Be Our Best

I promised that I would post my editorial for the second issue of the official newsletter of our university's preopening activities.

Here it is....

 Imagine if the rainbow had only one color, if all the birds sang the same song, if flowers had the same color, shape, and scent, if people looked the same, talked and walked in the same manner and were good at the same thing. How boring, how lifeless, how senseless that would be!

 In His wisdom, God gave the rainbow different colors and birds different songs. He made the flowers different in their shade, shape and scent. Most of all, He made each of us unique.

 This uniqueness is evident not only in the way we look, in the timbre of our voice, in the way we move but it can also be seen in the things we are good at, in the things we can do and in the way we do them.

 God gave us different talents, different gifts. “Talents differ. All is well and wisely put,” (Emerson: The Mountain and the Squirrel). Nobody is superior or inferior. We have all been equally blessed. One person’s talent complements that of another. We cannot do the same things in exactly the same manner. We cannot all be teachers, doctors, builders, or artists. We cannot all be leaders. There has to be followers and even then, they have different duties, play different roles. No job is bigger or smaller. In this way, we all need one another. Whether we like it or not, we are all, in a lot of aspects, dependent on one another.

We have reached the conclusion of our preopening activities. We have been reminded of why we are here. We have been told where we are going. We have acknowledged the importance of letting go. In the person of Miss Fatima Soriano, we have seen the grace that complete trust and gratitude can bring.

 Now we return to our duties and responsibilities. As we journey on the path laid out before us, let us not try to be someone else, nor want what someone has. Instead, we should look within us and realize our own worth. Let us be grateful for what we have been given and concentrate on maximizing and enriching whatever they are. Do away with unhealthy competition. Instead of competing with others, we should compete with our own selves and make sure that we are better today than yesterday. That is the way to celebrate our uniqueness and giftedness. That is the way to celebrate God’s generosity.

 The colors of the rainbow make it such a joy to behold. The different songs of the birds give charm to the woods. The flowers, resplendent in hundreds of different shades, varied in shape and fragrance, turn a garden into a sanctuary for the weary soul. Our own individualities, talents and potentials, our own giftedness make the world more interesting. If we do our best to be to be the best we are, we give joy and charm to the world. We make it a beautiful place! -- Ms. Marie Claire M. Fernandez