Honestly, I feel so honored for being a part of this 3rd grading recognition day of your school because it means that at least for this day the horizon of my opportunity in imparting right values is not confined or not limited within the compound of Jacinto P. Elpa National High School but to Tandag National Science High School as well.
Without any much ado may I share with you a very short story.
This story happened a long time ago during the 15th century.
This is
a day or two in the life of Michelangelo, the renowned 15th century Italian, renaissance visual artist. Michelangelo as a visual artist was not only an oil painter but a sculptor as well. Sculptors are those who curb images and statues. For example the person who made the statue of Liberty in New York, USA or those persons responsible in making the statues of several of our heroes, e.g., Dr. Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Manuel L. Quezon, etc., i.e., in Manila are called sculptors.
So, 5hundred years ago during the 15th century, one day there was a boy who happened to pass-by the studio of Michelangelo and the boy curiously observed the artist’s actual intricate execution of his craft. By this time Michelangelo was in the initial stage of sculpting. He was working on a masterpiece-sculpture that he would later on entitle “David”. The boy noticed that Michelangelo selected a fine marble stone fitting to the size of his work. The stone was nothing but a common huge marble stone just like any other huge marble stone. After a little while the boy saw the artist carefully pounding or hammering his sharp tools against the hard marble stone but that’s all he had seen that day because he didn’t stay for long.
Many days have passed and the boy wasn’t able to see the daily improvement of
the artist’s work. A number of weeks passed by and the boy, out of curiosity, visited again the studio of the artist. By this time, upon entering the studio, the boy was so amazed and so surprised at what he saw. The artist was now about 35% finished with his work. The boy noticed that there was already form coming out of the marble stone. The bust, that is, the figure of a human head and shoulder were already noticeable and starting to make a form out of the stone. The boy cannot anymore contain his curiosity and so he approach Michelangelo and said: SIR, YOU SET FREE A HUMAN FIGURE CONFINED IN A MARBLE STONE. HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS A HUMAN FIGURE HIDDEN INSIDE THIS MARBLE STONE?
According to our very own renowned Filipino artist Mauro Malang Santos, every work of Art, every masterpiece is a product of 10% inspiration and 90 % perspiration. When the famous artist Michelangelo created his David masterpiece, it was produced through a careful, meticulous, cautious calculation to make his work appear with a realistic human body contour. He made it painstakingly with real efforts. Contrary to the assumption or perception of the curious boy, the artist did not merely unfold, uncover or made bare a certain figure already imbedded within the stone but it was purely a creation out of his own creativity. Beforehand, he had an idea in his mind, a blue print that he imposed upon the stone and made his vision into reality through hard work and purely talent.
Sa Jacinto P. Elpa National High School, adunay mga estudyante nga ang ilang panan-aw sa ilang kaugalingon sila si Michelangelo. I believe nga dinhe sa inyo school naay usab ing-ana nga mga estudyante. Adunay mga estudyante nga mao ni ang ilang panan-aw sa ilang kauglingon pero unconsciously, dili sila aware. Actually the ideal approach toward learning or education can be likened to the approach of a sculptor toward his work of art. Usa sa mga effective nga strategy toward learning mao ang pagtan-aw sa imong kaugalingon isip usa ka sculptor artist ug ang imong marble stone o ang gitawag nga medium or work of art mao ang imong kaugalingon mismo. But because we are human beings not made out of stone but with body and soul, the assumption of the 7 year-old curious boy in the studio of Michelangelo is to be applied, that is we carefully hammer the sharp tools of our own expectations only for the purpose of revealing, exposing or unfolding the best qualities already imbedded within ourselves since we were born. In this case the process of learning will be more efficient and successful.
In some cases, making the same approach and strategy toward learning, there are students who treat themselves like a stone, that is, void yet of any figure and then they would impose upon themselves a blue print designed on them by other people. Like Michelangelo day by day they hammer upon themselves the sharp tools of the expectations of others. In other words, they try to painstakingly create someone out of themselves in accordance to the expectations of others.
This is a sad and painful process of education. This kind of learning would merely produce nothing but pressure. Pressure begets tension. When it is tension that prevails while learning, there will be minimal learning absorption. Very high or lofty expectations misappropriate to one’s own natural and mental capabilities would eventually result to disappointment, disillusion and self-pity.
During the era of the great pillars of Philosophy, namely, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, learning was synonymous to leisure. The term to learn is similar to having fun. For them learning is nothing but a mental exercise. If gymnastics and other kinds of sports that involve physical exertion is fun, learning which involves mental exertion is also fun. By that time the people who engage themselves in logic, linguistics, science and other areas of learning are called lovers of wisdom.
Today during your 3rd grading recognition day, although all of you are recognized and given with awards, it cannot be denied that there are those who are given with more special awards and there are those who are given with less or not so special awards. For those who are among the top ten honor students and those granted with different special awards, may I say that you should pursue academic excellence with leisure and not with pure pressure. Pursue excellence not because you are pressured by someone but because you love to study. Pursue academic excellence not because you want to prove something to somebody because the accomplishments that you have achieved are mainly for your own good, it is only secondary for the pride of your parents or your family.
For those who do not receive special awards and honors, so long as you have done the best that you can do there is nothing that you should worry about, be ashamed of or to be envious with your classmates. In every person God has a gift. We are all endowed with good qualities that one day will mature into reality so long as we know already what it is. If you don’t know yet your gift, all you need to do is #1. pray for God’s guidance, #2. reflect, #3. Discern, #4. Discover the best innate qualities you have within yourself, #5. Focus on the best qualities that you have and nurture and cultivate it until it matures into reality. I repeat, each one of us has a special gift from God and all that we have to do is unfold, uncover, unearth, make bare, reveal or expose the best innate qualities that has been imbedded within yourselves. You need not impose upon yourselves a blue print that is designed for you by other persons. Man is a being not a stone. Every person is unique and he is daily in a continuous process of unfolding his true self. Man cannot be confined in a box or in a frame just like a show case of art. Discover the best qualities you have within yourselves focus on it and nurture it until it will mature into reality.
During the onset of the 19th century somewhere in Switzerland there was a couple who were so worried about their 7 year-old child who was a loner. At his age he couldn’t speak fluently yet. The child doesn’t like to socialize with the other kids of his age. At school he didn’t excel academically. The child would just spend his time at one corner of their house playing puzzles alone. His parents were not so happy about the social and the academic performance of their son. He was considered a late bloomer. At the age of 26 this boy entered manhood and became very famous because of the book that he published in the field of physics. His name is Albert Einstein. When people would praise him and call him genius, Albert Einstein, out of humility, would reply that he has no special gift—he is only passionately curious. Later in life however at the age of 70, he claimed that he merely found or discover great thoughts that lead others to understand some of the deepest mystery of nature and this is because God has granted him with great grace.
As students, if you already exerted all your efforts in your studies and yet you have not received any special awards and only minor awards in this recognition day, it is alright. Be contented, because even God himself is not expecting something that is beyond your capabilities. On the other hand, if you are a student that deserves a special award because you have a high I.Q. or intelligent enough to have one but has not receive something that you deserve because your aim in your studies is merely to have passing grades, in this case, we have a different story. In the Gospel of St. Matthew 25:14-30, our Lord Jesus Christ himself told a parable about the talents and He says that those who are given with many or much then many or much are also expected of them. If you are not using your talent or intelligence as expected, this will be taken away from you...
Thank you all for listening.
May God smile on us always.
****MARIETO CLEBEN V. LOZADA, guidance counselor of JPENHS
Speech during the 3rd grading recognition day of the NSHS; February 19, 2009; SSPSC avc
Without any much ado may I share with you a very short story.
This story happened a long time ago during the 15th century.
This is
a day or two in the life of Michelangelo, the renowned 15th century Italian, renaissance visual artist. Michelangelo as a visual artist was not only an oil painter but a sculptor as well. Sculptors are those who curb images and statues. For example the person who made the statue of Liberty in New York, USA or those persons responsible in making the statues of several of our heroes, e.g., Dr. Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Manuel L. Quezon, etc., i.e., in Manila are called sculptors.So, 5hundred years ago during the 15th century, one day there was a boy who happened to pass-by the studio of Michelangelo and the boy curiously observed the artist’s actual intricate execution of his craft. By this time Michelangelo was in the initial stage of sculpting. He was working on a masterpiece-sculpture that he would later on entitle “David”. The boy noticed that Michelangelo selected a fine marble stone fitting to the size of his work. The stone was nothing but a common huge marble stone just like any other huge marble stone. After a little while the boy saw the artist carefully pounding or hammering his sharp tools against the hard marble stone but that’s all he had seen that day because he didn’t stay for long.
Many days have passed and the boy wasn’t able to see the daily improvement of
the artist’s work. A number of weeks passed by and the boy, out of curiosity, visited again the studio of the artist. By this time, upon entering the studio, the boy was so amazed and so surprised at what he saw. The artist was now about 35% finished with his work. The boy noticed that there was already form coming out of the marble stone. The bust, that is, the figure of a human head and shoulder were already noticeable and starting to make a form out of the stone. The boy cannot anymore contain his curiosity and so he approach Michelangelo and said: SIR, YOU SET FREE A HUMAN FIGURE CONFINED IN A MARBLE STONE. HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS A HUMAN FIGURE HIDDEN INSIDE THIS MARBLE STONE?According to our very own renowned Filipino artist Mauro Malang Santos, every work of Art, every masterpiece is a product of 10% inspiration and 90 % perspiration. When the famous artist Michelangelo created his David masterpiece, it was produced through a careful, meticulous, cautious calculation to make his work appear with a realistic human body contour. He made it painstakingly with real efforts. Contrary to the assumption or perception of the curious boy, the artist did not merely unfold, uncover or made bare a certain figure already imbedded within the stone but it was purely a creation out of his own creativity. Beforehand, he had an idea in his mind, a blue print that he imposed upon the stone and made his vision into reality through hard work and purely talent.
Sa Jacinto P. Elpa National High School, adunay mga estudyante nga ang ilang panan-aw sa ilang kaugalingon sila si Michelangelo. I believe nga dinhe sa inyo school naay usab ing-ana nga mga estudyante. Adunay mga estudyante nga mao ni ang ilang panan-aw sa ilang kauglingon pero unconsciously, dili sila aware. Actually the ideal approach toward learning or education can be likened to the approach of a sculptor toward his work of art. Usa sa mga effective nga strategy toward learning mao ang pagtan-aw sa imong kaugalingon isip usa ka sculptor artist ug ang imong marble stone o ang gitawag nga medium or work of art mao ang imong kaugalingon mismo. But because we are human beings not made out of stone but with body and soul, the assumption of the 7 year-old curious boy in the studio of Michelangelo is to be applied, that is we carefully hammer the sharp tools of our own expectations only for the purpose of revealing, exposing or unfolding the best qualities already imbedded within ourselves since we were born. In this case the process of learning will be more efficient and successful.
In some cases, making the same approach and strategy toward learning, there are students who treat themselves like a stone, that is, void yet of any figure and then they would impose upon themselves a blue print designed on them by other people. Like Michelangelo day by day they hammer upon themselves the sharp tools of the expectations of others. In other words, they try to painstakingly create someone out of themselves in accordance to the expectations of others.
This is a sad and painful process of education. This kind of learning would merely produce nothing but pressure. Pressure begets tension. When it is tension that prevails while learning, there will be minimal learning absorption. Very high or lofty expectations misappropriate to one’s own natural and mental capabilities would eventually result to disappointment, disillusion and self-pity.
During the era of the great pillars of Philosophy, namely, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, learning was synonymous to leisure. The term to learn is similar to having fun. For them learning is nothing but a mental exercise. If gymnastics and other kinds of sports that involve physical exertion is fun, learning which involves mental exertion is also fun. By that time the people who engage themselves in logic, linguistics, science and other areas of learning are called lovers of wisdom.
Today during your 3rd grading recognition day, although all of you are recognized and given with awards, it cannot be denied that there are those who are given with more special awards and there are those who are given with less or not so special awards. For those who are among the top ten honor students and those granted with different special awards, may I say that you should pursue academic excellence with leisure and not with pure pressure. Pursue excellence not because you are pressured by someone but because you love to study. Pursue academic excellence not because you want to prove something to somebody because the accomplishments that you have achieved are mainly for your own good, it is only secondary for the pride of your parents or your family.
For those who do not receive special awards and honors, so long as you have done the best that you can do there is nothing that you should worry about, be ashamed of or to be envious with your classmates. In every person God has a gift. We are all endowed with good qualities that one day will mature into reality so long as we know already what it is. If you don’t know yet your gift, all you need to do is #1. pray for God’s guidance, #2. reflect, #3. Discern, #4. Discover the best innate qualities you have within yourself, #5. Focus on the best qualities that you have and nurture and cultivate it until it matures into reality. I repeat, each one of us has a special gift from God and all that we have to do is unfold, uncover, unearth, make bare, reveal or expose the best innate qualities that has been imbedded within yourselves. You need not impose upon yourselves a blue print that is designed for you by other persons. Man is a being not a stone. Every person is unique and he is daily in a continuous process of unfolding his true self. Man cannot be confined in a box or in a frame just like a show case of art. Discover the best qualities you have within yourselves focus on it and nurture it until it will mature into reality.
During the onset of the 19th century somewhere in Switzerland there was a couple who were so worried about their 7 year-old child who was a loner. At his age he couldn’t speak fluently yet. The child doesn’t like to socialize with the other kids of his age. At school he didn’t excel academically. The child would just spend his time at one corner of their house playing puzzles alone. His parents were not so happy about the social and the academic performance of their son. He was considered a late bloomer. At the age of 26 this boy entered manhood and became very famous because of the book that he published in the field of physics. His name is Albert Einstein. When people would praise him and call him genius, Albert Einstein, out of humility, would reply that he has no special gift—he is only passionately curious. Later in life however at the age of 70, he claimed that he merely found or discover great thoughts that lead others to understand some of the deepest mystery of nature and this is because God has granted him with great grace.
As students, if you already exerted all your efforts in your studies and yet you have not received any special awards and only minor awards in this recognition day, it is alright. Be contented, because even God himself is not expecting something that is beyond your capabilities. On the other hand, if you are a student that deserves a special award because you have a high I.Q. or intelligent enough to have one but has not receive something that you deserve because your aim in your studies is merely to have passing grades, in this case, we have a different story. In the Gospel of St. Matthew 25:14-30, our Lord Jesus Christ himself told a parable about the talents and He says that those who are given with many or much then many or much are also expected of them. If you are not using your talent or intelligence as expected, this will be taken away from you...
Thank you all for listening.
May God smile on us always.
****MARIETO CLEBEN V. LOZADA, guidance counselor of JPENHS
Speech during the 3rd grading recognition day of the NSHS; February 19, 2009; SSPSC avc
1 comment:
Sir Cleven, there is wisdom in your inspirational message to the students. To excel in everthing we do, Michelangelo's example is something to be emulated. Michelangelo's idea in his mind, a blue print that he imposed upon the stone and made his vision into reality through hard work and purely talent was remarkable. Like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle,I believe that learning is synonymous to leisure. The term to learn is similar to having fun. Students should consider learning as nothing but a mental exercise. As for Albert Einstein,he demonstrated humulity and love for learning, and later in life he claimed that he merely found or discover great thoughts that lead others to understand some of the deepest mystery of nature and this is because God has granted him with great grace. I hope students would begin to follow and give weight to the examples and sages of these great people.
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