EVER since I was a little boy, all I wanted was to be older. Growing up, I was often teased for being the youngest in the classroom and this fueled my desire to mature as fast as I could.
I used to think that reaching adulthood would be “the best thing in the whole world.” To my childish eyes, grown-ups fought the monsters under the bed, stayed up late watching TV specials, bought their own stuff and most important, knew the answers to all of life’s questions—a certainty that all adults seem to possess.
Fast-forward to a decade later, I passed through the Arch of the Centuries after four years of hard work and dedication to my major, Journalism. It was a symbolic rite of passage. Soon after, graduation day came and as I shook hands with the dean and when I stepped down from the podium, I suddenly realized that there is just more uncertainty in adulthood, something my youthful innocence failed to see in the past.
Before I knew it, the all-too-familiar Saturday morning cartoons, Happy Meal toys and Pokémon cards that once embodied my childhood, slowly started to fade and the tall walls of familiarity that once surrounded me in my youth started crumbling down.
A glimpse of adulthood revealed what my naïve eyes could not see before—grown-ups fighting their own monsters in broad daylight, staying up late for overtime, paying their own bills and merely just pretending to know all the answers of life’s questions.
To young adults who are just about to start their journey in the real world, life and its uncertainty may seem frightening. Our generation is the most idealistic one yet and many are so fixated on landing the job of their dreams, raising a family or traveling the world but only a mere few are prepared to face the gravity of the future.
But, why do we insist on negatively attaching fear onto the unknown? Why not embrace life’s ambiguity or savor its unpredictability instead?
We should treasure the notion that our own destiny is not ours to decide. In fact, we would not find any solace if we could control the events that took place in our lives because perfection is simply boring.
In the end, we only need to look past our own doubts and find the silver lining. Uncertainty is a driving force for all individuals to test their limits and grab life by the horns. Not knowing how our destiny will turn out or how we will spend the rest of our lives may make some of us anxious, but such anxiety should also leave us striving to be better.
Some may say I’m being too optimistic when I tell them I face the uncertainty of the future with cheerfulness and curiosity, but I would rather jump headfirst into the thrills of life’s ambiguity than take safe steps and cower at the thought of change.
My thanks
To Mom, Dad and Benjo, thank you for the everlasting support, love and trust. I am sorry for all the lost time and cold shoulders over the years. I hope that I am still making you proud.
To Sir Lito, Sir Ipe, Sir Ian and the Selection Committee, thank you for the opportunity to become a part of this publication, a veritable second family, and for helping me appreciate and mold my love for journalism. The three years I spent in the Varsitarian were the best three years of my life.
Gelyn, Kristelle, Poy, Mara, Ar-Ar and Woah, congratulations to us! I have grown to love each one of you. Even though we very rarely get together now, I wish for our success in all our dreams and deepest desires.
To Kuya Enzo, Kuya Paeng, Ate Patty, Ate Nikka, Ate Elora, Ricci, Yuji, Kuya Celton, Kuya Jan B, Kuya JT, Juju, Kuya Hirro, Pip, Ate Mars, Mina, Kuya Altir, thank you for the guidance, not only in ‘V’ but in all my endeavors as well. I doubt I would be the person I am today if it were not for all of my ‘ates and kuyas.’
Ralph, MC, Bien, Gena, Dayan, Josef, Jelle, April, Naz, Jelina, Angeli, Rob, Alpine, my stay in ‘V’ wouldn’t have been the same without any of you. Thank you for the strong friendships and the lifelong memories we shared.
To JD, Ced, Bianca, Ely, Jica and the rest of 4JRN1, although I may not have been very attached to our section, I never once doubted that we were the best block. May we achieve all our dreams and may there be more outings to come.
Bodoni tribe, especially the incoming members, our time together was short but surreal. I’ll always cherish the hard work, dedication, sweat and blood all of you poured for our family. Cherish your time in ‘V’ and do not forget to relax once in a while.
To Grace and Gillan, you have grown so much since you entered ‘V’ last year and I am so proud of what both of you have accomplished. I know you will both surpass me soon and I hope you take care of SR.
It is now time for me to leave this beloved publication, which served as my refuge and my training grounds for my future endeavors and life’s uncertainty. As they always said, “If good things lasted forever, how would we realize how precious they are?”
Once a ‘V’ staffer, always a ‘V’ staffer.
