The Mystery of the Filipinos’ Representations for the Self
The Mystery of the Filipinos’ Representations for the Self
Culture plays a significant role in shaping our sense of self and identity (Sta. Maria, 1999). It can refer to all the ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that people learn from others as members of society. Filipinos, though diverse culturally, has a unique way of representing himself/herself. We have different levels of consciousness; we select, we have a consciousness of choice. We always feel the need to connect with others, to have inter-subjectivity. The Filipinos’ sense of self is that it initiates action; it is the originator of the action from the innermost of the self, reaching out to others, or to put it exactly, to the “kapwa.” Although the different representations of the self may change correspondingly to changes in society and individuals’ reaction to these changes (Sta. Maria, 1999), Filipinos’ representations of the self circles on the concept of inter-human. It is the dynamic entity between personal and social. It is the life between I and thou. It is the connection between the “loob” and “labas,” thus the concept of “kalooban,” or my innermost self or being and “labas na ng pagkatao,” or outside of my being or beyond myself. It is what is personal for the Filipinos. Social for Filipinos can be viewed as a group existence in a deeper sense. It is a life of a group bound together by sheer experiences, and actions and reactions. Filipinos’ representations of the self can be likened to a dialogue while the concept of others can be likened to a monologue. A monologue may lead to seeming or “pagpapanggap” because others and the self are a separate identity while a dialogue may lead to being or “pagkatao.” The latter is the one being violated when relation with the others is strained thus the concept of “ nasaktan ang kalooban” not just simply being hurt. Dialogue is natural and spontaneous for Filipinos. It is a dynamic source of initiatives in thoughts, actions, and words. Through
Culture plays a significant role in shaping our sense of self and identity (Sta. Maria, 1999). It can refer to all the ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that people learn from others as members of society. Filipinos, though diverse culturally, has a unique way of representing himself/herself. We have different levels of consciousness; we select, we have a consciousness of choice. We always feel the need to connect with others, to have inter-subjectivity. The Filipinos’ sense of self is that it initiates action; it is the originator of the action from the innermost of the self, reaching out to others, or to put it exactly, to the “kapwa.” Although the different representations of the self may change correspondingly to changes in society and individuals’ reaction to these changes (Sta. Maria, 1999), Filipinos’ representations of the self circles on the concept of inter-human. It is the dynamic entity between personal and social. It is the life between I and thou. It is the connection between the “loob” and “labas,” thus the concept of “kalooban,” or my innermost self or being and “labas na ng pagkatao,” or outside of my being or beyond myself. It is what is personal for the Filipinos. Social for Filipinos can be viewed as a group existence in a deeper sense. It is a life of a group bound together by sheer experiences, and actions and reactions. Filipinos’ representations of the self can be likened to a dialogue while the concept of others can be likened to a monologue. A monologue may lead to seeming or “pagpapanggap” because others and the self are a separate identity while a dialogue may lead to being or “pagkatao.” The latter is the one being violated when relation with the others is strained thus the concept of “ nasaktan ang kalooban” not just simply being hurt. Dialogue is natural and spontaneous for Filipinos. It is a dynamic source of initiatives in thoughts, actions, and words. Through