Ang di lumilingon sa pinanggalingan, di makararating sa paroroonan
The Philippine National Proverb (Salawikain)
English Translation:
"He who does not (know how to) look back at his past (where he came from) will not reach his destination."
This is the first time I knew that there was a Philippine National Proverb. However it is not the first time I have encountered the concept. I have run into it in different forms in the Philippines but not as a proverb. Just in general conversation and dealings in the Philippines. The idea was very prevalent. It's actually a concept respected everywhere. However, in the Philippines the idea was often referred too in different ways. There was a deep respect for one's roots and knowing them.
Knowing this makes a dramatic shift in how I view many past transactions and the Philippines itself... There's a lot to be said.
Knowing your roots is a significant concept, (and not just the root words that is also part of many languages including the languages of the Philippines,) but to know our own history and the cultural history in which it occurs informs us about out identity. In some ways, our identity is THE destination.
The Novel "Roots: The Saga of an American Family" by Alex Haley, relies heavily on this concept.
Another Salawikain that has me curious and somehow I think it's related here:
"Madali ang maging tao, mahirap magpakatao"
"It is one thing to be a person, to have a personality is another." [1]
"It is easy to be human. It is hard to be humane." [2]
"It is easy to be born a man, but it is difficult to act like one." [3]
When I translate the salawikain, with my limited knowlege of Tagalog and using a dictionary, I read this:
"It is not difficult to become a person, it is difficult [to be] a man (or person). "
The translations such as:
"It is one thing to be a person, to have a personality is another."
Appears to have a subjective interpretation of what being a person or man means beyond merely existing.