Blind Pass
jcapinpin@theguidon.com
With the rigorous academic life here in the Ateneo, it is almost without question that students look forward to unwinding with family and friends during the summer break. Some take it as an opportunity to recover from the sleepless nights during hell week or even hell month. For those who were elected or appointed positions in their organizations, the same period also marks the time when they can discuss their plans for the coming school year.
Most, if not all, executive boards of orgs hold planning seminars (PlanSem) during this time to set their direction for the coming school year. It seems exciting to be able to project the activities the org will take ahead of time and having the power to control that, but it is equally demanding. PlanSems typically involve long and grueling hours of discussions and presentations of plans from the different student-leaders. Given that, it is probably one of the most stressful responsibilities they have because the plans they set during this time will not only affect them, but the future members as well.
Although they are aware of the consequences these decisions entail, it is inevitable that some would simply follow tradition or what has been done in the past. It seems to follow that those plans which worked before will work again. This reasoning seems to resolve problems immediately, and thus lessens the burden. However, we cannot ignore the fact that some things change. New and unexpected variables may come into play. Thus, taking on a strategic approach to crafting plans for the org is always necessary.
I do not mean to say that we should throw our traditions out of the window. In fact, we should revisit them in such a way that we understand their significance. These were put in place because people before us saw its purpose in the org. They have value. With the departure of our seniors from college, we who are left behind are called to discover the essence of those traditions in our own context.
It is not enough that we settle with the decisions done in the past. Instead, if we agree to keep a certain tradition alive, it must be a wholehearted decision. We must seek the truth and dare to question. It is through doubting where one can begin believing. Let us not make the mistake of blind obedience. We must challenge the status quo and deepen our understanding of these traditions. Perchance, this might even lead us to refine them so we can develop innovative ways to uphold our core competencies and ideals. In some cases, it might even lead us to realize ineffectiveness and inefficiency in the ways we do things.
By the time we get done with PlanSem during the summer, though, the battle would hardly have been won. Summer planning is just the beginning of a wonderful journey of self-discovery and development. There is a whole year ahead of us to transform these plans into realities that would allow us to continue to exist or even bring about change. We carry with us the hope for a better Ateneo. We have the capacity to think—we should not waste it.
