5 Reasons Why Filipinos Are Awesome

I am proud to be a Filipino. I had often wondered why God would place me in this nation and in this era but I have since accepted the fact and have been grateful that He has. No doubt all races have been made equally with dignity and worth because we are all made in the image of God. But I also acknowledge the fact that God has given us all unique characteristics that make us distinct from other people and races. So I want to give some reasons why I think Filipinos are awesome. This does not mean that other races are not awesome, but I simply want to point out certain realizations I have had about my people.

1. Filipinos are a resilient people. 

We never stay down, we never give up, we never lose hope. No matter how many storms come our way, both figuratively and literally, we always get back on our feet. Nothing can break us. I guess a lot of people in the world are also resilient like the Japanese or say the Israeli but what sets Filipinos apart from the rest would be our undying fighting spirit.

Perhaps this is due to our acceptance that life is unfair or maybe it is because we have been enslaved by other nations for three centuries and lived through a dictatorship that inculcated the mindset of the harsh reality of life and that what we can do is make the most out of what we have from our circumstances.

2. Filipinos are chameleons. 

We can easily adapt to whatever environment we are placed in. This is somewhat connected to the first point because to be able to keep on standing back up when we get knocked down, we need to adjust our strategy and perspective on life. There are millions of Filipinos working overseas today and most of our economy is actually hinged upon their remittances. Many stories have been told of how harsh it is to live as a foreigner in another country especially hostile ones. Not a lot of nations share our sentiments and not a lot of them view us as equals. Most think of us as inferior to them much like how the African-Americans were treated before the Civil Rights Movement except the discrimination against Filipinos still persists today.

But because of the love for our families especially parents for their children, many Filipinos would endure all the insults and abuse from their employers just so they can provide their families with the bare necessities. It may be hard to stomach but many Filipinos have suffered tremendously abroad and some have even been sentenced to death and were killed for some cockamamie reason. However, Filipinos are able to make significant changes in their attitudes and mindset in order to overcome these struggles.

Aside from this, I have also found out that Filipinos are polyglots. Since the Austronesian speaking people traveled through the different islands in the Philippines, there exists at least a dozen different languages spoken by different people in different regions. Some Filipinos can speak more than three languages since most of the languages are related to one another. But more than that, Filipinos tend to have an easier time learning a language whether it be European, Asian, or whatever dialect it may be, we just have that ability.

3. Filipinos possess intense passion and drive.

The blood of many great heroes or "bayani" in the past run through our veins. Filipinos fight for what they believe in and we strive hard to achieve what we desire the most even if it costs our lives. Take a look at the history of the Filipino people and you will see how much we stand our ground and live out our cause and conviction. Although this is a universal trait that many people around the world exhibit, I believe Filipinos have more opportunities to show it because we have been through so much suffering, toil, and pain that push us to persevere and go the distance.

Certain examples from our history illustrate my point such as the People Power Revolution which definitely ignited a lot of people's conviction although I have my reservations on it which I will talk about some other time. Nonetheless, it did show how much passion Filipinos have for their freedom. During the time of Andres Bonifacio, one can be enamored by the passion reflected by their words and actions fueled by the suffering of my people. Another example would be the Filipinos' devotion for their faith and beliefs.

4. Filipinos have an acute sense of humor. 

I find this very interesting because I believe we are very quick to comprehend humor in all its forms, whether it be the Filipino brand of humor or the Western brand of humor. Some people might even think us crazy but we have this natural inclination to laugh, have fun, and enjoy life to be happy no matter what the circumstances.

I also find that Filipinos are generally very observant and are very keen on the peculiarities and the foibles of people in everyday life. We always find the time to smile and laugh even at our problems and ourselves. I think that it is also ingrained in the Filipinos' character that we are hopeful and optimistic, always looking at the brighter side. We tend to be idealistic in many situations. All of this I believe is still rooted upon the first point and further support it. My people have seen too many tragedies in our long history and we can no longer go back to change them. What we can do is to look ahead and see what we can change there.

5. Filipinos are divergent. 

Our minds work in a million different ways. Filipinos are creative, expressive, and very sentimental. Though there is pressure to conform, there are those of us who simply go against the grain wanting to express themselves in their own way. Filipinos have always been a mixed race, our collective identity is actually based upon many different backgrounds. We have been tossed and turned, we have had interrelationships. We are quite a diverse nation, that is not to say that the other nations are not diverse but I guess diversity was just inherent to us, it was already part of our lives.

Filipinos are awesome, I love my country and my people.