Saturday night, we had a closing ceremony for our Social Entrepreneurship Class which was held in Ateneo Law School. Distinguished guests include civil society leader Harvey Keh, presidential adviser Neric Acosta and founder of Hapinoy Bam Aquino. Dean Tony Lavina of the Ateneo School of Government was also there. Of course the event wouldn't be possible without our teacher for the whole semester, Atty. Arnel Casanova who's also the president of BCDA, the company that gave birth to Bonifacio Global City and Newport City among others.
I was seated with my classmates while other tables were composed of social entrepreneurs from previous SE classes. The room was filled with excitement and optimism as Project Boat-eh, a boat-bottle making competition, and the Philippine Social Entrepreneurship Club were launched. Here in this room, overlooking our country's business district, were like minded people driven by the challenge, as cliche as it may sound, to change the world for the better. This practical idealism will be the new reality one day. Our role over Forza Publishing Group is to inspire people to join this revolution and to make this campaign trend. Instead of just adding change makers, we need to multiply them.
I ended my night there with a ceremonial toast with my classmates. I realized that this will be the network which will propel us to stick to our plans. The road to change will be tough, but I'm thankful that the journey will include the support from people in that room.
I then went straight to my former high school to catch the highlight of a three-day retreat. For some settings/chapters, it happens more than once in a month, but for us, we only have it twice a year on the average. This event is a mini reunion for me and some of my high school batch mates. Though some have grown fatter, they have not lost that same sense of humor. Attending this event is an attempt to hold on to and relieve the past. I tried to feel like a participant again when everything was simple and carefree, but no matter how much I tried to bring back that same overflowing feeling brought by this retreat when I was 15y/o, it still felt dry. It's really a once in a lifetime event to be a participant in Days with the Lord.
Having that experience which felt so good and the inability to relieve it 100% again is the reason why we keep on looking, keep on serving, keep on sharing the experience with other people. Maybe that's why acknowledging that thirst, brokenness and emptiness is important. It's more honest. "When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change." Then the divine will work its way and do its magic.
To wrap it up, both the "foreshadowing" and "flashbacks" were fueled by an emptiness - for better solutions towards nation building and for the presence of the divine. There are two way on how one can respond to it. You can plunge into that emptiness and develop a black hole, sucking everything around you. Or you can be more pro-active, plunge forward and as we always say, dare to move.
Having that experience which felt so good and the inability to relieve it 100% again is the reason why we keep on looking, keep on serving, keep on sharing the experience with other people. Maybe that's why acknowledging that thirst, brokenness and emptiness is important. It's more honest. "When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change." Then the divine will work its way and do its magic.
To wrap it up, both the "foreshadowing" and "flashbacks" were fueled by an emptiness - for better solutions towards nation building and for the presence of the divine. There are two way on how one can respond to it. You can plunge into that emptiness and develop a black hole, sucking everything around you. Or you can be more pro-active, plunge forward and as we always say, dare to move.
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