Crab Mentality??

Isa sa parating dinadahilan kung bakit backward pa rin ang Pilipinas ay ang tinatawag na “crab mentality”. I used to think of this social concept negatively until someone from one of my Yahoo groups came out with a rather opposite interpretation of it. I was quite impressed it convinced me to look at “crab mentality” in a different light. And here is what he said summarized in my own words.

“Crab mentality” is used to describe our apparent cutthroat behavior of pulling others down in our quest for success. It likens this behavior with how the talangka in their desire to climb out of a hole try to pull those on top in order to get ahead of the rest.

Yan nga naman ang usual na observation natin sa mga talangka. But once you take a few more minutes to observe these amazing crustaceans you’ll notice that eventually almost all of them are able to climb out of the hole. Isn’t that amazing? Lahat sila nakaahon! Since the analogy is between us and the talangka, therefore it follows, may pag-asa pala na tayong lahat ay makakaahon din sa butas ng kahirapan.

Isipin natin papaano ba nakaahon ang mga talangka? Simple lang, nagtulungan sila. At first ang akala natin yung nasa ibaba hinihila nila yung nasa itaas pababa. Actually baligtad pala dahil yung nasa itaas ang siyang humihila doon sa mga nasa baba para silang lahat ay makaakyat. Teamwork at mutual support ang ginamit nila.

This same behavior, we observe among our kababayans everyday. Tutulungan ng magulang at ng mga kapatid ang isang kapatid para makapag-abroad. Once settled na ang kapatid kukunin naman nito ang mga magulang at ang ibang kapatid at kamag-anakan. Very typical hindi po ba?

The challenge for us now is to go beyond our immediate families in helping others. Magtulungan at magbayanihan para sa ating bayan. One of the organizations that have been meeting this challenge is Pinoyz2NZ. This is a group of Pinoys wishing to migrate to NZ. Some of them have just started applying for residency, some waiting for the results of their applications, some have already been granted visas, while some may already be living in NZ. I was very impressed with this group because of the unselfishness of its members in sharing their experiences, knowledge and tips about the application process to other members. By acting collectively, they provide moral support and encouragement to others. By sharing information they help newcomers avoid common mistakes and thus increase their chances of success in their applications. Unaware of it, each of them is behaving like crabs but in a positive way.

I’m proud to be associated with this group. To the members of Pinoyz2NZ, I’m looking forward to seeing you all in your 8th Philippine Meet on the 24th of September at Megamall. Mag-iispits pa nga raw ako. Ano naman kaya ang ikukwento ko? Mga kabalbalan namin ni Don Atoy? Bahala na basta huwag niyo akong pag-barongin or americana. Di bagay sa akin.


Pinoyz2NZ: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pinoyz2nz/


Pinoyz2NZ 8th Phil Meet - 24 Sept 2005 (Saturday) 10am to 3pm
Mega Trade Hall Function Room (beside Wedding Library)
5th Floor SM Megamall - Mega B Building

For entrance fee and further details, please email pinoyz2nz@yahoogroups.com