Activity No.

GROUP DYNAMICS IN NATION BUILDING

Group dynamics in Nation Building for me is really a great topic to deal with, I was really
amazed by what I have read and I was enlightened by all the knowledge and ideas the author
has convey. Nation Building is very important because it is progress, it is change in which we
will not be left behind by other countries, we will soar high, rise, be independent and of course it
will strengthen us and our country to face whatever problem it will encounter. At first I thought
that Nation Building is all about what the government does and what can technology do for us,
but actually it is a matter of “us” Filipino’s. No matter who and what you are, rich or poor you are
a citizen of the Republic of the Philippines and all of us contribute to the development of our
country or building our nation.

Does it also cross your mind? That why is our country still living like these? Why do we still hear
about graft and corruption? Issues about politics? What situation are you in right now? And what
situation is in the Philippines right now? You will and can surely think and say a lot about it. We
have a lot to say about things but we don’t think what are we going to do about it, right? There is
a saying that goes “If there is smoke, there is a fire…” If we think about it what we are
experiencing or the problems we encounter right now is just the “smoke” and that “fire” is
because of our attitude or the “attitude of citizenry itself” as what Father Bulatao said. In his
article he said that we are like a neurotic wasting our national energies on internal strife and in
maintaining a false façade behind which to hide our insecure selves and I really agree with him
on that statement. We shouldn’t pin point as to who’s to blame instead we should look upon
ourselves. We keep blaming the government for its service, we keep bad-mouthing and blaming
politicians for their unfaithfulness but it is us who put them unto that throne. This topic is really
controversial however Father Bulatao didn’t look at this as a political matter but rather a
psychology and a moral problem because it is psychology who will immediately deal with the
problem of learning and of attitude change with in the individual mind and conscience.

We Filipino’s are fixated. What started the “fire” with in ourselves is that we are living in a culture
which is suffering from fixation at an early stage. Just like what the article explained there are
inner unconscious and outer conscious Filipino. The mute masses living in provincial barrios
living in a world which is agricultural, autocratic, colonial and pre-scientific are those inner
unconscious Filipino’s and the Manileño or those people who live in the city living in a world that
is industrial, democratic, independent and scientifically technological are those outer conscious
Filipino’s. Because the psychology of the masses still remains that of a children, unaware of the
responsibilities of citizenship in democracy but the external structure of the government is
democratic it is likely to result in the abuse of power of those in authority.

Just like what I said before we are the one who put those people on their throne, but there’s no
one to blame because all of us we are suffering from fixation, the masses and even those
people in authority are fixated. This is exactly what is happening in the Philippines, It resulted to
abuse on power, graft, corruption, perversion of democratic process by the smuggling of bills,
the use of appointive power to gain political adherents, the outright transfer of government,
welfare fund’s into political coffers and the worst thing of it all is that masses who are abuse do
not have the psychological independence, ego strength, to assert their rights and still continue
to elect such kind of politicians because of our attitude: compradrazgo, utang na loob,
bayanihan, we are fixated, inability to remedy a situation with “ ganyan talaga ang buhay “,
ningas kugon and many more. It is our values, social perception, semantic organization, our
self-image and world-image that makes us internally fixated.

What can we do about this is what Father Bulatao proposed “creating a New Filipino” this idea is
wonderful, it has sense and is beneficial for all of us for nation building. Creating a New Filipino
in drawing him out of fixation, changing his self- image and world- image. Giving us a new
identity is great, it’s like we are being updated and upgraded. One way of achieving this is
through Group Discussion. There are set of Goals and Treatments that serve as a stairway in
achieving this metamorphosis. This is basically a change in personality and these are the three
goals stated. The first goal is Filipinos must learn to work together, “the lines of relationship
have been mainly vertical, not horizontal” it is indeed true because we feel there is a boundary
between people who are higher than us and that we usually work or talk with those people who
are the same level as ours. So in order for us to work together we should break that boundary
no vertical relationship only horizontal, we should cooperate with others and form a brotherhood
as what they say “Sino-sino lang ba ang magtutulungan kundi tayong mga Pilipino lang” let us
erase sort of variables like level of the society what matter is that we are all Filipinos “sabay-
sabay tayong aangat!”.

The second goal is that Filipinos must learn to trust each other, if there is trust we will be
able to work with our fellow men. When I was young It was always in my thoughts that why is it
that when people most especially those who can afford to build gate’s and walls around their
house need to pay taxes or a large amount of money if they will and so it in this reason that in
order for people to gain mutual trust with its neighbor’s or other people a law was pass to
prohibit people from building walls so that the rich had no walls to protect them, they will do their
best to socialize and make friends with the squatters around them. It helps us work with others
and that if we continue making boundaries and judgements we won’t be able to trust each other.

The third one and last goal is that To trust each other one must learn to trust himself it has
always been said we should love, respect and trust ourselves before we can do it to others
because we can’t give other’s what we doesn’t have for ourselves. It is in the third goal yet I
think it’s the first thing we must have or we must do. We should also be able to put destiny on
our own hands and not relying on those people in authority, We must be responsible, a
responsibility with in democracy because those people who are in the upper level than ours
wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for us. The citizen’s are the king, we are more powerful. Together
we are powerful.

In achieving this goal, It will be difficult if we are to interview and talk to almost Millions of
Filipinos that’s why there is a so called treatment. This treatment is called “Group Discussion”,
Father Bulatao suggested a possibility of organizing groups of self- understanding, using
psychotherapeutic techniques but adapting them to the particular group and to the presence or
absence of a trained personnel. He believe that when time comes those group will
spontaneously want to organize their own group, so let us be like the Corona Virus we are
experiencing today for the movement to spread. Father Bulatao stated another three state of
what such group discussion can do towards our goal so that we will be able to work together,
trust each other and trust ourselves.

Number one on the list is that Group Discussion substitutes the problem solving for
tradition approach. Instead of lurking on dark corners, and be eaten by our anxiety group
discussion will serve as our light if we are to turn killer phrase like “it won’t work” into a problem.
Because of judgement by people, or those people who are unaware and is still living in a world
of their comfort “kung anong nakasanayan” if we are to go out of that kind of world people will
be saying words, killer words like “its impossible!” or like what is stated in the article that folks
telling “ you think you know more than your grand father?” so if we are to change or reverse it
and make that situation a problem like asking a question “why wouldn’t it work?” and into “what
can I do to make it work?”. The mind is really powerful, you know what you think might become
your reality and as to what Dollard and Miller say “If only judgment and condemnation could be
postponed for a little while how much richer the Philippine and the world could be.” While I was
reading I’m really keep on thinking the “Yeah right? What if these goals could be meet? And if
this ever going to happen? We could have such a wonderful nation”. For me group discussion
aids to this because we open up and share to the people around us our problems and not letting
ourselves battle inside. The feeling that we are not alone in all of these struggles and that we
can get through to anything we may face in life.

Next is Group Discussion teaches discriminating trust for people outside their alliance
group. So from our childhood we have been conditioned to fear powerful people outside our
alliance group, we are taught to be careful and not to speak out what we really is thinking so
that we can establish a smooth interpersonal relations (SIR) towards them. I think this usually
happens even and I know everyone could relate. So by group discussion it opens up
communication we slowly gain trust to the people around us, we forget those boundaries, those
levels and we stay on the same flat line we will be able to open up, communicate and build trust.
I really like what the author said that “ when we become humble enough to enter into other
people’s world of meaning we can learn and trust them more, and trusting them more, work with
them.” Hard as it can be for others but no man is an island and two heads are better than one.

Lastly on the list is Group teaches individual responsibility Most people especially on the low
class who rely on to the order and obey those who are in authority out sense of responsibility
are not much molded, we become dependent and irresponsible. We are master’s of our own
destiny, and being part of a group show us that we are responsible for whatever we do to
ourselves and even to others. We open-up, cooperate and build trust with others, so these are
the tools presented by Father Bulatao which will be needed by the nation for the personality
growth and maturity of the citizenry. Group Discussion or being part of the group gives us
power, a power of growth which can turn one seed into a big and strong tree. This topic
presented and proposed by Father Jaime Bulatao is a fertilizer we never had. This is an
upgrade a Filipino must have! One thing that I have also learned by this readings is that this
article showcase a great importance of Psychology in changing the lives of the people and also
changing our nation.