Silence spoils FREEDOM

Encouraging free thought is one of the indicators that a university is an excellent ground for developing talent. A university should be a place of learning and light, after all. However, here in Araullo University-PHINMA, students do not enjoy the kind of freedom they deserve for a variety of reasons.

Primarily, it is due to the fact that we, as an entirety, have developed an apathetic and conformist culture that has permeated our very soul, making us think that we only deserve what we get, forcing us to settle for second best. In the plainest of words, we believe that we are not worthy of being among the top, that we cannot compete with others and actually win. This culture is one of mediocrity: we are given freedom, but our silence and inaction merely spoils it.

We have become a conglomeration of people pleasers, trying to suck up at every opportunity: Freely giving false praises, but afraid to voice out honest criticism for fear of persecution. We have developed this defeatist attitude that we cannot do anything about the realities we suffer everyday, because we think we are small. Being a school proud of producing nationally recognized student-leaders, it is sad that at the very basic level of the studentry, we still have this deep-rooted problem of indifference.

What is the root of this culture? From my standpoint, I see this situation beginning with trivial experiences of disappointment, frustration, and hassle. Through the years, these daily experiences accumulated, eventually frustrating us as a whole. Indeed, it is easy to see that this culture is long in the making, taking years of build up and sedimentation to congeal until it has become the way of life we are used to. Breaking this culture will take long as well, maybe even longer than it took to form.

Even now, there are some students who try to voice out their concerns, but most of us are prevented from doing so by the stereotype that those who complain are but rebels; mavericks who do not understand the harmonious flow of the system. There are these students who exert serious effort to involve others in leadership and community development. Even our own university, through the thrusts of different departments, encourages us to be a part of these various programs geared to equip us with life skills. But the studentry is simply disinterested.

Until we, the students, actively seek the means and the power to wield our freedom effectively, we will be ever in the shadow of doubt. We will be limited by all sorts of fears at every turn, believing that the boogeyman is lurking at every corner. We are inheritors of a great past, heirs to a legacy of successful and prominent student leaders. The university is here to help us, but we must first accept that offer of assistance. What we, the Araullians of this era, really need is courage: the courage to try and take the lead. Dan Kevin Roque