Stay away from my angsty diary

Julienne Turns Political
7:28 p.m. -- 2004-04-19

FILIPINOS MUST UNLEARN THEIR HELPLESSNESS

Dr. Minguita Padilla

In early 1965, a group of scientists led by Martin Seligman accidentally discovered a totally unexpected phenomenon while doing experiments on dogs as part of their study on the relationship of fear and learning. Patterning their experiments on those of Pavlov, they restrained a dog in a hammock so that he could not move or escape and then started resenting the dog with the sound of a ringing bell which was always accompanied by a harmless but rather painful electrical shock. This treatment was done repeatedly for many days. Then after this "learning" and "conditioning" phase, the same dog was placed, unrestrained, in a large box that had a low fence dividing the box into two compartments. They made sure that the dog could see the fence and easily jump over the fence to escape his compartment anytime he wanted to. They then rang the same bell and expected the dog to jump over the fence since he was conditioned to associate this bell with pain from the ele! ctrical shock. But to their surprise, the dog did not budge! So they decided to actually subject the conditioned dog to an electrical shock, and still nothing happened. The pathetic dog just laid there and took the pain! When they put an unconditioned dog in the same box, one that had never experienced inescapable electrical shock, the dog, as expected, immediately jumped over the fence to the other side as soon as the shock was inflicted. Apparently, because the conditioned dog was repeatedly subjected to pain while it was restrained in a hammock, it learned that trying to escape from the shocks was futile. In short, this dog learned to be helpless.

These observations started a scientific revolution in the study of human behavior so much so that today "Learned Helplessness" is a widely discussed scientific and social phenomenon that has been used to explain a wide range of conditions including depression, the "battered wife syndrome", learning disabilities, and even the "culture of poverty". Indeed, a good example of learned helplessness can be found in many Filipinos. And understandably so. The fleeting glory of EDSA I followed by so many years of being betrayed over and over again by the system and by many of the leaders we trusted and voted into power, cannot but take it's psychological and emotional

toll on a people.

Learned helplessness is the reason for the cynicism and the lack of hope that pervades the heart of many a Filipino who believe that nothing can change our rotten political system. It forms the shackles that keep us from believing our voters can be taught to vote wisely. It is the poison that makes even the educated voter abandon candidates who they truly believe in and fall prey to the myth that only "winnable" candidates can make it. It is that impalpable load that weighs down our spirits and keeps us from daring to dream of brighter tomorrows. Better, many say, not to hope at all rather than dare to dream and fall utterly and painfully disappointed. So like the pathetic dog they just lie there, take the abuse, and complain that there is nothing they can do. They see the fence but dare not take that leap into the new.

But there is hope. In all the scientific experiments on learned helplessness, only 2/3 of the dogs conditioned to learn helplessness actually succumbed to the conditioning. A third of them did not. Even more interesting, later studies also showed that learned helplessness can be unlearned. Like man's best friend, there are still many among us who have not succumbed to the conditioning, and together we can work to help others unlearn their helplessness. Each of us holds a key to freedom from this behavior, and this key has two words written on it; education and prayer. Now more than ever, all learned Filipinos must take responsibility for educating those around them. When was the last time we sat down with our household helpers, our factory workers, or our employees, and talked to them about the problems of our country? How can we blame them for constantly voting for unqualified but popular candidates when no one they respect or trust has ever had a heart to heart talk with t! hem about the devastation another incompetent president will wreck on our jobs, our families, our life, and our country? We are all in this ship together, rich and poor alike, and what affects even the smallest person will ultimately affect all of us. I speak from personal experience when I say that even the least educated among our countrymen thirsts for the truth and will be very appreciative of your taking the time to teach them. Truth is universal, and big words are not necessary to get the message through. And then there is prayer. We are nothing, and can accomplish nothing, without God's help. But how can we keep asking God to give us good leaders if we don't do our part by enlightening the least of our brethren? Good leaders will surface only when we have proven that we are worthy of them, and this is the time to start doing so. Not tomorrow but today. As a Filipino who refuses to succumb to helplessness, I truly believe that if we weather this crisis in this manner, we would have done our part in steering our country's course away from disaster and onto the road of hope.

Uhhh, can she say ROCO??! :p

I wonder if *I* have Learned Helplessness... @_@ But it *is* true that our county has never been through a single administration that was at least 50% uncorrupt. :/ Argh. Ever since we attained freedom!!! How are we to even dare to hope for an uncorrupt system of government!?

Hayy. Why do my countrymen vote for people who have been tried a tested and proved to be corrupt? -_- HELLO?! EDI WALANG MANGYAYARI SA BANSA NATIN MALAMANG!

The top three candidates I want to win the elections are:

1.) Roco

2.) Lacson

3.) FPJ

SANA NGA!

previous / posts / next