1. What is the difference between individualistic and collectivistic?

Individualistic describes a concept that is centered on an individual’s personal worth, rights,

successes, and affairs. One strives to achieve a sense of independence, self-reliance, and
personal freedom. A person with an individualistic perspective tends to focus on his/her own
capabilities and potential in order to stand out amongst the other members of the society.
On the other hand, collectivistic is centered on a group of people’s needs, goals, and
accomplishments as a whole. It puts greater emphasis on connection, relationship, and bond
which strives to achieve a sense of social harmony. A person with a collectivistic perspective
takes other people’s opinion and feelings into consideration. Interconnection and the
relationship with other people are focused in this concept. In the individualistic concept, one
sacrifices other people’s welfare to achieve his/her own desires while a collectivistic person
is willing to sacrifice his/her own comfort for the benefit of all. In conclusion, individualistic
prioritizes one’s self in order to possess distinctive qualities that may lead to one’s triumph
while collectivistic prioritizes the greater good of the community rather than the well-being
of an individual.

2. What is the dilemma of the eastern and western thoughts and how do they generally differ?

The eastern thoughts are primarily concerned with collectivism which highlight the importance
of interdependence while the western thoughts put greater emphasis on individualism which
highlight the importance of independence. It is commonly known that people living in the
eastern countries- like Asian- highly prioritizes relationships with other people such as family,
friends, and as a member of the community in general. People’s feelings and emotions are
generally entwined with each other, depending more on the other members and greater social
conformity is frequently seen in this kind of society. One strives to “fit in” rather than to “stand
out” because people wants to achieve unity and social harmony. Family is also greatly prioritized
in eastern countries like Philippines where respect for elderly is highly valued. On the other
hand, western people tend to value personal success rather than the accomplishment as a
group. Personal freedom is also greatly seen in western countries and people tend to develop
competence. For instance, teenagers in western countries move out of their house when they
reached their legal age while teenagers in eastern countries continue to live with their parents
even until middle adulthood.

Description of the present environmental condition citing environmental phenomenon or natural

calamities, to highlight the significance/importance of the project
Our world has drastically changed through the years due to the continuous human activities that
have made an enormous impact on the condition of our environment. No one can deny the fact
that humans play a major role in the destruction of the environment through the everyday actions
that they execute from transportation, utilization of plastics, deforestation, to improper waste
disposal which has all caused the alarming problems of pollution in our environment. These have
paved the way for climatic changes to arise which also led to the rapid increase of global
warming in our community which presents major threats to both humans and Earth. Notice how
our temperature is above average, other places experience forest fires, glaciers have slowly
melted, severe drought is now occurring, and some animal species have gone extinct. Focusing
on the environmental problems being experienced in the Philippines, pollution has long been
seen as the major problem in the Philippines for decades which causes enormous health risks
such as lung cancer, respiratory complications, and heart diseases. Additionally, it has
contaminated the air we breathe, the bodies of water that shelters marine life, and the soil that
provides nutrient to our food. Furthermore, another case of worsening environmental conditions
is that our natural calamities are slowly intensifying and increasing over the years. Since the
Philippines’ geographical location is prone to tropical cyclones, calamities such as floods and
landslides occur very often due to persistent storms and rainfall. Its condition may be worsened
by climate change, strong winds, exposure to heavy rainfalls, unstable geology, and most
especially the lack of trees. Deforestation has become prevalent in this generation due to
human’s eagerness for expansion. It is an unfortunate truth that while we are immersed in the
idea of development and urbanization, our nature becomes the victim of our desire for
advancement.

It is never too late to perform an action and as a student, we can certainly contribute by
planting trees. Trees have numerous list of benefits to both humans and the environment. It
provides us with oxygen which is an essential gas for human survival. It also improves the
quality of the air in a way that it takes in carbon dioxide and absorbs harmful pollutants such as
sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide. Additionally, it aids in preventing natural
calamities like floods since it traps and stores the rainwater, decreasing the possible flooding and
also helping in avoiding the occurrence of landslides.

The ferocious and cruel approach of man towards nature is the reason why environmental
destruction has become a major moral problem in the world. Certainly, these actions that caused
the destruction of God’s creations are not in accordance with God’s image and likeness. As
bearers of God’s image, humans have been given the responsibility of taking care of God’s
creation and we should bear in mind that we must learn how to honor His work by sustaining,
preserving, and protecting the Earth. As human beings who have the responsibility of taking care
of the creation, we must protect our environment not just for our own benefit but also for God’s
glory. We should start saving nature by taking action by planting trees always remember that the
environmental destruction caused by every individual that challenges nature requires an
equivalent response from the whole