ATENEO: Let us strive not to become another cliché, for once.

I was greatly distressed by the evident reactions of the Ateneans (from Davao) regarding the latest USEP’s entry about “Bakit Top 5 Ang Arrneyo” (You can check my previous post regarding this). I have to reiterate that my intentions and hopes were clear. As what I have said on my previous post that let us expose what is to expose and let us generate a culture, a kind of culture that won’t reside on just seeing other’s flaws and tolerating “chismis”.

I also need to apologize about my misconceptions about USEP’s official school newspaper. I think they use to publish one or more school papers, with that I am certainly uncertain. But one of my comrades from USEP (University of the Southeastern Philippines) confirmed that she never read that certain column at their campus therefore it is clear that that column was just coming from a minority from USEP.

I want to tell everyone how greatly distressed I am upon seeing the vehement reactions from my fellow Ateneans. They tweet, quote tweet, share, repost, or comment as if they were extremely criticized personally.

Another thing that has been disturbing me also, is it even possible that some Ateneans are just reacting overrated to let people see how proud they are to be called an Atenean? If that’s the case, I pity their young minds for being proud in a way that you can never be really proud of.

I must admit that The Ateneo Way is not that easy to attain for all the currently enrolled students in Ateneo de Davao University. It does not mean that one who wears a uniform and an ID or has a diploma from a particular university can genuinely represent the whole university itself.

The truth that it takes more than a DNA to become a family is as analogous as to it takes more than an ID or a uniform to represent a certain school.

Real identity has to be apparent even without the exertion of making it evident. What does it really mean to be cura personalis? Or do we even understand what is Magis?

It is really accurate to say that what is essential is invisible to the eye.

Yes, Ateneans, we may be superior in terms of financials but if we reside with that kind of thinking we are just as good as animals. We repudiate our capacities as rational beings. It’s not always about who’s rich and who’s not.

And if some are insecure about us, spewing destructive flawed accusations about us, let them deal with their own maladies. And let us not debase ourselves within their levels. 

Stated in Proverbs also that if a wise man wastes his time answering to a fool, he’s just making the fool look wise instead. Don’t bother giving answers to someone who just wanted air!

ATENEO: Let us strive not to become another cliché, for once.

A Reaction to USEP's "Bakit Top 5 Ang Arrneyo"

I am aware of the Campus Press Act, that once it is published on the school's official newspaper, there is no law violated due to the freedom given by this act. But I am not sure if the said freedom is absolute and if it can be even possible to say something, whether it might be good or bad, about external parties like a different school, campus, or university.

But considering the legalities involved, this reaction post won't go overboard but it's main purpose is to expose or to elaborate the gray areas involved.

This was published by the University of Southeastern Philippines' official newspaper regarding the latest news about Ateneo de Davao University's reign towards being a part of the Top 300 Schools in Asia and making it the top 5th school in the Philippines.

I saw this from my classmate's phone. We were on the cafeteria that morning when I was alarmed by my classmate's endeavor. He was reading something and I thought it was one of the notes he had in class that I might probably be missing.

Upon reading this, what disturbed me the most isn't the content itself but by the mere fact that it was published by 'their' school's official newspaper.

Honestly speaking, 'this' university IS one of the schools that I really look up to when it comes to academic standards. Yes it IS, and I'm still hoping that it will still be. And that's my purpose of posting this, not to reply or answer back, basically because nobody really cares if you really care at all on what really matters between 'our' schools, if there really is, but to expose what is to expose.

And not only for 'you' but for everybody including 'us'! What I'm saying is that if we are striving for academic excellence or creating an atmosphere conducive for a healthy competition, let's try to show it by generating a culture. A culture that won't reside on seeing others' flaws nor tolerating 'chismis'.

Yes, majority of 'us' (but not all, i tell you), are CONYO. But what is it to 'us' when people speak the way they speak? They are neither stepping on anybody's life nor practicing delinquency. Let them be who they really are. In fact, the 'CONYO Grammar' used in here does not even seem legit- according to bonafide CONYO Peeps. If AdDU (Ateneo de Davao University), a school from Mindanao or particularly from Davao can how can you not? Use it as a benchmark instead and not a chance to practice 'LIBAK NG ACHUP...'

And for us, Blue Knights, let's take this as a stepping stone to prove that we are more than what they think of. Tama nang puro papogi at paganda, punong puno na tayo jan, di ba kayo nagsasawa? Kung 5th pa lang yun, gawin nating mag 4th or 3rd!

And indeed the old adage goes to relive its truth, 'Dogs really bark at strangers' but lets not dwell on who are dogs and who aren't, Let's just try to know more of ourselves on the inside and project that self on the outside. Don't be a dog, and don't even be a stranger to your own identity!

Where to Begin

Thoughts came flooding over me when I was walking myself home from the school and also from the gym.

Did you also experience having these idle moments and then something pops up on your heads and you have no idea where did it came from. But eventually, you will be even more amazed when you found its spontaneity and consistency chasing you.

Maybe historians are called as they are not because they are merely narrating something from the past but they just found the urge to write things down without even prejudging what is historical and what isn't.

Then maybe, just maybe, we can be our own little historians through our own little ways in our own little lives.

Prejudging events in our lives is more of a subconscious part of our consciousness. We are not aware that we are constantly stereotyping the circumstances that we are in, what matters and what doesn't. And so we miss the most out of it. We miss the chance of being better because we resisted the opportunity to become one by filtering the circumstances that might undertake us.

Yes, taken the fact that we cannot control external factors in our lives like who comes in and who comes out of our lives or when are we happy and when are we sad, but we are still responsible for our way of perceiving these external factors. For short, life differs on our perspectives.

A bad day might happen to you, but who defines "bad" in your every day? Facing every single day is constant and unchangeable while defining what kind of day would it be varies.

I hope that in starting something new in our own different lives, we'll all begin on our selves and not to expect for others to do it. If we live by this belief, I think we can be better people as we choose to begin again. Because if something expected is given that is a paid obligation, but if we live without any expectations from others and then everything is given will become a blessing.