Not all are being shone upon

L I N U S P LA TA
College of Development Communication
University of the Philippines, Los Baños, Philippines

(Speech delivered at the International Forum on Youths and Aspirations,

Ahmad Nisfu Lecture Hall, School of Arts Studies, UMS, KK, 27 May 2009)

Good afternoon, everyone. I am Linus Plata, representing the University of the

Philippines College of Development Communication.

One childhood story that still lingers in my memory happened one night in my
aunt’s house.

In the marbled terrace, I roughly remember watching my mom, aunts, and older
cousins engaged in the thick of a conversation. Impulsively – or maybe acting upon my
childhood egoism - I called my mom and strongly demanded something from her. I did
not know specifically what I had asked for, to be honest; perhaps, I wanted to play Hide
and Seek outside or have my mom buy me a McDonalds Happy Meal. To my utter
disappointment, she said a categorical no, which I call the universal reply of most
mothers to their kids. Sitting in the cold, metal chair in the terrace, I just burst into tears.
And I cried so hard that I just happened to look up the night sky for some possible
comfort. Then, of all the things that could arise after that moment, the shocking
happened. Above the majestic Mount Makiling, a bluish-white streak of light so bright
moved rapidly across the quiet night sky. Even after it had vanished, I still did not move a
muscle, and I was still in shock knowing that I had just seen a shooting star. I had never
seen one before and as a child, I thought shooting stars are not real, too-good-to-be-true
celestial bodies that you could only see in pictures, movies, and television. I vividly
remember I was not only assailed with shock, but despite being so young, I also felt
enlightened on a deeper level. This childhood experience taught me that some of the
things we think are not real do really exist, that things we think are only conceivable by
our imaginations can actually happen, that the things we think are beyond our limitations
are in fact, possible. That one night epiphany has carried me to the next years until today
with passion, pursuit, and purpose and has led me not just to exist, but also to live. There
is a huge difference.

I feel so blessed to have witnessed that falling star; it has allowed me to set myself
free from the bondage of thinking small, a characteristic of the Filipino culture. Our
“heritage of smallness,” as Filipino writer Nick Joaquin coined it, is manifested
throughout the spectrum of our society – from our small jeepneys that accommodate,
well, at least from the driver’s dubious standard, more or less 20 people, to our business
culture of selling goods by retail in our small sari-sari stores. (Although we can view that
jeepneys and sari-sari stores are products of Filipinos’ ingenuity, as we Filipinos always
make the best out of a dire situation). On a serious note, our country is infected by small
visions of most of our leaders, if they have one, that inevitably bring small, negligible
changes to the localities they serve. Even the so-called “rallies” in the University of the
Philippines Los Baños nowadays are small scale and short-lived, unlike those in the 70s,
80s, and 90s that made impact. However, if we have a “heritage of greatness,” as Joaquin
pointed out, it can be traced back to the three events in our history – the defense of the
land during two centuries of siege, the Propaganda Movement, and the Revolution. But
that is a different story. Indeed, sighting a shooting star – both literally and figuratively -
will spare you a culture and thinking that set a limit to who you can be and what you can
do. Focusing on the young generation - our generation - it is a harsh reality that the
shooting stars do not seem to shine upon the majority of us. Perhaps the pile of
dilapidated galvanized iron, worn tires, thick cartons, and old plastic bottles forming the
roof of a slum block the radiant falling star from the eyes of many young, starving souls
in Metro Manila. Or children tattered and torn, competitively searching for scraps of food
and metals in the garbage mountain of Payatas, Manila, too busy to even notice the
promise of a celestial radiance. Or innocent, as-early-as-10-year-old youngsters turned
dangerous as they are being trained by rebels how to hold a gun and fight against the
military in Mindanao, too focused on their gun fires and unaware of a greater flame they
must have seen up sky. Or – let us get more personal here – teenage students who would
rather surf the Internet for hours, text to the infinity, chat with a mystery lover online, try
a cigarette, take a shot, or even try drugs instead of getting their books and prepare
themselves for the next class lecture. Many in our generation are living our lives as if we
are the ones who make for our living. Many of us in this generation have settled for the
trendy, the sensational, and the comfortable in our personal journeys. As we are
bombarded by the popular culture in this increasingly secular world, we have sought for
what gives pleasure, and this is dangerous because it compromises our responsibilities as
citizens. Pleasure and comfort instruct us to stay in our ivory towers, in our comfort
zones. Pleasure and comfort deceive us that our fulfillment solely depends on satisfying
ourselves. Pleasure and comfort tell us that it is all about me. And let me ask you, youth
of this generation, is a life devoted to yourself ever fulfilling? Right now, listen to your
instinct and to your moral conscience. They will tell you there is more to life than Self.

Our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal said “The youth is the hope of the nation.” I
believe it is true simply because we are next in line. However, considering the crystal
clear, unvarnished, ugly truth I have shared with you earlier about the state of our
generation, do we seem to be less of a hope and more of a desperation? Before doctors
prescribe medicine to their patients, they first perform diagnosis. If they identify swine
flu, they would not say, “You just caught a cold.” I am not a doctor, but my diagnosis of
our generation is that malignant cells of egoism and indifference have infected many of
us. But there is good news. There is always good news. The apparent desperation among
our youth will never be able to kill the hope you and I can invest in this generation. The
discouragement brought by our present condition will never be able to stop us from
believing in the power of possibilities.

I just remember one dreadful night when I was in third year high school. At home,
I was sitting in a small chair reading one of Dr. Rizal’s novels. What kept me reading the
chapters in the book was the faint candle light beside my wooden table. Lights were out,
well at least only in our home, which was actually a small basement. We could not pay
the electric bill so our power was cut off. At that moment, I felt the anger and the shame.
But I told myself, amidst this condition, I am not going to quit. This gloom will not stop
me from clinging to hope and having aspirations. I have aspired and, glory to God,
emerged victorious. Likewise, we can aspire for, and in the end, succeed in becoming a
force to change our youth.

I aspire for communication. As a student of the College of Development

Communication, the pioneer in the study of development communication in the world, I
believe that applying theories, principles, and techniques of communication helps solve
issues and problems of a developing society. Each one of us possesses knowledge from
our fields that the common people need to know and we should convey that message to
them in a language that is non-technical, understandable, and relevant. What we learn
inside the classroom should not stay inside the classroom; it has to be shared with those
who need it in the community. We have to spread our knowledge as early as now.

I aspire for education. I know it is a reality that not all children will have the
opportunity to hold a book, to be able to read and write the simplest words, and to even
dream because their lives have been dictated by poverty, child labor, and malnutrition,
among others. However, let us not stop recognizing the fact that it is the right of every
child to get educated and so we, as the more privileged youth, should think beyond
ourselves and look for opportunities to teach the illiterate ones. To give you an example,
following the Philippine Constitution, our university requires all students to participate in
the Literacy Training Service which aims to equip us in teaching the illiterate, the out-of-
school youth, students themselves, and others basic and functional literacy. Filipinos
believe that education is something that other people will never be able to steal from you.
Dr. Rizal believed it is mightier than a sword.

I aspire for leadership. I believe that a society is what it is because of its leader.
Give me a chance to know your subordinates, teammates, or the people of your society
and I can tell what kind of leader you have. One of the greatest leadership laws I have
learned from international leadership expert John Maxwell is the Law of Influence which
states that “Leadership is simply about influencing people – nothing more, nothing less.”
Let me seriously tell everyone that there’s a leader in each of us, and as future leaders we
have the responsibility – it is not an option but a responsibility – to equip ourselves so
that we can have positive influence on our people. There are many aspects of leadership,
including respect, experience, discipline, and vision. To be an effective leader, one must
develop these leadership aspects. And doing so is a process.

I aspire for morality. The issue of morality, I must admit, is quite sensitive
because each of us – as groups and even as individuals – has different standards for it.
But my friends, the concepts “Morality is relative” and “Truth is relative” have only
caused nothing but division and chaos in the history of mankind. Adolf Hitler
commanded the execution of thousands of Jews because he believed it was the morally
right thing to do. I personally hope that each of us, youth of this generation, should live
by what we call the natural Moral Law which transcends all cultures, religions, and
ideologies, a Law that allows for co-existence, interdependence, and harmony. Let us all
transcend for a more meaningful future.

I aspire for empowerment. Are you empowered? I believe that individuals are not
living their best lives unless they are empowered. When you empower others or your
community you increase their spiritual, political, social or economic strength. For
example, in your own ways, you can help others in problem solving and decision-making,
in raising their social and political consciousness, and in mobilizing them towards critical
action. But before you can empower others and your community, you need to empower
yourself first.

Finally, I aspire for unity. I am waiting for a generation that considers every
unique individual as part of a whole, a generation that – as poet Maya Angelou put it -
looks beyond color and sees community. In practical ways we can prepare ourselves to
achieve global unity among our youth. To give you an example, in the spring of 2005, I
was sent to Gunma, Japan to participate in the Asian Agricultural High School Student
Overseas Study Program. Three students came from each of the following countries: the
Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Mongolia, and Malaysia. From the one-year study of
basic Japanese language and culture, practical agriculture, and a home stay with a
Japanese family, among others, international relations were enriched and mutual
knowledge and understanding were formed. And of course, I want to emphasize that the
same goals are being met in this UMS – UPLB Exchange Program. So cheers to our bond
and may more programs like this be held in the future to contribute to a promising unity.

Indeed, I have great aspirations for our generation. Whether it is communication,

education, leadership, morality, empowerment, or unity, each plays an important role in
invest to a radical, positive, and rewarding future. Just as I have witnessed that shooting
star right before my tearful, childhood eyes when I thought it was not real, these ideal
aspirations I have shared with you this afternoon are absolutely possible, achievable, and
doable. How about you, my dear Malaysian friends, are you ready to fulfill those
aspirations? The shooting stars say it is possible.

Thank you very much and God bless you.