The Indolence of the Filipino

It was not by nature that Filipinos are indolent, before the colonizers came; it was long after ago that
our ancestors participated actively in trading to other islands. They are engaged in agriculture and
mining. But it was before the Spanish came to colonize the island Philippines.

During the Spanish colonization, Filipinos were branded as indolent or tamad, just like how they call it in
Filipino. The word indolence has been greatly misused according to Rizal, in the sense of little love for
work and lack of energy. A Filipino was once branded as an indolent person; it was being reasoned out
that it was partly, Filipino’s fault and some societal issues during that period. These factors lead to the
indolence of the Filipinos:

Climate

Philippines is known to be a tropical country, a place wherein people experience too much heat that
made them tired easily in doing things. Comparing it to others countries whom experience cold climate
can exert much more effort in accomplishing their work. The hot climate as a predisposition had led to
the indolence of a Filipino. But this factor was not sufficient for Rizal, because he believes that a person
must adopt to the climate because it will never change for him or her.

War

During the Spanish Period Filipinos were extremely inferior, they were asked to go to wars for the
Spanish, forced-labor, sent abroad to fight which causes them tom leave what they actually do before
the Spanish came. Farmers stop cultivating their lands, fishermen stop sailing to the seas, traders stop
the barter that was being practiced during that time. This is one of the deep-rooted factor that leads to
why Filipinos were branded indolent.

Spanish Colonizers

Filipinos work according to the command of the Spaniards, they cannot exercise their free will to do
work for their own and family. They are the pets of the Spaniards who had been abused and chained in
their own country, not capable of making decisions for their selves, and voiceless for every single thing.
Hence, in order to do things, they need the confirmation and approval of the Spaniards.

In end of Jose Rizal’s, The Indolence of the Filipino; the factors can be reduced to two factors:

Limited training and Education

It was practiced during the Spanish colonization, Indios or the Filipinos most especially the poor were
not given proper education. The opportunity for the poor Filipino seems bluntly deprived of a proper
education in schools run and governed by the Spaniards. They were told that they are inferior as to the
Spaniards.

Lack of National Sentiment

The thought of being inferior to other countries, Filipinos tend to look down to their selves and self-
esteem is very low that they are willingly to obey what other countries told them to do so or they easily
to submit in everything and anyone that they think is greater compared to them.

The solution for all of these is education and liberty, according to Rizal.