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A Heritage
of Nobleness
(By Felice Prudente Sta.
Maria)
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OTHER
INTERESTING ARTICLES |
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Andre Malraux’s definition of
culture as the “heritage of the quality of the
world” is a most inspiring concept. His message can
denote the excellence of a people’s way of life. It
can also mean its nobleness. Culture is both the
pamana ng kagalingan and pamanang karangalan.
Excellence
The tangible products of a culture can be made
excellently or poorly. A generation’s works of art
and science can be compared with those of other
periods . One generation, average level of “quality”
can be inferior or superior to that of another
generation’s. For instance, Filipinos of the 19th
century embroidered by hand more finely than
Filipinos today. The work of the best 19th century
Filipino embroiderer possibly is as accomplished,
however, as the products of the best Filipino
embroiderer working today. But there were more fine
products in the previous century than today’s partly
because hand embroidery was the fashion and because
the machine alternative had not yet taken root.
The adjective “excellent” implies an object, an
idea, a job that is done as best as possible and
better than a general understanding of what is
average. When one thinks of excellent, one thinks of
the “pinaka” whether in terms of executing details
positively, complying with rules, or meeting
expectations…expectations of beauty , ornamentation,
simplicity, clarity, understandability or whatever
other criteria apply to a critique or an assessment
of the work under study.
Nobleness
Nobleness implies virtue. Different peoples practice
virtue in different ways. But a comparison among
religions and ethics through many centuries of
political regimes, and social organizations shows
that there is one underlying principles to virtue:
an acceptance that the only right one has in life is
the right to do good for others.
It is a sense of “righteousness” that propels
humankind perhaps beyond its own expectations in
sciences and arts, in thinking and in creating. It
is when people believe fervently that they are
working on behalf of not just themselves, their
family, their community, their country but humankind
in its totality, that homo sapiens proves its merit.
Undoubtedly, one man’s freedom fighter is another
man’s enemy. Undoubtedly, experiments to cure
disease have resulted in drug abuse. Undoubtedly,
revelations in physics and chemistry to protect the
home and the person provided the seed for terrorism.
But it is precisely because leadership and learning
have forgotten to stop and evaluate whether the
“advances” of a generation will be used to benefit
or deter people’s standard of living and quality of
being.
It is the challenge of cultural workers to help
their generation look into itself and seek out its
capacity for virtue. Filipino culture values purity
of loob (one’s innermost being) and pakikiisa
(social interaction). It is virtue to be mapagbigay
loob, tending to give of one’s innermost self. “Ang
taong di marunong makipag-kapwa, walang kayamanan sa
balat ng lupa,” goes a Tagalog-Filipino saying. (A
person who cannot get along with others, has no
treasure on earth). The sakop (group, ranging from
family to work group to national political grouping
and religious community) is very important to a
Filipino. Individual harmony depends greatly on
being in harmony with one’s groups.
Filipino culture considers goodness and beauty as
inseparable. The greeting is “Magandang umaga,” –
beautiful morning, rather than good morning. One is
complemented if said to have “magandang kalooban”—literally,
a beautiful innermost being, or self. The adjective
implies goodness not just beauty. If one has
“magandang kalooban,” one may also respect for other
people’s loob through one’s behavior. Psychologists
are concluding that Filipinos value personhood not
personality—again an indication that a self’s
spiritual dimension must develop in partnership with
its emotional, rational, volitional dimensions.
Filipino psychology differs from that of some
countries, just as it is similar to that of others.
Customs change with the demands of time. But values
can be institutionalized, traditionalized. Customs
are how things are done; values are why they are
done. The generation that values cultural tools,
customs and values to respect the human dignity, the
innermost self of others is assured that it has
ennobled itself by ennobling others.
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