The Kanya-Kanya Mentality of the Filipinos

The “Kanya-Kanya” mentality has influenced many Filipinos into alienating themselves from others.

It is not uncommon to hear about the antagonism between rich and the poor, the strong and the weak, the Christians and the Muslims, the rightist and the leftist, and this results in a man going against his nature as a social individual who should be willing to love and serve others even if they do not belong to his group.

While it is true that love for and service to others are part of God’s plan of creation, this same gift could also be a source of misery, pain, cruelty, injustice, and oppression, if these will be directed to one’s circle of friends only.

Water, when contaminated by poison, can be a source of death, instead of life to those who drink it.

The contamination of man’s natural ability to love and serve others, with jealousy, rivalry, pride, prejudice, ignorance, and misunderstanding leads to one’s refusal to be socially concerned and responsible for those who do not belong to his “in-group” his family members, friends, or those belonging to same social strata.

“No man is an island.”

• It is a phrase that means an individual needs another individual in order to flourish. Being an introvert and independent myself, I have always believed that I can do things on my own. Without relying on other people, I try my best to accomplish as much as possible with my own hands. Not because I don’t need it, but because I feel ashamed whenever I ask for a helping hand. It has always been a struggle for me to reach out to others whom I know can help me most, but having these two personalities, it is quite difficult. But as I age and learn in life, it is undeniable that no man is really an island. No man can make it in life just by having himself. We, whether we agree or not, need others to survive. Because being a social being that we are, it is our nature to seek for attention, affection, and connection from other people.

“Others.”

• As a person who wants to keep my circle small, I only have a few “others” in my life. First, my family consists of my father, my mother, and my brother. They are my source of inspiration, and my motivation to achieve my aspirations in life. Second, my friends. I only have few friends, but I know they are real. Third, my relatives. Being a Filipino, our relatives are also our family. Lastly, every individual who has contributed to my growth, those who have always been there to lend a hand. It is a Filipino nature to have a debt of gratitude to people who have done good things for us, so it is just right to consider them as others in my life.

“Serving for others.”

• If you have the heart to serve, you should not limit your capacity in serving others. If a person’s calling is to serve with open arms, then it doesn’t matter if the person you are helping is someone significant to you, or someone you have fought with in the past. Helping or serving others should be done wholeheartedly. You should not be picky with whom you are going to help or serve. But it is not right to discredit the efforts of those who are only helping their “significant others”.

“Rizal serving others”

• Dr. Jose Rizal’s way of serving others is by advocating the Reform movement in order to change the bad situation of the Filipinos from the Spaniards. This is his way to serve his countrymen. Rizal being an active propagandist used his knowledge by writing essays, poems, and novels- the El Filibusterismo and Noli Me Tangere- to awaken the Filipino people to fight for their rights. This is his greatest contribution to the Filipino people as his way of serving others.

“My share of serving others.”

• Being a SIKA (Sirib Ilocano Kabataan Association) member, it has given me chances to help and serve my fellow Ilocano youth by actively volunteering on events when they need us most. Being a blood donor on the Red Cross, it is my small way to help. I have also joined a Run for a cause that I know will benefit a lot of people. My share of serving others might not be big as I only have small means to help, but I know that when I continue to help and serve others, a small help goes a long way.