On Our Sense of History
(Part 8 of the “In Defense of the Filipino” series)
ANOTHER upsetting negative charge against us Filipinos is that we have short memories, that we have no sense of history, and that because of it, we disregard our patriots and the crucial events that had happened in our country. These are misleading accusations.
The human mind does not have the ability to fully know, recall, or understand every historic episode that had happened before, why and how it happened, and what its worth is in the present and future lives.
Thus, because of this natural human frailty, almost all countries have set aside certain dates as their respective holidays. The objective behind it is to inform, remind, or make people understand that on those particular dates, something remarkable took place.
There are national and local holidays, anniversaries, foundation days, and other similar festivities to mark the births of nations, regions, provinces, states, cities, towns, villages, schools, institutions, associations, etc.
There are holidays reserved for patriots, leaders, veterans, and other special individuals to remind everyone of the importance of those people.
Proofs. Surveys, studies, and tests in many countries all prove it: That human beings do not have a sound mental faculty for the full awareness, recollection, and understanding of the past.
In 2001, the National Assessment of Educational Progress examination conducted by the U.S. Department of Education showed that about six of every ten American high school seniors had an extremely weak grasp of their country’s history. Of the eight graders, only 39 per cent knew that the First Continental Congress was largely formed because of dissatisfaction with the British Parliament. Only 57 per cent of the fourth graders were aware that one of the primary causes of the American Civil War was the slavery issue. 29,000 students in grades 4, 8, and 12 from public and private schools took the test. History scores were lower than those of mathematics, reading, and any other subject evaluated by the examination.
A survey in 2002 made by NFO-Trends for the Ateneo de Manila University showed that many Filipino youth did not know their country’s heroes: 93 per cent were aware of Jose Rizal; 63 per cent, of Andres Bonifacio; 38 per cent, of Apolinario Mabini; 25 per cent, of Emilio Aguinaldo, and most could not recognize Juan Luna. Then only 37 per cent could sing the National Anthem correctly, and only 28 per cent were able to recite the Patriotic Pledge.
A survey in March 2003 revealed that most Canadians were not that aware of their nation’s history: Most did not know the French explorer who discovered their country, the founding father who established the first European settlement in Canada, and who opened the fur trade in North America (http://hnn.us/comments/13182.html).
Other articles by Jon E. Royeca
- Why Is the Philippines A Poor Country? - January 19, 2010
- Defend the Filipino - January 19, 2010
- Wrong Perceptions of Americans - January 19, 2010
- Gossips are everywhere - January 19, 2010
- Copycats? - January 19, 2010
- Colonial Mentality - January 19, 2010
- The Real ‘Filipino Time’ - January 19, 2010
- Crab Mentality Is Universal - January 19, 2010
- It’s Not Lack of Discipline - January 19, 2010
- All Nations Have Graft and Corruption - January 19, 2010
2 Responses to “On Our Sense of History”
btw americans stick to this “the need to know” that’s why
Comment made on February 13th, 2010 at 9:30 pmthey are progressive people. in america it’s a must you know
sports or you’ll be shun upon…or you’ll be labled df. this
is to all levels of society.
when you get a little bit higher … wall street and obama,
forign policy, sarah palin.
if you are 25 and below … new games and movies.
(i spend 90 minutes reading current events before i go to work to be abreast with my co-workers)
all of the above is your story that’s why they call it
…his story or history.
history has lowest punching power in applying for acceptance in colleges in usa … unless history major.
If you think America is progressive because its people are like that, that’s how you appraise them.
Comment made on February 14th, 2010 at 11:23 pmMy point here is there is no person on earth who is fully aware of his nation’s history, even history majors.
If we Filipinos cannot recall or understand all the events that had happened in our nation’s past, it’s not because we don’t have a sense of history; it’s because of one natural human frailty–inability to fully comprehend what had happened before and those past events’ significance in our present and future lives.
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