Young Roots
Revolution and Excellence
By Johanne Margarette R. Macob
ON Thursday, September 19, the EDSA People Power Commission visited the province to ‘propagate’ — especially to the youth who did not witness the events themselves — the spirit and virtues learned in the 1986 revolution.
And yes, I am part of the group that learned about EDSA People Power through second-hand info sources as stories from parents, written history books, and the like. Thus the event has served me well and I hope others would share my sentiment.
Apart from the ’86 experiences shared by Commissioner Cesar Sarino, another thing that now forms part of my hemisphere’s stock knowledge is what was shared by Provincial Administrator Rafael Baraan: excellence, simplicity, getting back to basics, and love of country.
Of the four, I’d focus on the first one – excellence — as I personally think genuine revolution goes along well with this value. As Mr. Baraan explained, excellence is putting the best of what you can do and the best of who you are in whichever role you play.
Revolution and excellence. When there’s excellence, revolution is but a natural and a good movement. Just think: if all our people are ‘excellent’ citizens of our country, then reform in government can be easily done. Or in a smaller venue lie the school, if students practice the core value excellence then necessary revolution among their mentors or the institution’s administration would come naturally. Again, with excellence comes useful revolution.
I then recall this saying: “Do not think of what your government can do for you, instead think of what you can do for your government.” We usually ask for reforms. We often complain about the system, about the people up there, but have we checked ourselves, yet? I am not saying that it’s bad to say this and that, complain about stuff everyday. But our comments about what’s surrounding us would matter far better if in the first place ‘we’ matter, our excellence matter — as apparent with how we perform our responsibilities and how our values manifest.
The 1986 revolution worked well for the people were united, but more importantly because the people were ‘excellent.’
Only excellence can demand excellent revolution. Let us do our best.
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