Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang is a classic Filipino film directed by Lino Brocka and it reflects different aspects and issues of Philippine society-from abortion, marriage, gender stereotyping and crab mentality. On the other hand, good traits such being religious and hospitable is evident in the film.It shows plenty of handaan to accommodate the visiting crowds in a wake and showcased devout Catholics celebrating the Reyna Elena Festival.This is not a movie review. I just love the movie title. And I’m using it as my expression.
What I love on this film is that our negative values is shown. Particularly the fact that we tend to practice crab mentality- seeing succeeding individuals fall. A lot of Filipinos just don’t like it when someone has a better life- new house, new car and a good job. According to my personal observations, there are well- educated Filipinos who are into that and it seems that their good education did not help them to get rid of that kind of attitude. What if you’re the crab? Then, there’s no point and sense of reading this. Kidding! Crab mentality is normal and common especially in the corporate world. I’ve worked with different kinds of people with different behaviors and personalities. If you are doing good, often times, they will drag you down. But I’m used to it. Working without an antagonist is boring.
If you are the victim, there are ways how to beat the crab mentality. In an organizational setting, analyze the behavior of the people. Read their personalities and try to understand why they behave like that at work. Know what motivates them, what makes them happy and most importantly, what pushes their buttons.If you already understand them, you will be able to act or make decisions accordingly and you will also learn how to handle them. You will also identify the people who will help you and who will drag you down Moreover, if you encounter people with full of negativity, don’t bother talking and making friends with them. They will just drag you down too.
Yes, there are conflicts. Do not ignore the conflicts. As a Political Scientist, I’ve learned that there are no permanent friends and enemies in politics. And if you don’t play with politics, politics will hit you hard. In a Corporate arena, always choose your battles.Choosing your battle means deciding when to fight or who to fight. Never fight with people who are not worth your time.If you do, you will lose. That’s reality! But the most important thing is, you do your best at work. If you do your best, they will be threatened and the tendency is they will drag you down.
When I was younger, I am aggressive, competitive and with semi-crab mentality because I am selfish with my own ideas. These are human imperfections. But I know, being one will not help me to improve myself to become a better person. Rather than focusing on this negative trait, I tried to become better each day by avoiding all the unacceptable acts and behaviors. Since then, I am always guided with the teachings of Desiderata which says “For always, there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself”. And I can conclude that each one of us was weighed but found wanting (tinimbang ngunit kulang).