Fatalism and Medicine in Cebuano Areas of the Philippines
1966; George Washington University; Volume: 39; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/3316802
ISSN1534-1518
Autores Tópico(s)Philippine History and Culture
ResumoThe purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between fatalistic beliefs in Christian Philippine society and the behavior of Filipinos with regard to medical situations where such beliefs are pertinent. The fact that the connection between fatalistic interpretations of events and actual behavior is not a simple one in the Philippines is indicated in literature on the area. A number of observers, Filipino and non-Filipino, have commented on fatalism in several guises in the ideology of lowland Christian Filipinos. But there is by no means consensus as to how fatalistic notions register themselves in people's actions. For example, Batacan (1956: 27) associates the Philippine attitude of bahala na, or God will care, with inertia, the inclination to submit everything to the Almighty. On the other hand, Gutherie (1961: 116) in a summary of Filipinos' views of themselves, makes the point that while bahala na refers to the passive acceptance of events, by connoting that if things go wrong there is nothing one can do about it, bahala na can lead to assertive behavior, mitigating discouragement in the face of difficulties and fostering a come-what-may attitude that can be conducive to undertaking a task without adequate means at the start. Still a different perspective is offered by William and Corinne Nydegger who see another common manifestation of Philippine fatalism, the belief in luck as a necessary cause of success, as neither smothering nor stimulating initiative, but moderating it. The Nydeggers found in the Ilokano community they studied that, despite the belief that the final determination of worldly events depends on one's luck, there is sufficient motivation to ensure continuity of effort, and hard work is highly valued. However, they also observed that the recognition of good luck as the most crucial attribute of a successful man .. . sets limits on aspirations that generally reflect a realistic appraisal of what can be accomplished (Nydegger and Nydegger 1963: 755). Considering the prevalence of fatalistic notions in Philippine
Referência(s)