National artist Nick Joaquin’s “A Heritage of

Smallness” makes a daring, outspoken commentary

about the mindset of the Filipino society then and
now. It’s feisty. It stings and most of all, it’s true.
But his words however true, I believe are not
absolute. In the article, he elaborated how Filipinos
seem to evade progress. How we settle for less and
not seek development. He mentioned a lot of
representations like the retail not wholesale buying,
the small nipa huts instead of large mansions or tall
buildings, uncomfortable jeepneys, clay not
porcelain, and many others. This speaks the truth.
We really don’t have the big and grandiose things.
But is that something necessarily lesser?
Take for example the tingi buying. In the article it
seemed like it was a bad thing. It’s like an
immediate image of poverty and an absolute
comparison from first world countries. But is it,
really? Buying only what you need is not a bad thing
compared to buying more than what you can
consume. When has consumerism been an image of
progress? Filipinos buy in tingi because that’s what
they can afford and that’s mostly what they only
need. There are also those who are rich but buy
small. Being frugal is not something less. Getting
used to buying what we need also taught us to be
grateful and share if we have more. That’s why
Filipinos are also known to have great values.
Maybe that’s not something we can compare
economically, but morally, we can. And for the
record, poverty is not the only the problem, but so is
wastefulness.
So what if we only have short stories, proverbs, and
mythologies? I think it’s better than most widely
read book in the world and yet inspire the worst of
atrocities. Shouldn’t we be proud of the story
of Malakas and Maganda that doesn't inspire
intolerance of any sort? Or the legend of Mt.
Kanlaon and Mt. Mayon that inspires of true and
undying love? Also, there's nothing wrong or right
with either clay pottery or porcelain pottery.
It's why we make them. Do we make them so we can
use it to taste food better or do we make them just so
we can show off to the world that we can?
So what is progress? How do we define it? I guess
we must first look into ourselves and prime our
mindset. Most if not all of us always want to take
only paved roads and avoid the winding roads and
steep trails where greater things await. But maybe
it’s because we already think less of ourselves even
before we can try. And that can be generational. We
are used to insults and being belittled. From the
colonizers who deemed us stupid and beneath them,
to our fellow Filipinos who think that Philippines
has no chance at all. We got so used to it that it was
passed on from generations to generations. It’s about
time we break it. And we cannot do that if we think
less of our own heritage that makes up who we are.
Maybe it’s time to point fingers to those who truly
hinder our progress; corrupted leaders, people that
are privileged and entitled to big mansions,
excessive buying, comfortable way of transport, but
exploits those that are not. Nick Joaquin's words
must not be forgotten. But we shouldn't hold on to
his truths as if they were always applicable. There’s
nothing less of our heritage. Extravagance doesn’t
always equate to success and smallness doesn’t
always mean falling behind.
I don’t think gossiping or chismis relay any advantages or benefits because usually, people only
gossip bad information or misfortunes of someone else’s life. Some may suggest “positive”
gossip, but in reality, who’s interested in the affairs of others unless it’s “juicy”? The supposed
justification of its benefits eventually becomes disadvantages. Like it’s lending of the illusion of
connection, considering it as a cheap form of entertainment, a little hit of adrenaline to lose
tension, it all comes down to damage in our morals, propagation of fake news, and can even lead
to destroying someone’s life. You are risking bringing somebody down emotionally and
mentally for the sake of a small bit of entertainment. You are tarnishing their reputation for a
cheap laugh or a moment of interpersonal bonding. Is it worth the risk? Also, it’s aptly said that,
“Those who gossip to you will gossip about you”. When we engage in chismis it indirectly
sends a signal to the other person that we are not reliable which obviously impacts our
relationships and our image as a whole. Venting is a prerequisite for some people before they
begin to find a solution for a problem they have or to share sentiments. However, more often
than not, gossiping is truly unhelpful to everyone involved especially if it includes making up
stories and badmouthing someone. Does gossiping help us grow in any field of our life? The
answer is obviously no.
In the case of disinformation, people have the tendency to exaggerate the story and bend its truth.
And people usually just believes it more so if it came from someone they know. Also, we usually
have no way to verify unless we ask the involved people directly. The general look of it is
conversing about topics or people and commonly expanding on what might not even exist or is
not true, hence how rumors begin. Sometimes, gossiping is so effective (in a negative way), that
it forms the basis of the propaganda “disinformation” and make it so effective in a small amount
of time. Such lies can even end up in history books (making reference of what happened during
the last elections). So yes, gossiping is a contributing factor to the pervasiveness of
disinformation.