Something to remember 18

"Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. John tried to prevent him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?" Jesus said to him in reply, "Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed him. After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the ehavens were opened (for him), and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove (and) coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." - Matthew 3: 13-17

People often ask why God chooses to not just change the world in just one flick of a finger. Why not eradicate poverty, hunger, sickness, death, evil, sin Himself? The question is not that He cannot do it, only why not? And I will not even try to guess at the grand plan of God but what is clear to me is that He calls us to be part of His work to do just this. We are that important to Him.

In the Baptism of Jesus, John makes a valid point: why should I baptize you when you should be the one baptizing me? It tells volumes of how much God wants us to be involved in His plan when at a glance, He can do a much better job alone.

The Baptism of Jesus is a testament to what can happen if we allow God to use us in His plan. Indeed, as we have seen here, He used John and He can always use us to glorify Him even more, to reveal Himself more fully to the world.

Finding meaning in Christmas

It was only this year that more than half of the Christmas messages I got reminded all of us of the reason behind the season (cool talaga ng phrase na toh haha). I felt happy that despite the intense consumerism that seems to possess people during this season (myself included), we did not forget why we were exchanging gifts or giving (for my part, receiving) aguinaldo.

I had a lot of fun yesterday because it was a different Christmas. We had Lucky Me pancit canton for Noche Buena because floods (patalong global warming + gravitational pull of the moon) kept us from going to our grandparents' place for the traditional Christmas dinner. It was fun to be spending a lot more time with the immediate family but sad at the same time because my 80+ years old grandparents were all alone (I'm not sure if they minded, but these events are the few ones when our entire family is present). I got a lot of aguinaldo and reached the target I set this year (yes, I combine the Christmas "bonus" and my savings the whole year). Everything else that happened was just great.

However, all that joy got me thinking: is this really how we remember the birth of our Lord? We count our money, open our presents, eat a lot of food. Is it really just a celebration? It felt to me lacking. It is good to celebrate just as the shepherds and the wise men did when they reached the manger where the Savior was born.

I guess it is easy enough to find the meaning of Christmas on the day itself. I feel that the challenge is to find its meaning on the days that come after because Jesus the baby did not come to the earth one night and left the next. He stayed with us, growing and getting ready for His ministry. I feel we should do the same. We've allowed Christ to enter our hearts yesterday once more. Our task now is to keep Him alive in us until we are called to Him at the end of our days. That I feel, is the true meaning of Christmas.

Something to remember 16

"because of the tender mercy of our God by which the daybreak from on high will visit us to shine on those who sit in darkness and death's shadow, to guide our feet into the path of peace."
- Luke 1:78-79

This is a very wonderful prophesy by Zechariah, who, once upon a time, was made mute when he refused to believe in the power of God. It comes from a man who saw God's hand working in his life first hand. And now, by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, he proclaims God's hand at work for all mankind.

The generosity of God cannot be undone and truly He gives the best gifts we could ever receive. Tomorrow, we are reminded of the most wonderful gift He gave mankind past, present and future - the daybreak that will shine on those who sit in darkness: Jesus Christ.

Fighting with Hope

Keeping up with my yearly tradition, I am currently having another Lord of the Rings marathon. To enrich the experience, I decided to use the extended versions (a total of 12 hours for the three movies) as material for this year's marathon hehe.

The Lord of the Rings is such an appealing literary work because like most classics, its message remains relevant today. I think the whole point of all the battles, quests and victories that span 12 hours of the movies and three novels is summarized in this short anecdote delivered by Sam near the end of the second movie:

Sam: "It's like in the great stories Mr. Frodo; the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were and sometimes you didn't want to know the end because how can the end be happy, how can the world go back to the way it was, when so much bad had happened. But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow, even darkness must pass; a new day will come and when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something even if you were too small to understand why. I think Mr. Frodo I do understand. I know now folk in those stories had lots of chances to turn back only they didn't. They kept going because they were holding on to something..."

Frodo:
"What are we holding on to Sam?"

Sam: "That there is some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for..."

Everyone in the fellowship had their own roles to play but I think the most beautiful one is that of Sam. Even if he perhaps killed the least number of orcs, his role was vital to the quest. He kept hope alive in the moments when darkness seemed to be the only thing they were getting themselves into.

And today, that message of hope remains. Though our battles are not against orcs or balrogs or the monsters of old, we are at war with the Saurons within us, keeping us from living the life we ought to live - a life of love, holiness and righteousness. We are at war with the Mordor of this world, covering society in the darkness of injustice and oppression. These are the wars we must fight even in the face of insurmountable obstacles. And in the end, we know the darkness will pass because we are holding on to the Source of Light and Goodness Himself.

Hope is one of the best gifts God gives us especially this Christmas season because it lends us the strength to keep on fighting for God.

Something to remember 15

3 days before Christmas - that pivotal moment in history that revealed to us that we have a God that has not forsaken us to sin and that He is a God of promises that are fulfilled.

We are called to be witnesses to His promise - for the people of Israel before, the first coming of the Emmanuel; for us today, the second coming of the Messiah.

What does it mean to be a witness to God's promises?
We must strive to follow the example of John the Baptist, the greatest of those born of women, and Mary, pure from the moment of conception.

Like John, let us acknowledge and rejoice in the presence of our God wherever we may be (for John, even in the womb of his mother).
Like Mary, let us say yes to God in every possible way (for Mary, her sweet yes that turned her from virgin daugther to virgin mother of God).
Like John, let us prepare the way for His coming by taking part in building His kingdom on earth (for John, it was by baptizing the people and living a holy life).
Like Mary, let us recognize God's hand in our lives and reflect on the gradual fulfillment of His promises in our hearts.
Like Mary and John, let us always remain hopeful of the fulfillment of God's promises in our lives.
Like Mary and John, let us be willing to go the distance to be faithful to God's promises even if it means suffering (for Mary, the suffering of a mother seeing her own Son hurt and killed) and death (for John, by beheading).

There is a wonderful song about a man who was witness to the promises of God and was filled with joy and final fulfillment upon seeing it before his eyes. It was Simeon, when Jesus was presented in the temple and the title of the song is Simeon's Canticle (music by Manoling Francisco, S.J.) based on Luke 2:29-32. It's part of the Hangad Christmas album I bought yesterday. I long for the day that his words may be mine as well:

Lord, let your servant go in peace
For Your Word has been fulfilled

My own eyes have seen Your salvation
Which You have prepared for all men

Lord, let your servant go in peace

Truly the best Christmas carols are the ones that proclaim the true spirit of Christmas - that of love overflowing from the coming of the source of love Himself into the world.

Something to remember 14

"but he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.' I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me."
- 2 Corinthians 12:9

Rejoice in our weaknesses and imperfections because it is through these that we can easily see how God works in our lives. We should be grateful when we are at the highest points of our lives but we must be even grateful in the lowest points, in our frustrations and unfulfilled desires because it is in these moments that we depend on God more completely. Everything has a reason and the comforts of our lives are easy enough to rationalize. We need to ask for the grace to see God even in our weaknesses, insecurities and frustrations.

Something to remember 12

The cross is one of the most important icons of our faith because it represents the kingship of Jesus on earth. He has two thrones: one on the right hand of the Father, another on the cross.

It is on the cross that He conquered the world - not by force as we humans are so prone to do but by eternal and unconditional love. It is on the cross that He carried the weight of sins past, present and future and claimed a kingdom for Himself in the most unlikely way. He freed us from the bondage of sin on the cross, that we may no longer be slaves to sin and become citizens in the Kingdom of God.

This is why the sign of the cross is important at the beginning and end of the prayer. It is not merely a convenient way of opening and closing a prayer. It is a declaration of the kingship of Jesus in our lives. Nothing can be more beautiful than that.

The Root of Apathy

Apathy is defined as the state of indifference - without enthusiasm, emotion or motivation. Apathy is such a buzz word especially in the realm of politics and society, whether it is on the school or even the national level. Many people today seem to not care about what the issue over Erap's trial is about or what is controversial about the National Broadband Network deal. A lot of adults point at the youth as being apathetic but, in fact, a huge number of people - regardless of age, gender, and even social class - are guilty of this as well. In a time when vigilance has become a necessity to ensure our rights are respected and our interests served, apathy is becoming a dominant sentiment in our society today.

I would like to believe that I am a bit of a notch above those who are apathetic to the concerns of society. Knowing is a whole lot different from caring since the latter involves action which I sometimes fail to actually carry out. But I always want to look at the bigger picture and try to search for the truth as much as a 17-year-old student can in this age of unlimited internet access and 24-hour news coverage. The main motivation for me is that I know I will be affected, in one way or another, by what the Senate hearings are about, how big the budget deficit is, or what the verdict of the Supreme Court is on an issue (nevermind the notion of seeing history-in-the-making first hand hehehe). A minority (fortunately a significant minority) see politics and the concern of the greater society as something worth looking in to.

Our capitalist society today is based on the principle that each person is selfish. As Adam Smith puts it in his theory of the invisible hand, in an ideal market economy, every selfish act of a selfish entity in an economy will contribute to the greater good of society. This is why competition and free trade are advocated in capitalism. Though I do not agree with this assumption, this structure of society assumes that every man is selfish - he will not do anything unless it is for his own benefit. I believe this is a big part of the whole root of apathy - that every man thinks only of himself.

I have had quite a number of experiences that have shown me this dark side of humanity. When the school calls for a relief goods drive for victims of a typhoon, very few answer the call. The reasons are varied but perhaps the most frustrating one is that a Starbucks frappuchino is far more important than one day's worth of food for a family. Why should I sacrifice my comfort for people I do not even know?

This selfishness of man is not, of course, the sole cause of apathy. This paradigm still holds even if you look at the instances in our history when people actually went beyond apathy. The Philippine Revolution of the 1890s. The war effort during World War II. EDSA I. EDSA II. All these examples show that the Filipinos can actually stop apathy no matter what the motivations are. Some are altruistic, others selfish,but all contributed to the success of movements that brought social change to our nation. In a more localized setting, the notion of Ateneans being apathetic is somewhat proven wrong by the sheer amount of criticism the implementation of a dress code has received in the past weeks. Again, some of the motivations are noble in the defense of the rights of students while others are more selfish in the pursuit of personal interests to keep their wardrobe and still wear slippers. Selfishness, in all these instances, can actually work to stop apathy but only if man sees the use of caring for his own betterment.

It is when selfishness is combined with another cause that it most likely will translate into apathy. Man is inevitably short-sighted. Despite our tremendous capacity to use our mental faculties to think beyond the abilities of any other creature, we simply cannot pierce through the veil of the future. We think more in terms of today and very seldom of tomorrow. We enjoy today because, as the saying goes, there may not be tomorrow. The same short-sightedness can cause apathy when we are unable to perceive how something could affect our lives in the long run. Most of the big changes in the history of humanity did not come in just one blow. The same is true with politics and the concerns of society. A new law like the Human Security Act passed today may suddenly or gradually change our way of life and we wouldn't even know it because of our apathy. Responsible voting in an election may not translate into food for the table tomorrow but we often fail to see that it could very well affect how much we earn in the coming years.

Looking even deeper into the complicated causes of apathy, it can be observed that selfishness and short-sightedness assume that we have the capacity to think about the bigger picture. However, in our country, not everyone has that luxury. I agree that since our nation is predominantly poor, the bigger cause of apathy is that a larger part of our nation simply cannot think beyond what they have to eat for dinner. What happens is that the minority of those who can shape how society would benefit them and not the poor who are robbed of their opportunity to not be apathetic because of the stigma of poverty. Poverty is a problem that can be solved by government policies, political will and social change. Following the assumptions of selfishness and short-sightedness, the higher classes will not initiate these changes for the poor. The poor cannot push these themselves because their poverty has kept them focused on trying to survive day after day. A big number of our people are deprived of the education that would have allowed them to understand how politics and society work and how they can push for change. An even bigger number simply have to worry about more immediate matters such as food and rents over education. Political apathy and economic degeneration is a chicken-and-egg situation - one cannot clearly discern which came first. Does the economy worsen because people do not care? Or are people too poor already to care anyway?

Apathy, like any other human behavior, is too complex to be understood completely. But the bigger matter is not understanding its causes but acting on it. The fact of the matter is that most of the problems in our society today can be solved if people were actually not apathetic. Corruption can be mitigated with vigilance. Poverty can be fought by a combination of altruistic volunteerism in the short run and revolutionary social change in the long run. Our society and government are structured so that the people get what they deserve - if people are not responsible, society and government will not work for them.

The many events in the past and the things that are happening now has led me to believe that indeed the root of apathy is selfishness, short-sightedness and ignorance. Perhaps this is an incomplete picture but what is clear is that the only answer to this is to show the apathetic that by stopping indifference, we can actually make a difference in this selfish, short-sighted and ignorant world.

Something to remember 10

"How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?" - John 5:44

The world today measures us in so many ways
Grades. Proficiency in sports. Awards. Positions. ...

that we tend to forget what measure is most important in our lives:
How much do you love the God who is your purpose, your destination and your guide in life?

Something to remember 9

"If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you."
- John 15:19

How can the world show its hate for you?
It hates the faithful - those whom it has labeled irrational for believing in a God who cannot be comprehended by the human mind.
It hates the righteous - those whom it sees as stupid for following the rules when no one can catch you break them.
It hates the generous - those whom it cannot understand because everything in the world has a price.
It hates the hopeful - those whom it marked as extreme optimists who deny the realities of the world.

Remain faithful, righteous, generous and hopeful. Remain in love with God. Because you do not belong to the world but rather you belong to God.

Something to remember 9

"What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?" - Mark 8:36

I heard this way back during the Mass celebrated in honor of St. Ignatius of Loyola. I found it amazing that this one line caused St. Francis Xavier to realign his priorities and set it on God. He was a very promising young man, as Fr. Ben described him, handsome, intelligent, athletic. He could have succeeded in whatever field he chose to engage in but in the end, he chose the path to God.

The pursuits of this world are very very distracting. Our short-sightedness often lures us to ways that lead to pits and dead ends. I pray God will grant us the grace to overcome such distractions and to fix our eyes on Him alone, to set our sights on the Giver and Source of everlasting life.

Choice

The past movies I've seen that had maximum media exposure but really very little new to offer but amazing special effects all seem to have the same theme or subtheme. "Everything is a choice." To be specific, the movies are "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer", "Spiderman 3" and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix".

In Fantastic Four, this theme is clearly depicted in the Silver Surfer who was to serve Galactus as his herald in exchange for the survival of his planet. He later realized, after Sue Storm gave up her life to save him, that what she was saying was true: that indeed he can choose to fight the planet-eating being and that he could choose to save Earth. He did and seemingly repelled the doom facing the planet.

In Spiderman 3, this is shown in the internal struggle of Spiderman with Venom, the symbiotic alien lifeform that seemed to amplify the darkness in his being. While on one level he was trying to keep his identity and trying to save New York, on another he was struggling with problems with his lover, his best friend and other human concerns. In the end, he decides he wishes to detach himself from Venom and in the end defeated the villians with help from his best friend.

In Harry Potter, the plot focused on Harry himself although in the book it had a lot of subplots. This theme is clearly seen in the last part where he had to battle Voldemort in his own consciousness to keep his identity. Dumbledore says it very clearly: It is the choices we make that make us who we are.

I really have no problems with this theme because I personally believe it as well. God gave us two gifts that clearly defines our humanity: intellect and free will. I do not believe in the idea of suppressing choice because it is simply impossible. If God Himself has decided to respect the free will of His creatures, what can we do to subject others to our will? Every event in our lives is a choice. Sometimes, we feel that we have no choice not because we really don't have it but we are afraid to face to consequences of our choice. A slave, even if he is supposed to be bound to the will of his master, can easily choose to rebel. Even if he does not succeed, clearly, it is his choice whether or not to serve his master. Every choice has a consequence just as every action has a reaction. Sometimes, it is this consequence that keep us from believing that we have a choice. We often choose to chain ourselves but it is our choice to make.

The great thing about these three movies is that they depict the power of choice in its most extreme form. In Fantastic Four, the Silver Surfer overcomes the fear of losing his own planet and decides to save Earth and eventually succeeds. In Spiderman 3, Spiderman chooses to do the right thing and saves the day in the end. In Harry Potter, Harry decides to not succumb to the power of Voldemort. Even in seemingly insurmountable odds, choice prevails.

An additional theme is, if you choose to side with what is good and right, you will eventually but surely succeed. Heroes are called heroes because in the eyes of others they did the right thing. And again this theme holds true in real life. The good and right is always the winning side. If we choose to side with it, success is inevitable. Every choice has a consequence and oftentimes, it seems goodness is rewarded by injustice and sacrifice. But again just as in all the movies. choosing to be heroic is choosing to be victorious.

Something to remember 8

"But the Pharisees said, "He drives out demons by the prince of demons." - Matthew 9:34

The Pharisees were some of the most well educated people in Israel during the time of Jesus. And yet they seem to have been ignorant of the fact when a miracle of God was being performed before their eyes. This reminds us that knowledge of the world must not keep us from truly knowing God. Sometimes, the more we know, the more closed we are to God's surprises - events and experiences beyond human comprehension and explanation. Seek knowledge of God and the knowledge of the world will follow. Be open to God's surprises and let God take the wheel.

Something to remember 7

"Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head." - Luke 9:58

Each human being is the temple of the Holy Spirit, an abode for God. There are times, however, when we choose to close the door and not let Him in. What an injustice it is to not be allowed to enter your own house.

If Mcdo is open 24/7 for us, shouldn't we all the more do the same for the Almighty God?

Climate Change

It's been four weeks since the start of our college life and I'm beginning to to realize I'm really not a student of Pisay anymore. Can you imagine how dense I am? I've been attending classes, activities and stuff all this time and the realization that "Hey, I'm not a Pisay student anymore" came just a few days/hours/minutes back (I'm actually not sure).

Sadly, the confusion in my life right now, what many call the adjustment stage is taking its toll on this blog. I attended a time management seminar (courtesy of the Chem Department for all freshmen Chem majors) and if there was one thing it made me realize, is that I can plan things but I can never completely follow it. And it's really a bad thing.

My parents often tell me sobra na yang computer (gaming) mo ah! or sobra na yang dvd (actually house/smallville) mo ah!. The tendency of most adolescents of course is to deny such claims and tell them e tapos na akong mag-aral e. This fortunately happens only in the weekends and I really mean it (usually) when I say I'm done. The time management seminar made me realize I've been wasting my time.

I started playing computer games when I was six or seven years old. I think the first games I played were Mario and then Dune, Starcraft, Command and Conquer etc etc. I've played so many games (PC, Sega, PS) and it's more than the number of books I've actually read in my life. So I grew up with the paradigm that my life wasn't complete without playing games.

The seminar was great because the speaker delivered it with such a compelling argument. This is roughly what he said, The time you waste doing those unimportant and not urgent things could have been spent doing more important things, studying, catching up with friends and most importantly serving others and God. And it hit me.

Every weekend, I'll set a schedule for myself and specifically give time for playing. Because
of the nature of games I play (usually long strategy games), I tend to not follow the schedule and eat up more of my study time. It doesn't affect my studies because I make it a point to finish everything I need to do before the weekend ends (even if I have to sleep late). But the sad part is I neglect some of the other important stuff that I could have done. I could have had a chat with a batchmate, watched an episode of pokemon with my little brother, read a book due at the end of the sem, prayed a lot more, read an extra chapter in the Bible, all those important stuff. This also includes not being able to write a blog entry. This is really important to me because it helps me analyze the stuff I think about and I really get something out of it.

So I must confess that the reason it was all cloudless here for the past four weeks is because I've been playing a lot and the assignments had began pouring. The last game I played was Disciples II. I've finished it before but it's so fulfilling to finish it at a higher difficulty level but it takes twice the time to finish. I have to deal with finishing a mission for that game and prepare prelabs and postlabs and other stuff at the same time.

I had a wonderful conversation with a friend which gave me a powerful image by which I could see my problem with gaming. It helped me reexamine what I thought was just harmless. It's like a chain that keeps me from reaching my full potential and ultimately showing my love for God. When I thought about it, I play games because I want to enjoy, to unwind, to satisfy myself. God had very little part in the equation being "I need to unwind so I could be a better Christian" which is just stupid. There is only true delight in the Lord and basically the fun I get from gaming is artificial, temporary and all together pointless.

So my resolution is to quit gaming at least for this sem. And you'll be seeing more clouds here every weekend because the time I've freed from not gaming will be spent in my other neglected but important activities.

Hopefully God will grant me the strength to break this chain completely. I hope you help me in this task by praying for me.

The Ateneo Way

I've been exposed to Atenean culture for the past three days and so far, I'm not regretting my decision. Sometimes, I still think about what my life could have been if I chose UP Diliman, Manila or La Salle. These thoughts are processed unconsciously whenever I hear about experiences of my friends in those schools. It seemed a week ago that I may have been missing a lot. But a few days into my new life as part of the Ateneo, I'd tell them that as well.

Many people ask me why I chose Ateneo. My parents would often jokingly answer that question with "mas mahal kasi tuition dun e, para mas sulit ang scholarship :p", because I'm not sure I've explained my decision well enough to them. It's really complicated and no single reason is strong enough to stand alone.

I'll start with the wrong reasons people often use to explain this. No, I am not from Ateneo Grade School. No, my brother is not from Ateneo Grade School. No, my parents did not graduate from the Ateneo. It seems Ateneo, or college in general, is seen as a family tradition, with the choice of school as hereditary. Though I plan to "aggresively persuade" my children to study in Pisay, I will still give them a choice, just as my parents have always given me a choice.

No, I was not forced by my parents, because on the contrary, my mom had some other school in mind for me while my dad remained neutral about the matter. It's a great feeling to be trusted with one of the most important decisions of anyone's life.

No, I did not go to Ateneo because we're rich. ANLABO NITO. The only reason Ateneo was in the choices was because I got a scholarship. Thus, this proves that I do not fit in the usual perceived social class of people in the Ateneo.

I originally did not want to have to decide something as important as this. But as many have pointed out and I've been made to realize myself, God gave me the power to choose, unlike most who were forced to one school or one course because there were no other options. It was a blessing in many ways but perhaps the most important is that it was training on trusting yourself when you know that God Himself trusts you to make the decision. It's both empowering and assuring. The implication is that whatever I choose, God would be with me. :D

I did not really imagine myself enrolling in Chemistry/ Material Science Engineering prior to the Ateneo Junior Summer Seminar. I must admit that it was one of the biggest influences on why I chose Ateneo. As someone pointed out, I could have simply fallen into a marketing trick, showing the best of what it has to offer but hiding its worse features. But still stand by this statement: Ateneo is so much like Pisay.

Other considerations I had included the versatility of the course, employment opportunities and an opportunity for holistic development and leadership training. One thing that I really wanted was Catholic education. Though I must admit, I grew in my faith during the time I was away from the rigid religion class, I feel now I am ready to appreciate what I will be taught in theology classes. Though as people say, I could continue to grow in my faith even without theology, I believe a combination of service and study would allow me to see God in a wider perspective. As Jason pointed out in one conversation today, we choose something because we think we will find happiness there. As I have pointed out in earlier posts, true happiness is that which springs from an eternal meaning, which is God. I am extremely confident I will find more of God at the Ateneo (building upon what I found out about Him in Pisay). Not that I would not find Him in any other place but connected to what I said earlier, choosing this school is in fact trusting that He would be with me wherever I choose. This is the choice I made and I'm sure I will know more about Him in this newest journey of my life.

So that's the basic explanation. Haha. I tried an objective approach to this by making a list of categories and giving points per category. It wasn't really helpful because at one time, the scores for the two choices, Intarmed and Chem/MSE, were tied!

The three days at the Ateneo has given me a very surprising impression. Haha. It seems Ateneo has one stark difference with Pisay: it is not people-based! I have yet to understand the inner workings of the Atenean society but so far, this has been my impression. The most compelling evidence is that Ateneo seems to have translated in actual rules and written guidelines many of what may seem to be unwritten traditions in the university setting. Imagine having a Magna Carta of Student Rights and a whole talk on how to relate to teachers. Plus the fact that there will be one whole class on Ateneo Culture for the rest of the sem! Grabe. I suppose this is why most graduates of the Ateneo share a common impression of the whole experience. This is very different from what I hear from UP graduates who seem to have a different story to tell about their experience. Learning about UP culture is more of based on experience unlike the rigid structure of learning the Ateneo cutlure.

But come to think of it, Ateneo is people-based in a strange way. From my observations, it seems the people-based system has been deliberately encoded in the rule-based structure of the Ateneo. This is most evident in the way the enrollment and the Orsem have been mostly handled (efficiently!) by the students. The student organizations at the Ateneo seem to have a certain degree of autonomy but always within the minimum framework set by the school. This freedom seems to be enough to allow for the development of ingenuity, ability to adapt and innovation.

And I have to applaud the efficiency of the way they do things at the Ateneo. I know in real life this will rarely happen, but at least I have experienced what government should aim to achieve.

I am really looking forward to the five years I will spend at the Ateneo. :D

God's instant messenger

I'd like to think that's how He listens to our prayers. He has this super fast dsl connection that defies the laws of physics by beating even the speed of light. This connection passes through all matter (energy na rin para sa mga physics nerds dyan haha) and reaches all His creation. He's sitting in front of His super fast computer waiting for any one of His billions of children to send Him an instant message through prayer.com or something.

Ang labo. haha. But lately, God has been answering questions I never thought I'd ask so quickly and I'm just so overwhelmed. The correct way to look at it is I've been checking my messenger more often and I've turned up my speaker volume a little higher so I could hear His buzz tones better.

God is great :D

Troubling questions

What makes work good and honorable?


Do the means justify the end?


Is ignorance an excuse?



Is real effort and honest intentions enough?


Is a creator guilty is his creation is used for the wrong causes?



Is he guilty if he creates and knows that it will be used that way?


Can the benefits cover the wrongs?



Do honest and kind intentions transform this guilt into motivation?



Can I find God in my work?

The People-based Theory

I've always wondered why the Philippine Science High School, despite being a government institution, retains its reputation as the premier high school of the country.

Government institutions - hospitals, schools, police and fire stations included - have always been seen as inefficient and sometimes even ineffective in delivering the services expected of them. There are many reasons cited to explain this very dismal evaluation of government services. Lack of funding, corruption and incompetence are some of the most often cited. But why does it seem that Pisay has acquired an immunity to this contagious inefficiency spreading in the government?

I've often observed that there is an excess of freedom and discretion in Pisay. Its structure is basically having a person in-charge and everything under him is under his discretion. Apparently, there are so few rules in Pisay that a fine line now exists between guidelines and actual rules (the former being recommendations only) as pointed out by a member of the faculty (ayaw ko na ireveal haha). As another teacher has observed, most of the rules we have in Pisay are responses to actual events and not products of foresight (as I think they should be).

This unstructured structure, no matter how messy it looks, seems to be the magic that makes Pisay the way it is. One way of viewing it is lack of governing rules. The other more positive perception is a people-based structure. The people that run the system are the most important parts. There is immense trust accorded to the people that make it work.

One fine example to prove how people-based Pisay is is Ms. Serrano. I considered her a pillar of the system, someone who would spend her best and last years serving the institution. She's been in Pisay so long, she had acquired the experience necessary to respond to new challenges facing the school. Her move to leave Pisay was a depressing surprise. I will no longer delve into the reasons why she left, but I must say that the most of the really few solid regulations Pisay has are ineffective in the perspective of doing good for the community. During our graduation practices, some of the teachers would comment "si Ma'am Serrano may alam nito e". I believe she left Pisay without effectively sharing the wisdom she acquired from her years of service to her successors. Opinion ko lang naman yun :D

One bad experience I had with this people-based phenomenon was during our short and yet strenuous stint as the members of the Student Alliance Electoral Board. Ma'am Samala had just left for New Zealand and there was no one left in Pisay who knew the nitty-gritty of running an election. We had two veteran SA officers but because none of the things that happened in this election happened during their SA years, we had no idea how it is supposed to be handled. Of course, the SA has its Election Code and Constitution. To our dismay, it did very little to help us resolve the issues. The SA has been in violation of its own code and constitution for almost half a decade already and haha it was during our watch that Pisay uncovered its defects. It seems the SA has always relied on the unwritten traditions followed by the previous administration and had not bothered to look into the paperwork. The SA was people-based and it somehow compromised one of the functions of the system. At the end of the experience, we had to make the Election Code less discretionary and more rigid (as it should really be).

It seems Pisay being people-based arises from the lack of solid rules to govern aspects of the Pisay community. It is the natural and spontaneous response of individuals who are where they are because of their ability to adapt and ingenuity.

This underlines that the people is what makes Pisay great - the heterogeneous mix of faculty, staff, administration, alumni, parents and students. The science curriculum, the intense academic load, the better-than-the-usual government facilities, the amazing activities, the intimidating name of Philippine Science High School - all simply provide the framework by which this mix of people work and interact for the good of themselves, the people around them and society in general. This system echoes the invisible hand theory of Adam Smith. The lack of rules allow people's actions to shape almost exclusively the course of the community. It is this freedom that enables growth and development at the personal and community levels. This acts as a catalyst for the students to become scientists - to acquire the necessary skills of critical thinking, individual confidence and competence, inquisitiveness and ingenuity. These are the most important lessons Pisay imparts on its students and the funny thing about it is it comes partly from being a people-based system.

The people-based system also ensures that this tradition of excellence lives on. Only the best and the brightest and the most courageous breed of students, teachers, staff and parents are attracted to be part of the system. It's a cycle that will always go in favor of Pisay.

However, it is still necessary to safeguard what little rigidity there is in the structure because these have set the ground rules for the continued evolution of Pisay. Simple rules on haircut and ID go a long way in subconsciously instilling discipline in a very fluid environment like Pisay. The community must remain conscious of when a people-based system is beneficial to it our not. Absolute power corrupts absolutely as they say and people are so prone to corruption. There must always be a balance. Fortunately, in Pisay, it seems it has found its balance.

This theory may also explain why the University of the Philippines remains the top university of the country despite being a state university. The relative autonomy UP has with respect to other state universities may account for this. It is note-worthy that the PSHS has an obvious affinity with UP with a big percentage of its graduates coming into the university and the UP President being part of the PSHS Board of Trustees.

Looking at a more macroscopic view, the people-based system seems to be more of a curse than a blessing for the government. I find it odd however that there is no lack of laws and rules to govern the country and yet the people-based system persists. I guess it's in the ethos of the people already to view the government by the people who lead them not by the institutions themselves. I'm not sure of my terms but I think the politics in the country is too patriarchal and messianic as well (Ma'am Doplon has a wonderful article on this: http://crazyadventure.wordpress.com/2007/05/30/messiah-politics). Our leaders have packaged our national institutions as extensions of themselves. That is why the MRT is not a project of the DOTC but the president and low-cost housing Mike Defensor and not the NHA. And this is also why criticizing the president as a person using the office for her personal gain is tantamount to destabilization of the entire government.

The people-based system is another reason why the Philippines is not ready for the parliamentary system. In that form of government, the leader of the nation can change overnight. The institutions must first be reformed to make them independent and self-sustaining that they do not need a prime minister or president to make them run properly.

The premise in Pisay is that good people run the system. In the national scene however, it seems the bad eggs are far more influential than the good ones. They have taken the people-based system and twisted it to their advantage. There is simply too much discretion in the national positions and this has been used often for the benefit of the leaders and not the people.

Being a democracy, I guess, has partly turned us into a people-based society. I really like democracy because a true one empowers the people. I believe we are in a true democracy and that we are simply getting what we deserve.

In conclusion, the real fuel that keeps the flame of Pisay burning is that people that run it. In the national perspective, as Sir Martin has said, it is the people that build a nation. The destiny of our nation is really in all our hands.

Happiness

It's funny how I proved to myself partially the last paragraph of my previous post. Happiness is founded on and not separate from meaning. Our trip to Subic from May 24-27 was both meaningful and full of happiness in the superlative degree.

For pictures, check out my multiply: http://robroque.multiply.com

More than all the extraordinary things we did during the whole trip, it was I guess the company that made all the difference. I doubt it that if I was given a free European tour for myself only, I'd have nearly a quarter of the fun I got out of this trip. I spent most of my summer at home but now that it's about to end, I realize I've been blessed with meaningful and fun trips - Naga for ILC, Laguna with the family and Subic with my friends.

It turned out meaningful for me because it was a chance to rekindle old friendships that Pisay has inevitably pushed a bit down the priority list. But perhaps the most peculiar thing I got from the trip was that it was a learning experience for me. It taught me so many things in so many different aspects of my life. I prayed at the start of the trip that it'd get something lasting out of it. God is so great, I got more than I asked for.

On the more mundane aspects of life, I got to learn new card games like speed, egyptian and 100 and even got to develop our very own game, acceleration (3-deck speed with 6 players). I also was exposed to new and exciting group games like mafia and killers. I finally got to watch Rent and the extended versions of the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and the Return of the King.

I experienced a lot of new stuff like riding in a banana boat, playing frisbee on the beach, exploring Ed's vast resort and go-karting after a downpour (I'll try not to do this again - clothes get so drenched and dirty). For the first time, I rode on a car driven by someone almost my age (and now I'm excited to start driving as well). It was also the first time that I rode a car that had flat tires twice (at Pisay and near the Shell gasoline station near SM). It was really a blessing that the tires were damaged at that exact moment in that exact place. I don't like to imagine what could have happened if the tires burst in the middle of our trip across NLEX with the car running at 100 km/h.

I was reminded of how blessed I was to be with these people and generally in Pisay for the past four years. I wouldn't have found people like them - intellectuals who talk about science, politics, religion and other important topics over a meal - who I am comfortable to be with. Pisay has allowed my personality to blossom and develop and not be hindered by shame or shyness because I was in a place where I really truly belonged. It saddens me a bit that we're all about to part ways physically but I still hope that the friendships we've sown and tended to will survive the tests of distance and time.

I got a lot more realizations and lessons. Some of them were related to teaching in Pisay and some life questions I rarely ask myself; others were about living in a whole new environment and being possessive of friends; some regarding the beliefs in other faiths, exorcisms and wandering spirits.

It's amazing that although physically, all I brought home were pictures and sea shells, I feel I came home with a lot of ideas, new knowledge and different paradigms by which I could view the world.

It's also a welcome respite to finally be talking about things we don't usually talk about because we had more "important" and pressing matters to attend to. This summer comes only every after a step in the educational ladder. This transition from high school to college allows us to focus no longer on the academics of the past high school or look to much into the future dynamics of college life. Perhaps this freedom from the burden of academic requirements allowed us to be more open about the aspects of our lives we rarely share to other people. This freedom allowed us to focus on the really more important things.

Hahaha. I even brought home three "homeworks" that I will think about and research on. One is about the people-based theory that Sir Mardan and I developed in our conversation. I will be talking more about this in my next post. The two others were from my conversations with Pito. I will not delve into the second but of the third, I realized that sometimes I have only a vague idea of why things are in our faith. I do them sincerely and believe in them as acts of faith but I'm surprised that I don't know by heart the theological explanations regarding them despite the inquisitive and critical thinking training we received in Pisay. It reminded me of the importance of seeking God in everything - in the spiritual, physical and even the mental realms of life.

The joy I got out of the trip was beyond the momentary ecstasy of riding a banana boat at high speeds or trying out the slide or playing an intense acceleration game. It was beyond the immediate satisfaction of travelling to new places and experiencing new things. It was founded on meaning - on the fact that I brought home so much of the things that change very little and that I was with friends I will be with till I can't recognize anyone anymore and with my God.