Cultural Self Portrait free essay sample

By Manuel Chong Filipino-Chinese. That is what I am. The term â€Å"Filipino-Chinese† simply refers to a Chinese descent born and bred in the Philippines. Being a third generation Chinese in the Philippines, I did not grow up in a culture that is purely Chinese nor is it purely Filipino. The older generation of Filipino-Chinese is trying their best to pass on to the younger ones the traditional Chinese teachings which they acquired and learned from their ancestors. They wanted to preserve every detail of Chinese tradition for the younger ones. However, this appears to be a difficult task as time passes as my generation and the coming generations are more liberal and open to Filipino, Western and other cultures. This is the reason why the older generation frowns upon and show less favorable inclination to the younger generation’s present lifestyle. It is very undesirable for them that our generation of Filipino-Chinese yield towards integration. We will write a custom essay sample on Cultural Self Portrait or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I, on the other hand, am more integrated into the mainstream of Philippine society. I’m able to better articulate the local language, attitudes and conformities. Although my parents put me in a Chinese school, as most parents do, in order for me to learn the Chinese Mandarin language, however, the mindset at that time was that the language is of no use in my country of birth. Who would have known that, after 20 years, the Chinese language became important, in an economic sense. As a result of that mindset and integration, I have lost the ability to read and write in Chinese although I can still speak the Fookien dialect which is widely used at home. This is the dilemma facing the older generation. The traditional values that have been passed on to me were gradually lost and abandoned in favour of the pragmatic and practical approach. More so now, having lived in Canada for the past 5 years and having traveled the previous 10 years, my culture and values have been greatly shaped by what I saw and experienced. In spite of all this, I can still say that my culture is still predominantly Chinese, although not with its traditional practices that does not conform to Christianity, but with its values that embraces the sense of family, hard work, and to a certain extent frugality. The foremost passion of most Chinese that is in constant tension to the teachings of the Bible, is the pursuit of wealth or money. Born out of the necessity to survive, as Chinese we were taught to work hard to amass wealth in order to alleviate ourselves from poverty and unemployment. The pursuit of wealth has become a marker in that to be truly successful one has to look into a person’s bank account. In Matthew 4:4, the Bible says that man does not live by bread alone. Also, I always remind myself Matthew 16:26, what would it benefit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul. Money is not everything. The Lord will and does provide. On a positive note, as the Filipino-Chinese are known to be pragmatic and practical in their manner of achieving success, they have become a potent force towards solving the problems of poverty and unemployment prevalent in the Philippines. Today, they excel in the business world and have been influential in the economy of the Philippines. As Christians, it is mandated by Christ that we should share the good news to all nations. One particular trait or characteristic that is strong amongst Chinese is the sense of shame. We strive not to â€Å"lose face†. This is particularly so predominant and prevalent in places like Singapore, where I had the privilege to live for sometime, that even the Malays and Indians in Singapore has learned this trait. The expression â€Å"to lose face† is something for them that have to be avoided as much as possible. â€Å"Having a face† means gaining the confidence in the society, a good reputation and personal integrity. Now, what has this got to do with sharing the gospel? Certain society or culture does not view Christianity in a positive light. To share the gospel to these societies or cultures will pose a threat and will stand to â€Å"lose face† if your belief, person and reputation is rejected by the very people you are trying to reach. This is not to say that this particular characteristic (i. e. lose face) is at all negative, having this trait dictates how we conduct ourselves by being considerate towards the other person’s standing reputation in society. In order to share the gospel and not to â€Å"lose face† at the same time, having a good testimony can be as effective as actively sharing the gospel. Society cannot fault you if they saw that there is something different but good in you. Actions speak louder than words, as they say. One of the values in my Chinese culture I believe line up well with mission is the value of frugality. Being frugal, in a good sense, is being a good steward of my resources that the Lord has so blessed me with that if I were to squander it in useless pursuits then it is not only worldly but also a waste that could have been use for the furtherance of God’s kingdom. Being frugal and at the same time being successful in my endeavours will enable me to set a good example and at the same time teach people how to manage scarce resources.