Instead of the holiday spirit, it seems negativity is pulling anyone and everyone down, stemming from the worsening corruption blight. As every new day brings new information about unbelievable greed gone berserk, a little less light dims that vaunted Filipino cheer.

This space once talked about optimism in the face of poverty and a health pandemic. Strength comes from within, I once wrote and in that context, cited Filipino optimism as the one quality that helps us get through so much in life.

Past surveys will support this claim that optimism is our secret to survival, where polls always found that the majority of Filipinos believed things would get better eventually.

Lately, the air has been different. A recent gathering confirmed this when an expat said something to remind his local audience that it is the season to bring back our smile. 

“Philippines is magic. Let’s change the narrative,” he said over lunch with lifestyle media. “Let’s talk more about positivity. Let’s talk more about joy, let’s talk more about how incredible this place is and who hasn’t had enough of this negative stuff?”

His stay in the Philippines has allowed him to see the beauty in our culture, the closeness of families, the kindness in people and their generosity of spirit. It has always been there, but somehow it has been abused far too much by our very own, too. That is a wound that scars like no other.

For those who have always hoped for the best for our nation and believed with each passing administration that things will, indeed, be better for all, this feels just a little impossible nowadays. In fact, we may be feeling stupid for believing in such nonsense, over and over again, never thinking that one day, you would see for yourself just how that so-called crab mentality could happen right before your eyes.

Crab mentality is not just about being unable to feel happy about someone else’s achievement or triumph, or feeling the urge to pull down a person with a derogatory remark rather than a pat on the back. Jealousy, resentment, insecurity and spite lie at the core of this unfortunate mindset. 

In our case at this time, it is more about not caring about how your fellow Filipinos might suffer for a deed you had a hand in — thinking only of your own gain for the moment, forgetting about everyone in the desire to pull oneself above everyone else.

That Filipino positivity we have always taken pride in withers in the face of massive betrayal.