On the Indolence of the Filipinos

An Article by Dr. Jose Rizal

Expounding on the Roots of
Indolence
 Introduction
Article published in La Solidaridad in 1891
Translated from Spanish by Charles Derbyshire
Edited by Austin Craig
It is a self-defense against the hatred and calumnies
(lies) of the Spanish oppressors who brand the
Indios/Filipinos as inert, unresponsive and useless;
the workers as unskilled, untrained, misguided,
irresponsibly haughty (self-important), intoxicated
with show, romp and glory, and unconcerned with
the intrinsic value of work
 Chapter 1
Rizal admits that indolence does exist among the
Filipinos, but it cannot be attributed to the troubles
and backwardness of the country; rather, it is the
effect of the backwardness and troubles
experienced by the country.
According to Rizal, one must study the causes of
indolence before curing it. Therefore, causes of
indolence and elaboration on the circumstances that
led to it must be dealt with.
I. Admitting the Existence of Indolence
A. “The word indolence is greatly misused in the
sense of little love for work and lack of energy.
B. “In the Middle Ages, and even in some Catholic
countries now, the devil is blamed for everything
that superstitious folk cannot understand. And just
as in the Middle Ages, he who sought the
explanation of phenomena outside of infernal
influences was persecuted, so in the Philippines,
worse happens to him who seeks the origin of the
trouble outside of accepted beliefs.
Admitting the Existence of Indolence
 C. “The consequence of this misuse is that there are some
who are interested in stating it as a dogma and others in
combating it as a ridiculous superstition, if not a punishable
delusion. Yet it is not to be inferred from the misuse of a thing
that it does not exist.
 D. “It is true that one has to work and struggle against climate,
nature and men.
 E. “We must confess that indolence does actually and
positively exist there; only that, instead of holding it to be the
cause of the backwardness and the trouble, we regard it as
the effect of the trouble and the backwardness, by fostering
the development of a lamentable predisposition.
 II. Causes of Indolence
A. Climate and Nature
 1. “A hot climate requires of the individual quiet and rest,
just as cold incites to labor and action. Level of indolence
(from most to least)—Spanish>Frenchman>German
 2. “White men are not made to stand in the severity of the
climate—a Mistake.”
 3. “A man can live in any climate, if he will only adapt himself
to its requirements and conditions. What kills Europeans in
hot countries is the abuse of liquors, the attempt to live
according to the nature of his own country under another
sky and another sun.
 II. Causes of Indolence
• B. The establish of galleon trade cut of all previous
associations of the Phils. With other countries in asia-
Business was only conducted with Spain through Mexico.
Because of this, the small business and handicraft industries
that flourish during the pre Spanish period gradually
disappear.
• C. Spain also extinguished the native’s love of work-because
of the implementation of Forced labor-(Wars between spain
and other countires in Europe as well as muslim in Mindanao,
Filipinos were compelled to work in shipyards, roads, other
public works abandoning agriculture, industries, and
commerce.
• Spain did not protect the people against foreign invaders and
pirates.-with no arms to defend themselves as a result the
Filipinos were forced to become nomads, lost interest in
cultivating their lands.
 II. Causes of Indolence
E. There was a crook system of education-if it was considered an
education. What was being taught in the school were repetitive prayers
and other things that cannot be used by the students to lead the country
to progress.
F. The Spanish rulers were bad examples to despise manual labor-The
Officials reported to work at noon and left early.

G. Gambling was established and widely propagated during those times.

Almost everyday there were cockfights and during feast days, the Govt.
officials and friars were the first to engage in all sort of gambles.
H. Crooked system of Religion.- the friars taught the naïve Filipinos that it
was easier for the poor man to enter heaven and so they prefer not to
work hard and remain poor so that they can easily go to heaven.
I. The Taxes were extremely high- so much so that a huge portion of what
they earned went to the govt. or to the friars.
 Chapter 2
• Rizal says that an illness will worsen if the wrong treatment is
given.
• The same applies to indolence. People, however, should not
lose hope in fighting indolence.
• Even before the Spaniards came, Rizal argues, the early
Filipinos were already carrying out trade within provinces and
with other neighboring countries; they were also engaged in
agriculture and mining; some natives even spoke Spanish. All
these disprove the notion that Filipinos are, by nature,
indolent. Rizal ends by asking what then would have caused
Filipinos to forget their past.
 ANALYSIS
• It is important to note that indolence in the Philippines is a
chronic malady, but not a hereditary one. Truth is, before the
Spaniard arrived on these land, the natives were industriously
conducting business with china, japan, arabia, Malaysia and
other countries in the Middle East
• Lack of unity among the Filipino people. In the absence of
Unity and Oneness, the people did not have the power to
fight the hostile attacks of the govt, and of the other forces of
society, there were no voices, no leader, to sow the progress
and to cultivate it.
 Chapter 5
• According to Rizal, all the causes of indolence
can be reduced to two factors: limited training
and education Filipino natives receive; and
the lack of a national sentiment of unity
among them.
• The solution, according to Rizal, would be
education and liberty.
 The Way to Reform
• All attempt is useless that does not spring from a profound
study of the evil that afflicts us.
• “We are reminded of the gardener who tried to raise a tree
planted in a small flower pot. The gardener spent his days
tending and watering the handful of earth, he trimmed the
plant frequently; pulled at it to lengthen it and hasten its
growth; he grafted on it cedars and oaks, until one day the
little tree died, leaving the man convinced that it belonged to
a degenerate specie, attributing the failure of his experiment
to everything except the lack of soil and his own ineffable
folly. Without education and liberty, that soil and that sun of
mankind, no reform is possible, no measure can give.”