Conveniently as the last full week winds to an end, reflections of not only this past month but fairly my entire life have taken place. It’s honest to say that contemplation began while we visited the Phil. Taoist Temple. There, I engaged in using wooden blocks as a medium to communicate with a higher power by asking a question. I was surprised when my little spirituality sanctioned a sense of harmony. Being that I only had one throbbing question to ask, I was somewhat hesitant to even participate. That all changed with the completion of my participation. Instantly, the answers I received from the blocks became comforting. This was not my first time praying at a temple. I come from a Buddhist background and although I do not identify as a religious person, I do exercise some Buddhist practices - my experience at the Taoist Temple is a reaffirmation of why. An unspoken feeling of tranquility had been lacking until that visit, it is one that I rarely seek elsewhere. Contrastingly, after the ease, a consciousness for discerning the truth behind my identity rose. Religion remains such a prominent factor in one’s life that trying to truly understand why certain beliefs exist can be traumatizing. In An American Colonial State: Authority and Structure in Southern Mindanao, Patricio Abinales explains how non-conforming Muslims in the Philippines during Spain colonization led US colonizers to strategically accept their stereotypes of barbarism. Patricio writes, “Accepting that the "non-Christian tribes" were socially and politically backward, the Americans, despite some opposition from within, decided in favor of a new legal system for the entire Province.” (Mindanao, 2002, pg. 91) The US’s attempt to control non-Christians focused on the theory that they had no law to suitably run a civilization. Hence, imitation of non-Christian beliefs was worthless and the solution to eliminating such savagery was to uniformly have everyone covert to Christianity. Spain followed by US colonization dates back to over a century ago, yet Christianity, specifically Catholicism, remains a prominent religion in the Philippines. Elaborate churches and oversized statues of Jesus are controversial in a country where poverty is just as prevalent - why does religion allow financial gain when there are people who can’t even afford a meal or clothes? This reality leads me to question my own beliefs because regretfully, I know very little behind the history of why my family practices Buddhism. And maybe if I did know more, I would identify differently. 

Fagen and Other Ghosts: African-Americans and the Philippine-American War by Rene G. Ontal draws the connection between the inequality of African Americans in the US and inequality of Filipinos in the Philippines. It isn’t surprising to me to read that David Fagen willfully chose to leave the US in honor of fighting for the Philippines. During a time when people of color had hardly any rights in their own country, it’s understandable why Fagen would rather fight his own enemy than fight for him. And even though the US won, Fagen died fighting for what he knew was right. Quite honestly, I don’t think he would’ve wanted to live to see the repercussions of what happened next. Following the war, Ontal writes that “The hierarchy of color, introduced during the Spaniards' reign, was institutionalized under the Americans. Bleaching creams and skin whiteners continue to be top-selling items in present-day Manila and other cities.” (Ontal, 2002, pg. 130) The psychological impact of colonization is embedded so deep in Filipino culture that present day 2014 remains full of people permitting white supremacy. From ads to media, “... derogatory portrayals of African-Americans in Hollywood films—had altered the racial psyche of Filipinos ...” (Ontal, 2002, pg. 130) History is in the past, so how does one go about changing its internal consequences without doing the impossible and changing history itself? The answer can sometime seem obvious, such as simply stop using skin whitening products, but it’s much more complex than that. The issue isn’t physical, it’s psychological. And because it’s a mind-trap, it’s much more sensitive. Ontal’s piece draws the connection between Filipinos and African Americans and is a presentation of how the US’s use of social engineering was skillful enough to manipulate a population decades after its colonization. As mentioned above, any new information about one’s identity can be quite frightening. Learning the truth is enough to revise one’s very own existence. In these last four weeks, learning about the Filipino culture has intrigued me to pursue a path in learning more about my own culture and history so I too can start revising my life.

Discussion Questions:  

1. Why does religion allow financial gain when there are people who can’t even afford a meal or clothes?
2. History is in the past, so how does one go about changing its internal consequences without doing the impossible and changing history itself?

Citations:

Abinales, P. (2002) An American colonial state: Authority and structure in Southern Mindanao. In A.V. Shaw & L.H Francia, Vestiges of war. (pp. 89-117). New York: New York Press.

Ontal, R.G., (2002). Fagen and other ghosts: African-Americans and the 

Philippine-American war. In A.V. Shaw & L.H Francia, Vestiges of war. (pp. 118-133). New York: New York Press.