(This is the valedictory speech I delivered on Saturday, April 14, 2012 at the PICC.)
Socrates once said, "Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel." The famous philosopher believed that education is not confined in the spoonfeeding of information but in arousing curiosity, developing critical and creative thinking, and forming meaning and knowledge. But I believe that that flame does not only refer to mental and cognitive processes. It also symbolizes the spark, the beginning of a transformation which spans the personal and the social realm, a revolution that can only be initiated by truly learned individuals who want to use their intellect for the betterment of society. Now that we are already graduates, my question is, do we really have this spark in us?
Almost one million graduates are produced annually by the Philippine educational system, but do we see any significant changes in our social conditions? Why do we see so much misery in the world when there are so many supposedly "educated" people around? I believe that learning should lead to transformation, a change not only in personal behavior but in the wider social conditions, because "The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn and change." This was aptly uttered by psychologist Carl Rogers.
Everytime I see beggars lying in the streets, I can't help but feel angry and hopeless because of my incapacity to improve their distressing circumstance. At the back of my mind, I convince myself that the reason why I chose to become a teacher is to alleviate poverty by providing quality education. But I now come to realize that merely attaining education is not enough because "education doesn't change life much. It just lifts trouble to a higher plane of regard" according to American poet Robert Frost. The British writer Alec Bourne espoused that "It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated." I assert that if we are not able to produce change, our entire education is meaningless, we have graduated for nothing, because "Change is the end result of all true learning" according to the author Leo Buscaglia. The philosopher Herbert Spencer also argued that education without transformation is pointless when he said, "The great aim of education is not knowledge but action." Why is this so? Because as intelligently enunciated by former South African President Nelson Mandela, "Education is the most powerful weapon which we can use to change the world."
As most of you believe, we study in order to get a high paying job in the future. Then the money that we will earn will be spent on our family's needs. This "family-centric" scheme is so ingrained in our consciousness that only a few were able to rise above it. These deviant people are those we call saints, heroes, martyrs – people who devoted their lives in improving the human condition. Where now are the heroes and saints of our time? Do we see them only in the movies and TV? No, the heroes, the leaders, the saints should be you, fellow graduates, because as John F. Kennedy put it, "Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other."
Show that we are learned persons by leading a transformation, a revolution that begins by adopting a humanistic, socially-oriented viewpoint and a compassionate, selfless, loving attitude towards our fellowmen. If we want to change society, change ourselves first. That personal transformation will become the foundation for greater, more far-reaching changes that will significantly affect our families, churches, schools, communities, and the society as a whole. Remember, as Jiddu Krishnamurti said, "It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society."
The country desperately needs this revolution. This dark world greatly longs for light to shine on it. Show the world your passion and compassion, fellow Arellanites! It's time to light your candles and start the change that we want to see in the society. Join me in this revolution!
Again, to our University President, administrators, school officials, graduates, parents, and friends, good afternoon.
Before I end, let me thank the administrators and officers of Arellano University, the dean of the School of Education Dr. Eduardo O. dela Cruz, Jr., the faculty, my classmates, my friends, my special someone, my parents, the ultimate Source of everything, and all the people who kindled our flames, touched our lives, and will continue to guide us in awakening the fire and touching the lives of others. Thank you.
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