Cyriel Valeroso | Capitol
Posted on December 2, 2022 | 4:00 PM
Resiliency is defined as a manifestation of adaptability. Named as the ability to recover and deal with life's setbacks. Overcoming difficulties, disregarding the existence of distress all in the name of finding light to shine through the darkest of times.
Often, we face resiliency in the image of Filipinos during unfortunate events such as typhoons and poverty— unconsciously leading to its glorification, all in the expanse of making purpose out of it. Playing a role that shadows over the reality within these experiences.
Face #1: "Okay lang maging mahirap basta masaya"
According to the most recent official data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), more Filipinos are poorer today than in 2018. Based on the PSA's Family Income and Expenditure Survey, the country has 19.99 million people living below the poverty line, accounting for 18.1 percent of the population.
Filipinos have this attitude of romanticizing poverty. From a far-fetched description of a dreamy perspective on a fairy tale-like, rags to riches possibility of a story to consolations claiming positivity on how poverty helps a person be more happy and innocent-like to always feel at awe and be extremely appreciative of the mundane. This misconception caused people to either hold on to the usual saying of poverty being "a mindset" that people can escape from or become the soulless empty promises of settling down with what very little they have even when they're struggling to pay bills.
Although posed to aspire positivity, resilience romanticized the idea of a survival struggle.
Face #2: Amidst calamities and disasters
Resilience is also extremely prevalent during typhoons. Even with a devastating view of everything being swept and wiped away by floods, Filipinos tend to find these grounds as a center for overly modified stories on positivity amidst calamity.
People's pictures from these trying times usually become memes or the center of attention for varying reasons, which other people may interpret as simply finding the light in dark situations and later on translates to defining positive characteristics of Filipino behaviors. During these difficult times, Filipinos naturally exude resilience—the silver lining that keeps people going. One best example is what happened during Typhoon Yolanda in 2013.
Face #3: Glorified Resilience
This has become a common mindset among Filipinos in order to view their hurdles positively and then use resiliency as a coping mechanism. Instead of giving up, these types of people face life's challenges head-on. They poke fun in the face of adversity, and they have the ability to find beauty even as trouble engulfs them. This characteristic is intricately bound to Filipino culture— deeply embedded trait that defines Filipino identity. They have learned to appreciate what they have and persist in the face of setbacks. But resilience is quite the double edged sword that it is.
Indeed, living in a fast-paced world where most people struggle to stay afloat, becoming resilient is being misinterpreted—leading to glorifying it, unconsciously lacking demanding accountability.
What's romantic about struggling?
Painting over a rusted surface does not cover up all its damage, so does suffocating positivity in times where the only thing one can be worried of is survival. This is not the actual purpose of adaptability. This is not resilience but survival at a cost.
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