[President Rodrigo R. Duterte is depicted in this artistic rendition in a very pensive mood; trying to churn out ideas on how to make living in our country most convenient, truly peaceful and superbly salutary for all.]
The art of subordinateship should perhaps be taught in our schools so that the noxious vestiges of crab-mentality in the Filipino psyche would be totally lost into the haze of oblivion.
Crab mentality, has been defined as some kind of thinking which is best described by the phrase, “if I can’t have it, neither can you.” This veritable metaphor refers to a bucket of crabs. And, individually, the crabs could easily escape from the bucket, but instead, they would grab at each other and bring down the other in a useless “king of the hill” competition which prevents any from escaping or the climb to the top, so to speak, and ensures their collective demise and/or peril. The analogy in human behavior is claimed to be that members of a group will attempt to negate or diminish the importance of any other member who achieves success beyond the others, out of envy, spite, conspiracy, or competitive feelings, to halt their progress.
Most Filipinos are touted almost around the world, to be afflicted with this kind of mentality and this mentality in fact knows no bounds.
The foregoing is so, as it not only propels the hatred sown by the instigator unto the subject of the instigation but also upon those who would be influenced, so to speak, by the instigator, and they will all eventually reek with rage, anger and indignation. Lalo nating pinagngangalit ang matagal nang galit na mga tao sa ating bansa na halos ay nawalan na ng pag-asa dahil sa mga pagkukulang ng mga nakaraang administrasyon.
On the other hand, the art of subordinateship tells one to be supportive, caring, understanding, sympathetic to everyone, especially those who are above us. But perhaps, the better rule is to be supportive, caring, understanding, and sympathetic to all. And that is verily a Christian precept of the fundamental tenets of charity and love.
This art of subordinateship started as a human resource strategy whereby the subordinates would exert his/her best efforts to do his/her best to make their respective bosses look good.
In the field of human resource management, career experts would surely say that it is perfectly acceptable to make the boss look good. In fact, it is highly recommended.
Truly, it is said: “If you strengthen your boss’ position it not only helps your own career but most especially, your team’s and eventually, the company you are working with.”
One HR expert has said that: “I think employees should always try to make their supervisor look good. The supervisor is the team leader. Others understand that a team’s success is almost always a result of both the leader and team members performing well.”
On a macro-level, we are all subordinates of our President, President Rodrigo R. Duterte. And it would perhaps do as good, not only us, but all of the people in our beloved country good, if we all try to make Duterte look good. It is only fitting and proper to make him look good as he is the President of the Republic and our own leader. And that any soiling of his image would be a soiling of the image of our own nation.
But it would seem, that those who up to now cannot accept defeat and recognize Duterte as the President of the Republic, are so much passionately focused on waiting for Duterte’s flip-flops. And they would seem to be so centered into lunging unto him like condors waiting for the last gasp of breath before they do their virulent attack, a virtual coup de grace.
The reason for this unwholesome mentality is perhaps the overpowering regionalistic sway among Filipinos of hyping up the evil about the Tagalog, the bad about the Bisaya and the detestable about the Ilonggo, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
Once more with feeling….we ought to remember that if we destroy the image of the President, we are actually destroying the image of the nation. In one of my more momentous talks with my friend Fr. Bernardo Blanco, a Spanish priest of the Claretian order who have lived in our country for more than 40 years; when I asked him as to his insights as to why the Philippines has not progressed much; he turned serious and gave an answer. And Fr. Blanco’s riposte was that it would seem that the Filipino has not totally grasped the true meaning and concept of nationhood.
Perhaps for the sake of our country, and the sake of our children, and our children’s children; let us all join together as one and leap up into one giant step in support of the DU30 presidency to make our country great again. Indeed, instead of making fun about the defects and deficiencies in the Filipino and the DU30 presidency; let us all try to find a way to make those flaws insignificant, those imperfections negligible and those mistakes as inconsequential.
LET US ALL SUPPORT THE DUTERTE PRESIDENCY!!!
