I was having my first cup of coffee as DZMM was reporting on Father Joaquin Bernas’s statement advising Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to forego any plan of running for a national assembly seat in the 2nd district of Pampanga as backdoor maneuver to become Prime Minister should a ConAss-engineered change in the 1987 Constitution mandate a parliamentary form of government.
Bernas points out accurately that nothing but her sense of propriety, of delicadeza, would really be the only stumbling block:
“We never thought the President would be humble. If I were her, I would not seek a lower office.” There are no legal obstacles to stop Ms Arroyo, who had previously served as vice president and a senator, should she decide to run for representative. “Now, delicadeza ibang bagay yan (propriety is another matter).”
This me of the seminal 1943 treatise of Dr. Abraham Maslow on the human hierarchy of needs or values.
I asked myself how we Filipinos could perhaps rate themselves using Maslow’s pyramid.
Here’s Dr. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Values in matrix form:
|
Old Paradigm of Protection Values |
|
Emerging Paradigm of Growth Values |
| Safety: Avoiding risk. Protection via external restraints and constraints; Rules, burglar alarms, and borders to define the places safe from danger, “us” versus “them”; survival is a goal. | Spontaneity: Freedom, Willingness to risk and move into the unknown, Survival is assumed. | |
| Comfort: Avoiding pain, threats to belief systems, or contradictions; Strive to maintain the status quo at all costs. | Meaning: Willingness to confront life as it is, including uncomfortable contradiction and/or paradox. Tolerance of ambiguity. | |
| Image: Meeting or exceeding cultural expectations; Conforming to norms and fitting oneself to the “job description”; Status and role valued. | Authenticity: Meeting or exceeding one’s own expectations; Willingness to diverge from cultural norms out of integrity and/or curiosity. Flexibility; Acceptance of other’s nonconformity. | |
| Self-control: Ability to restrain one’s emotional responses and control of the situation. Repression of anger, fear, sexuality, sentiment. Self-indulgent, an anesthetic against fear for people. | Self-knowledge: Awareness of feelings and their role in behavior; Transformation of fear and anger thru self-understanding and trust; Inner confidence from having let go of illusions and survived fear. | |
| Ego defenses: Protection of one’s self-image by making others wrong or by rationalizing one’s behaviors and beliefs. Feeling right or righteous. | Vulnerability: The “transparent self” that acknowledges its weakness and draws from its strong points. It does not identify with the ego’s need to be perfect. | |
| Permanence: Effort to memorialize or freeze the past. Longevity, preservation of traditions, long-range commitments, repeating and recalling past triumphs. | Potential: Recognition of the dynamics and flux of life, the impossibility of holding the present moment; Belief that change represents possibility, a future whose capacity to surprise is relished, not feared. | |
| Information: Having answers, facts, training, experience, data; Being sure. | Insight: Asking the right questions, eager to learn; Acceptance of uncertainty. | |
| Adjustment: Human beings are seen as limited in what they can accomplish; Effort if futile; Poverty, starvation and war are inevitable. Belief in human limitations, which excuses from effort. | Aspiration: Human beings have built great cathedrals, flown to the moon. Any of us might accomplish something beyond the ordinary; belief in unlimited human potential. | |
| Power over others: Being boss, top dog, judge, authority, or being helpless, manipulative, flattering, coercive. | Power with others: Cooperation, mutual support, communications, alignment. | |
| Feeling superior to others: More attractive, intelligent, successful and/or harder working. Protection from feeling inadequate by being special. | Feeling connected to others: Total acceptance of oneself; Identifying with all human traits. | |
| Freedom from responsibility: Sense of impotence, Scapegoatology; What ever happened was the fault of others, social forces, and/or fate. Feelings of Woundology. | Freedom in responsibility: Sense of one’s personal self-empowerment. Past choices acknowledged, and sense of being able to choose in the future. Power to change based on taking responsibility. |
http://www.halexandria.org/dward392.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs
Paraphrasing the sages: can’t we, shouldn’t we all be men for others rather than thinking only of our personal well-being, shedding inggit, the ‘takanngka’ mentality, ningas cogon, pataasan ng ihi, and magkano ako riyan?
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pahiram ng last sentence mo isasagot ko lang sa isang commenter sa naunang blog.(joke only)
seriously,
the hierarchy of needs is supposed to be for the individual pero sa tingin ko hindi talaga natin masasabi na lahat ng pinoy inggitero, lahat ng pinoy ningas cogon,lahat ng pinoy may amor propio,delicadeza,mahiyain,puro sloganeering,etc.
I have to name drop, madalas may nagsasabi kay benigz not to generalize,maybe because we really can’t generalize because of individual differences.
buti sana kung numbers tayo na may least common denominator pero hindi eh.
sorry to have digressed and seemingly have missed the point.
if delicadeza is the only thing stopping gma from running, there are still ways of her not to win.
if randy david is the answer,he must present himself as a better candidate. gov panlilio once said that they will have their own candidate;methinks kung madami ang kandidato mas may chance na manalo nga si gma.
ganon din sa ibang congressional districts, a call to elect the right leaders kahit na mag mukha tayong sirang plaka is the only way to prevent her possible premiership or speakership.
Karl, you mentioned Amor Propio. That really is a big negative trait of Filipinos. I thought no one here knew about it. Of course, not all Filipinos have this and all the negative traits… but I agree that MOST have it. It’s too obvious if you ask me.
I most suspect that GMA subscribes in toto to Thomas Kuhn’s “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” to the extent that she knows the ‘genetic’ of the political development of our institutions.
Precisely to quote from Kuhn – “Political revolutions aim to change political institutions in ways that those institutions themselves prohibit.”
In other words, success as that normally envisioned by GMA as a political genius, call her that, necessitates in this case, ‘relinquishment of one set of institutions in favor of a nother, and in the interim, society is not fully governed by institutions at all.”
Told simply, GMA can always reinvent the wheel so that others may respond as to behave ‘more eccentrically within it’. Further, as the ‘crisis deepens’, they tend to ‘commit themselves to some concrete proposal for the reconstruction of society in a new institutional framework’.
I guess Manuel B should be reading Kuhn in his free time to better understand that scenarios can really fall in place like chips.
Here’s Prof. Kuhn’s treatise:
http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/us/kuhn.htm
Kuhn is a Marxist???
Make sure you have done your preliminary readings on Das Kapital and the Manifesto :)
Prime if I may call attention to this part in Prof. Kuhn piece which all leaders imbued with reformist revolutionary intent should not forget:
“…there is no standard higher than the assent of the relevant community.”
Ding, nice finding time to read Kuhn any other way. I rely largely on the 2nd edition work of the book itself though.
Coffee for that.
Soon. Be well, bro.
Wow. That’s a lot of analysis triggered by the idea that GMA is running for Congress.
Problem is: Who told you she is?
I would argue that the highest valued need for some is gossip — it makes one an insightful genius…if only for the moment.
Nice one.
There are too many variables involved for it to actually be an attractive option, from GMA’s point of view. First, the charter change has to actually result in a parliamentary form of government. Second, she has to actually win the election for her seat. Third, her party (or coalition) has to actually be organized enough to hold a firm majority in the new parliament. Fourth, she has to ensure that she is in fact the leader of the party, and that there are not some x number of rivals to deal with. None of these things are guaranteed to happen.
Here’s another completely plausible scenario: GMA (who is into her autumn years, and whose health has apparently take a bit of beating) ruins everyone’s day by handing over the presidency to the next duly-elected president with little to no fanfare. She has enough influence, she can score herself some plum post, like ambassador to the UN or something else that doesn’t require a bunch of hard work. She and Mr. A head for the US, and she hits the speaking circuit, probably can score herself a good book deal while she’s at it. Lot better money and a lot fewer headaches than dealing with b.s. here. Makes a lot more sense than what the emo political analyst crowd thinks is the plan.
Ben,
Et voila! Exactly what I’ve been predicting. You even forgot to mention her hubby’s health — another factor pushing GMA to step down and back.
It’s just too boring for some, but the likeliest outcome is — automated, respected elections…a new Prez…new dynamics…just like a normal, regular democracy!
you can’t give what you don’t have.
before you become a man for others, first become a man for yourself, then you are in a better position to help others.
how can you conquer the world when you can’t even conquer yourself?
Indeed that’s every person’s mountain to climb, in a manner of speaking.
ding, tell me what “delicadeza” is and i’ll tell you what hypocrisy means. also, please define “propriety” and explain who is fr. bernas to be the judge of what is and is not “proper”.
Oh don’t worry Atty. Ben, I am not singing hossanahs to Bernas.
But it’s not the messenger but the message.
You think in your heart the Ateneo Law Dean Emeritus and ex-ConCom member is the only one sending the message, unacceptable as it is to you?
What indeed is proper, in your mind, for your idol to do, kind sir?
Notice if you may, the post is not really against GMA.
It’s about us Filipinos. Revisit the title.
if she really wants to serve in any capacity that she is not prohibited by law to pursue, and she is elected by the people in a fair and clean electoral contest, what is “improper” about that?
Maybe ben k can tell that straight to Prof. Randy and it would be interesting to see him crawl or weep.
Atty. Ben,
Read my lips: “… the post is not really against (or about) GMA. It’s about us Filipinos.”
The Fr. Bernas spoke about her is simply the story’s ‘peg’ or editorial ‘hook’.
BTW, I can give you Bernas’ email if you’d like. :)
but weren’t you quoting bernas with approval with words “pointed out accurately” that only delicadeza and propriety could prevent her from running?
Ah, I get you now.
You now sound like you are saying that is is perfectly alright for Mrs. Arroyo NOT to exercise delicadeza even if she is the most unpopular chief executive in history and not desist from running.
I say Bernas is correct to advise Mrs. Arroyo.
You imply he is being hypocritical.
As I told this is not about GMA in the first place but about us Filipinos.
Bilib na talaga ko sa katutaan mo Kuya.
To repeat:
Read my lips: “… the post is not really against (or about) GMA. It’s about us Filipinos.”
The Fr. Bernas spoke about her is simply the story’s ‘peg’ or editorial ‘hook’.
Sign language gusto mo boss?
Ding:
Come to think of it – a lot of the HoR and even the Senate are former Marcos men, delicadeza would have told ‘em to stay away.
As long as people vote for GMA (as well as past/present/future cronies of past/present/future administrations, crooks, drunkards) delicadeza is a non-issue.
just be careful about how you say things, ding. you tend to be incoherent at times and now you are engaging in still-incoherent word play. what exactly is the point of your post?
i think i say it very clearly. delicadeza (whatever that means to you) and propriety are NOT relevant to whether pgma wants to serve in any position that she can legally assume. and stop calling me tuta. do you really want to have a name-calling session in this blog?
“…can’t we, shouldn’t we all be men for others rather than thinking only of our personal well-being, shedding inggit, the ‘takanngka’ mentality, ningas cogon, pataasan ng ihi, and magkano ako riyan?”