In the Philippines bahala na yields half-assed results (for everything)
The New Oxford American Dictionary defines half-assed as: Done with little effort or care; incompetent or inadequate. There do not seem to be any really good synonyms. I wish there were; I'd be happy to use another term. But, for example, unserious just does not seem to convey the same level of complete disregard and utter indifference for sufficient care and due diligence. It just doesn't. Apathetic may be closer, but it does not capture the inferior results. Halfhearted and lackadaisical are good, but they lack the proper vigor. No, it's a half-assed attitude which, of course, produces a half-assed result. There really is no substitute.
So what is bahala na? The video above explains it very well, and I prefer to leave it to a Filipino to explain anyway. She deals with the issue with good humor, and I think that is exactly how it needs to be addressed. Though I'm not sure that I can agree that the Philippines should blame the Spanish for this. The Spanish left over a century ago. A point she acknowledges at the end of the video.
A while back, I met a Filipino seaman. As an island nation, many people here work in commercial shipping. This guy worked as the second officer on a cargo ship. He told me that mariners from other countries do not like working with mariners from the Philippines. I asked why and he shrugged and said they are prejudiced against Filipinos. At the time, I just accepted that as true.
But today, I'm not so sure. Could it be that the foreign mariners just do not like working with people who consistently do a half-assed job?
And that is not all. Bahala na breeds genuine contempt for anyone who wants to and tries to do a good job. They think these people are just plain stupid for making the completely unnecessary extra effort. There is an element of peer pressure involved. Forget pride in a job well done. In the Philippines there is no shame for a sloppy or unfinished job. The only shame seems to be for the poor sap who puts in the extra effort.
In America, we have an expression: Perfect is the enemy of good. Well in the Philippines, adequate is the enemy of just barely enough to get by and not one bit more. It is a cultural phenomenon. I think it is worth pointing out that, expression or not, many many people in the West strive for perfection, or at least as close as they can get to it. Certainly, you also see this in Japan. Of course a Japanese mariner is going to dread the idea of working with a Filipino mariner.
So if we reject Spanish responsibility for this attitude, where does it come from? One is tempted to blame sheer laziness – Everywhere you turn, there is a noticeable lack of industriousness. And while that is certainly part of it, I don't think that is the whole story.
No, perhaps I am speculating, but I think it is a question of exposure. Exposure to quality, craftsmanship, precision, durability, diligence, completeness, consistency, accomplishment, integrity, fidelity, etc. And even things like excellent customer service, critical thinking, openness to change, self-improvement, learning and curiosity, attention to detail, punctuality, organization and planning, etc. The list could go on and on. But if you are not exposed to these hallmarks, you cannot possibly understand and value them, and you cannot possibly know to strive for them.
For instance, not all Filipinos share this attitude. Many of the most ambitious and hard-working Filipinos leave to work in other countries. Countries where the bahala na attitude will quickly get you fired. And I notice that people who return to the Philippines after working long stints overseas seem to have lost the attitude. Why? Again, I think it is exposure to these qualities. Even here in the Philippines, there are people who seem to have moved beyond bahala na. But they are pretty rare. I would guess you find more of them in the cities.
In any case, I would call bahala na the dominant cultural attitude of the country. And it is crippling. Economically, financially, culturally, socially, politically. It spans all aspects of Filipino life.
As she said at the end of the video, the Philippine people must decide what kind of country they want. This is the most important point: It is a choice. Not only as a society. But also for each individual.