Honor and Excellence (Prof. Monsod's last lecture to her class)


Malaki ang tama ni Prof. Monsod dito.

Unang tama - "You are leaders". Lahat naman siguro tayo ay "leader". Kaya kung leader tayo, di ba dapat tayo ang maging halimbawa sa mga taong sumusunod sa atin? Kung tayo ay magulang, maging magandang halimbawa dapat tayo sa mga anak natin. Kung tayo ay teacher, maging magandang halimbawa tayo sa mga estudyante natin. Kung tayo ay manager, maging magandang halimbawa tayo sa empleyado natin.

Pangalawang tama - "honor first before excellence" - magaling ka nga wala ka namang "honor" walang kwenta ka pa rin.

Pangatlong na tama - "cheating in small things leads to cheating in large things" - Corrupt people don't turn corrupt overnight. The same way, excellent professionals don't acquire their competence overnight. May training din yan kahit papaano -> How to be Corrupt 101. Kaya if cheating is tolerated by the teacher and by the parents most especially, then the child learns to be corrupt.

Our actions and values also manifest themselves in our children. Kung masungit ka, kahit papaano nagagaya din yan ng bata. Kung mababa ang tingin mo sa iyong sarili, you are not teaching your child confidence and positive values. Ika nga sa isang commercial, "sa mata ng bata, ang mali ay nagiging tama kung ito ay ginagawa ng nakakatanda."

Kaya if we think the small things are not important, they are. At kung gusto nating baguhin ang lipunan, siguro umpisahan na natin sa pamamagitan ng magandang halimbawa sa mga bata.

Ika-apat na tama - "I am only one, but I am one, I can't do everything, but I can do something, what I can do, I ought to do." We probably heard this before, pero makahulugan talaga ito kahit anumang panahon. Hindi natin kayang gawin lahat, pero hindi ibig sabihin na wala na tayong gagawin. Marami tayong problema, pero kung wala tayong gagawin, wala rin tayong makikitang solusyon.

Ika-limang tama - "if you are going to help this country you've got to be in the country." Malaking tama talaga yan. Hindi mo mabibigyan ng solusyon ang isang problema kung saan malayo ka. Hindi mo matutulungan ang mahihirap kung hindi mo sila pupuntahan. Pero mas malaking pagbabago ang magagawa mo kung sila ay iyong daramayan. Dahil hindi mo nakikita, hindi mo nararamdaman, hindi mo nararanasan kung wala ka sa gitna ng bakbakan. Si Ninoy nga umuwi dahil alam niyang mas matutulungan nya ang bayan kung naririto siya sa Pilipinas kahit na alam niyang mapanganib. Si Rizal bumalik dahil hindi niya matutulungan ang Pilipinas sa isang malayong bayan. Ikaw, may balak ka ba mag migrate sa ibang bayan?

Ika-anim na tama - "gago ba kayo?" (refering to UP graduates who go abroad after graduation to work for higher pay) Aba, tama nga naman. Parte ng tax na ibinabayad ng mga mangagawang Pilipino ay inilalaan sa edukasyon ng mga estudyante ng UP. Dapat lang maglingkod sila bayan. Pero di lang ito dapat sa mga taga UP. Ang mensaheng ito ay para din sa ating lahat lalo na sa mga kabataang Pilipino.

Madalas akong nalulungkot twing may naririnig akong tao na nag-iibang bansa. Pero di mo rin naman sila masisi, lalo na ang mga mahihirap na pamilya. Pero kung ikaw ay may kaya - yaman man o talino - dapat siguro ibalik mo ito sa Diyos muna at sa bayan. Kung may kaya ka, bakit hindi ka tumulong sa bayan. Mag-umpisa ka ng negosyo para makapagbigay ka ng employment. Magturo ka sa mga probinsya na nagangailangan ng mga titser. Maging duktor ka sa mga taong hindi kayang magpa ospital. Sakripisyo ang kailangan ng bayan, hindi charity.

Pero ang ika-pito ang pinaka grabeng tama - "if it is not you, who else will do it?" - sa wikang Pinoy - KUNG HINDI IKAW, SINO? Sana naintindihan n'yo yan. Tinamaan ako. Sana tamaan din kayo.



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