An open letter to my fellow Lasallian students:
Let me start by quoting one of the most famous lines we have been hearing from every event and undertaking we do in La Salle, “Let me be the change I want to see. Even if I’m not the light, I can be the spark.” In these moments where we are to exercise our right to suffrage, may we open up not only our minds but also our hearts. Let me tell you that I am not the kind of person who takes politics seriously, not in the sense that I don’t care about it, but my stance is that I am neutral. Honestly, I have been in situations wherein people asked me to run for a position among our block and just recently, have been sought to give thought to running for a position among the student body. I thought deeply before I replied, I told myself, “Why are people seeking me? What do they see in me?” Long story short, I have declined both roles. Let me tell you why. I am a person who craves the satisfaction of being of service to others—be it in small-scale or big endeavors. Yet again, I realized that both government and politics aren’t my thing.
Consequently, only early this year, before the second semester commenced, I attended a seminar/team building spearheaded by our student council (SC) for our college. We were only around at least 20 participants out of the many students in our college. And in that said seminar, I was able to interact with people who are actually running for some of the posts in the student elections. Most are vying for positions in our very own SC and some for the USC, hailing from different parties, but all from our college. I am actually glad I had that chance to get a glimpse of who they are, how they think strategically, and how they were able to be approachable and be normal human beings around us.
My point is, to us Lasallian voters, may we be enlightened about the people who are vying for the positions and may we deeply contemplate on who we are going to give our vote to. In the past two years, I have been a passive student and I did not exercise my right to vote—it is not a matter of lack of care or concern, but I felt like I didn’t know these people well enough to earn my vote. I urge each and every one of you to exercise your right because it encourages change. If you feel like there needs to be improvement in our system, your college, our University in general; be proactive enough to actually take time in knowing things about these people. Ask them yourselves, they are would-be representatives of our respective SCs and the student body as the whole for the USC. So, if questions are circling your mind, speak up. Do not gather information from someone else but from the candidates themselves. Be active and participate when they campaign from room to room, know their platforms and courses of action. As they will be having their debate this May 2, it is our chance to gauge their skills and capabilities and whether or not they have good people skills.
Vote a person into power not merely because you are friends with them, but because you know that your vote goes to the person most worthy of it. It is a matter of timing, and critical analysis of where we wish our councils and students’ welfare to go. We all expect changes, yet it will only emanate from our very own. I am proud to say that although I was in the phase of despair and cynicism for our government, the youth gives me hope that we could still do something about it. Our choices determine the posterity after our own. Start small, start now. These people chose to serve us, and it is our choice of who we think are fit to be of service to us. Let us keep an open mind that eliminates biases and basing our judgment through careful deliberation of pros and cons of our decisions. We hold the power to put certain people in power. And so, as they say, “Knowledge is power, BUT applied knowledge is even more powerful.” Let us be a catalyst of change—and it all starts from within. May you be the spark that will bring about more people to become one and together, be the enlightenment this world needs. May we live out our core values: FAITH, ZEAL and COMMUNION.
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. So, what will your decision be? The choice is always yours.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions of student contributors for Witbread do not represent the views of The HERALDO FILIPINO.