Conquering Fatalism

Fatalism has long been a part of society. Not many people think of it as an enemy, as it has been part of the Filipino culture for as long as anyone can remember. It is even considered a Filipino value. It is the ever infamous “Bahala na” (Just let it be). It has many aspects that could be positive, negative, or both. But what really makes people practice fatalism? Is it bad for the growth and development of a society? And if so, how can we conquer it once and for all?

For starters, fatalism is not an easy demon to slay. Every single person, not only in the Philippines, has experienced it and even shared it with other people. But what really is fatalism? There are about three definitions of “Bahala na” that provide solid points. First, it is the “Leave it up to God” mentality, wherein individuals tend to live life without an ounce of worry, and low self-control. They would accept things as they are and just say, “What’s meant to happen will happen,” and just leave things up in the air. The next definition would be quite the opposite of the first. The definition being, risk-taking. It is said that some Filipinos say, “Bahala na,” not to leave their fate to God and be passive but rather telling themselves that they are ready to face challenges and acts as a sort of inner motivation.

The final definition would be the most puzzling, to say the least. It is both positive and negative. And it means, “Who cares.” To give a clearer picture, here is an example: there is a man drowning in the sea and another man who spots him standing along the shore. The man standing, cannot swim. He can either say, “Bahala na,” as in “Who cares if he dies, as long as I save myself,” Or he can either say, “Bahala na,” as in “Who cares if I die, as long as I can save the man,”.

See, fatalism is neutral. It is both risk-taking or risk-aversion, depending on the speaker and of course, the circumstance. There are good and bad sides to fatalism but frankly, in the Philippines, the bad side is winning, and it continues to win due to us feeding it. We embrace the bad side with open arms and it is one of the reasons of our downfall.

But like every other habit, it can be changed. Or better yet, change its purpose instead to do good. Let it be taking risks rather that avoiding it. We salivate at the deeds of our former heroes from history. But today, they still are just history, and no one has the guts to follow the trail that they blazed. The stories from our books are not for us to amaze at and daydream about. Its main design is to inspire us. But what good is inspiration if nobody bothers to take action? That is what’s missing today. People making action. We are now looked at as a bunch of has-beens that are all talk. Our country’s sting has lost its venom because we do not take action whenever we can. We just leave it all to chance.

Bejamin Disraeli once said, “We are not creatures of circumstance; we are creators of circumstance.” We have become slaves of time, and what we were supposed to conquer, conquered us instead. We seek the solace that is nowhere to be found, not knowing that it rests in the hearts of each and every one of us. A ship waiting for its captain. We have long lost the fire that has been raging during the time of Bonifacio, Rizal, and all the Filipinos who spent their lifetimes fighting for their future. In other words, today. Every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears that they sacrificed was for us, and this is not exactly the best way to thank them, isn’t it?

We need a revolution. A new one. A revolution unlike any other before it. Yes, unlike EDSA even. It is the revolution that our fallen heroes have been longing for since their time. It is the revolution within ourselves.