The Responsibility of the Iskolar ng Bayan
This was posted in th Soli e-group
The other day last week, I rode on the same jeep with an old friend, which started easily with the usual kumustahan, on former exploits and shared experiences. It was a bit surprising then that the conversation eventually became a lecture on how, "you know, most activists can't outgrow yung pagrarali-rali" and similar juvenile activities, implicating that all activists, specially the lower batch, should outgrow "pagrarali-rali," that it's just a stage in our unending search for meaning and, well, you get the picture. To be fair, while essentially a quote, the argument was more sophisticated.
Frankly I couldn't understand him. I mean I understood him intellectually, but the conclusions seemed incongruent with the practice of activism that I witnessed and experienced. One is also hard put to hear a reprimand on the need to "outgrow" plant-like passivity amid pressing social issues.
It is the responsibility of the Iskolar ng Bayan to criticize and to fight social ills. The involvement attendant of critique is essential to bring about changes. Being subsidized from the sweat and blood of working people, almost a social parasite as implied by some, the UP student is expected not only to mature academically, but to develop qualitatively by exerting towards pressing concerns of the day his/her mind. Serving the people is virtually a social contract that the Iskolar ng Bayan has signed.
This person and I, we both ran under the biggest UPD-based student alliance, known for its "radical" posturing. (I put the apostrophes there coz' I can't see why critical analysis of issues and calling for action should be "radically" different from our needs, wants and "nature," however problematic the term). Needless to say, it had a formative influence in our thinking. For one, rallies are a form of collective action, not the only one mind you, but a very important part of the whole process of "arousing, organizing and mobilizing" for collective goals.
In my opinion, I can relate with people of different political positions, indeed because of interacting with so many people that was part of tasks and initiatives. I'm probably one of two individuals left in UP that was there in the alliance's founding, and stuck through with it even in the losing years, so it seemed to me superficial talk on how we just concentrate on the negative things, yada,yada. To me personally, it is the symptom of the aging of a principled life. One of the scariest materializations for a militant spirit is slowly being eaten away by apathy day by day, moment by moment, the hopeless feeling of not being able to affect events and circumstances, like wood on the way to rot. But, shucks, if you're using figures of speech like "being eaten away by apathy," and "wood on the way to rot," you know you're becoming chummy, so we leave that…
Well, I did kinda outgrow the puerile quest. That's because students actually made sense of who was really working their asses off to promulgate issues and calls for collective action. Secure that that alliance could take care of itself, I eventually became a part of this (Soli) alliance, though a big part of the story is that I went through mediating circumstances and undertook numerous activities that were largely outside but not inconsistent with this group's and with actively pursuing democratic rights. I still retained camaraderie of principles.
I hope you remind me of this piece when we get to talk and I've become pessimistic about change. To the generation in the bud, like Peter Pan, never grow up, if it means giving up. Don't lose hope, never believe that change will not come, that through our united efforts, justice, real equality of opportunity, genuine peace and a more preferable society will never be achieved. Whether the obstacle is human will or the "state of nature," it's usually just propaganda backed by force.
For me, I'm reminded of a statement by Arundhati Roy. She enunciates: "Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing…"
That will primarily be expedited by concerned people moving, standing up and arising in solidarity and force within and without their alliances and convergence in material space. Mangangailangan ng mga palabang kasama at anak ng UP na magbubuklod-buklod ng kanilang lakas at kumakasa sa mga alyansa at katipunan bilang saligan at sakbayan ng paglilingkod sa masa at estudyante.
Caesar
P.S. Pasensya na, hindi ko alam yung translation ng mga Visayan Alliances J
Caesar
X A collective consciousness, a living organism, does not get formed before multiplicity is united by the rubbing together of individuals – A. Gramsci
X In the service of life, sacrifice becomes grace – Albert Einstein
The other day last week, I rode on the same jeep with an old friend, which started easily with the usual kumustahan, on former exploits and shared experiences. It was a bit surprising then that the conversation eventually became a lecture on how, "you know, most activists can't outgrow yung pagrarali-rali" and similar juvenile activities, implicating that all activists, specially the lower batch, should outgrow "pagrarali-rali," that it's just a stage in our unending search for meaning and, well, you get the picture. To be fair, while essentially a quote, the argument was more sophisticated.
Frankly I couldn't understand him. I mean I understood him intellectually, but the conclusions seemed incongruent with the practice of activism that I witnessed and experienced. One is also hard put to hear a reprimand on the need to "outgrow" plant-like passivity amid pressing social issues.
It is the responsibility of the Iskolar ng Bayan to criticize and to fight social ills. The involvement attendant of critique is essential to bring about changes. Being subsidized from the sweat and blood of working people, almost a social parasite as implied by some, the UP student is expected not only to mature academically, but to develop qualitatively by exerting towards pressing concerns of the day his/her mind. Serving the people is virtually a social contract that the Iskolar ng Bayan has signed.
This person and I, we both ran under the biggest UPD-based student alliance, known for its "radical" posturing. (I put the apostrophes there coz' I can't see why critical analysis of issues and calling for action should be "radically" different from our needs, wants and "nature," however problematic the term). Needless to say, it had a formative influence in our thinking. For one, rallies are a form of collective action, not the only one mind you, but a very important part of the whole process of "arousing, organizing and mobilizing" for collective goals.
In my opinion, I can relate with people of different political positions, indeed because of interacting with so many people that was part of tasks and initiatives. I'm probably one of two individuals left in UP that was there in the alliance's founding, and stuck through with it even in the losing years, so it seemed to me superficial talk on how we just concentrate on the negative things, yada,yada. To me personally, it is the symptom of the aging of a principled life. One of the scariest materializations for a militant spirit is slowly being eaten away by apathy day by day, moment by moment, the hopeless feeling of not being able to affect events and circumstances, like wood on the way to rot. But, shucks, if you're using figures of speech like "being eaten away by apathy," and "wood on the way to rot," you know you're becoming chummy, so we leave that…
Well, I did kinda outgrow the puerile quest. That's because students actually made sense of who was really working their asses off to promulgate issues and calls for collective action. Secure that that alliance could take care of itself, I eventually became a part of this (Soli) alliance, though a big part of the story is that I went through mediating circumstances and undertook numerous activities that were largely outside but not inconsistent with this group's and with actively pursuing democratic rights. I still retained camaraderie of principles.
I hope you remind me of this piece when we get to talk and I've become pessimistic about change. To the generation in the bud, like Peter Pan, never grow up, if it means giving up. Don't lose hope, never believe that change will not come, that through our united efforts, justice, real equality of opportunity, genuine peace and a more preferable society will never be achieved. Whether the obstacle is human will or the "state of nature," it's usually just propaganda backed by force.
For me, I'm reminded of a statement by Arundhati Roy. She enunciates: "Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing…"
That will primarily be expedited by concerned people moving, standing up and arising in solidarity and force within and without their alliances and convergence in material space. Mangangailangan ng mga palabang kasama at anak ng UP na magbubuklod-buklod ng kanilang lakas at kumakasa sa mga alyansa at katipunan bilang saligan at sakbayan ng paglilingkod sa masa at estudyante.
Caesar
P.S. Pasensya na, hindi ko alam yung translation ng mga Visayan Alliances J
Caesar
X A collective consciousness, a living organism, does not get formed before multiplicity is united by the rubbing together of individuals – A. Gramsci
X In the service of life, sacrifice becomes grace – Albert Einstein
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