Lesson 3: Supernaturals: Believe It or Not!

Lesson Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1. identify various religious practices and beliefs;
2. understand the self in relation with religious beliefs; and
3. explain ways of finding the meaning of life.

INTRODUCTION
Spiritual Self is one of the four constituents of the “self” according to William James in his
book, The Principles of Psychology in 1890. The spiritual self is the most intimate, inner subjective
part of the self. It is the most intimate version of the self because of the satisfaction experienced
when thinking of one’s ability to argue and discriminate, of one’s moral sensibility and conscience,
and of our unconquerable will (James 1890) is purer than all other sentiments of
satisfaction.(Green 1997)
The ability to use moral sensibility and conscience may be seen through the expressions of
religion, its beliefs and practices. In the same manner, cultural rituals and ceremonies are some
manifestations what people believe in. Moreover, seeking the meaning of life is a journey that the
spiritual self is on.

ABSTRACTION
Religion
Rebecca Stein (Stein 2011) works on the definition of religion “as a set of cultural beliefs
and practices that usually includes some or all of basic characteristics. These characteristics are:
1. A belief in anthropomorphic supernatural being such as spirit and gods
2. A focus on the sacred supernatural, where sacred refers to a feeling of reverence and
awe
3. The presence of supernatural power or energy that is found on supernatural beings as
well as physical beings and objects
4. The performance of ritual activities that involves the manipulation of sacred object to
communicate to supernatural beings and/or to influence or control events
5. The articulation of worldview and moral codes through narratives and other means
6. Provide the creation and maintenance of social bonds and mechanism of social control
within a community; provide explanation for unknown and a sense of control for
individuals.
An individual lives in a society where there are many practices of religion. The choice of
religious belief lies within the spiritual self. Although the choice maybe influenced by the society
and its culture.
Ritual
Ritual is the performance of a ceremonial acts prescribed by a tradition or sacred law
(Britannica 2017). Ritual is a specific, observable mode of behavior exhibited by all known
societies. It is thus possible to view ritual as a way of defining or describing humans.
There are three fundamental characteristics of rituals to Penner (Britannica
2017). Ritual has the characteristics of:
1. A feeling or emotion of respect, awe, fascination, or dread in relation to the sacred
2. Dependence upon a belief system that is usually expressed in the language of myth
3. Is symbolic in relation to its reference
The self can be described as a ritual being who exhibits a striking parallel between their
ritual and verbal behavior. Just as language is a system of symbols that is based upon arbitrary
rules, ritual may be viewed as a system of symbolic acts that is based upon arbitrary rules.
Participation to rituals is expression of religious beliefs.

Some World Religious Beliefs and Practices

There are different religions with different beliefs and practices. Some of the major world
religions are Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism. Excerpt of some religious
beliefs and practices are found in the University of London’s Religion and Belief Guide 2017.
Buddhism
Beliefs
Buddhism believes that life is not a bed of roses. Instead, there are suffering, pain, and
frustrations. When people suffer, they want to experience the goodness of life and avoid
disappointments. It becomes a habit known as the reactive cycle of wanting and hating, like and
dislike, and craving and aversion. This reactive cycle can be broken through the practice of
mediation, acquiring more wisdom and deeper understanding, and acceptance of things as they
are.
Customs and Practices
There are two types of meditation practices: samatha and vipassana. Samatha is practiced
as mindfulness of breathing and development of loving-kindness (Metta Bhavana). Vipassana
practices aim at developing insight into reality. Acquiring wisdom is by studying Buddha’s
teaching, the Dharma. Through the reflection of Dharma, Buddhist can achieve a deeper
understanding of life. Buddhists believe in non-violence principle.
Some of the Buddhist celebrations are Parinirvana Day in February; Buddha Day (Wesak)
in May; Dharma Day in July; Padmasambhava Day in October; and Sangha Day in November.
Christianity
Beliefs
Christians believe in Trinitarian God. God in three personas: God the Father (Creator), God
the Son (Savior), and God the Holy Spirit (Sustainer). Eternal life after death will be achieved
through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is, God the Son, who came into flesh, to spread the Good
News of salvation. He died on the cross for the sin of the humanity but resurrected from the death,
so that anyone who believes in Him will be saved and have eternal life. The Holy Bible is a
selection of books, which is divided into two, the Old Testament and New Testament.
Customs and Practices
Sacrament of baptism and sacraments of communion are practiced by Christian churches.
The Sacrament of Baptism symbolizes the birth in Christian World, while the Sacrament of
Communion is an act of remembrance of Jesus Christ sacrificial love. Jesus Christ teaching in
unconditional love that is expressed in loving the poor, oppressed, and outcast of the society.
Christmas and Resurrection (Easter) are the two major celebrations in Christianity.
Christmas, usually on December 25, commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ while Resurrection
Sunday (depends on the lunar calendar, sometimes in March or April) celebrates the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from death.
Hinduism
Beliefs
Hinduism covers a wide range of traditional beliefs and religious groups; thus, there is no
single founder or leader. Hindus believe that existence is a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth,
governed by karma. Karma is a concept where the reincarnated life will depend on how the past
life was spent. Hindus believe that the soul passes through cycle of successive lives and its next
incarnation is always dependent on how the previous life was lived. Vedas are sacred scriptures of
Hindus. Mahabharata and Ramayana are two other important text of the Hindus.
Customs and Practices
Diwali, and Navrati are the most celebrated festivals of the Hindus. Diwali is the Festival
of Lights while Navrati is the festival of nine nights, which celebrate the triumph of good over
evil. Hindus have set dates to honor particular manifestations of God.
Islam
Beliefs
Muslim believe in Allah, who is their “One God.” They believed in the unity and
universality of God. Muslims also have the strong sense of community of “ummah” and an
awareness of their solidarity with all Muslim worldwide. Islam means “willing submission to
God.”
 Muslims believed that Mohammed is the last and final prophet sent by God. Mohammed
was born in Mecca in 570 CE and received revelations from God through the Angel Gabriel over
a period of 23 years. The Holy Book of Islam is called the Quran, which was taught to be recited
in a Arabic because any translation is seen as inadequate.
Customs and Practices
Muslims believed in the five pillars of Islam, which are the foundation of Muslim life:
1. Shahadah—statement of faith: “There is no God but the one true God and Mohammed
is his messenger.”
2. Salat—the prayer that is practiced five times a day.
3. Zakat—the monetary offering for the benefit of the poor. It comprises the 2.5% of a
Muslim’s assets.
4. Hajj—the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims who can afford are asked to do the
pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime.
5. Sawm—the fasting. Muslims do fasting, from food, drink, and sexual act during the
celebration of the Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar.
The fast is dawn to sunset.
Two of the major festivals in Islam are the Eidul-Fitr and Eidul-Adha. Eidul-Fitr is the
celebration at the end of Ramadan, while Eidul-Adha is celebrated within the completion of the
Pilgrimage, the Hajj.
Judaism
Beliefs
The Jews believed in the God of Ambraham, the same God that liberated the Hebrew slaves
from Egypt to Canaan, the Promised Land throught the leadership of Moses and later, Joshua.
The Jews believed in the coming of Messiah, the Savior. The sacred scripture of the Jews
is called the Torah or the Law. The Torah is the guide of the Jewish living. The study and
interpretation of Torah is part of the Jewish culture.
Customs and Practices
There are five major festivals observed by the Jews:
1. Rosh Hashanah – the New Year
2. Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement
3. Pesach – Passover
4. Shavuot – Pentecost
5. Sukkot – Tabernacles. The Jewish Sabbath begins on Friday evening at sunset and is
an important time when families gather for the Shabbat meal.
Religious beliefs, rituals, practices, and customs are all part of the expression of the
spiritual self. What to believe and how to manifest the belief is entirely dependent on the
individual, to the self. A person might believe that there is a higher being, a supernatural being,
usually termed as God, but not necessarily wants to be affiliated or identified with a certain
religious group. Other may have religious practices which are perceive to be contrary to the
practices of other groups. Religious belief, practices, therefore, are formed relative to its context
and culture.

Finding and Creating Meaning of Life

Another extensive study of self can be found in the works of Dr. Viktor E. Frankl. The
Viktor Frankl Institute in Vienna was created in 1992. The Institute has a website where there is a
synopsis of his life and works and present programs
(http://www.viktorfranklinstitute.org/About_Viktor_Frankl.html). The following are the excerpts
from the website:
The Psychiatrist
Dr. Viktor E. Frankl was born on March 26, 1905 in Vienna, Austria, where famous
psychiatrist Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler lived. At a young age, he wrote a short paper to
Freud which was published after three years. Dr. Frankl graduated with a medical degree from the
University of Vienna in 1930. He was assigned in Vienna Hospital suicide ward and headed the
Rothschild Hospital, eight years later.
A survivor of the Holocaust, Dr. Frankl published a book about logotherapy. In 1959, the
book was translated English and was revised i9n 1963 as The Doctor and the Soul: an introduction
to Logotherapy. His book, Man’s Search for Meaning, has been used as a textbook in high school
and college courses. Dr. Frankl died in 1997.

Logotherapy
Logotherapy is a psychotherapy introduced by Dr. Viktor Frankl, who is considered the
Father of Logotherapy. The main belief of logotherapy is that “man’s primary motivational force
for meaning.” Logotherapy aids individuals to find personal meaning of life, whatever life situation
they may be.
In Logotherapy, meaning can be discovered by creating a work or doing a deed,
experiencing something or encountering someone and the attitude toward unavoidable suffering.
According to the Victor Frankl Institute of Logotheraphy (n.d.), it uses the philosophy of optimism
in the face of tragedy, where people are capable of “turning suffering into human achievement and
accomplishment; deriving from guilt of opportunity to change oneself for the better; and deriving
from life’s transitoriness an incentive to take responsible action.”
Basic Concepts of Franklin Psychology
The Franklian Psychology has the basic concepts. These are the following:
• Life has meaning under all circumstances.
 • Main motivation for living is our will to find meaning in life.
• Freedom to find meaning.
Furthermore, Franklin Psychology aims to: (1) become aware of spiritual resources, (2)
make conscious spiritual resources, and (3) use “defiant power of the human spirit” and stand up
against adversity.
Logotherapy Assumptions
All psychotherapies make philosophical assumptions about the human persons that cannot
be proved with certainty. Viktor Franklin Institute of Logotherapy (n.d.) states that assumptions of
logotherapy, which include the following:
1. The human being is an entity consisting of body, mind and spirit. This first assumption deals
with the body (soma), mind (psyche), and spirit (noos). According to Frankl, the body and mind
are what we have and the spirit is what we are.
2. Life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most miserable. Assumption two is “ultimate
meaning.” This is difficult to grasp but it is something everyone experiences and it represents an
order in a world with laws that go beyond human laws.
3. People have a will to meaning. The third assumption is seen as our main motivation for living
and acting. When we see meaning, we are ready for any type of suffering. This is considered to be
different than our will to achieve power and pleasure.
4. People have freedom under all circumstances to activate the will to find meaning. Assumption
four is that we are free to activate our will to find meaning, and this can be done under any
circumstances. This deals with change of attitudes about unavoidable fate. Frankl was able to test
the first four assumptions when he was confirmed in the concentration camps.
5. Life has a demand quality to which people must respond if decisions are to be meaningful. The
fifth assumption, the meaning of the moment, is more practical in daily living than ultimate
meaning. Unlike ultimate meaning this meaning can be found and fulfilled. This can be done by
following the values of society of by following the voice of our conscience.
6. The individual is unique. The sixth assumption deals with one’s sense of meaning. This is
enhanced by the realization that we are irreplaceable. In essence, all humans are unique with an
entity of body, mind, and spirit. We all go through unique situations and are constantly looking to
find meaning. We are free to do these at all times in response to certain demands.
Frankl’s Sources of Meaning
Popova (2017) discussed Viktor Frankl’s work. There are three possible sources of the
meaning of life: purposeful work, courage in the face of difficulty, and love.
1. Purposeful Work. To find the meaning of life starts with holding a futuregoal. Each
individual has each own future goal to achieve or a task to perform. The task or goal to
fulfill becomes the meaning of their life. Therefore, meaning of life is unique to every
individual.
 2. Courage in the Face of Difficulty. A meaningful life is a life with suffering. Suffering
is inevitable part of life. To find meaning of life is recognize suffering, pain, and death
as part of life and to have the courage to face these life difficulties.
3. Love. Popova (2017) quoted Dr. Frankl’s notes about his experience in the Nazi Camp:
“For hours I stood hacking at an icy ground. The guard passes by, insulting me, and
once again I communed with my beloved. More and more I felt that she was present,
that she was with me; I had the feeling that I was able to touch her, able to stretch out
my and grasp hers. The feeling was very strong: she was there. Then, at that very
moment, a bird flew down silently and perched just in front of me, on my heap of soil
which I dug up from the ditch, and looked steadily in me.
Dr. Frankl’s wife, parents, and some relatives were victims of gas chambers. His love for
wife kept him fight for his life. Popova (2017) also quoted Dr. Frankl’s definition of love: “Love
is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality. No one can
become fully aware of the very essence of another human being unless he loves him. By his love,
he is enabled to see the essential traits and features in the beloved person; and even more, he sees
that which is potential in him… Furthermore, by his love, this loving person enables the beloved
person to actualize these potentialities. By making him aware of what he can be and of what he
should become, he makes these potentialities come true.”
Costello (2015) captures Viktor Frankl’s message: “The ultimate secret on the spiritual
foundation of life is that love is salvation and joy eternity.” The ultimate factor to find the meaning
of life is love.

Lesson 4: The Political Self and Being Filipino

Lesson Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1. develop a Filipino identity.
2. identify different Filipino values and traits; and
3. reflect on your selfhood in relation to your national identity.

ABSTRACTION
What makes a Filipino a genuine Filipino? Do physical characteristics such as having dar
hair, flat nose, and dark complexion make one a Filipino? Or it is a person’s language, birthplace,
and ethnicity? If you were to introduce yourself as a Filipino to a person of another nationality and
he or she asks. “Who are Filipinos?”, what will you reply?
The Philippines as we know it today has only emerged in the 1890s after over centuries of
colonization of the Spaniards. Meanwhile, liberation from the last colonizers, the Japanese, only
occurred in 1946. Foreign culture, beliefs, language, and religion have made a huge dent on our
own by setting a foundation to the contemporary Filipino identity and culture. To date, colonial
mentality remains an issue. Given the wide discrepancy between the liberation period and today’s
time, would it be safe to say Filipinos have truly developed an identity of their own? Or are we
still living in the shadow of our colonial friends?
In this chapter, you will learn that an individual’s race, ethnicity, and physical
characteristics are not the only factors that make a person’s national identity. Values and traits are
also important indicators that set apart one nationality from the other. These values and traits may
not be always a positive thing, but being able to identify one’s self apart from other nationalities
and point out weaknesses and mistakes, paired with unity and commitment, make progress a
possibility. Through common goals, principles, and values of its people, a nation empowers itself.

Who is a Filipino?
Filipinos are often referred to globally renowned personalities like Manny Pacquiao, Lea
Salonga, and Michael Cinco who have made Filipinos recognized around the world through their
expertise. However, being a Filipino is far more than just being related to these notable figures.
Independence Day and Buwan ng Wika celebrations prompt us to go back to our roots and reflect
on the question: Who is a Filipino?
Technically, according to the 1987 Constitution, Filipino citizens are “…those whose
fathers or mothers are citizens of the Philippines, those born before January 17, 1973, of Filipino
mothers, who elect Philippine citizenship upon reaching the age of majority, and those who are
naturalized in accordance with law.” However, citizenship is not the only maker of being a
Filipino. Culture and history have greatly influenced the manner Filipinos learn, live, and behave
to date. People who were born and grew up in the same culture develop and share common
personality traits and values. Generations after generations, common traits and values have been
passed on that the Filipinos of today still embody.
Filipino Values and Traits
The Philippines is a lush island paradise famous for its grandiose mountain views, pristine
beaches, and rich and diverse culture changing from province to province. While the Philippines
may be well known for its awe-inspiring beauty, perhaps the Filipinos’ unique traits, reputable
values, and laudable talents make the country a place to be.
Tourist who have visited the Philippines can never forget the big and bright smiles that
greeted them, the colorful and loud jeepneys, the common Filipino phrases such as “Mabuhay!”
and “Salamat!” and habits such as saying “po” and “opo” to the elders, leaving shoes or slippers
at the front of the door before entering a house, and the importunate asking of “Kumain ka na ba?”
meaning “Have you eaten yet?” indeed, it is a marvel to experience these unique traits of the
Filipinos firsthand. Few of these traits are as follows.
The Filipino Hospitality
 A Filipino trait that is known everywhere is the Filipino’s brand of hospitality. Filipinos
welcome their guest and tourists as if they are their own brothers and sisters; they always make
their guests feel at home, offering them something to eat, or even a place to stay. They will bring
out their best sets of plates and chinaware for their honored guests and would even go as far as
spending a lot of money and going to debt just so they can satisfy them. In most local shops,
Filipino salespersons will greet their customers with warm welcome and say thank you when they
leave even without buying anything. Filipinos also anticipate giving tours to friends who will visit
their hometown and treating them to the best restaurants and delicacies for free. During festivals
or fiestas, Filipinos serve heaps of festive food and invite the whole barangay over. They are also
fond of giving pasalubong or tokens from their travels and pabaon or farewell gifts to their visitors.
Respect for Elders
Filipinos greet their elders by kissing their hand while saying “Mano po!” and constantly
using “po” and “opo” in conversations. Forgetting to address older people properly will regard
them as rude and impolite. There is also a wide array of references to elder people such as ate for
older sister; kuya for older brother; Tito and Tita for uncle and aunt, respectively; Lolo and Lola
for grandfather and grandmother; and Manong and Aling for older people outside the family.
Close Family Ties
Filipinos maintain a tight relationship with their families if the children are old enough and
already have families on their own, they are also fond of family reunions during birthday, holidays,
or fiestas year-round. Some Filipino families even opt to live in a big house where everyone can
stay longer. Nursing homes are almost always not an option for family members and choose to
take care of their elders themselves.
Cheerful Personality
Filipinos have a habit of smiling and laughing a lot. They smile when they are happy, or
sometimes even when they are sad or angry. Smiling has been a coping strategy for many Filipinos
especially during trying times and calamities. For instance, Filipinos smile and wave at the camera
while being interviewed even after a fire or flooding incident. They always try to maintain a
positive outlook in life which makes them resilient and able to manage almost everything with a
simple smile.
Self-sacrifice
The self-sacrifice attitude of Filipinos can be seen as an extension of the Filipino
hospitality. Filipinos go out of their way to extend help to their friends, families, and loved ones.
They wish comfort and better lives for their loved ones and would even go to the extent of working
abroad hundreds of miles away to earn more money and save up for them. Overseas Filipino
Workers (OFWs) sacrifice a lot; that is why they are regarded as modern day Filipino heroes.
There are also times when the eldest among the children of the family would give up school to
work and provide for the rest of the family and educate his or her siblings.
Bayanihan
 Bayanihan is the spirit of communal unity and cooperation of Filipinos. It is also about
giving without expecting something in return. Filipinos are always ready to share and help their
friends and loved ones who are in need. It may not always be in monetary form, but the time and
effort thy give also count as a form of help for them. This trait is particularly manifested in how
Filipinos rally themselves to send aid to those who are severely affected by natural calamities.
“Bahala Na” Attitude
“Bahala Na” is the Filipino version of the famous line “Hakuna Matata,”meaning no
worries. The phrase is said to have originated from “Bathala na,”where Bathala means God, and
the phrase meaning leaving everything into God’s hands. It can also be viewed as something
similar to the cheerful and positive attitude of Filipinos and allowing situations take care of
themselves instead of worrying about them.
Colonial Mentality
Colonial mentality is regarded as the lack of patriotism and the attitude where Filipinos
favor foreign products more than their own. This does not concern goods, but also the desire to
look more foreign than local and keep up foreign beauty trends. It is attributed to the centuries of
colonization Filipinos had experienced under the Spansh, American, and Japanese rule.
“Mañana” Habit
This is a Filipino term for procrastination. It was derived from a longer Filipino phrase
called “Mamaya na” meaning dawdling things, which could have been done at an earlier time. It
is a poor habit of laziness that results in heavier workloads.
“Ningas Kugon”
“Ningas”is a Filipino term for flame and “kugon” is a Filipino term for Cogon grass that
easily burns out after it is put into flmaes. Ningas kugon refers to the attitude of eagerly starting
things but quickly losing eagerness soon after experiencing difficulty, just like how fast the fire of
a Cogon grass burns out moments after being ignited. Laziness is a common problem among
Filipinos; that is why Filipinos are regarded as “Juan Tamad” or Lazy Juan.
Pride
Most Filipinos hold on to their pride as if they are more precious than keeping a good
relationship with family and loved ones. When two parties are not in good terms, they fin d it so
hard to apologize and wait until the other party asks for an apology first.
Crab Mentality
This is a toxic trait among Filipinos where one resents the achievement of another, instead
of feeling happy for that person. Just like crabs in a container, they pull each other down and ruin
each other’s reputation rather than bringing them up, resulting to no progress. Filipinos should
change this troublesome attitude and focus more on their own inadequacies to improve one’s self.
Filipino Time
 Filipinos have this common attitude of arriving late t commitments, dinner, or parties
especially if they are meeting someone close to them. They tend to not observe punctuality
altogether. The 7:00 PM call time becomes adjusted to 7:30 PM, and almost everyone arrives at
the same time because everyone is using Filipino time.

Filipino Markers
What then are the hallmarks of our being a Filipino? What makes us truly relish in our
being Filipino? The following are constant reminders of our nationality.
1. Proverbs or Salawikain
Filipino proverbs, just like any other proverbs, are sayings that convey lesson and
reflections on Filipino practices, beliefs, and traditions. Damiana Eugenio, regarded as the
Mother of Philippine Folklore, classified proverbs into six categories (Eugenio 2000):
a. Proverbs expressing a general attitude toward life and has the laws that govern life;
b. Ethical proverbs recommending certain virtues and condemning certain vices;
c. Proverbs expressing a system of values;
d. Proverbs expressing general truths and observations about life and human nature;
e. Humorous proverbs; and
f. Miscellaneous proverbs
An example of a Filipino proverb is the saying “Kung may tiyaga, may nilaga,” which
means that hard work will be rewarded if one is persistent.
2. Superstitions
Filipinos also subscribe to their own set of superstition passed down from
generation to generation. Some of these may be influenced by beliefs from other cultures,
but Filipinos have retold these superstitions according to their own experiences and they
sometimes end up even more interesting. According to a Filipino superstition, a woman
singing while cooking will end up a spinster so parents remind their daughters to avoid
singing while preparing their meals. Filipinos also avoid taking picture in threes as the one
in the center is said to die, according to another superstition.
3. Myths and Legends
Due to the Philippine’s rich culture and history, numerous myths and legends have
sprung about things that are beyond one’s imagination. These stories are aimed to explain
the origin of things, at the same time, teach a valuable lesson. Some of these stories
stemmed in pre-Christianity period, but have evolved to the stories we know today.
A famous Filipino legend is about the origin of the pineapple fruit. It is about a
story of a young and lazy girl named Pina who always asked where she hid her things, her
mother wished that eyes be planted on Pina’s face so she would start using them. To her
mother’s surprise next morning, Pina was gone and a fruit sprung in the yard, implanted
with “eyes” all around its body which was later called “pinya,” the Filipino term for
pineapple.
4. Heroes and Icons
 Heroes served as a reminder of true patriotism and nationalism as they have
sacrificed their lives for the sake of their country’s freedom and progress. Every year, we
lend a whole day to celebrate our heroes, usually the last Monday of August, to remember
their greatness, bravery, and resilience that has led to the freedom we know today.
Famous Filipino icons such as Lea Salonga, many Pacquaio, and our very own
national hero, Jose Rizal, also serves as important Filipino markers as they have made the
Filipino name more pronounced worldwide through their own expertise.

How To Be A Good Filipino

Now you know that your traits and values are important indicators of being a Filipino. The
problem now is how truly become one and how you can be useful to the development and progress
of our country. The following are a few ways on how to be a good Filipino.
1. Be an active Filipino citizen.
A good Filipino citizen is aware of the current events and participates in government
programs that aim for country’s progression and development. By simply exercising
your right to vote, you also become an active citizen. When it comes to voting, the rich
and the poor have equal voting rights—every Filipino citizen of legal age have a chance
in choosing the right leaders for the Philippines who are genuine in helping and caring
for the Filipino people.

2. Study the Philippine history.

The road of the Philippine history is long and bloody, and by learning and fully
understanding the events of the Philippine history, you will learn so much as to why it
is important for you to love your country with your life, extend help to your fellow
Filipinos in need, and recognize abuse of political power.

3. Support local products.

When you buy local products, you do not only support local manufacturers and
businessman, but also you help strengthen the local economy. How is this so? There
will be more demand of local products, thus, local businesses will be in need for more
employees, which will open new job opportunities. The business owners will also
invest within the country and are less likely to leave. Supporting our local products also
displays our creativity, innovativeness, and resourcefulness.

4. Speak the Filipino language.

The history of the Filipino language was a long and hard as the Philippine history.
Jose Rizal highlighted the importance of speaking national language as a way of
displaying the love for one’s country. Speaking Filipino also serves as a unique
identifier of being a Filipino. It has been a decade-long debate whether to use Filipino
as the instructional language in school and to translate textbooks in Filipino, however,
this is not strictly imposed.
 5. Do not spread fake news and be democratic in engaging with dissent.
This period in the history of the Philippines has seen how the Internet has spawned
tons of possibilities for people, both good and bad. For instance, it is easier for Filipinos
working abroad to communicate with their loved ones left in the Philippines through
Internet. Despite this, the Internet also made the spread of fake news very common.
Likewise, the Internet has also made us engage in intense arguments with people across
the globe about our political positions, for example. It is part of being a good Filipino
to understand and verify what you read online, especially, in social media, before
actually believing in it and spreading it like wildfire. It is also the responsibility of
every Filipino to recognize disagreements in political views, be tolerant, and argue
intelligently without having to resort into name-calling people.

Lesson 5: Who am I in the Cyberworld? (Digital Self)

Lesson Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1. define online identity;
2. compare real identity versus online identity;
3. describe the influence of internet on sexuality and gender; and
4. discuss the proper way of demonstrating values and attitudes online.

INTRODUCTION
These days, more people are becoming active in using the Internet for research, pleasure,
business, communication, and other purposes. Indeed, the Internet is of great help for everyone.
On the other hand, people assume different identities while in the cyberspace. People act
differently when they are online and offline. We have our real identity and online identity.

ABSTRACTION
The number of people who are becoming more active online continues to increase
worldwide. More than half of the population worldwide now uses the Internet. It has only been 25
years since Tim Berners-Lee made the Worldwide Web available to the public, but in that time,
the Internet has already become an integral part of everyday life for most of the world’s population.
The Philippines is among one of the countries with the most active users (We are Social and
Hootsuite n.d.)
• Almost two-thirds of the world’s population now has a mobile phone.
• More than half of the world’s web traffic now comes from mobile phones.
 • More than half of all mobile connections around the world are now “broadband.”
• More than one in five of the world’s population shopped online in the past 30 days.
Media users in the Philippines grew by 12 million or 25% while the number of mobile
social users increased by 13 million or 32%. Those growth figures are still higher compared to the
previous year. More than half of the world now uses a smartphone.
Based on Figure 1, the number of digital users worldwide increases. More people are
becoming interested and devoted in using the Internet for various activities, in the Philippines,
adolescents are among the most avid users of the Internet.
Online identity is actually the sum of all our characteristics and our interactions while
partial identity is a subset of characteristics that make up our identity. Meanwhile, persona is a
partial identity we create that represents ourselves in a specific situation.

Selective Self-presentation and Impress Management

According to Goffman (1959) and Leary (1995), self-presentation is the “process of
controlling how one is perceived by other people” and is the key to relationship inception and
development. To construct positive images, individuals selectively provide information about
them and carefully cater this information in response to one’s feedback.
Anything posted online should be considered “public” no matter what our “privacy”
settings are. Let us say, a student wrote online about how much he hated another student in school,
and started bullying him online. Does it matter if the student said, “Well, this is my personal
account”? Even if the student wrote it in a “private” account, it can become public with a quick
screen capture and shared with the world. Personal identity is the interpersonal level of self which
differentiates the individual as unique from others, social identity is the level of self whereby the
individual is identified by his or her group memberships.
Belk (2013) explained that sharing ourselves is no longer new and has been practiced as
soon as human beings were formed. Digital devices help us share information broadly, more than
ever before. For those who are avid users of Facebook, it is possible that their social media friends
are more updated about their daily activities, connections, and thoughts than their immediate
families. Diaries that were once private or shared only with close friends are now posted as blogs
which can be viewed by anyone. In websites like Flickr or Photobucket, the use of arm’s-length
self-photography indicates a major change. In older family albums, the photographer was not often
represented in the album (Mendelson and Papacharissi 2011), whereas with arm’s-length photos,
they are necessary included (e.g., selfies and groupies). In addition, the family album of an earlier
has become some of an individual photo gallery in the digital age. As Schwarz (2010) mentioned,
we have entered an extraordinary era of self-portraiture. Blogs and web pages have been
continuously used for greater self-reflection and self-representation. Facebook and other social
media applications are now a key part of self-presentation for one sixth of humanity. As a result,
researchers and participants become concerned with actively managing identity and reputation and
to warn against the phenomenon of “oversharing” (Labrecque, Markos, and Milne 2011; Shepherd
2005; Suler 2000; Zimmer and Hoffman 2011). Sometimes people become unaware of the extent
of information they share online. They forget to delineate what can be shared online and what
should not. Furthermore, it provides a more complete narration of self and gives people an
idealized view of how they would like to be remembered by others (van Dijck 20018). Many
teenagers, as well as some adults, share even more intimate details with their partners like their
passwords (Gesrhon 2010). This could be an ultimate act of intimacy and trust or the ultimate
expression of paranoia and distrust with the partner.
Because of the conversation of private diaries into public revelations of inner secrets, the
lack of privacy in many aspects of social media make the users more vulnerable, leading to
compulsively checking newsfeed and continually madding tweets and postings in order to appear
active and interesting. This condition has been called “fear of missing out.” People would like to
remain updated and they keep on sharing themselves online because it adds a sense of confidence
at their end especially if others like and share their posts. One of the reasons for so much sharing
and self-disclosure online is so called “disinhibition effect” (Ridfley 2012; Suler 2004). The lack
of face-to-face gaze-meeting, together with feelings of anonymity and invisibility, gives people
the freedom for self-disclosure but can causes people to believe that they are able to express their
“true self” better online than they ever could in face-to face contexts (Taylor 2002). However, it
does not mean that there is s fixed “true self.” The self is still a work in progress and we keep on
improving and developing ourselves every single day. Seemingly, self-revelation can be
therapeutic to others especially if it goes together with self-reflection (Morris et al. 2010). But it
does appear that we now do a large amount of our identity work online. When the Internet
constantly asks us: “Who are you?” and “What do you have to share?”, it is up to us if we are
going to provide answers to such queries every time we use the Internet and to what extent are
going to share details of ourselves to others.
In addition to sharing the good things we experience, many of us also share the bad,
embarrassing, and “sinful” things we experience. We also react and comment on negative
experiences of others. Sometimes, we empathize with people. We also argue with others online.
Relationships may be made stronger or broken through posts online. Blogs and social media are
primary digital for a on which such confessions occur, but they can also be found into photo- and
video-sharing sites where blunders and bad moments are also preserved and shared (Strangelove
2011). Why confess to unseen and anonymous others online? In Foucault’s (1978, 1998) view,
confessing our secret truths feels freeing, even as it binds us in a guilt-motivated self-governance
born of a long history of Christian and pre-Christian philosophies and power structures.
According to Foucault (1998), confession, along with contemplation, self-examination,
learning, reading, and self-critical letters to friends, are a part of the “technologies of the self”
through which we seek to purge and cleanse ourselves.
Despite the veil of invisibility, writers on the Internet write for an unseen audience (Serfaty
2004). Both the number and feedback of readers provide self-validation for the writers and a certain
celebrity (O’Regan 2009). Confessional blogs may also be therapeutic for the audience to read,
allowing both sincere emphaty and the voyeuristic appeal of witnessing a public confession
(Kitzmann 2003).
 Consequently, we should have a filtering system to whatever information we share online,
as well as to what information we believe in, which are being shared or posted by others online.
We should look at online information carefully whether they are valid and true before believing
and promoting them. In the same way, we should also think well before we post or share anything
online in order to prevent conflict, arguments, and cyberbullying, and to preserve our relationships
with others.

Gender and Sexuality Online

According to Marwick (2013), while the terms “sex,” “gender,” and “sexuality” are often
thought of as synonymous, they are actually quite distinct. The differences between the common
understandings of these terms and how researchers think about them yield key insights about the
social functioning of gender. Sex is a biological state that corresponds to what we might call a
“man” or a “woman.” This might seem to be a simple distinction, but the biology of sex is actually
very complicated. While “sex” is often explained as biological, fixed, and immutable, it is actually
socially constructed (West and Zimmerman 1987). Gender, then, is the social understanding of
how sex should be experienced and how sex manifests in behavior, personality, preferences,
capabilities, and so forth. A person with male sex organs is expected to embody a masculine
gender. While sex and gender are presumed to be biologically connected, we can understand
gender as a socioculturally specific set of norms that are mapped onto a category of “sex” (Kessler
and McKenna 1978; Lorber 1994). Gebnder is historical. It is produced by media and popular
culture (Gauntlett 2008; van Zoonen 1994). It is taught by families, school, peer groups, and nation
states (Goffman 1977). It is reinforced through songs, sayings, admonition, slang, language,
fashion, and discourse (Cameron 1998; Cameron and Kulick 2003), and it deeply ingrained.
Gender is a system of classification that values male-gendered things more than female related
things. This system plays out on the bodies of men and women, and in constructing hierarchies of
everything from colors (e.g., pink vs. blue) to academic departments (e.g., English vs. Math) to
electronic gadgets and websites. Given this inequality, the universalized “male” body and
experience is often constructed as average or normal, while female-gendered experiences are
conceptualized as variations from the norm (Goffman 1977).
Sexuality is an individual expression and understanding of desire. While like gender, this
is often viewed as binary (homosexual or heterosexual), in reality, sexuality is often experienced
as fluid.

Performing Gender Online

Theorist Judith Butler (1990) conceptualized gender as a performance. She explained that
popular understandings of gender and sexuality came to be through discourse and social processes.
She argued that gender was performative, in that it is produced through millions of individual
actions, rather than something that comes naturally to men and women. Performances that adhere
to normative understandings of gender and sexuality are allowed, while those that do not are
admonished (for example, a boy “throwing like a girl”) (Lorber 1994). In the 1990s, many Internet
scholars drew from Butler and other queer theorists to understand online identity. According to
the disembodiment hypothesis, Internet users are the possibility of creating alternate identities
(Wynn and Katz 1997). The ability of users to self-consciously adapt and play with different
gender identities would reveal choices involved in the production of gender, breaking down
binaries and encouraging fluidity in sexuality and gender expression.
Recently, social media has been celebrated to facilitating greater cultural participation and
creativity. Social media sites like Twitter and Youtube have led to the emergence of a “free
culture” where individuals are empowered to engage in cultural production using raw materials,
ranging from homemade videos to mainstream television characters to create new culture, memes,
and humor. At its best, this culture of memes, mash-ups, and creative political activism allows for
civic engagement and fun creative acts. While Digg, 4chan, and Reddit are used mostly by men,
most social network users are women; this is true in Facebook, Flickr, LiveJournal, Tumblr,
Twitter, and Youtube (Chappell 2011; Lenhart 2009; Lenhart et al. 2010). But mere equality use
does not indicate equality of participation. While both men and women use Wikipedia, 87% of
Wikipedia contributors were identified as male (LaVallee 2009). Male students more likely to
create, edit, and distribute digital video over Youtube or Facebook than female students. However,
the Pew Internet and American Life Project found no discernible differences in user-generated
content by gender except remixing, which was most likely among teen girls (Lenhart et al. 2010).
One explanation for these differences is that user-generated content is often clustered by gender.
Researchers have consistently shown that similar numbers of men and women maintain a blog—
about 14% of Internet users (Lenhart et al. 2010). While the number of male and female bloggers
is roughly equivalent, they tend to blog about different things. Overwhelmingly, certain types of
blogs written and read by women (e.g., food, fashion, parenting), while others (e.g., technology,
politics) are written and run by men (Chittenden 2010; Hindman 2009; Meraz 2008). Although the
technologies are the same, the norms and more of the people using them differ.

Setting Boundaries To Your Online Self: Smart Sharing

The following guidelines will help you share information online in a smart way that will
protect yourself and not harm others. Before posting or sharing anything online, consider the
following.
• Is this post/story necessary?
• Is there a real benefit to this post? Is it funny, warm-hearted, teachable—or am I just
making noise online without purpose?
• Have we (as a family or a parent/child) resolved this issue? An issue that is still being
worked out at home, or one that is either vulnerable or highly emotional, should not be
made public.
• Is it appropriate? Does it stay within the boundaries of our family values?
• Will this seem as funny in 5, 10, or 15 years? Or is this post betted suited for sharing with
a small group of family members? Or maybe not at all?
Rules to Follow
Here are additional guidelines for proper sharing of information and ethical uses of the
Internet according to New (2014):
• Stick to safer sites.
• Guard your passwords.
• Limit what you share.
• Remember that anything you put online or post on a site is there forever, even if you try to
delete it.
• Do not be mean or embarrass other people online.
• Always tell if you see strange or bad behavior online.
• Be choosy about your online friends.
Be patient.

CHAPTER III
MANAGING AND CARING FOR THE SELF
Lesson 1: Learning To Be a Better Learner
Lesson Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1. explain how learning occurs;
2. enumerate various metacognition and studying techniques; and
3. identify the metacognitive techniques that you find most appropriate for yourself.
INTRODUCTION
Knowing the “self” is not enough. Since “who you are” is partly made up of your choices,
you must also have the ability to choose especially to be better “you.” In the school setting, your
knowledge of yourself should at least enable you to become a better student.
This lesson will present several techniques that you can adapt depending on your situation
and preferences to make you a better learner. Learning should not just mean studying for your
quizzes and exams in school. Learning could also occur outside the confines of a book or a
classroom, like when you want to acquire a new move in your favorite sport, or the skills for a
certain hobby, among others. Furthermore, the techniques here are not the only techniques
available and months and years from now, new ways on how to study better will be discovered or
rediscovered. What is important at this moment is that you learn how to learn these things.
ABSTRACTION
We are Homo sapiens or the “wise man.” We think in a more complex level than our
ancestors and most, if not all, of the other things. But being called wise, not only do we think, but
we are also capable to think about thinking, like how we think of things and why we think in a
certain way about things. It is like your brain thinks about itself, then thinks about how it thinks
about itself. In the context of learning, studies show that when you are able to think about how you
think, how you process information, and how you utilize techniques while you are studying, you
have a higher chance for improving your learning process than those who do not reflect on their
methods.
This idea falls under the concept of metacognition. Metacognition is commonly defined as
“thinking about thinking” (Livingston 1997; Papaleontious Louca 2003). It is the awareness of
the scope and limitations of your current knowledge and skills (Meichenbaum 1985 in American
Institute for Research 2010). Due to this awareness, metacognition enables the person to adapt
their existing knowledge and skills to approach a learning task, seeking for the optimum result of
the learning experience (American Institute for Research
2010).
Metacognition is also not limited to the thinking process of the individual. It also includes
keeping one’s emotions and motivations while learning in check (Papaleontious-Louca 2003).
Some people learn better when they like the subject, some when they are challenged by the topic,
and others if they have a reward system each time they finish a task. The emotional state and the
motivation of a person then should also be in the preferred ideal state for that person in order to
further facilitate his or her learning.
As seen from the abovementioned definitions, metacognition basically has two aspects: (1)
self-appraisal and (2) self-management of cognition (Paris and Winnogad 1990 in Papaleontious-
Louca 2003). Self-appraisal is your personal reflection on your knowledge and capabilities while
self-management is the mental process you employ using what you have in planning and adapting
to successfully learn or accomplish a certain task (Paris and Winnogad 1990 in Papaleontious-
Louca 2003). Similar concepts, usually called elements of metacognition, are metacognitive
knowledge or what you know about how you think, and metacognitive regulation or how you
adjust your thinking processes to help you learn better (American Institute for Research 2010).
Under metacognitive knowledge, there are several variables that affect how you know or
assess yourself as a thinker. First is the personal variable, which is your evaluation of your
strengths and weaknesses in learning. Second is the task variable, which is what you know or what
you think about the nature of the task, as well as what strategies the task requires. Lastly, strategy
variable refers to what strategies or skills you already have in dealing with certain tasks (American
Institute for Research 2010).
However, it must be noted that in order to make self-appraisal and self management work,
you must have an accurate self-assessment—you must be honest about what you know and capable
of in order to find ways you utilize your strengths and improve on your weaknesses (Schoenfield
1987 in Papaleontious-Louca 2003).
Going back to the activity, review your MAI results and your answers during the analysis.
Do you feel that the results do not represent you? Rather than dismissing the test or the results if
they feel any incongruence to your perception when you were learning something. Think also of
the various factors that make that learning experience successful; and enjoyable for you, including
your emotions and motivations at that certain period.
By doing the above reflection, you are actually utilizing metacognitive skills. According
to Waterloo Student Success Office (n.d.), the following are other skills that can help you in
exercising metacognition:
1. Knowing you limits. As mentioned earlier, one cannot really make any significance
advancement in using metacognitive skills without having an honest and accurate
evaluation of what you know and what you have at the moment and look for ways to cope
with other necessities.
2. Modifying your approach. It begins with the recognition that your strategy is not
appropriate with the task and/or that you do not comprehend the learning experience
successfully. Recognizing, for example, that you are not understanding what you are
reading, you should learn to modify your strategy in comprehending your material. You
might want to read and reread a page in five minutes intervals instead of trying to finish
the material in one sitting. You may want to make a summary or code for yourself instead
of making keywords highlighting selections of what you are reading.
3. Skimming. This is basically browsing over a material and keeping an eye on keywords,
phrases, or sentences. It is also about knowing where to search for such key terms. For
example, you might want to look at the Introduction first or the Abstract. Table of Contents
can also provide you with a quick guide to the contents of the book. Introductory
paragraphs, headings or subheadings, and conclusions can also provide you with an
overview of the whole material. This technique works best when you want to get an idea
about the contents of a reading material, when you are trying to read through several
materials in a limited time frame, or when you want to focus on certain details among
others.
4. Rehearsing. This is not just about repeatedly talking, writing, and or doing what you have
learned, but also trying to make a personal interpretation or summary of the learning
experience. One of the fun ways to do this is by imagining yourself being interviewed about
your tasks. As you try to convey what you have learned from the resources, you also insert
your opinions or other personal take on the matter. Just be sure that the key concepts are
well understood and are still in line with the source material even with multiple rehearsals.
5. Self-Test. As the name implies, this is trying to test your comprehension of your learning
experience or the skills you have acquired during learning. While some materials already
come with tests like this textbook, you can still create tests for yourself. You can make
essay questions or definition of terms while you are reading or watching a material. You
can challenge yourself in completing a task successfully, maybe in a given period of time—
 for example doing 50 free throws, with at least 90% success rate. Self-test does not only
focus on what you have learned but also on how you learned it. After the experience, you
should ask yourself like, “What strategies did I use?” “How successful were my learning
strategies?” “How can I further improve my learning skills?”
Other strategies that you need to develop include asking questions about your methods,
self-reflection, finding a mentor or support group if necessary, thinking out loud (though you have
to be considerate of others also when doing this), and welcoming errors as learning experiences.
For clarification, “welcoming errors” does not mean seeking them or consciously making them as
much as possible. It means that when you commit a mistake, you do not dismiss it as insignificant
or you do not try to avoid responsibility of the results. You must process them to learn every lesson
that you can take about yourself, about the topic, and the other people or things. By having a more
positive attitude towards mistakes, you will also have the courage to venture into new and unknown
learning experiences that may one day interest you.
Using these strategies, you can at least identify four types of metacognitive learners
(Perkins 1992 in Cambridge International Examinations 2015). First, the “tacit” learners are
unaware of their metacognitive processes although they know the extent of their knowledge.
Second, the “aware” learners know some of their metacognitive strategies but they do not plan on
how to use these techniques. Third, “strategic” learners, as the name implies, strategize and plan
their course of action toward a learning experience. Lastly, the “reflective” learners reflect on their
thinking while they are using the strategies and adapt metacognitive skills depending on their
situation.
As you may have noticed already, the goal of metacognition is for the student to be self-
regulated learner. Education should not be limited by the capabilities of the teacher, the content of
the school textbooks, the four corners of the classroom, and the duration of the academic year or
courses. You should have the capability to study things on your own as well as accurately evaluate
your progress.
This is one of the benefits of using metacognitive techniques and strategies. Another
benefit is the compensation and development of cognitive limitations of the learner because the
student is now aware of his/her capabilities. Various researches also showed significant
improvement in academic performance in any subject and across age range. The student is also
enabled to transfer knowledge from one context into another (Cambridge International
Examinations 2015).
Other tips that you can use in studying are the following (Queensland University
Technology Library n.d.):
1. Make an outline of the things you want to learn, the things you are reading or doing, and/or
things you remember.
2. Break down the task in smaller and more manageable details.
3. Integrate variation in your schedule and learning experience. Change reading material
every hour and do not put similar topics together (e.g., try studying English then
 Mathematics instead of English then Filipino together). Also include physical activities in
your planning.
4. Try to incubate your ideas. First, write your draft without doing too much editing. Let the
ideas flow. Then leave your draft at least overnight or around 24 hours—some even do not
look at it for a week—and do something else. After a given period, go back to your draft
or prototype and you might find a fresh perspective about it. Write them down in a
notebook first and do not integrate them into a draft yet. Review what you have written
when the incubation period is done.
5. Revise, summarize, and take down notes, then reread them to help you minimize cramming
in the last minute, especially when you have a weakness in memorizing facts and data.
Some people are motivated when the deadline is very close—tomorrow, for instance—and
they just reviewed the day before some evaluation or exercise. If you are that kind of
person, you may still motivate yourself and have that feeling of urgency at the last minute
but by using the aforementioned techniques, your “cramming” need not to be desperate
attempt to learn but only as a way to energize your brain as you make a final review of the
things you have already been studying for a week or so before.
6. Engage what you have learned. Do something about it. On a reading material for example,
highlight keywords and phrases, write your opinions about the matter on a separate
notebook, or create a diagram or concept word. You may want to look for other definitions
and compare or contrast materials. Use your new knowledge during discussions—just do
something about it.
As you were reading topic, were you aware of your metacognitive processes? What changes
did you feel as you try to use the metacognitive strategies and skills? We encourage you to utilize
and adapt the aforementioned techniques in whatever learning experiences you are about to
accomplish and find enjoyment and success in learning.