The Indolence of the Filipinos: Summary and Analysis

La Indolencia de los Filipinos, more popularly known in its English version, "The
Indolence of the Filipinos," is a exploratory essay written by Philippine national hero Dr.
Jose Rizal, to explain the alleged idleness of his people during the Spanish colonization.

SUMMARY
The Indolence of the Filipinos is a study of the causes why the people did not,
as was said, work hard during the Spanish regime. Rizal pointed out that long before
the coming of the Spaniards, the Filipinos were industrious and hardworking. The
Spanish reign brought about a decline in economic activities because of certain causes:
First, the establishment of the Galleon Trade cut off all previous associations of
the Philippines with other countries in Asia and the Middle East. As a
result, business was only conducted with Spain through Mexico. Because of this, the
small businesses and handicraft industries that flourished during the pre-Spanish period
gradually disappeared.
Second, Spain also extinguished the natives’ love of work because of the
implementation of forced labor. Because of the wars between Spain and other
countries in Europe as well as the Muslims in Mindanao, the Filipinos were compelled to
work in shipyards, roads, and other public works, abandoning agriculture, industry, and
commerce.
Third, Spain did not protect the people against foreign invaders and pirates.
With no arms to defend themselves, the natives were killed, their houses burned, and
their lands destroyed. As a result of this, the Filipinos were forced to become nomads,
lost interest in cultivating their lands or in rebuilding the industries that were shut down,
and simply became submissive to the mercy of God.
Fourth, there was a crooked system of education, if it was to be considered
an education. What was being taught in the schools were repetitive prayers and other
things that could not be used by the students to lead the country to progress. There
were no courses in Agriculture, Industry, etc., which were badly needed by
the Philippines during those times.
Fifth, the Spanish rulers were a bad example to despise manual labor. The
officials reported to work at noon and left early, all the while doing nothing in line with
their duties. The women were seen constantly followed by servants who dressed them
and fanned them – personal things which they ought to have done for themselves.
Sixth, gambling was established and widely propagated during those times.
Almost everyday there were cockfights, and during feast days, the government officials
and friars were the first to engange in all sorts of bets and gambles.
Seventh, there was a crooked system of religion. The friars taught the naïve
Filipinos that it was easier for a poor man to enter heaven, and so they preferred not to
work and remain poor so that they could easily enter heaven after they died.
 Lastly, the taxes were extremely high, so much so that a huge portion of what
they earned went to the government or to the friars. When the object of their labor was
removed and they were exploited, they were reduced to inaction.
Rizal admitted that the Filipinos did not work so hard because they were wise
enough to adjust themselves to the warm, tropical climate. “An hour’s work under that
burning sun, in the midst of pernicious influences springing from nature in activity, is
equal to a day’s labor in a temperate climate.”

ANALYSIS
It is important to note that indolence in the Philippines is a chronic malady, but not a
hereditary one. Truth is, before the Spaniards arrived on these lands, the natives were
industriously conducting business with China, Japan, Arabia, Malaysia, and other
countries in the Middle East. The reasons for this said indolence were clearly stated in
the essay, and were not based only on presumptions, but were grounded on fact taken
from history.
Another thing that we might add that had caused this indolence, is the lack of unity
among the Filipino people. In the absence of unity and oneness, the people did not
have the power to fight the hostile attacks of the government and of the other forces of
society. There would also be no voice, no leader, to sow progress and to cultivate it, so
that it may be reaped in due time. In such a condition, the Philippines remained a
country that was lifeless, dead, simply existing and not living. As Rizal stated in
conclusion, “a man in the Philippines is an individual; he is not merely a citizen of a
country.”
It can clearly be deduced from the writing that the cause of the indolence attributed to
our race is Spain: When the Filipinos wanted to study and learn, there were no schools,
and if there were any, they lacked sufficient resources and did not present more useful
knowledge; when the Filipinos wanted to establish their businesses, there wasn’t
enough capital nor protection from the government; when the Filipinos tried to cultivate
their lands and establish various industries, they were made to pay enormous taxes and
were exploited by the foreign rulers.
It is not only the Philippines, but also other countries, that may be called indolent,
depending on the criteria upon which such a label is based. Man cannot work without
resting, and if in doing so he is considered lazy, they we could say that all men are
indolent. One cannot blame a country that was deprived of its dignity, to have lost its
will to continue building its foundation upon the backs of its people, especially when the
fruits of their labor do not so much as reach their lips. When we spend our entire lives
worshipping such a cruel and inhumane society, forced upon us by aliens who do not
even know our motherland, we are destined to tire after a while. We are not fools, we
are not puppets who simply do as we are commanded – we are human beings, who are
motivated by our will towards the accomplishment of our objectives, and who strive for
the preservation of our race. When this fundamental aspect of our existence is denied
of us, who can blame us if we turn idle?
This work of Rizal was something to be applauded for. It was definitely well-written and
a must-read piece. The way he presented the ideas were on point and properly
organized. I strongly agree with others who said that it was one of the beautiful
masterpieces of Rizal. It was written to expose the truth and nothing but the truth.

This was a defense of the alleged indolence of the Filipinos. Rizal did make a critical
study of the causes why his countrymen did not work hard during the Spanish regime
and his main thesis was that the Filipinos are not nature indolent and by this, he wanted
to end the insults to the Filipinos about this instilled culture. He wanted to awaken his
countrymen to their own faults and at same time condemning the defects in Spain’s
colonial system which causes shortcomings among Filipinos.

Indolence really does exist in our society that we are living today, we cannot deny the
fact that indolence is indolence even in the simplest form like disobeying traffic rules,
not falling in line when there’s supposed to be one, leaving the trash behind when you
can throw them properly yourself, procrastinating and the countless, mamaya
nalang or bukas nalang syndrome and of course there were certainly people who don’t
like to work for the simplest reason that they do not want to use their energy, and want
to stay at home doing nothing or at the street and in other words, laziness or sloth or
in Pinoy terms sometimes considered “tambays” and personally I can attest to that, I
myself tend to procrastinate at times.
I strongly agree with him that before proposing remedy for this negative behavior, the
root causes should be identified first. When and where this kind of attitude started and
what are the reasons for this developed type of mentality among us Filipinos?

In this article, he pointed out that even before the Coming of Spaniards, Filipinos were
Industrious and hardworking and active in agriculture, industries and commerce and the
coming of the Spaniards to the country brought about the decline in economic activities
because the Filipinos had abandoned their pre-Hispanic industries.

As for myself regarding that point, I agree with Rizal and the Banaue Rice Terraces was
a clear manifestation of the hardworking and industrious ancestors we have. Filipino
workers and farmers are early riser that they are prepared at dawn to start their
planting, cultivating and harvesting for the day. And the Spaniards who first set foot on
the Land had noticed that people have enough supply of food and that they are
generous and industrious.

When the Spaniards came in the Philippines full-forced, burned houses, eradicated
some goods and resources, killed many Filipinos and take over and control the
economy even the lands, farms and villages. Polo y servicios was required for many
Filipino male and farms were left uncultivated. Frailocracy is at its dominancy, and
Filipinos were being denied of economic rights and thus resulted for any Filipinos to give
up their work, lands and even their life. They become hopeless and inferiority complex
was developed even more. Gambling was rampant because work for them as well as
sacrifices would not suffice their daily life and money for them became their saving
grace. Twisted Friars controlled the minds of innocent Filipinos and instilled them false
beliefs on Catholicism. Education was not granted for all and it instantly, the Spaniards
became the long nightmare for the Filipinos.

Rizal, in this article mentioned about the weather can be one of the reason, comparing
tropical and non-tropical countries, saying that in tropical countries like the Philippines,
when the sun is so high and when it’s so hot, workers who work under the sun tend to
rest and for non-tropical countries with four seasons and should work hard during spring
and fall because they cannot easily work in excessive heat during summer and on
extreme cold during winter seasons. Thus, despite of that, the total work is almost the
same. As human beings, it is by nature to adopt to our environment in different
conditions and therefore, being indolent during hot conditions is reasonable.

He also said something about irresponsibility of the Filipinos towards work, virtues, and
credibility that perhaps resulted to mental stagnation among Filipinos to sought for
social and political justice.

He pointed out that Filipinos lack of national sentiment is a major factor, and this he
says, “Breeds another evil, which is the scarcity of any opposition to the measures that
are prejudicial to the people and the absence of any initiative that will affect to their
welfare.”
He also emphasize the lack of cooperation and awareness of the Filipinos to the current
situation of the country and how the government took away the attention of the Filipinos
through their deceiving schemes and empty promises that resulted to the masses
remorse and destruction.

At some point, I remembered our case study that we did in our third year for Society and
culture and Family Planning course about Critical Analysis of “Chismis and Istambay”,
where we study about the possible reasons and possible solutions to this social issues
in our country.

Today, I can say that this mentality probably became one of the legacy of the
Spaniards, and already became a manifestation of the deeply rooted structural defects
in both the systems of economy and education in the country.

Poverty as one of the top problems in our country, corrupt officials, unsettled reforms,
illiteracy, slow progress, injustice and unequal opportunity, they are still there as they
were during the Spanish regime. Sad to say but it seems that we did not learn from our
mistakes in the past and we are allowing ourselves to live in yet another nightmare
again.
Dr. Jose Rizal would not wanted this, he wanted progress in our country and to attain
that, we have to start from small steps and small things within ourselves before focusing
on the bigger picture that is more complicated. I come to this thought that maybe we
should start to be more responsible for own actions and to make sure that those actions
will not harm anybody and instead benefit ourselves and country as well.

I learned a lot reading these article and it should inspire us to continue working for the
progress of the country and also for the common good. I believe also that Rizal wanted
us to reflect on ourselves, To make us realize that we deserved to be treated equally,
that we should not let foreigners to insult us and our culture as well, to be aware of our
rights as a citizen and of course to be a responsible citizen who thinks of the welfare of
the country and someone who loves his country as he loves himself.

This work of Rizal was something to be applauded for. It was definitely well-written and
a must-read piece. The way he presented the ideas were on point and properly
organized. I strongly agree with others who said that it was one of the beautiful
masterpieces of Rizal. It was written to expose the truth and nothing but the truth.

This was a defense of the alleged indolence of the Filipinos. Rizal did make a critical
study of the causes why his countrymen did not work hard during the Spanish regime
and his main thesis was that the Filipinos are not nature indolent and by this, he wanted
to end the insults to the Filipinos about this instilled culture. He wanted to awaken his
countrymen to their own faults and at same time condemning the defects in Spain’s
colonial system which causes shortcomings among Filipinos.

Indolence really does exist in our society that we are living today, we cannot deny the
fact that indolence is indolence even in the simplest form like disobeying traffic rules,
not falling in line when there’s supposed to be one, leaving the trash behind when you
can throw them properly yourself, procrastinating and the countless, mamaya
nalang or bukas nalang syndrome and of course there were certainly people who don’t
like to work for the simplest reason that they do not want to use their energy, and want
to stay at home doing nothing or at the street and in other words, laziness or sloth or
in Pinoy terms sometimes considered “tambays” and personally I can attest to that, I
myself tend to procrastinate at times.
I strongly agree with him that before proposing remedy for this negative behavior, the
root causes should be identified first. When and where this kind of attitude started and
what are the reasons for this developed type of mentality among us Filipinos?

In this article, he pointed out that even before the Coming of Spaniards, Filipinos were
Industrious and hardworking and active in agriculture, industries and commerce and the
coming of the Spaniards to the country brought about the decline in economic activities
because the Filipinos had abandoned their pre-Hispanic industries.
As for myself regarding that point, I agree with Rizal and the Banaue Rice Terraces was
a clear manifestation of the hardworking and industrious ancestors we have. Filipino
workers and farmers are early riser that they are prepared at dawn to start their
planting, cultivating and harvesting for the day. And the Spaniards who first set foot on
the Land had noticed that people have enough supply of food and that they are
generous and industrious.

When the Spaniards came in the Philippines full-forced, burned houses, eradicated
some goods and resources, killed many Filipinos and take over and control the
economy even the lands, farms and villages. Polo y servicios was required for many
Filipino male and farms were left uncultivated. Frailocracy is at its dominancy, and
Filipinos were being denied of economic rights and thus resulted for any Filipinos to give
up their work, lands and even their life. They become hopeless and inferiority complex
was developed even more. Gambling was rampant because work for them as well as
sacrifices would not suffice their daily life and money for them became their saving
grace. Twisted Friars controlled the minds of innocent Filipinos and instilled them false
beliefs on Catholicism. Education was not granted for all and it instantly, the Spaniards
became the long nightmare for the Filipinos.

Rizal, in this article mentioned about the weather can be one of the reason, comparing
tropical and non-tropical countries, saying that in tropical countries like the Philippines,
when the sun is so high and when it’s so hot, workers who work under the sun tend to
rest and for non-tropical countries with four seasons and should work hard during spring
and fall because they cannot easily work in excessive heat during summer and on
extreme cold during winter seasons. Thus, despite of that, the total work is almost the
same. As human beings, it is by nature to adopt to our environment in different
conditions and therefore, being indolent during hot conditions is reasonable.

He also said something about irresponsibility of the Filipinos towards work, virtues, and
credibility that perhaps resulted to mental stagnation among Filipinos to sought for
social and political justice.

He pointed out that Filipinos lack of national sentiment is a major factor, and this he
says, “Breeds another evil, which is the scarcity of any opposition to the measures that
are prejudicial to the people and the absence of any initiative that will affect to their
welfare.”
He also emphasize the lack of cooperation and awareness of the Filipinos to the current
situation of the country and how the government took away the attention of the Filipinos
through their deceiving schemes and empty promises that resulted to the masses
remorse and destruction.

At some point, I remembered our case study that we did in our third year for Society and
culture and Family Planning course about Critical Analysis of “Chismis and Istambay”,
where we study about the possible reasons and possible solutions to this social issues
in our country.

Today, I can say that this mentality probably became one of the legacy of the
Spaniards, and already became a manifestation of the deeply rooted structural defects
in both the systems of economy and education in the country.

Poverty as one of the top problems in our country, corrupt officials, unsettled reforms,
illiteracy, slow progress, injustice and unequal opportunity, they are still there as they
were during the Spanish regime. Sad to say but it seems that we did not learn from our
mistakes in the past and we are allowing ourselves to live in yet another nightmare
again.

Dr. Jose Rizal would not wanted this, he wanted progress in our country and to attain
that, we have to start from small steps and small things within ourselves before focusing
on the bigger picture that is more complicated. I come to this thought that maybe we
should start to be more responsible for own actions and to make sure that those actions
will not harm anybody and instead benefit ourselves and country as well.

I learned a lot reading these article and it should inspire us to continue working for the
progress of the country and also for the common good. I believe also that Rizal wanted
us to reflect on ourselves, To make us realize that we deserved to be treated equally,
that we should not let foreigners to insult us and our culture as well, to be aware of our
rights as a citizen and of course to be a responsible citizen who thinks of the welfare of
the country and someone who loves his country as he loves himself.