Inclusive culture
WHAT does inclusive culture mean? Let us start with the membership of this Filipino culture. Do we choose the membership and exclude others? Do we set standards for those who can be members? The answer is no to a large extent we do not and do not want to be exclusive but rather inclusive. Those who want to be included as Filipinos are all welcome. In fact we have no choice. Many are natural-born Filipinos and they are automatically included. Those who are not naturalborn Filipinos, and want to be Filipinos, are welcome.
Previous framers of our constitutions limited certain rights, like being President of the country to natural born Filipinos. They had their reasons for these exclusions but for us we would like to make these exclusions as few as possible. As long as their heart is for this country and the culture that is found here at present, they are welcome. So membership is open both for those who have no choice and also for those who make a choice to be Filipinos.
Since membership is settled, what does inclusive culture mean? For the present, the inclusion that we are talking about is mostly economic. In our prosperity, or at least in our effort towards prosperity, the fruits of this effort will be shared with all the participants. The problem is that, in reality, prosperity can happen and not include everybody in the sharing of its fruits. It is not because they are intentionally excluded but as the ball rolls, their share is not given to them either because they did not strive to get their share or that is just the way the cookie crumbles.
So the first meaning of inclusive culture is to make an effort to provide for everybody’s needs, whether they are worthy of help or not. This inclusive culture is to make sure that nobody is food-hungry and also that nobody is dignity-hungry, meaning we have to fight poverty and it indignities. It can be done with the help and consciousness of everybody.
A step higher than this poverty rung in the ladder is the motto that no one is left behind. This is to provide everybody with the opportunities that he needs. This entails education to develop his talents and be able to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves. There is nothing like education. But we want efficiency so we go for schooling or classroom teaching. This can be very efficient but it needs to be supplemented by individual direction and help. Tutoring is extra but it is needed for sometimes the hook that pulls us up is not connected with the pupil and therefore it has to be individually hooked up so that she or he can be assisted by the education. The list of the most helpful systems of learning can be sourced from the internet but it has to be applied to each one as he is able to absorb the teaching.
In an inclusive culture we need to remedy food hunger and the indignities of poverty and then the development of the individual so that he is not left behind but is able to take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves to him. What next? In this effort there will always be stragglers. There will always be the odd man out. Then there is need of charity or extra help beyond the ordinary. The sick, the lame, the unfortunate will always be stragglers. The inclusive society will have to make provisions for him or her. It is not an easy task for our leaders.