I WAS reading the morning paper a few days ago and I came across a report from the Social Weather Station saying that “Even as high inflation and rising prices of basic commodities continue to burden the country, 48 percent of adult Filipinos remain confident that the Philippine economy will improve in the next 12 months.”
The survey, which was conducted through in-person interviews from Dec. 10 to 14 last year, pointed out that only nine percent of the 1,200 respondents expect the economy to worsen, while the remaining 33 percent remained neutral about it.
To quote their findings –
“This brought the net economic optimism score to +40 (percentage of economic optimists minus the percentage of economic pessimists) — a point below the +41 in October 2022 but still deemed “excellent” by the SWS as it had been since December 2021.
“Net economic optimism was the highest in Metro Manila with +47, but it notably declined by five points from its previous record at +52.
“Mindanao was the next area with the highest net economic optimism at +45, followed by Balance Luzon at +40 and Visayas at +27.
“Net economic optimism tends to be higher among those with more years of formal education.”
How come?
The findings made me wonder: despite the continuing hardships of our existence, the rampant violence around us, and the seeming hopelessness of thousands of people, many still feel and believe that “things will turn out right.”
Yes, despite being a path for typhoons and earthquakes, we usually remain positive about our situation. Whatever problems come our way, we always greet people with a smile (and confidence) on our faces and say “It’s okay.”
Positivity
If there’s one trait that we are known for, aside from being hospitable, is the ability to feel happy and stay positive no matter the conditions. Whether we’re weathering strong typhoons or simply surviving terrible traffic – we still find a reason to smile and think of a “rosy” future.
We’re not being “blind,” we’re simply wired that way. We are incurable optimists.
In 2018, the Philippines was named the third happiest country in the world by Gallup International, scoring a “+84” that ranked us third after Colombia and Fiji.
Aside from the general sentiment, we also ranked fifth in the economic optimism index, which translated to 42 percent of Filipinos believing that it will be a year of economic improvement for their household.
In that year when the Presidential Spokesman was still Harry Roque Jr., he welcomed the results of that study saying “we Filipinos are known as happy, resilient people. We even manage to smile amid difficulties. It is therefore not surprising that we rank high in the global happiness index.”
Power of Faith
Despite the existence of many sects and religions in the country, it is a fact that many of us are very religious. This is one attribute of why we are generally happy and optimistic.
For us, challenges can be faced and can be overcome as long as we have faith. We believe that with a higher power watching over our well-being, nothing can go wrong. We believe that all obstacles are mere tests of faith and overcoming them will be the ultimate reward.
Optimist forever
I’d like to share these two quotes that I think are replete with wisdom and can guide us when things get rough. The first one is from billionaire Melinda Gates (estranged wife of Bill Gates) and the second is anonymous —
“Optimism isn’t a belief that things will automatically get better; it’s a conviction that we can make things better.”
This one I like because it talks about faith in the Creator – “I trust the next chapter because I know the author.”
