Indolence of the Filipino People By Rizal, Jose

I. Chapter 1: INDOLENCE DO EXIST In the first part of Rizals essay, Rizal admits that indolence do exist among the Filipinos, but unlike what outsiders say that Filipinos are naturally indolent and that indolence is the CAUSE of the countrys troubles and backwardness, for Rizal, Indolence is the EFFECT of the countrys troubles and backwardness. In order to demolish indolence, one must study its causes before curing it. Before proceeding to the causes, we must first define the term indolence. Rizal defined indolence as the sense of little love for work and lack of energy. Since the Middle Ages and up to now, there are still superstitious people who always blame the devil for everything that they cannot comprehend. In the essay, Rizal compared indolence to the devil; he stated that shortcomings and mistakes done by the natives during that time are usually attributed by indolence. Just like what superstitious people of today and of the past usually do of blaming the devil, Spaniards at that time blame indolence for the natives misdeeds and imperfection. Although the Spaniards always blame indolence for the natives misdeeds and shortcomings, are the Filipinos really naturally indolent? Rizal said that one of the reasons why Filipinos are called indolent by the Spaniards is the hot climate in a typical tropical country. He stated that an hours work under the burning sun is equivalent to a days work in a temperate climate and yet, Europeans, during that time, live surrounded by numerous trains of servants and never travel on foot. They were always riding a carriage when traveling from one place to another. They also have servants who take off their shoes for them and to fan them to relieve them of the countrys hot climate. According to Rizal, Indolence is a blessing. For like the Chinaman, who in other colonies cultivates the soil for only a certain number of years and retires, the tendency of natives to practice indolence is only natural. Man is not a machine. Indolence in the Philippines is magnified for it is the effect of misgovernment and backwardness not its cause.

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Chapter 2: INDOLENCE AS A CHRONIC MALLADY In the second part of the essay, Rizal compared indolence to a chronic disease. A chronic disease that when given the improper treatment might become worse. In the Philippines, Indolence is a chronic malady that is trying to be treated by the government and friars acting as physicians giving them treatment that they think will cure the so called disease of the country but it is not hereditary. As proof, Rizal cited different personalities that have stated that Filipinos are not naturally indolent. Chirino, Colin, Argensola, Gaspan de San Agustin are some of these personalities which Rizal stated that believe that Filipinos were hardworking people way before they were conquered by the Spaniards. There are evidences that show that native Filipinos have been practicing trade way before the Spanish arrived. Rizal quoted Morga who said: the natives are very far from exercising those trades and even forgotten much about farming, raising poultry, stock and cotton and weaving cloth as they used to do in their paganism and for a long time after the country was conquered. Another prominent personality that Rizal mentioned in his essay is Pigafetta. Pigafetta is an Italian scholar and traveler. He traveled with Ferdinand Magellan and was one of the few who were able to go back to Spain. He tells of the abundance of food in Paragua and how the inhabitants tilled their own fields. This shows that before the Spaniards arrive in the Philippines, natives have always been hard workers. Also there are also some evidences that states that some inhabitants of Luzon can understand Castilian which maybe is a sign that they did practice trade way before the Spaniards conquered the country.

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Chapter 3: DETERIORATION OF POPULATION THROUGH WARS, INSURRECTIONS AND INVASIONS In the third part of his essay, Rizal explained how deterioration of population came about through wars, insurrections and invasions that led to the farms to be neglected. This act of

indifference by the farmers was also referred to as indolence by the Spaniards because the native Filipinos were not working in the fields with their carabaos. Wars, which are usually the Spaniards fight to maintain the honor of Spain, resulted to the native Filipinos to be sent abroad to fight wars for Spain. Native Rowers and archers were also sent to embark on a voyage to Spain with other Spaniards because they were the best rowers and archers around. Although, the natives departure was recorded their return was never stated. Due to this forced commitment to Spain, deterioration of population was shown for their return were never stated or accounted for. One example of this is the island of Panay. Gaspar De San Agustin stated that from fifty thousand, the number of tributaries went down to fourteen thousand in a little over half a century of years time. Invasions, specifically pirate invasions, are another cause of deterioration of population. The Filipino natives were unable to defend themselves against said pirate invasions because Spaniards left their subjects and tributaries unarmed. The Native Filipinos were unable to defend themselves as they did before Spaniards arrived in the country. These pirate invasions destroyed communities which also attributed to the deterioration of population. Insurrections made by Malays were also one of the causes of deterioration of population. The Malays at that time were known for their atrocities and murders. They believed that to preserve their independence it was necessary to weaken the Spaniards by reducing the number of its subjects. They have a greater hatred and a deeper resentment against Christian Filipinos, in spite of being of their own race, served Spain. This hindered them from cultivating the fertile plain that they already have. IV. Chapter 4: SUSTAINING INDOLENCE Filipinos, according to Rizal, are not responsible for their own misfortunes. Several acts by the government and teachings of the friars can be blamed for the native Filipinos misfortunes.

Despite of the evidences that native Filipinos have already practiced trade even before the arrival of the Spaniards, trade between their Asian neighbors such as the Japanese, Borneans, Siamese and Cambodians declined. The government feared the Filipinos exposure to their more independent and free Asian neighbors. In line with this, the government who left their subjects unarmed to be able to defend themselves felt the lack of security and defense so instead of working in their farms they turn to gambling as an easy source of livelihood for it is greatly tolerated by the government. Apart from gambling being present during those times, bribery was also operated on a wider scale. Wrong teachings of the friars also resulted to farmers neglecting their farms. Teachings by the friars that rich men will not go to heaven also resulted to the farmers preferring to live miserably and indolently rather than working hard to be rich. For in the friars teachings, being a rich man on earth means he will become liable to all kinds of trouble such as being appointed as the cabeza de barangay, to be deported if an uprising occurs, to be forced banker of the military chief of the town etc. In the perspective of the natives, why should they work hard to become rich if they would face such troubles, better live a life of misery and indolence than live a life full of worry and burden. V. Chapter 5: FACTORS AND SOLUTION TO INDOLENCE In this chapter, Rizal explained the factors of indolence and his proposed solutions. Rizal stated that the factors of indolence can be reduced into two factors. One is the lack of national sentiment and the limited training and education of native Filipinos. The lack of national sentiment, because the Filipinos think they are inferior to the foreign culture they put their efforts into copying the foreign culture which deprives himself of other qualities suited to his own nature he becomes stagnant hence it resulted to economic and cultural decadence. The lack of national sentiment also brings about absence of all opposition to measures given by the Spaniards. Because Filipinos feel inferior to foreign culture, they lose the means of opposing the measures given by Spaniards. The next factor is limited training and education of native Filipinos. As a child, conquerors engrave in the mind of children that they are inferior and that they can never surpass the foreign culture that

have conquered or have set foot on their country and so, the child will have no progress. The child will never be curious for curiosity is rewarded with ridicule from curates and looks of fear from his/her relatives. Rizals solution to these factors and causes of indolence is Education and Liberty. With the right education, natives will have knowledge that will help him with his/her journey to the real world. The natives will have the capacity to think for themselves and judge if what is happening is right or wrong. With liberty, natives will have the freedom to live their life according o what they think is right. They will live a life that will give them the opportunity to show their true potential. Without Education and Liberty, reform is not possible.