Module 12 Indolence OR Industry 2 PDF

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INDOLENCE OR INDUSTRY( Chapter 12 )Introduction:In the opening scene of Noli Me Tangere , a social gathering in the house of Kapitan Tiago serves as a venue for guests to mingle and converse. In one such occasion, Father Damaso explicitly states his opinion of the Indio. While speaking to a young ma...

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INDOLENCE OR INDUSTRY ( Chapter 12 )

Introduction:

In the opening scene of Noli Me Tangere, a social gathering in the house of Kapitan Tiago serves as a venue for guests to mingle and converse. In one such occasion, Father Damaso explicitly states his opinion of the Indio. While speaking to a young man about the native Filipinos, Damaso exclaims,“ As I believe in the Gospel! The Indian is so indolent!“ To this, the young man poses the question,“ Does this indolence actually, naturally, exist among the natives or is there some truth in what a foreign traveler says that with this indolence we excuse our own, as well as our backwardness and our colonial system? Indolence in the natives was a view commonly held by foreigners who came to the Philippines as evident in the conversation narrated above. Rizal and other propagandists, however, felt that this view was misguided and made efforts for its rectification. One such attempt was through Rizal’s essay. “Sobre la Indolencia de los Filipinos“ ( On the Indolence of the Filipinos ), which will serve as the topic of this chapter.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this chapter, the students should be able to: 1. Summarize in their own words Rizal’s essay, “On the Indolence of the Filipinos”. 2. Explain the factors that cause the indolence of Filipinos. 3. Defend their personal views on the question of the indolence of the Filipinos.

Vocabulary:

Indio – a term used by the Spaniards to refer to the native Filipinos; occasionally used in derogatory manner Moro piracy – a series of raids in several Philippine towns committed by Muslims from Mindanao during the seventeenth to eighteenth centuries.

Filipinos during the period of Spanish colonization were commonly described as lazy. Several foreigners visiting the Philippines from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries affirmed this view with their observations. Gamellli Careri, an Italian traveler who came to the country in the seventeenth century, remarked, “It is their laziness that makes them appear less ingenious; and they are so entirely addicted to it, that if in walking they find a thorn run into their foot], they will not stoop to put it out of the way, that another may not tread on it.” A more scathing portrayal was given by friar Gaspar de San Agustin in 1720. He stated that “their laziness is such that if they open a door, they never close it; and if they take any implement for any use, such as a knife, pair of scissors, hammer, etc., they never return it whence they took it, but drop it there at the foot of the work.” Indolence was also commented upon by the German scholar Feodor Jagor in the nineteenth century, ‘Along the river Pasig, somebody might be seen asleep on a heap of coconuts. If the nuts run ashore, the sleeper rouses himself, pushes off with a long bamboo, and contentedly relapses into slumber, as his eccentric rafts regains the current of the river.” More than simple observations, the remarks given by these foreigners e in a perennial view of the Filipinos as incapable or inherently lacking in abilities. Rizal’s work, “Sobre la Indolencia de los Filipinos” (On the Indolence of the Filipinos), was an attempt to rectify this view. The essay was serialized in six issues of La Solidaridad from July 15 to September 15, 1890. It addressed the accusations made by foreign observers by establishing through careful argumentation that indolence was not inherent trait but was an effect of order conditions imposed upon the Filipinos. Rizal’s reasoning echoes the ideas laid down earlier by Gregorio Sansianco’s El Progreso de las Filipinas in 1881. Sansianco advocated for reforms in the government’s taxation system because he believed that public revenues were necessary for the overall development of the country. He also confronted the issue of the laziness of Filipinos by attributing the trait to the poor economic conditions that rendered the natives lethargic and unmotivated. Rizal’s essay, though, addresses the issue of the Filipino’s laziness more directly “inasmuch as the talk about it has continued, not only by employees who blame it to cover their own stupidity, not only by friars who consider it necessary for the perpetuation of their pretention that they cannot be replaced, but also by serious-minded and disinterested persons.” From the outset, Rizal does not deny the existence of indolence in the Filipinos. “The predisposition exists,” he notes, “because the warm climate demands of the individual quietness and rest, just as cold climate stirs up men to work and to be active.” However, he asserts that the evil does not in the existence of indolence, but in the way that it is perpetuated. He points out, “The evil is found in the fact that indolence in the Philippines is an exaggerated indolence, a snowball indolence, so to speak, a vice which increases four-fold as time elapses.” The Filipinos were not always lazy, according to Rizal. When one looked back at the precolonial past, he/she would see the industry, agriculture, and commerce the early Filipinos engaged in. Rizal cites as one example an account written by Pigafetta who described the following flourishing trade of goods such as cinnamon, pepper, nuts, and other articles. Mining was also practiced by early Filipinos as evidenced by Pigafetta’s descriptions of vessels and utensils made of pure gold. If early Spanish accounts were in agreement on the industry of the Filipinos, what then brought about a change in them? Rizal determines that the circumstances that produced a predisposition towards

laziness were the constant wars waged during the early stages of colonization, the Moro piracies that occurred in the centuries that followed, and the abuses committed by the Spaniards against the Filipinos. All the death and destruction brought about by these situations, according to Rizal, took away from the Filipinos their desire to work. Yet, Rizal also argues that while the previous circumstances made it possible for laziness to take root in the Filipino’s constitution, other factors ensured its maintenance. Rizal points out that while the government did not provide the economic and moral incentives to encourage industry among the Filipinos, the Filipinos themselves also had their own flaws. He states that the defect of education and lack of national sentiment seen in the Filipinos only contributed to maintaining the Filipino’s predisposition towards indolence. Having explained the reasons why the Filipinos became lazy, Rizal concludes that all attempts to reform the Filipino would only be successful with education and freedom. With this, Rizal argues convincingly that indolence in the Filipinos is not an inherent trait, but rather a malady with its own causes and cures.

Activity 1: Read Rizal’s essay, “On the Indolence of the Filipinos.” Determine Rizal’s main argument in refuting the malicious accusation against the Filipinos. Cite Goal or Thesis, Main reason, and provide facts or Examples. Goal or Thesis > Main Reason > facts or Examples

Activity 2: Write an essay reflecting on the ideas Rizal presented in his work, “On the Indolence of the Filipinos.” 1. Do you believe that indolence is an inherent trait among the Filipinos? 2. Do you agree or disagree with the reasons Rizal presented? Why or why not?

Chapter Questions: 1. What are the so-called “laziness” accused against the Filipinos by various foreigners including some Spanish friars? 2. What was the rationale behind Rizal’s effort when he wrote, “On the Indolence of the Filipiinos?” 3. Do you agree with Rizal’s reasoning and objections regarding the hurled accusations against the Filipino people? Why or why not? 4. If you agree that indeed Filipinos are “indolent”, what do you think is the solution to address that malady?

5. Do you also agree with many fellow Filipinos that we are a nation of hardworking and heroic patriots as exemplified by the millions of Overseas Filipino Workers toiling abroad?

Summary:

Rizal’s essay, “On the Indolence of the Filipinos,” provided a compelling argument about the trait foreigners criticized the Filipinos for – laziness. Rather than accept the view that indolence was an inherent characteristics among Filipinos, Rizal presented a persuasive view of the circumstances that brought about the Filipino’s indolence and the factors that might have maintained it. In the end, rizal contended that the Filipino’s predisposition towards laziness was a condition that could be cured through education and freedom.

Source: Rhodalyn Wani-Obias, Aaron Abel Mallari, Janet Regindin-Estella. The Life and Works of Rizal: C & E Publishing, Inc. 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0LvRcJoC_w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JikY1-KR6dc...