Language

As we celebrate this month the importance of our national language, Filipino, the question came to me-how can I give importance and contribute to enrich it?

There must be numerous ways. One thing I am sure of is by using it the right way, expressing my thoughts and letting others feel that our language is beautiful. Simply using it everyday is preserving it, but more to that is how we translate our words into actions, I believe this is the truest way to enrich it. A noble idea can be appreciated but putting it into action is giving life to every letter and words which makes it alive inside of us. The most powerful collective result language can achieve is to motivate each person to participate in social action.

Being a student, I know the possibilities are endless but again, it lies in my own understanding of why I need to do it and how, which leads me back to my purpose as a part of this human family created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization.

The Carpenter's Story

This is indeed a heart-warming story of a carpenter who made a bridge to unite two estranged brothers instead of following the older brother's order to build a fence separating him farther away from his younger brother. He used his skills and his wisdom to accomplish his task. He made them realize that people can always have choices with our actions-either to just do something that benefits one person or reach out and see more beyond the words of people, not acceding to their shallow needs but letting them reflect on what their divine needs and responsibilities are.

In our society now, how many people have the carpenter's perspective?to conquer the hatred with a more powerful thought of love to bring more light in this world. Would the most knowledgeable engineer think the way the carpenter did? As a member of the greater human family, how can I contribute to building bridges in this world that has become too small to be filled with fences?
Just like the carpenter, I should have some skills to contribute to building something, and that skill is developed through education. If in each community, education is given the most importance where the members can use their talents and skills to help others and improve their conditions, the world by now must have become one country.

Education is just one of the strong foundations to build bridges that I will mention here. We know that knowledge is acquired through science(understanding our physical environment) and religion(spiritual reality and its relation to the individual and community life-in its pure form the source of unity). These two are both needed because they help us understand the world we live in. If science is without religion, it becomes dogmatic materialism; and religion without science becomes superstition. The forces of these two work together to overcome superstition so that humanity can advance free from the limitations on the human mind.

As a student I hope that my education will help me fulfill my purpose: to be like the carpenter building bridges to make the world just one homeland for everyone.