by Kate Bonamy
I remember my theology teacher telling us that it is not fair that Ateneans get offered jobs even before they graduate, while others from the more rural areas do not get jobs even after they graduate. It is, in a way, unfair for them, but this is mainly because Ateneo has built a reputation to be one of the best universities in the Philippines. However, Ateneo has a higher standard too, meaning, people who get in are required to give more effort into specializing in their fields. So in a way, this is what makes it fair.
But how do people get in, in the first place? Some are more blessed intellectually, but do not have the resouces to hone their gifts. Some, on the other hand, are more loaded, and are able to cultivate what they have. In order to get into the Ateneo, you need to have both the intelligence and the luck to have enough resources to cultivate your intelligence. You need enough money to not have to quit school, or even go to school with an empty stomach. These conditions are not a choice, unfortunstely. That is where "unfair" begins.
Life is generally unfair, and no matter how hard we try to even out things, it will never be perfectly fair. But as the more priviledged ones, we can fulfill what it means to be an Atenean, being men and women for others. You do not blame yourself for being able to afford your current lifestyle, but you start to blame yourself when you begin to feel indifferent to the people around you.
There will be an endless number of people in need, but it is up to you to deal with it. You are there for them, not necessarily to give them alms, but to at least give them an opportunity. You may ask for your capital back, for in the long run, they would no longer be in need of that. What they need is the chance to stand on their own feet. They need a livelihood that would stop them from fully depending on you.
This sounds like a pretty big task,but currently as students, maybe we can start by donating to organizations. It does not have to be big, but it has to be meaningful.
Levinas teaches us about leaving the law of the I, shifting to the law of the Other. It is basically being there for the Others without expecting anything in return. It is a fulfillment of our responsibility to the others. I sure hope that even after we stop reading about Levinas and other philisophy 102 stuff, we would always remember what this course has imparted to us.
I still do not know what "fair" is. Dice are fair. Drawing lots is sometimes fair. But life never is fair. And it will always be our responsibility to make it less unfair.
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ReplyDeleteNothing in the world is fair. It is inevitable. Some people are born into the world lucky, rich and full of their own resources. While others are unfortunate, seizing life day by day, with having little or nothing for themselves to have or feed on.
ReplyDeleteOur responsibility for the Other is significant, as it is our call to be fully human. However, as so far as we have that calling for the Other, may it still be not forgotten that our responsibility for the Other should still strike a balance.
I am afraid that when people think about this responsibility for the Other, some might think this is an opportunity for dependency. Although it is somewhat, I am afraid that if everyone depends TOO MUCH on this manner, people wouldn't have enough responsibility left--- even for themselves. The mentality might shift to, "oh it's alright, I've got the Other to cover me up.".
I guess my point is that I don't want people getting the wrong notion of responsibility.
Responsibility is a two way act and it should be done with conviction, of independence and of will. I just don't want humanity to lose their responsibility of self, of standing up independently, just because they might have a wrong notion of what responsibility for the Other means.
Denise Tan
PH102-A
Another way we can also help is actually by not giving alms, but by teaching these less privileged people how to survive in this world. I remember a quote that somewhat goes like, "it's better to teach a man how to fish, rather than to give him one." We can actually do the same onto the Other. Instead of the Other fully depending on the I, the I can help by actually giving something worthwhile and something that they can use forever. With teaching people how to survive (ex. like fixing a car, building houses, teaching them to fish!), we are doing our part by helping the other, and the other gains from this by learning from what we've taught them. They can be able to have their own jobs, support their own family and help others as well. They can eventually live their lives without ultimately depending on others.
ReplyDeleteLuis Tanjuatco
Ph 102 A
Life tend to look unfair, but then who can really say that it is unfair or not. God brought us up in this certain family, in this background, because He has a reason, so we can't also say that life is truly unfair.
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about giving opportunities to people and not just by giving alms. By giving them the chance to rise up from their current societal standing, we help them not just in a certain instance but in the long run, and by doing so, we also change their lives and their families' lives. Especially since in the Philippines, there's this certain trend or rather notion, that they are what their families are.
Trixia Tan
Ph102 C
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"Try to let what is unfair teach you."
ReplyDeleteI stumbled upon this quote when I hit a rough patch late last year. No matter what your financial or social status is in life, we've all had our fair share of problems and there's no way to rank or determine who has it worse. It's all a matter of perspective. There are times wherein we questions why certain things have to happen to us. One of the most common questions raised in our Theology class is why bad things happen to good people. If you think about it, it seems so unfair that those who choose to follow the "command" are the ones who end up suffering the most. There was a time wherein I questioned why life kept on throwing me problems, despite my best efforts to just take the high road. After discussing Levinas, I now understand how these events should push us to be even more ethical. Bad things happen to good people not because of God, but because we choose to be unethical.
-Genica Lim (C)
I definitely agree that the world is unfair. There is an abundance of problems which need to be addressed but are left unattended. In fact, there are so many of them that most of us feel helpless just thinking about how to solve them. It is overwhelming but, as privileged members of society, it is our job to stay composed and to lead. There is this quote which my theology professor always mentioned in his class. It went something like: "We can't solve all the problems of the world, but those that we can, we must."
ReplyDeleteLeo Lorenzo (A)
I like the way you related Levinas and what we can do to make life less unfair. As Ateneans, I believe that we are in a better position to actually start changes in the society, that is to give others opportunities to express themselves fully. Having this chance to study in Ateneo, we are tasked to be persons for others and this could be done by sharing what blessings we have to others. We may be taught what good values we should have and what we should do, but in the end it is really about acting it and practicing what we have learned to effectively be able to make a change in the lives of others.
ReplyDeleteJohann Pe
Ph 102 Section A
who exactly makes life unfair? Isn't it people themselves who make life unfair? By drawing lines and boundaries that separates us into classes, sexes, races, and other forms of human divides, we make the world unfair. In order to avoid making life unfair , we need to have the courage to breakdown the barriers that separates us from the other. I agree that everyone deserves a fair chance in life but the only way to achieve this is by sacrificing some of what we have for the sake of the other.
ReplyDeleteI guess being fair is not really being unbiased. I remember my theo 141 teacher telling us in class that being fair is the intention of God on us and God has always been biased towards us. Being fair is not merely being equal of status and power but it is about the common good for everyone. As long as we are fair and we work for the common good, every man will be able to realize his right and his full potential and that is what good has always meant for humans. what makes life unfair is anything that works against the common good and this is also the very undoing out of justice.
ReplyDeleteMar Tan - PH 102
I guess the way you define what is fair will make all the difference in the way we live our lives. The way I see it, the fairness of a thing is relative to a person because one cannot have the same coping mechanisms or experiences with the other. However, I get what you’re trying to say that some people are more privileged than the others and that as the privileged ones, we have the responsibility to try to make everything balanced. And I guess one basic way to start this is to not be indifferent about it. We must not just accept that life is unfair rather we must start acting upon it. We must stop saying: that’s the way it is and we can’t do something about it. And I agree with what you said that even as students, we can join organizations and participate in missions in order to do something meaningful. When you look at the big picture, it will seem very idealistic to make life less unfair, but just like what my JEEP formator said: Mahirap kumawala pero hindi imposible.
ReplyDeleteHazel Alino
Ph102 A
I think the way of the world really isn't fair. Things happen to us by chance and by choice, and we don't have control over everything. What I have learned from my classes and from life is that even though these things are out of our control and aren't fair, how we react to them and what we think about are under our control. So even if the world throws everything against us, we can learn to roll with it and even rise above it. And hopefully, we can help others see this and become better and happier individuals. That's about the best we can do.
ReplyDeleteMiguel Co
PH102 A