 |
Link to video (from afar)
===
Today is about two things
and for two very important persons in our lives.
What are these two
things?
First and foremost, today
is a commemoration. We remember the bittersweet transition we had to make from
high school to college, our nerve-wracking first day when we were still so
unusually silent, our memories with friends whom we were not able to keep and
friends whom we were able to keep who stand by us until this very day. We
remember the conversations we had these past few years with our parents and
teachers whom we share a love-hate relationship with. We recall our failing
marks in exams and the time when we just cried because we simply were not good
enough. But we also recall our happiest moments: the moments when we heard for the first time words from our teachers,
parents, and friends that forever changed our lives – a simple “kaya mo ito” or
“naniniwala ako sa iyo”; and, the moments we proved to ourselves that we are much
better than we thought we were. All of these define who we are right now
and today is a day for them.
Secondly, today is also
an initiation. Today marks our symbolic first day in the cruel, harsh, yet
beautiful world beyond the protective embrace of a university student’s life. In other words, we are now officially
unemployed without valid excuse. However, this initiation is not simply the
initiation to the world of work. Today
we are initiated as persons for others in the very fields we have chosen or we
will choose in the days to come. Know that many still suffer in the world
not as a consequence of their decisions and actions, but simply because they
are born in an unfortunate place at an unfortunate time. Sit with a child
beggar just outside Ateneo and ask him why he is poor and you will understand
what it means to be unfortunate. Ask about her parents and how many meals she
ate that day and you will ask yourself: out of all the people in the world, why
her? Realize that thousands and thousands more are much poorer than that girl
or that boy. If we truly heed the call
of our humanity and if we truly see, then we will care beyond ourselves and beyond
our families. We will in one way or another help, no matter how little and even
if we will not be able to see the fruits of our labor in our lifetime. Today
is a day for them.
Today is also for the millions
who suffer not only because of their cruel destinies, but also because of other
people’s lack of integrity – the
corrupt, the liar, the thief, and the cheater. Today is the day we commit
to the call of integrity – that even if
everybody else corrupts, lies, steals, and cheats, WE WILL NOT; that we
will stand strong for all those who will suffer if we do not have integrity. Today we declare that we stand by principle
or we do not stand at all.
Finally, today is the day
we offer to two very important persons in our lives.
Firstly, we offer today to those who did not believe in us. We
offer today to those who time and time again tried to bring us down and who
would rather see us give up. It may have been other people. It may have been
our past selves. We say to both of them
with our togas on and our diplomas in our hands, thank you for making this day
sweeter. To people other than ourselves who did not believe, we thank them
for being testament to our willpower and strength – that no matter what others
said, we are all here today, graduates of Ateneo de Zamboanga University.
Of course, we also offer
today to those who believed in us, to those who stood by us at the lowest
points of our lives, to those who might not know it, but whose words and
actions inspired us to stand back up, put
together the shattered pieces of our broken selves, and find ourselves once again
– complete and beautiful. To our parents, teachers, our clubs, and friends,
we offer to you this day.
I thank everyone who
believed in me and who continues to believe for you have given me this
opportunity to welcome everyone in this historic day. I would not be here if it
were not for you.
To
my fellow graduate, welcome once again to a momentous day in your life!
Welcome to a momentous day in the lives of all the people you will help and the
communities you will change!
To
everyone, welcome to a momentous day in the history of this world when 848
strong and humble blue eagles prepare to fly for God, for country, and for everyone
in this world!
Welcome to our
graduation.
No comments:
Post a Comment