haaay, utang na loob

(Utang na loob is also a focal issue in the
movie, The Godfather)

Utang-na-loob is a Filipino cultural trait which academics sometimes refer to as "reciprocity," and which transliterates as "a debt of one's inner self (loob)." It is also sometimes translated as a "debt of gratitude." In the study of Filipino psychology, utang na loob is considered an important "accommodative surface value," along with hiya (shame) and pakikisama (togetherness). That is to say, it is one of the values by which the Filipino accommodates the demands of the world around him, as opposed to confrontative values like "lakas ng loob" and "pakikibaka".

The essence of utang na loob is an obligation to appropriately repay a person who has done one a favor. The favors which elicit the Filipino's sense of utang na loob are typically those whose value is impossible to quantify, or, if there is a quantifiable value involved, involves a deeply personal internal dimension. This internal dimension, loob, differentiates utang na loob from an ordinary debt ("utang"); being an internal phenomenon, utang na loob thus goes much deeper than ordinary debt or even the western concept of owing a favor. Filipino psychology explains that this is a reflection of the "kapwa" orientation of shared person-hood or shared self, which is at the core of the Filipino values system.

- From Wikipedia

Truly, utang na loob, is one unique Pinoy trait. It is a distinctively Pinoy sense of appreciation of the good that we receive from others. Instilling this sense of gratitude is good since we value the act and the giver. But the act of doing good and this deeply instilled sense of thanks can sometimes go wrong and vulnerable to misuse and corruption.

I have no concept of utang na loob. Maybe I am not too Pinoy in this respect. I have always believed that when I do good, it is because I am propelled by that necessity to do good and not with the expectation of a payback, not even being thanked. And it will be good not to keep a memory of that “good” that has been done. I will feel more than repaid if I see that the good I did has created ripples and that I was able to make even a little betterment in somebody else’s life.

I wish we can alter the concept of utang na loob from the Pinoy psyche. When you are the recipient of an act of kindness, your only obligation is to improve yourself and pay the act forward. Saying a sincere expression of gratitude is already a good deed in itself. When you are the doer of the deed, remember that the act of kindness is without condition; it should be a prick of the selfless desire to help and reach out without wanting for something, a future favor or even a “thank you”, in return. Do not be drawn by the desire to have your recipient be bound for life in subjection.

Let us be cheerful givers, O,  Pinoys, utang na loob. Or do not give at all.

Haaay!

(Just musing.)