Driving in Metro Manila can sometimes really get into my nerves. There is a big difference now from the time when I started to learn how to drive. Before the problem wasj ust buses and jeeps loading and unloading wherever they please but now, we also have a lot of motorcycles. And they really don’t care if they are on the right lane as long as there’s still space. They counter flow, cut your lane and all sorts of ways and means to get ahead of you. It’s just crazy!
Have you ever wondered why we are like that? Why do we like to make “siksik”? (Sorry, as much as I try to refrain from sounding too “kolehiyala” -a college school girl here, I just can’t think of an exact English translation for the word right now) So have you ever wondered why? I have, many times in fact. Whenever I see people queuing at boarding gates I really don’t understand why almost everyone wants to be first when we all have assigned seats. Funnyisn’t it? In the malls people go where everybody is. At some food joints, we are likely attracted to go where there are a lot of people; believing they have really good food. When we’re with friends, we like to be so close to each other. The way we express ourselves almost always includes touching, tapping one’s shoulder, holding hands etc. I’m sure I am not the only one who has observed this around us. And I am sure you also have participated in queuing and squeezing in spaces one time or another. Don’t deny.
Human behavior is such an amazing phenomenon. The events I illustrated above actually are also reflected on Philippine art like painting. Try to search for photos of Philippine artworks. You will see that most Filipino painters fill the whole canvas with detail unlike Japanese art where the treatment is always minimal.This art form is often referred to as “Horror Vacui” or fear of empty spaces. I explained this concept to my half-Filipino friend who grew up in Europe for him to understand why people here don’t mind bumping into one another and why his Filipino relatives always give him a “high five” or tap his shoulders. Now he’s back in Italy and sure misses the warm touch and smiles only we can give.
Sometimes there are things around us that irritate us or make us feel so annoyed. It is so easy to say that there is something wrong to what we see and observe on a daily basis without much thought. In reality, it is just a difference in culture. And there is nothing wrong with it. I believe we can further improve as a country but we also can’t deny who we are.
True wisdom only comes from knowing oneself.
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