Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Fundamental Roots


2 years into my law school life, mid-time in the ideal 4 year trek, and it seems my gasoline tank is close to empty. That is, the gasoline that drives me to do an extra bit of effort seems to slow as time goes. Just like a child who realized that Santa isn’t real. The lofty law school ideals now reduced into realistic battles with self and professor that we face every day. This is but normal I guess. Economics calls it the law of diminishing marginal utility. In practical wisdom, it might be called growing up. The eyes that once saw beauty now sees meaningless repetition in the books. Being tired is a human and normal thing, especially in an environment that frustration is a daily fact of life.

But in the midst of all of this, we must resist the zombie mentality that is very much pervasive in our domain. The challenge is to consistently ground every moment of our learning into the image that learning the law is learning a new, yet ancient language that speaks of how humanity sees its worth and appropriate what is right and wrong. What is just and fair and all struggles and wars fought in between. It is the language that is still evolving from the moment man learned how to live with others. I guess by conjuring this imagery it brings color, beauty and meaning to the bland black and white monotonic rhythm of law books.

I guess the best way to always bring color to these provisions is to enrich yourself with experiences that help deepen and sharpen why such language is made and how such language operates in the world. And that means going back to the roots, to the basics, to the why, to the faces in which it ought to serve.

And this summer, I am to embark on a journey which I hope will sharpen and deepen my quest for those “fundamental roots”. This is not just a chance to technically learn. This is a rare chance to determine the trajectory of my legal philosophy and most especially, aid in forming my person in this complex Filipino society in the context of legal action. The Ateneo Human Rights Intership Program invitation is a grace. 2 months of life changing experience. 

1 comment:

Unknown said...

hopefully....but maybe there are just times when it seems like we see ourselves to be simply insignificant, all of it, from existence to purpose. Of course that isn't true! Though it seems true that "Santa isn't real" in this present times, maybe before he is real and in a child's eyes he will always be mysteriously real but more than that, God's grace is real, always!

Haha... hopefully I could still refer my younger brother to take a peek of your life blogs once in a while? So he could appreciate hardship with perseverance, enthusiasm, patience and positive outlook towards a humbling masterpiece faithfully done!