when you make decisions?
This is a wake up call for all people who live cheating even the smallest amount of anything for their favor. This is for the people who forgot their moral responsibility. This for those who lived indifferent of the needs of the society. This is for those who had been selfish.
Let me quote Uncle Ben in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012): "If you could do good things for other people, you have a moral obligation to do those things. That's what at stake here. Not choice; responsibility."
Our country is perishing because of the people who had been thinking or are still thinking of themselves. It is time that we make a difference. We need not only intelligent citizens, but those whose values will never be swayed; those whose principles would never break; those whose dignity would never be bought; those brave enough to stand for what is right amid all wrongs.
Yes, we do have people like that. But since they are usually alone in their feat, they die, they get assassinated, they fall. Because of this, we need Bayanihan- "a collective heroic effort against great hopelessness and utter despair" that our country is now facing.
To end my thoughts, allow me to quote another movie, The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008):
"Professor Barnhardt: But it's only on the brink that people find the will to change. Only at the precipice do we evolve. This is our moment."
THIS IS OUR MOMENT. Let us preserve a Filipino tradition by thinking not only for ourselves, but our country that is bound to go to the dogs if we won't do anything about it. Be a Filipino for the Philippines.
