We Filipinos have our distinct ability to evaluate reality, make better decisions, and achieve our goals. Experience, history, and orientation shaped the Filipino's thought, speech, actions, and personality. On the other hand, language has been a vital aspect for Filipinos to express their thoughts and feelings. It conveys emotion, highlights significance, and analyzes data, among other things. Since the Philippines is composed of thousands of islands, words in one dialect may not be directly translated into another, sometimes leading to misunderstandings. As a Filipino living in a modern period, learning about different cultures, languages, and values has been very interesting. Knowing more about the Filipino mindset, customs, and cultures will help me recognize my personality and improve myself as a Filipino citizen, allowing me to categorize myself away from the impacts of Western conquerors and other cultures. I have these questions in my mind every time I talk to people, and they start to speak fluent English. Questions about my knowledge, I feel dumb, and I just play safe during conversations. I know how to communicate in English, yet I always think I can freely and better express my thoughts if I speak Filipino. To be honest, I have become more self-conscious due to foreign influences. It's not wrong to talk in foreign languages, yet Filipinos slowly neglect our dialects. And people nowadays think that they are more intelligent and better if they speak in foreign languages. I have been in casual conversations where people looked down and criticized me because I had some wrong grammar and just chose to talk in Waray. The people I was talking to were Taclobanons, which really offended me. I think it's really ok to speak in a comfortable language as long as we all understand each other, and it doesn't define our entire intellect and character. There is a confusion of what characterizes our culture after centuries of colonization. This has developed a colonial perspective, which has resulted in sentiments of dualism and contempt towards our culture and, finally, towards ourselves. Filipino culture has colonial values that urge Filipinos of all generations to think and act alike. Filipino psychology has two approaches: internalizing indigenous concepts and procedures and externalizing them. In knowledge and technology transfer, this strategy is commonly used. This strategy involves finding local parallels for universal psychological principles or contextualizing imported methods, techniques, tools, and equipment. Because of this pandemic, I met different people from different parts of the Philippines. We have this group chat composed of people from other provinces. We started a video call, and we all spoke in Tagalog. Someone talked in a different accent, and some began to laugh. I really think that she became afraid of speaking up and sharing her thoughts because of that moment. After that, she became silent in the group chats and never joined a group called again. We must respect and understand different Filipino people speaking different dialects and accents. We should retain our cultural customs despite everyday exposure to Western culture. Recognizing one's cultural heritage empowers Filipinos to establish a distinct identity. Examining one's parents' values is one of the most effective methods. These principles include: hiya, which means shame; this is to keep any issue within the family and not discuss it with anyone else. Pakikisama signifies unity or cooperation; this is when you join in. When I see Pakiramdam, I know something is amiss. Personality traits like hiya, pakikisama, pakikipagkapwa, and pakiramdam distinguish Filipinos. In my experience, most Filipinos have this personality attribute. Last year I joined a modeling agency and became one of the official models. The people I was with were famous teenagers here in Leyte. I had this mixed emotions when I first met them. I was afraid, shy, excited, happy, and a lot more. I was astonished by everyone's beauty. They were beautiful people with a strong sense of community and compassion. We were diverse people, and as we bonded and learned, I felt connected to my own culture throughout the modeling course. In a way, I felt like we were all members of the same community (kapwa), even though some came from distant places. I understood more about myself and knew what I wanted to become. I agree that Filipino psychology is vital in helping Filipinos find their own identity. In order to create a society with a shared "collective" identity, ethnically mixed groups are unified by a common language and culture. Increasing diversity has led to some of the most challenging moral challenges. Culture influences social and personal beliefs, decisions, behavior, and practice. Influences from the West and religion affect my moral ideals, judgment, and behavior. Aspects influence my assessment, involving the principles that guide my decision making and judgment. Values are influenced by society, culture, and religion. As a Filipino, I cherish my family's culture and values. When I get sick, as Filipinos, I pondered if I should drink or eat the remedies that came from plants made by my lola. It's unethical to follow unqualified advice, especially it concerns my health. Still, I'm considering it because it is our belief and culture, and to be honest, I may not be able to explain it, but it was effective and really helped me heal. The people around me (friends, family, etc,) and culture significantly impact my moral evolution. A person's actions make history, and the moral conscience that guides them provides a foundation and framework. The development of morality and its effect can be tracked by reading authentic sources that tell their stories. Our moral reasoning helps us discriminate between good and evil thoughts. This influences our decisions and actions that may or may not harm others and ourselves. The question that is stuck in my mind is, "what truly defines a Filipino?". Do we need to be born in the Philippines? Do we need to come from indigenous people? Language? I can see people being born from different countries, but they are still considered Filipinos. People from indigenous groups can still be Filipinos, and people using other languages can also be Filipino. I think that Filipinos now are somehow mixed. What does it really mean when we say "true Filipino." Because of several colonization, we became Filipinos with a little American, Korean, and other culture that influence us. We tend to want whatever we see that other nations do. We forgot our true Filipino identity and became a collection of foreign cultures.
