'Reflections for the Working Soul'

Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20; And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

By Bishop Precioso D. Cantillas, SDB, DD

Crab mentality

SOME sociologists point out one negative trait among many Filipinos which is “crab mentality”-- the tendency to pull down others who are getting ahead in their status in society. If the apostles of Jesus were Filipinos with the crab mentality, Peter, who was specially chosen by the Lord for a very privileged task, would have been the object of a barrage of demolition jobs by the 11. Fortunately, (they were Jews and not Filipinos) they believed in Jesus and His Lordship over them, thus the Church was established and has continued to be strong for centuries until the end of time.

In our workplaces, the “crab mentality” shows its ugly face in many forms: in the senior managers who make it almost impossible for the juniors to catch up with their position and salary; in the ordinary workers who do not willingly collaborate with their colleagues for a successful work project; and in so many other situations which make work and its environment heavy and stressful.

There is need, therefore, to crush the head of this destructive trait which is not necessarily bound by race or nationality, but is something that springs from a disorder within the human psyche or soul. Anyone in the workplace who needs to correct this undesirable work trait should go deeper to the level of his faith perspective of life, work, society, and all the rest in this world and even beyond, rather than just analyzing this as a “nationality trait.”

Like Peter and the apostles, the worker should let faith in Jesus and His Lordship over everyone be the paradigm with which he looks at his work, his colleagues, and even the successes of others. The worker who sees himself in Jesus will always feel being at the top, and would therefore not feel the temptation to pull others down.

(E-mail the author at preciousbishop@yahoo.com)