Ink-strained
jcanseko@theguidon.com
Was your immersion fun?
No, not exactly. Should it be?
The immersion program, offered by Theology 141 and facilitated by the Office of Social Concern and Involvement, aims for students to empathize with the marginalized sectors of society by experiencing life among them. Students are assigned foster families for a period, mostly a weekend.
My group was assigned to a public hospital in Manila and for two and a half days, we commuted together to Recto. It’s amazing how one train ride drastically transported us to the other side of reality. There, poverty had faces, had names. We were troubled at first but gradually found ourselves adjusting to this version of reality. What was once a shocker became a norm to us during our stay. Later on, I realized that my experience wasn’t as life-changing as I hoped it would be.
This led me to ask: Is the immersion program truly effective? Sure, the activity aims to concretize poverty through personal experience, but to say that it leads to a specific response about poverty is certainly an assumption.
Though the whole experience did open me up to a new reality, it also led me to accept their situation. Some of my groupmates agreed worryingly, adding that awareness could also breed indifference.
But we are not apathetic, a tired label usually placed on Ateneans. But even if we know that we are not, why then does it appear like we are?
It might be because sometimes, when we realize that there is a lot to be done in our society, we get this overwhelming feeling of helplessness. And this holds true for everyday encounters as well – from facing street children in the overpass to passing sidewalk vendors along Katipunan.
We are not apathetic because we are concerned. Our exposure to the ugly truth of reality pushes us to take a stand, make a difference. However, most of us have a short attention span for this kind of matter. We can be “distressed” by situations we encounter that we make small sacrifices one minute, then carry on with our usual to-do list the next.
We are not apathetic because we want to inspire change, not only in ourselves but also in others. But take away the illusion of grandeur and we’re left thinking that no matter what we do, we can’t go against the system. The rich and the poor exist because that’s how society works.
We are not apathetic because we know that something has to be done yet most of us do nothing. Without action, we indirectly contribute to the perpetration of injustice among the poor. Not only do we seem powerless in fighting the system, we help the system work by participating in it.
We are not apathetic but we are far from being in solidarity with the poor, even after going through such programs. In the end, it’s not for me to say if the immersion program is indeed effective or not. What I do have to say is that it’s not all about fun and play. It’s not about trading our weekends for a well-deserved vacation in the province. It is an opportunity to become one with the poor in their plight. It’s just up to us to take it.
