When I was in grade school I was a certified library buff. Somehow I still am. Back then, not a day passed that I didn’t drop by the library. Very few of my schoolmates were as voracious in reading as I was, though they were quite into popular juvenile literature then, you know—books such as Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew etc. These days the popular literary works among young people are Harry Potter and Goosebumps. Not to brag, but as for me, however, I went beyond that genre; I pored through every book that could be found in every section of the library, reading story after story, article after article.
I used to write for our school paper. And more often than not, I utilized reading as my primary means by which to accumulate ideas. There was one book which particularly moved me as a young writer. The book was called “Dear Mr. Henshaw” by Beverly Cleary. I do not know if there are new editions or reissues of the book, although I did see a worn out copy one time at the second hand book seller’s shop. I wanted to buy it then but I didn’t have enough money. When I did have the money to buy it, it was sold already.
“Dear Mr. Henshaw is a simple story told through a series of letters written by a young boy to a certain famous writer named Mr. Henshaw and through his diary, which he referred to as his “pretend Mr. Henshaw.” The literary rendering was very much similar to that of the books “Diary of Anne Frank” and our very own “Urbana at Felisa.”
Anyway, that book was about a young boy struggling to write a story which he hoped would be printed in their annual school paper. But then he couldn’t do so try as he might. He didn’t give up, however. He found inspiration in writing the famous Mr. Henshaw and by reflecting on things which happened to him through writing to his diary, “his pretend Mr. Henshaw.” In the end the young boy wasn’t able to come up with the story he had hoped to write. But he did come up with some sort of a narrative essay.
The young boy did not feel bad about it; his written interaction with the famous author and his own reflections had brought him to the realization that in time, his writing would develop; he would be able to write all the things he wanted to write about.
The depth of a person’s writing is often dependent on his understanding of things. He was still young and he had a lot to learn, to understand. The more one understands, the more one will be able to speak of the world through literature or whatever medium is deemed appropriate. Since reading that book, I had this consistent thirst for understanding; a natural—albeit compulsive tendency to seek comprehension of things, events that occur in my life. And then I write and write.
Philippine Copyright © 2010 by Oscar A. Corpuz, Jr.
All Rights Reserved.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
An Enduring Legacy
There is much truth in the adage that many great things have small beginnings. When Fernando G. Bautista established a humble institution sometime in 1948, he had but a dream that such institution would one day be a leading educational center north of Manila. Today, that dream of his had become a reality.
Fernando “Tatay” Bautista knew very well that bringing into being an institution is easy, but to develop it and make it grow into a center of academic excellence is an extremely difficult endeavor. Hence, he devoted his whole life to transforming and molding the University of Baguio into what it is today.
He cared so much for UB more than anything else. He labored diligently. He had a hand in every single aspect of its operations. Together with his beloved wife, Rosa, he kept on coming up with innovative ways with which to develop and improve the school. He promoted harmonious working relationships between faculty employees and administration. He had a fatherly way of approaching management. He was strict but caring. He could sense if there was anything wrong in the relationships between and among faculty members or employees.
Tatay was a sports enthusiast. His sports program has been constantly one of the many strengths of UB. Through it, UB became known throughout the world as an institutional trainer of world class athletic champions.
When the killer earthquake of 1990 devastated UB, Tatay was there to provide much needed assistance and hope. With the combined efforts of Tatay and his children, UB rose from the ruins and now stands more firm than ever.
Even in his then advanced age, Tatay’s concern for UB was never exhausted. He would walk around the campus and inspect buildings; monitor cleanliness, check out busted lights and whatever it was that needed repair.
The death of Tatay poses a challenge to the University of Baguio. It is now the mandate and responsibility of his children and heirs and all of us who are part of the University of Baguio to take the cudgels—to carry on the task of developing the University of Baguio into the institution which Tatay envisioned it to be.
Note: Copyright for the material used in this post belong to their respective owners.
Fernando “Tatay” Bautista knew very well that bringing into being an institution is easy, but to develop it and make it grow into a center of academic excellence is an extremely difficult endeavor. Hence, he devoted his whole life to transforming and molding the University of Baguio into what it is today.
He cared so much for UB more than anything else. He labored diligently. He had a hand in every single aspect of its operations. Together with his beloved wife, Rosa, he kept on coming up with innovative ways with which to develop and improve the school. He promoted harmonious working relationships between faculty employees and administration. He had a fatherly way of approaching management. He was strict but caring. He could sense if there was anything wrong in the relationships between and among faculty members or employees.
Tatay was a sports enthusiast. His sports program has been constantly one of the many strengths of UB. Through it, UB became known throughout the world as an institutional trainer of world class athletic champions.
When the killer earthquake of 1990 devastated UB, Tatay was there to provide much needed assistance and hope. With the combined efforts of Tatay and his children, UB rose from the ruins and now stands more firm than ever.
Even in his then advanced age, Tatay’s concern for UB was never exhausted. He would walk around the campus and inspect buildings; monitor cleanliness, check out busted lights and whatever it was that needed repair.
The death of Tatay poses a challenge to the University of Baguio. It is now the mandate and responsibility of his children and heirs and all of us who are part of the University of Baguio to take the cudgels—to carry on the task of developing the University of Baguio into the institution which Tatay envisioned it to be.
Note: Copyright for the material used in this post belong to their respective owners.
Gone, But Never Forgotten
Death is something that inevitably comes to every single person. When a person dies, all of his life functions come to a halt. One wonders how and why death occurs. At the point of death, the late French author Francois Rabelais was said to have uttered, "I go to seek a great perhaps." His statement is an expression of the mystery, if not the fear and anxiety, with which we view death.
Death truly is the great unknown that neither science nor religion has ever been able to penetrate. Philosophers have only been able to provide conjectures about it. Because it is both unknown and unavoidable, death has always been an object of fascination and fear.
It is tragic for the University of Baguio to lose its founder, Fernando Gonzaga Bautista. Death has taken him away. But then, he may be gone, but he shall never be forgotten.
Fondly called Tatay, he was a challenging educator and an engaging family man. He possessed that rare combination of genius and genuine warmth. He was a man of principle. He stood by his every word. He was well loved not only by his family, but also by those who worked with him.
There is no doubt he made history. By establishing a formidable educational institution he was able to give direction and purpose to thousands and thousands of young people. He was a pillar of society. He made a difference in people’s lives.
He was a great father worth emulating—not only to his family, but also to the University. Life truly is short. And in that brief time, one must follow Tatay’s example: one must do his best to live his life well and full.
Note: Copyright for the material used in this post belong to their respective owners.
Death truly is the great unknown that neither science nor religion has ever been able to penetrate. Philosophers have only been able to provide conjectures about it. Because it is both unknown and unavoidable, death has always been an object of fascination and fear.
It is tragic for the University of Baguio to lose its founder, Fernando Gonzaga Bautista. Death has taken him away. But then, he may be gone, but he shall never be forgotten.
Fondly called Tatay, he was a challenging educator and an engaging family man. He possessed that rare combination of genius and genuine warmth. He was a man of principle. He stood by his every word. He was well loved not only by his family, but also by those who worked with him.
There is no doubt he made history. By establishing a formidable educational institution he was able to give direction and purpose to thousands and thousands of young people. He was a pillar of society. He made a difference in people’s lives.
He was a great father worth emulating—not only to his family, but also to the University. Life truly is short. And in that brief time, one must follow Tatay’s example: one must do his best to live his life well and full.
Note: Copyright for the material used in this post belong to their respective owners.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The Road Ahead
Commencement exercises take place annually whereby academic degrees are bestowed upon students after completing a duly prepared curriculum of study. Hundreds of students graduate every year. There is no doubt that upon graduation a student sets out into the real world to face newer and perhaps harsher challenges. What would he make out of the rest of his life? The time of the year has come when students bid farewell to their alma mater and ask themselves the perennial question. “Where do we go from here?”
A great majority of graduates are most likely to raise the question: “Would I have a stable job? What kind of job would that be? Will there be people or companies willing to hire me? Would I be able to compete in this already highly competitive world?”
Education institutions were established to help prepare people for the road of life ahead. But do they do so well enough? Through extensive programs,a school can constantly develop the faculties and abilities of students to enable them to acquire and maintain the means to live a full life while at the same time being useful citizens of society.
Nevertheless, the bottom line is that the attainment of academic degrees at graduation is actually dependent on the efforts of students to learn as much as they can from the study program prepared by the school they are enrolled in. Harsh reality, however, shows us that many of our students do not work as hard and are learning less compared with students of earlier generations.
Sensing the need to address this problem, schools have come up with programs designed to effectively demand the best effort and performance from all students. But in the end, it is still the efforts of the students that count the most. There is a need for the students to cooperate with the academic endeavors of the school, because they are the ones who actually are to benefit from them. If this is done, the usual questions asked during graduation would no longer have to be asked.
For this year’s graduates you are urged to bravely press on in the journey through life. In the words of lawyer Sherman Finesilver, “life is a road with unpredictable forks and unexpected tomorrows. To take advantage of them, you can't let yourself be destroyed by a defeat, or let others set the limits on your ability to achieve.”
Note: Copyright for the material used in this post belong to their respective owners.
A great majority of graduates are most likely to raise the question: “Would I have a stable job? What kind of job would that be? Will there be people or companies willing to hire me? Would I be able to compete in this already highly competitive world?”
Education institutions were established to help prepare people for the road of life ahead. But do they do so well enough? Through extensive programs,a school can constantly develop the faculties and abilities of students to enable them to acquire and maintain the means to live a full life while at the same time being useful citizens of society.
Nevertheless, the bottom line is that the attainment of academic degrees at graduation is actually dependent on the efforts of students to learn as much as they can from the study program prepared by the school they are enrolled in. Harsh reality, however, shows us that many of our students do not work as hard and are learning less compared with students of earlier generations.
Sensing the need to address this problem, schools have come up with programs designed to effectively demand the best effort and performance from all students. But in the end, it is still the efforts of the students that count the most. There is a need for the students to cooperate with the academic endeavors of the school, because they are the ones who actually are to benefit from them. If this is done, the usual questions asked during graduation would no longer have to be asked.
For this year’s graduates you are urged to bravely press on in the journey through life. In the words of lawyer Sherman Finesilver, “life is a road with unpredictable forks and unexpected tomorrows. To take advantage of them, you can't let yourself be destroyed by a defeat, or let others set the limits on your ability to achieve.”
Note: Copyright for the material used in this post belong to their respective owners.
Concepts of Evil
The Lord of the Rings is one of the most popular and enduring literary works of the 20th century. It was first published in England sometime 1954-55. It also became very popular in America during the l960’s. The continuing appeal of this trilogy is very evident today. People read it everywhere—in libraries, bus stops and cafes. Recently both young people and adults trooped to the movies to see this beautiful masterpiece come to life.
The significance of a literary work lies on the impact it has on society; on the values that could be learned from it. The Lord of the Rings books have within their pages insights on the world as it is and how we have in our hands the power to chart its course. The overwhelming interest in the books has inspired a quest for a deeper understanding of the concept of evil.
Evil
The term evil pertains to a quality which is attributed to objects, actions, and ideas. Normally, is evil is thought to be one which is harmful. It is basically viewed as the quality that is bad or wrong, or that which causes pain or misery.
Throughout history people have contemplated on the nature of evil. What is evil really anyway? Is it something which is truly existent or just a mere concept?
J. R. R. Tolkien never really intended to put any hidden significance into his works. He wrote in his foreword to the Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring: “..as for any inner meaning or ‘message,’ it has in the intention of the author none.” However, it cannot be helped that he had formulated his own concept of evil in his trilogy. But before we go into that, I have deemed it necessary to first attempt to explore how a few different prominent historical figures viewed evil.
Xunzi: Men are Evil by Nature
During the early years of Confucianism, a certain philosopher named Xunzi (Hsün-tzu) emerged as an important figure. Contrary to the postulations of his predecessors, Xunzi argued that humans are evil by nature, and that only law, order, and adherence to the rules of etiquette can lead humans away from the chaos caused by their self-centered desires. For Xunxi the nature of man is evil; his goodness is acquired. He writes man is born, first, with a desire for gain. If this desire is followed, strife will result and courtesy will disappear. Second, man is born with envy and hate. If these tendencies are followed, injury and cruelty will abound and loyalty and faithfulness will disappear. Third, man is born with passions of the ear and eye as well as the love of sound and beauty. If these passions are followed, excesses and disorderliness will spring up and decorum and righteousness will disappear. Hence to give rein to man's original nature and to yield to man's emotions will assuredly lead to strife and disorderliness, and he will revert to a state of barbarism. Therefore it is only under the influence of teachers and laws and the guidance of the rules of decorum and righteousness that courtesy will be observed, etiquette respected, and order restored. From all this it is evident that the nature of man is evil and that his goodness is acquired.”
He writes further: "If man's original nature is evil, whence do the rules of decorum and righteousness arise? All rules of decorum and righteousness are the products of the acquired virtue of the sage and not the products of the nature of man. Thus, the potter presses the clay and makes the vessel—but the vessel is the product of the potter's acquired skill and not the product of his original nature. Or again, the craftsman hews pieces of wood and makes utensils—but utensils are the product of the carpenter's acquired skill and not the product of his original nature. The sage gathers many ideas and thoughts and becomes well versed in human affairs, in order to bring forth the rules of decorum and righteousness and establish laws and institutions. So then the rules of decorum and righteousness and laws and institutions are similarly the products of the acquired virtue of the sage and not the products of his original nature.…”
“Man wishes to be good because his nature is evil. If a person is unimportant he wishes to be important, if he is ugly he wishes to be beautiful, if he is confined he wishes to be at large, if he is poor he wishes to be rich, if he is lowly he wishes to be honored—whatever a person does not have within himself, he seeks from without. But the rich do not wish for wealth and the honorable do not wish for position, for whatever a person has within himself he does not seek from without. From this it may be seen that man wishes to be good because his nature is evil. Now the original nature of man is really without decorum and righteousness, hence he strives to learn and seeks to obtain them.…”
Augustine: Bring Good out of Evil
Augustine was an influential theologian and writer of the Catholic Church during the fifth century. He wrote The City of God wherein he addressed a number of theological issues, including free will and the resurrection of the faithful. He affirmed the existence of evil as he asserted that God did not deprive people of their free will even when they turned to sin because it was preferable to “bring good out of evil than to prevent the evil from coming into existence.” Augustine understood that the human body would rise after death, transformed into “the newness of the spiritual body” and in paradise these new beings would “rest and see, see and love, love and praise.”
William Pitt: System of Slavery is Evil
During his tenure as prime minister of Great Britain, William Pitt sought to put an end to the slave trade. On April 2, 1792, he urged the members to recognize that there was no justification for slavery. Britain abolished slavery in 1807, one year after Pitt’s death.
Pitt implored: “The origin of evil is indeed a subject beyond the reach of human understandings; and the permission of it by the Supreme Being is a subject into which it belongs not to us to inquire. But where the evil in question is a moral evil which a man can scrutinize, and where that moral evil has its origin with ourselves, let us not imagine that we can clear our consciences by this general, not to say irreligious and impious, way of laying aside the question. If we reflect at all on this subject, we must see that every necessary evil supposes that some other and greater evil would be incurred were it removed. I therefore desire to ask, what can be that greater evil which can be stated to overbalance the one in question? I know of no evil that ever has existed, nor can imagine any evil to exist, worse than the tearing of seventy or eighty thousand persons annually from their native land, by a combination of the most civilized nations inhabiting the most enlightened part of the globe, but more especially under the sanction of the laws of that nation which calls herself the most free and the most happy of them all.”
The Dhammapada: Evil ought to be eluded
The Dhammapada is a collection of 423 Buddhist aphorisms or teachings intended to provide ethical guidance. The poetic and sometimes profound sayings of the Dhammapada, which can be translated as “Way of Truth,” are attributed to Buddha, who founded Buddhism in India in the 6th century bc. These writings, part of the sacred Sutra Pitaka, illustrate the Buddhist dhamma, or moral system.
Make haste and do what is good; keep your mind away from evil. If a man is slow in doing good, his mind finds pleasure in evil.
If a man does something wrong, let him not do it again and again. Let him not find pleasure in his sin. Painful is the accumulation of wrongdoings.
A man may find pleasure in evil as long as his evil has not given fruit; but when the fruit of evil comes then that man finds evil indeed.
A man may find pain in doing good as long as his good has not given fruit; but when the fruit of good comes then that man finds good indeed.
Hold not a sin of little worth, thinking ‘this is little to me’. The falling of drops of water will in time fill a water-jar. Even so the foolish man becomes full of evil, although he gather it little by little.
Hold not a deed of little worth, thinking ‘this is little to me’. The falling of drops of water will in time fill a water-jar. Even so the wise man becomes full of good, although he gather it little by little.
Let a man avoid the dangers of evil even as a merchant carrying much wealth, but with a small escort, avoids the dangers of the road, or as a man who loves his life avoids the drinking of poison.
As a man who has no wound on his hand cannot be hurt by the poison he may carry in his hand, since poison hurts not where there is no wound, the man who has no evil cannot be hurt by evil.
The fool who does evil to a man who is good, to a man who is pure and free from sin, the evil returns to him like the dust thrown against the wind.
Some people are born on this earth; those who do evil are reborn in hell; the righteous go to heaven; but those who are pure reach nirvana.
Neither in the sky, nor deep in the ocean, nor in a mountain-cave, nor anywhere, can a man be free from the evil he has done.
Neither in the sky, nor deep in the ocean, nor in a mountain-cave, nor anywhere, can a man be free from the power of death.
Ghandi: Good drawn out of the evil of nonviolent noncooperation
Mohandas K. Gandhi was one of the leaders of India’s struggle to gain independence from Britain. To achieve this goal, he advocated a policy of nonviolent noncooperation with Britain’s systems and laws. In 1922 the British government arrested Gandhi for his role in the civil disobedience that was sweeping India.
On trial, he told the court: “In fact I believe that I have rendered a service to India and England by showing in non-cooperation the way out of the unnatural state in which both are living. In my humble opinion, non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good. But in the past, non-cooperation has been deliberately expressed in violence to the evildoer. I am endeavouring to show to my countrymen that violent non-cooperation only multiplies evil and that as evil can only be sustained by violence, withdrawal of support of evil requires complete abstention from violence. Non-violence implies voluntary submission to the penalty for non-cooperation with evil. I am here, therefore, to invite and submit cheerfully to the highest penalty that can be inflicted upon me for what in law is deliberate crime and what appears to me to be the highest duty of a citizen. The only course open to you, the Judge and the Assessors, is either to resign your posts and thus dissociate yourselves from evil if you feel that the law you are called upon to administer is an evil and that in reality I am innocent, or to inflict on me the severest penalty if you believe that the system and the law you are assisting to administer are good for the people of this country and that my activity is therefore injurious to the public weal.”
J. R. R. Tolkien: External and Physical Evil
The Lord of the Rings is set in a place called Middle Earth. It is one populated with various strange, mystical and mysterious beings. During the early days of middle earth, in a place called Eregion there were made many rings Elven-rings. These were basically magic rings.
But then there were also created the great rings— or the Rings of Power. These rings were very perilous. Then the Dark Lord, Sauron, learned the craft of ring-making and came up with a ring which would have power and dominion over all the other rings. Running along the ring of Power was the written, “ One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.”
The ring was a source of power. It possessed a certain force which brings out the dark side of a person. It enslaves its possessor.
Tolkien, speaking through the character of the wizard Gandalf, said, “a mortal…who keeps one of the Great Rings, does not die, but he does not grow or obtain more life, he merely continues until at last every minute is weariness. And if he often uses the Ring to make himself invisible, he fades; he becomes in the end, invisible permanently, and walks in the twilight under the eye of the Dark power that rules the rings. Yes, sooner or later—later if he is strong or well-meaning to begin with, but neither strength nor good purpose will last—sooner or later the dark power will devour him. “
“A ring of power looks after itself.” Anyone who had possession of the ring is enticingly drawn to it; engulfed by its power, he becomes isolated from the world of people most dear to him. The ring is evil; evil keeps people apart; evil fosters division.
From a close reading of the three books pertaining to the Lord of the Rings, literary researchers have found that there is a presentation of two aspects of evil, namely, the external and physical, and the internal and spiritual.
External evil pertains to those things that come upon us physically and concretely even though we do not want them to. Examples are disasters, tragedies and misfortunes. To deal with external evil, there must be physical heroism. We have in our hands the power to direct our live regardless of what may befall us. As pointed out by Tolkien, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
Internal evil refers to those things which go on in the hearts of men. Evil is not really in things, but it is in the desire of man for power, prestige and other objects of vanity.
To deal with internal evil, there must be internal or spiritual heroism. There are numerous instances when the characters of the story of the Lord of the Rings strived with much difficulty to resist taking the ring as their own. The ring was to be destroyed only at Mordor and Frodo was the designated bearer of the ring. He thus had the greatest challenge of keeping himself from wearing the ring so as not to draw all evil forces toward him.
In the end, man’s ultimate enemy is himself even in the midst of his struggle against external evil forces in “middle earth.” To understand and transcend these evil forces “within” and “without” is very essential.
Note: Copyright for the materials used in this post belong to their respective owners.
The significance of a literary work lies on the impact it has on society; on the values that could be learned from it. The Lord of the Rings books have within their pages insights on the world as it is and how we have in our hands the power to chart its course. The overwhelming interest in the books has inspired a quest for a deeper understanding of the concept of evil.
Evil
The term evil pertains to a quality which is attributed to objects, actions, and ideas. Normally, is evil is thought to be one which is harmful. It is basically viewed as the quality that is bad or wrong, or that which causes pain or misery.
Throughout history people have contemplated on the nature of evil. What is evil really anyway? Is it something which is truly existent or just a mere concept?
J. R. R. Tolkien never really intended to put any hidden significance into his works. He wrote in his foreword to the Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring: “..as for any inner meaning or ‘message,’ it has in the intention of the author none.” However, it cannot be helped that he had formulated his own concept of evil in his trilogy. But before we go into that, I have deemed it necessary to first attempt to explore how a few different prominent historical figures viewed evil.
Xunzi: Men are Evil by Nature
During the early years of Confucianism, a certain philosopher named Xunzi (Hsün-tzu) emerged as an important figure. Contrary to the postulations of his predecessors, Xunzi argued that humans are evil by nature, and that only law, order, and adherence to the rules of etiquette can lead humans away from the chaos caused by their self-centered desires. For Xunxi the nature of man is evil; his goodness is acquired. He writes man is born, first, with a desire for gain. If this desire is followed, strife will result and courtesy will disappear. Second, man is born with envy and hate. If these tendencies are followed, injury and cruelty will abound and loyalty and faithfulness will disappear. Third, man is born with passions of the ear and eye as well as the love of sound and beauty. If these passions are followed, excesses and disorderliness will spring up and decorum and righteousness will disappear. Hence to give rein to man's original nature and to yield to man's emotions will assuredly lead to strife and disorderliness, and he will revert to a state of barbarism. Therefore it is only under the influence of teachers and laws and the guidance of the rules of decorum and righteousness that courtesy will be observed, etiquette respected, and order restored. From all this it is evident that the nature of man is evil and that his goodness is acquired.”
He writes further: "If man's original nature is evil, whence do the rules of decorum and righteousness arise? All rules of decorum and righteousness are the products of the acquired virtue of the sage and not the products of the nature of man. Thus, the potter presses the clay and makes the vessel—but the vessel is the product of the potter's acquired skill and not the product of his original nature. Or again, the craftsman hews pieces of wood and makes utensils—but utensils are the product of the carpenter's acquired skill and not the product of his original nature. The sage gathers many ideas and thoughts and becomes well versed in human affairs, in order to bring forth the rules of decorum and righteousness and establish laws and institutions. So then the rules of decorum and righteousness and laws and institutions are similarly the products of the acquired virtue of the sage and not the products of his original nature.…”
“Man wishes to be good because his nature is evil. If a person is unimportant he wishes to be important, if he is ugly he wishes to be beautiful, if he is confined he wishes to be at large, if he is poor he wishes to be rich, if he is lowly he wishes to be honored—whatever a person does not have within himself, he seeks from without. But the rich do not wish for wealth and the honorable do not wish for position, for whatever a person has within himself he does not seek from without. From this it may be seen that man wishes to be good because his nature is evil. Now the original nature of man is really without decorum and righteousness, hence he strives to learn and seeks to obtain them.…”
Augustine: Bring Good out of Evil
Augustine was an influential theologian and writer of the Catholic Church during the fifth century. He wrote The City of God wherein he addressed a number of theological issues, including free will and the resurrection of the faithful. He affirmed the existence of evil as he asserted that God did not deprive people of their free will even when they turned to sin because it was preferable to “bring good out of evil than to prevent the evil from coming into existence.” Augustine understood that the human body would rise after death, transformed into “the newness of the spiritual body” and in paradise these new beings would “rest and see, see and love, love and praise.”
William Pitt: System of Slavery is Evil
During his tenure as prime minister of Great Britain, William Pitt sought to put an end to the slave trade. On April 2, 1792, he urged the members to recognize that there was no justification for slavery. Britain abolished slavery in 1807, one year after Pitt’s death.
Pitt implored: “The origin of evil is indeed a subject beyond the reach of human understandings; and the permission of it by the Supreme Being is a subject into which it belongs not to us to inquire. But where the evil in question is a moral evil which a man can scrutinize, and where that moral evil has its origin with ourselves, let us not imagine that we can clear our consciences by this general, not to say irreligious and impious, way of laying aside the question. If we reflect at all on this subject, we must see that every necessary evil supposes that some other and greater evil would be incurred were it removed. I therefore desire to ask, what can be that greater evil which can be stated to overbalance the one in question? I know of no evil that ever has existed, nor can imagine any evil to exist, worse than the tearing of seventy or eighty thousand persons annually from their native land, by a combination of the most civilized nations inhabiting the most enlightened part of the globe, but more especially under the sanction of the laws of that nation which calls herself the most free and the most happy of them all.”
The Dhammapada: Evil ought to be eluded
The Dhammapada is a collection of 423 Buddhist aphorisms or teachings intended to provide ethical guidance. The poetic and sometimes profound sayings of the Dhammapada, which can be translated as “Way of Truth,” are attributed to Buddha, who founded Buddhism in India in the 6th century bc. These writings, part of the sacred Sutra Pitaka, illustrate the Buddhist dhamma, or moral system.
Make haste and do what is good; keep your mind away from evil. If a man is slow in doing good, his mind finds pleasure in evil.
If a man does something wrong, let him not do it again and again. Let him not find pleasure in his sin. Painful is the accumulation of wrongdoings.
A man may find pleasure in evil as long as his evil has not given fruit; but when the fruit of evil comes then that man finds evil indeed.
A man may find pain in doing good as long as his good has not given fruit; but when the fruit of good comes then that man finds good indeed.
Hold not a sin of little worth, thinking ‘this is little to me’. The falling of drops of water will in time fill a water-jar. Even so the foolish man becomes full of evil, although he gather it little by little.
Hold not a deed of little worth, thinking ‘this is little to me’. The falling of drops of water will in time fill a water-jar. Even so the wise man becomes full of good, although he gather it little by little.
Let a man avoid the dangers of evil even as a merchant carrying much wealth, but with a small escort, avoids the dangers of the road, or as a man who loves his life avoids the drinking of poison.
As a man who has no wound on his hand cannot be hurt by the poison he may carry in his hand, since poison hurts not where there is no wound, the man who has no evil cannot be hurt by evil.
The fool who does evil to a man who is good, to a man who is pure and free from sin, the evil returns to him like the dust thrown against the wind.
Some people are born on this earth; those who do evil are reborn in hell; the righteous go to heaven; but those who are pure reach nirvana.
Neither in the sky, nor deep in the ocean, nor in a mountain-cave, nor anywhere, can a man be free from the evil he has done.
Neither in the sky, nor deep in the ocean, nor in a mountain-cave, nor anywhere, can a man be free from the power of death.
Ghandi: Good drawn out of the evil of nonviolent noncooperation
Mohandas K. Gandhi was one of the leaders of India’s struggle to gain independence from Britain. To achieve this goal, he advocated a policy of nonviolent noncooperation with Britain’s systems and laws. In 1922 the British government arrested Gandhi for his role in the civil disobedience that was sweeping India.
On trial, he told the court: “In fact I believe that I have rendered a service to India and England by showing in non-cooperation the way out of the unnatural state in which both are living. In my humble opinion, non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good. But in the past, non-cooperation has been deliberately expressed in violence to the evildoer. I am endeavouring to show to my countrymen that violent non-cooperation only multiplies evil and that as evil can only be sustained by violence, withdrawal of support of evil requires complete abstention from violence. Non-violence implies voluntary submission to the penalty for non-cooperation with evil. I am here, therefore, to invite and submit cheerfully to the highest penalty that can be inflicted upon me for what in law is deliberate crime and what appears to me to be the highest duty of a citizen. The only course open to you, the Judge and the Assessors, is either to resign your posts and thus dissociate yourselves from evil if you feel that the law you are called upon to administer is an evil and that in reality I am innocent, or to inflict on me the severest penalty if you believe that the system and the law you are assisting to administer are good for the people of this country and that my activity is therefore injurious to the public weal.”
J. R. R. Tolkien: External and Physical Evil
The Lord of the Rings is set in a place called Middle Earth. It is one populated with various strange, mystical and mysterious beings. During the early days of middle earth, in a place called Eregion there were made many rings Elven-rings. These were basically magic rings.
But then there were also created the great rings— or the Rings of Power. These rings were very perilous. Then the Dark Lord, Sauron, learned the craft of ring-making and came up with a ring which would have power and dominion over all the other rings. Running along the ring of Power was the written, “ One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.”
The ring was a source of power. It possessed a certain force which brings out the dark side of a person. It enslaves its possessor.
Tolkien, speaking through the character of the wizard Gandalf, said, “a mortal…who keeps one of the Great Rings, does not die, but he does not grow or obtain more life, he merely continues until at last every minute is weariness. And if he often uses the Ring to make himself invisible, he fades; he becomes in the end, invisible permanently, and walks in the twilight under the eye of the Dark power that rules the rings. Yes, sooner or later—later if he is strong or well-meaning to begin with, but neither strength nor good purpose will last—sooner or later the dark power will devour him. “
“A ring of power looks after itself.” Anyone who had possession of the ring is enticingly drawn to it; engulfed by its power, he becomes isolated from the world of people most dear to him. The ring is evil; evil keeps people apart; evil fosters division.
From a close reading of the three books pertaining to the Lord of the Rings, literary researchers have found that there is a presentation of two aspects of evil, namely, the external and physical, and the internal and spiritual.
External evil pertains to those things that come upon us physically and concretely even though we do not want them to. Examples are disasters, tragedies and misfortunes. To deal with external evil, there must be physical heroism. We have in our hands the power to direct our live regardless of what may befall us. As pointed out by Tolkien, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
Internal evil refers to those things which go on in the hearts of men. Evil is not really in things, but it is in the desire of man for power, prestige and other objects of vanity.
To deal with internal evil, there must be internal or spiritual heroism. There are numerous instances when the characters of the story of the Lord of the Rings strived with much difficulty to resist taking the ring as their own. The ring was to be destroyed only at Mordor and Frodo was the designated bearer of the ring. He thus had the greatest challenge of keeping himself from wearing the ring so as not to draw all evil forces toward him.
In the end, man’s ultimate enemy is himself even in the midst of his struggle against external evil forces in “middle earth.” To understand and transcend these evil forces “within” and “without” is very essential.
Note: Copyright for the materials used in this post belong to their respective owners.
What Law Governs Teachers' Acquisition of Permanent Employment Status?
Teachers’ acquisition of regular or permanent employment status is determined by the Manual of Regulations for Private Schools [MRPS] and the Manual of Policies and Guidelines on the Establishment and Operation of Public and Private Technical-Vocational Education and Training Institutions [TVET-MANUAL].
The MRPS and the TVET MANUAL were promulgated by the Department of Education [DepEd] and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority [TESDA] pursuant to the rule making powers given by Act No. 2706 as Amended by Act No. 3075, Commonwealth Act No. 180, Batas Pambansa Bilang 232, Republic Act No. 7796, Republic Act No. 7722, and other applicable legislation. As such, these manuals have the force and effect of law.
Section 32 of Batas Pambansa Bilang 232, otherwise known as the Education Act of 1982 as Amended, provides that in private schools, disputes arising from employer-employee relations [involving academic personnel] shall be settled by the Department of Labor and Employment on the basis of standards set or promulgated by the DepEd, CHED, and TESDA in view of the special employment status of academic personnel and their special roles in the advancement of knowledge.
According to Policy Instruction No. 11 issued by the Department of Labor and Employment the “probationary employment of professors, instructors, and teachers shall be subject to standards established by the Department of Education and Culture.” Said standards are now embodied in the MRPS and the TVET MANUAL.
DOLE Policy Instruction No. 11 recognizes that there are categories of employees exempt from the coverage of the Labor Code or from the operation of particular provisions thereof. Matters relating to the employment of government employees, for instance, are primarily governed by Civil Service laws and rules. In the same vein, matters relating to the employment of academic personnel are governed by the provisions of the MRPS and the TVET MANUAL. Batas Pambansa Bilang 232 grants regulatory powers to administrative agencies focused on education. Such power includes authority to issue rules and regulations that have the force and effect of law. Administrative issuances, such as the MRPS and the TVET MANUAL, are promulgated on the authority of law and are valid and binding as long as they are not contrary to law and the Constitution.
Both Section 89 of Article XVII of the MRPS and Section 73 of the TVET MANUAL mandate that “[i]n recognition of their special employment status and their special role in the advancement of knowledge, the employment of teaching and non-teaching academic personnel shall be governed by such rules as may from time to time be promulgated by [TESDA / DepEd] and the Department of Labor and Employment. Conditions of employment of non-academic non-teaching school personnel, including compensations, hours of work, security of tenure and labor relations, shall be governed by appropriate labor laws and regulations.”
In the landmark case University of Santo Tomas, et al. v. National Labor Relations Commission and Basilio E. Borja, the Supreme Court declared that, “it is the Manual of Regulations for Private Schools, not the Labor Code, that determines the acquisition of regular or permanent status of faculty members in an educational institution.”
It is essential to understand that an educational institution has three [3] fundamental types of personnel—
1. Teaching Academic Personnel—those engaged in actual teaching service or in research assignments, either on full-time or part-time basis;
2. Non-Teaching Academic Personnel—those who perform academic functions in support of teaching such as registrars, librarians, guidance counselors, researchers and all school officials responsible for academic matters;
3. Non-Academic Non Teaching Personnel—those who are engaged in administrative functions who are not covered under the definition of academic personnel.
The employment conditions of Teaching and Non-Teaching Academic Personnel are covered by the MRPS and TVET MANUAL promulgated by DepEd and TESDA. The employment conditions of Non-Academic Non-Teaching Personnel are covered by the Labor Code and its implementing rules.
Section 93 of the MRPS and Section 77 of the TVET MANUAL prescribe three [3] requisites for a teacher’s acquisition of permanent or regular employment status. The three [3] requisites are—
1. The teacher must be a full time teacher;
2. The teacher must have completed the probationary period of three years; and,
3. Such service must have been satisfactory.
These three [3] requisites prescribed by the MRPS and TVET MANUAL have been duly recognized and upheld by the Supreme Court in a long line of cases including: Saint Mary’s University v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 157788, March 8, 2005; Lolita R. Lacuesta v. Ateneo De Manila University, et al., G.R. No. 152777, December 9, 2005; St. Theresa’s School of Novaliches Foundation and Adoracion Roxas v. National Labor Relations Commission and Esther Reyes, G.R. No. 122955, April 15, 1998; and, La Salette of Santiago, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Commission and Clarita Javier, G.R. No. 82918, March 11, 1991.
Philippine Copyright © 2010 by Oscar A. Corpuz, Jr.
All Rights Reserved.
The MRPS and the TVET MANUAL were promulgated by the Department of Education [DepEd] and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority [TESDA] pursuant to the rule making powers given by Act No. 2706 as Amended by Act No. 3075, Commonwealth Act No. 180, Batas Pambansa Bilang 232, Republic Act No. 7796, Republic Act No. 7722, and other applicable legislation. As such, these manuals have the force and effect of law.
Section 32 of Batas Pambansa Bilang 232, otherwise known as the Education Act of 1982 as Amended, provides that in private schools, disputes arising from employer-employee relations [involving academic personnel] shall be settled by the Department of Labor and Employment on the basis of standards set or promulgated by the DepEd, CHED, and TESDA in view of the special employment status of academic personnel and their special roles in the advancement of knowledge.
According to Policy Instruction No. 11 issued by the Department of Labor and Employment the “probationary employment of professors, instructors, and teachers shall be subject to standards established by the Department of Education and Culture.” Said standards are now embodied in the MRPS and the TVET MANUAL.
DOLE Policy Instruction No. 11 recognizes that there are categories of employees exempt from the coverage of the Labor Code or from the operation of particular provisions thereof. Matters relating to the employment of government employees, for instance, are primarily governed by Civil Service laws and rules. In the same vein, matters relating to the employment of academic personnel are governed by the provisions of the MRPS and the TVET MANUAL. Batas Pambansa Bilang 232 grants regulatory powers to administrative agencies focused on education. Such power includes authority to issue rules and regulations that have the force and effect of law. Administrative issuances, such as the MRPS and the TVET MANUAL, are promulgated on the authority of law and are valid and binding as long as they are not contrary to law and the Constitution.
Both Section 89 of Article XVII of the MRPS and Section 73 of the TVET MANUAL mandate that “[i]n recognition of their special employment status and their special role in the advancement of knowledge, the employment of teaching and non-teaching academic personnel shall be governed by such rules as may from time to time be promulgated by [TESDA / DepEd] and the Department of Labor and Employment. Conditions of employment of non-academic non-teaching school personnel, including compensations, hours of work, security of tenure and labor relations, shall be governed by appropriate labor laws and regulations.”
In the landmark case University of Santo Tomas, et al. v. National Labor Relations Commission and Basilio E. Borja, the Supreme Court declared that, “it is the Manual of Regulations for Private Schools, not the Labor Code, that determines the acquisition of regular or permanent status of faculty members in an educational institution.”
It is essential to understand that an educational institution has three [3] fundamental types of personnel—
1. Teaching Academic Personnel—those engaged in actual teaching service or in research assignments, either on full-time or part-time basis;
2. Non-Teaching Academic Personnel—those who perform academic functions in support of teaching such as registrars, librarians, guidance counselors, researchers and all school officials responsible for academic matters;
3. Non-Academic Non Teaching Personnel—those who are engaged in administrative functions who are not covered under the definition of academic personnel.
The employment conditions of Teaching and Non-Teaching Academic Personnel are covered by the MRPS and TVET MANUAL promulgated by DepEd and TESDA. The employment conditions of Non-Academic Non-Teaching Personnel are covered by the Labor Code and its implementing rules.
Section 93 of the MRPS and Section 77 of the TVET MANUAL prescribe three [3] requisites for a teacher’s acquisition of permanent or regular employment status. The three [3] requisites are—
1. The teacher must be a full time teacher;
2. The teacher must have completed the probationary period of three years; and,
3. Such service must have been satisfactory.
These three [3] requisites prescribed by the MRPS and TVET MANUAL have been duly recognized and upheld by the Supreme Court in a long line of cases including: Saint Mary’s University v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 157788, March 8, 2005; Lolita R. Lacuesta v. Ateneo De Manila University, et al., G.R. No. 152777, December 9, 2005; St. Theresa’s School of Novaliches Foundation and Adoracion Roxas v. National Labor Relations Commission and Esther Reyes, G.R. No. 122955, April 15, 1998; and, La Salette of Santiago, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Commission and Clarita Javier, G.R. No. 82918, March 11, 1991.
Philippine Copyright © 2010 by Oscar A. Corpuz, Jr.
All Rights Reserved.
Realms of Reality
Through space and time
Through uncharted regions of the mind
Through countless worlds
In an endless stream
Of dimensions sublime
Through unknown tongues
Through a thousand doors and mystic paths
Which somehow lead to answers we seek
Of questions stirring our hearts,
We search all the realms of reality,
Striving to grasp the truth which holds
The meaning within the great scheme of life.
Philippine Copyright © 2010 by Oscar A. Corpuz, Jr.
All Rights Reserved
Through uncharted regions of the mind
Through countless worlds
In an endless stream
Of dimensions sublime
Through unknown tongues
Through a thousand doors and mystic paths
Which somehow lead to answers we seek
Of questions stirring our hearts,
We search all the realms of reality,
Striving to grasp the truth which holds
The meaning within the great scheme of life.
Philippine Copyright © 2010 by Oscar A. Corpuz, Jr.
All Rights Reserved
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