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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?

Also read: The Indolence of the Filipinos: Highlights and Quotable Quotes

J R Lim

47 comments:

AnonymousJuly 14, 2012 at 9:16 AM

thank you for helping me in my assignment. i hope i am not tagged as indolent filipino,i am just
collecting ideas for my paper, not exacly doing plagiarism nor copp-pasting..
Reply

AnonymousFebruary 13, 2013 at 6:16 AM

thank you. all i need to do is press "ctrl+c and ctrl+v", j3j3j3j3 :))

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AnonymousSeptember 28, 2014 at 5:07 PM

the best example for an indolent student...

AnonymousNovember 16, 2014 at 2:46 AM

Why are you also here? That might mean that you are also after of what we also are. Hihi x))

AnonymousMay 20, 2015 at 9:40 AM

You're on your own anon. Don't use "we" as if dragging all of us with your indolent act.

AnonymousMay 10, 2016 at 2:59 PM

ANO BA MAGAAWAY NANAMAN KAYO TAMA NA ANG SHUNGA LANG KAINIS

AnonymousDecember 3, 2017 at 12:22 AM

hahaha! brace yourselves guys.. no pride race pls..

AnonymousJanuary 17, 2018 at 9:08 PM

examples of indolence of filipino is shown above.

AnonymousMarch 4, 2018 at 7:49 AM

hey im not indolent, my teacher is!!! All she does is give us home works without even discussing it first!
so here i am, searching for the work of Rizal, "The Indolence of Filipinos"

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AnonymousFebruary 28, 2013 at 7:18 AM

thanks to this, it helps me a lot, it is like a one stop shop of information.

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AnonymousMarch 4, 2013 at 2:22 PM

This is all good. Thanks for helping me in my report. All the best.

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AnonymousMarch 17, 2013 at 6:19 PM

intellectual dishonesty...is this another sign of indolence? Be sure to give credit where credit is due.
Reply

AnonymousMay 5, 2013 at 2:30 PM

Great job! Godblessyou. :D

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AnonymousMay 15, 2013 at 7:31 AM

nice one..thank you.,its a BIG help for me.

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J R LimJune 12, 2013 at 8:54 AM

You're very welcome!

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AnonymousJune 28, 2013 at 5:31 AM

Wow! Rizal has seen what many of our leaders cannot see up to this point in time. I said they can't see
because they're not doing anything about the problem of indolence.

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AnonymousOctober 23, 2015 at 2:41 AM

because the cure for indolence is individually based. Nobody from the government can change you. The
change should come from within. We are individuals not just plain citizens. Binasa mo?

AnonymousApril 22, 2016 at 7:40 AM

I AGREE WITH YOU. THEY ARE ALSO INDOLENT. THEY ONLY LIP SERVE THE PEOPLE. BIG MOUTHS AND
NO MUSCLES AND REAL BRAINS.AND THE PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE THEM ARE WORSE.

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AnonymousJuly 7, 2013 at 11:54 PM

All I can say is Thank you!!!!!!!!!!! Hhehehehe...

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AnonymousJuly 26, 2013 at 7:17 PM

You encapsulated his essay very well.

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UnknownJuly 31, 2013 at 10:13 PM

Thank you for sharing this article. I learned that Filipinos are not Indolent. As what Jose Rizal stated that
Fipinos, before the coming of the Spaniards are hardworking and industrious, however , during the
Spanish time, they were forced to do infrastructure, they have neglected to focus on agriculture, etc.

Rose Anne O. Rogelio

Contributor, www.OurHappySchool.com

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AnonymousSeptember 6, 2013 at 12:55 PM

Wow. Thank you so much! Glad I've found this. It really helped a lot with my Rizal course assignment.

It's never an intention of mine to plagiarize any works, It was actually the summary I was after. But on
the other hand, I like how you have proved that Filipinos aren't what some other people thought they
were, and how they they weren't supposed to be who they are right now. It was influenced by the
interference of the foreign conqueror. It's just sad to see people standing after the word 'lazy' and
somehow grows really proud of it.

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Replies

J R LimSeptember 10, 2013 at 4:53 AM

You're welcome! Thanks for sharing your excellent insights.

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AnonymousSeptember 23, 2013 at 4:51 PM

your work is highly appreciated..thanks a lot..we are grateful and lucky for having modern technology
that we can get huge information..thanks for those who made this one..;D it really help me. z21
Reply

AnonymousOctober 3, 2013 at 7:39 AM

WOW,,THIS IS GREAT ,,WHAT AN INFORMATION,IT HELPS ME A LOT,,ADDS MY KNOWLEDGE..." PROUD

TO BE A FILIPINO"

#thanksfortheinfo

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AnonymousOctober 9, 2013 at 2:59 PM

yah this helps

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AnonymousMarch 5, 2014 at 5:29 AM

thank you for this summary!

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AnonymousMarch 21, 2014 at 2:19 AM

thanks a lot..it will me in my assignment

thanks a lot...it will help me in my assignment

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AnonymousMarch 24, 2014 at 5:47 AM

thank you for the summary and analysis. It is a big help for my exam tomorrow . :)

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AnonymousJune 23, 2014 at 8:29 AM

Thank you for this. This was very helpful.

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AnonymousAugust 18, 2014 at 1:57 AM

Thanks! it helped me a lot with my essay homework in the Rizal course

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AnonymousOctober 2, 2014 at 7:19 PM

thanks to these because it helped me a lot for our debate..

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AnonymousOctober 15, 2014 at 3:33 AM

thanks.I can count on this site about Rizal's life and works

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AnonymousMay 10, 2015 at 6:30 PM

thank you for this information, now I have an idea, I really appreciated this :)

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Camille RomeroJuly 28, 2015 at 5:59 AM

hi again!!

thank you for sharing this. now , I can have a recitation grade for my philippine political theories class! :D

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AnonymousSeptember 27, 2015 at 10:49 PM

thank you so much for this... It really help me in my assignment :)

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AnonymousOctober 8, 2015 at 12:41 AM

well and good. no problem with that!

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AnonymousNovember 29, 2015 at 5:17 PM

HAHAHHAHAH! Salamat! wag ka mag alala lagyan ko ng reference :)

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UnknownJanuary 3, 2016 at 7:41 PM

Thank you so much! I have read the whole essay, and i'm just here to check if i answered/did my work
right. It really helps me revising few parts of my report. =)

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UnknownFebruary 19, 2016 at 3:25 PM

Great job!

BTW, i hope that Filipinos will be more responsible with their comments. This is a web site sharing the
life and works of a national hero. This is not a web site where you can be a keyboard warrior and curse
to anyone and be totally proud of it. If you want to practice your cursing skills, go to another site.

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Jose Gabriel S. TanJune 28, 2016 at 8:53 AM

Wow. Seriously, this didn't just help me in my assignment, but it opened my eyes to the truth of why our
country's people are like this. Its a sad truth, but it should be told to everyone so that they will realize
the many mistakes that gradually led us all to how we are now. Only if...

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Jose Gabriel S. TanJune 28, 2016 at 8:59 AM

Wow. Seriously, this didn't help me in my assignment, but it opened my eyes. It made me realize how
much we could have accomplished if those before us were brave enough. It's an important yet painful
truth that I wish all of our filipino brothers and sisters should realize so that they can have this strong
reason to change.
Reply

UnknownJuly 4, 2017 at 3:12 PM

If pinoys are really indolent, that cannot be justified and we should not blame others for that but only
ourselves as indolence is not genetics based.

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AnonymousJuly 15, 2017 at 12:52 AM

I agree with our National Hero. However, he forgot to include that our climate situated in the tropics just
above the equator contributes to the Filipinos' indolence. Because of the warm weather especially,
people living near the equator tend to be sleepy like in Mexico (highlighted by a picture of a Mexican
wearing a big sumbrero sitting with a cactus behind him whose head is just above his folded knees).
Even my cats sleep with an unusually position during summer time. If animals are affected by the
warmed weather, how much more with people. The anti-dote is an airconditioned workplace.

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AnonymousAugust 16, 2017 at 8:40 AM

We just finished the discussion about Rizal's "Indolence of the Filipino" and you actually did a very good
job in summarizing this one. Kudos to you! I hope that Filipinos will spend more of their time reading
this one. I know that your summary and insights will help a lot. God bless you <3 <3 Mabuhay ang
Pilipinas :D :D

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AnonymousMarch 7, 2018 at 5:00 AM

thanks for this summary.. I collecting some ideas :)

Reply

UnknownSeptember 7, 2018 at 12:11 AM

Well thanks for this summary.❤

Reply

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