Take (Not) The Road Less Travelled
Speech of Mikaela Irene Fudolig, 16 years old, on April 22, 2007 during UP Graduation Ceremonies. She graduated Summa cum laude, BS Physics at UP Diliman.
One of the things that strike me as being very “UP Diliman” is the way UPD students can’t seem to stay on the pavement. From every street corner that bounds an unpaved piece of land, one will espy a narrow trail that cuts the corner, or leads from it. Every lawn around the buildings sports at least one of these paths, starting from a point nearest to the IKOT stop and ending at the nearest entry to the building. The trails are beaten on the grass by many pairs of feet wanting to save a fraction of a meter of traveling, no matter that doing so will exact some cost to the shoes, or, to the ubiquitous slippers, especially when the trails are new.What do these paths say about us, UP students?
One could say that the UP student is enamored with Mathematics and Pythagoras, hence these triangles formed by the pavement and the path. Many among you would disagree.
Others could say that the UP student is naturally countercultural. And the refusal to use the pavement is just one of the myriads of ways to show his defiance of the order of things. This time, many would agree.
Still, others will say that the UP student is the model of today’s youth: they want everything easier, faster, now. The walkable paths appeal to them because they get to their destination faster, and presumably, with less effort. Now that is only partly true, and totally unfair.
These trails weren’t always walkable. No doubt they started as patches of grass, perhaps overgrown. Those who first walked them must have soiled their shoes, stubbed their toes, or had insects biting their legs, all in the immovable belief that the nearest distance between two points is a straight line. They might even have seen snakes cross their paths. But the soiled footwear, sore toes, and itchy legs started to conquer the grass. Other people, seeing the yet faint trail, followed. And as more and more walked the path,
the grass gave in and stopped growing altogether, making the path more and more visible, more and more walkable.
The persistence of the paths pays tribute to those UP students who walked them first - the pioneers of the unbeaten tracks: the defiant and curious few who refuse the familiar and comfortable; the out-of-the-box thinkers who solve problems instead of fretting about them; the brave who dare do things differently, and open new opportunities to those who follow.
They say how one behaved in the past would determine how he behaves in the future. And as we leave the University, temporarily or for good, let us call on the pioneering, defiant, and brave spirit that built the paths to guide us in this next phase of our life.
We have been warned time and again. Our new world that they call “adulthood” is one that’s full of compromises, where success is determined more by the ability to belong than by the ability to think, where it is much easier to do as everyone else does.
Daily we are bombarded with so much news of despair about the state of our nation, and the apparent, perverse sense of satisfaction our politicians get from vilifying our state of affairs. It is fashionable to migrate to other countries to work in deceptively high-paying jobs like nursing and teaching, forgetting that even at their favored work destinations, nurses and teachers are some of the lowest paid professionals. The lure of high and immediate monetary benefits in some low-end outsourcing jobs has drawn even some of the brightest UP students away from both industry and university teaching to which they
would have been better suited.Like the sidewalks and pavement, these paths are the easiest to take. But, like the sidewalks and pavement, these paths take longer to traverse, just as individual successes do not always make for national progress. The unceasing critic could get elected, but not get the job done. The immigrant could get his visa, but disappear from our brainpower pool. The highly paid employee would be underutilized for his skills, and pine to get the job he truly wants, but is now out of his reach. And the country, and we, are poorer because of these.Today, the nation needs brave, defiant pioneers to reverse our nation’s slide to despair. Today, we must call upon the spirit that beat the tracks. Today, we must present an alternative way of doing things.Do NOT just take courage, for courage is not enough. Instead, be BRAVE! It will take bravery to go against popular wisdom, against the clichéd expectations of family and friends. It will take bravery to gamble your future by staying in the country and try to make a prosperous life here. It might help if for a start, we try to see why our Korean friends are flocking to our country. Why, as many of us line up for immigrant visas in various embassies, they get themselves naturalized and settle here. Do they know something we don’t?Do NOT just be strong in your convictions, for strength is not enough. Instead, DEFY the pressure to lead a comfortable, but middling life. Let us lead this country from the despair of mediocrity. Let us not seek to do well, but strive to EXCEL in everything that we do. This, so others will see us as a nation of brains of the highest quality, not just of brawn that could be had for cheap.Take NOT the road less traveled. Rather, MAKE new roads, BLAZE new trails, FIND new routes to your dreams. Unlike the track-beaters in campus who see where they’re going, we may not know how far we can go. But if we are brave, defiant searchers of excellence, we will go far. Explore possibilities, that others may get a similar chance. I have tried it myself. And I’m speaking to you now.But talk is cheap, they say. And so I put my money where my mouth is. Today, I place myself in the service of the University, if it will have me. I would like to teach, to share knowledge, and perhaps to be an example to new UP students in thinking and striving beyond the limits of the possible. This may only be a small disturbance in the grass. But I hope you’ll come with me, and trample a new path.
Good evening, everyone.
—————
hope this speech is something that will add value to young Filipinos, and the Philippines.
Isn’t that the way we ought to live our lives? By doing something no one or very few has done before. It changes the world and in turn, secures the individual the promise of immortality.
Yeah, suppose to be… people has the option to “ride on the waves created by others” or “create a wave of his own”
It’s just sad that many of the youths of our country today are forced to pursue careers that they don’t really want all because of financial security. Many are occupied with just getting by day to day or trying to give good lives to their families that the thought of making a mark in our society takes a backseat. We can’t blame people because it’s really difficult to think about the serving of the country when their priority is the living condition of their families.
Hey, you changed the title of the speech! So you caught it, too???
“Take NOT the road less traveled” is completely erroneous… because it means “take the road more traveled”, doesn’t it? That makes it all wrong for the speech.
Good post, Redge… people cannot always afford to be idealistic.
@Kat:
I think the title should still be “Take Not the road less traveled”. Her point in her speech is that
instead of taking the road less traveled, the new graduates should make new roads.
Personally i think it all depends with which road you want to take and to where.We all have deep convictions in our hearts from time to time on what we ought to do and even how to do it and where to start; but it is unfortunate that we fear the risks involved i.e not willing to pay the cost of the cause we have taken but allow ourselves to be diverted from the focus and that is how we end up duplicating things,ideas instead of being the pioneers of our own!!Who know if we followed after our own course,what would have been entrusted to us by our maker God?
i think the title is fine. her message actually is, take not the road less traveled… make new roads instead. we really need more people like her.
Tunay na kay sarap pakinggan ng mga sariwang adhikain ng isang kabataan,
ukol sa mga isyung nakikita ng kanyang murang kamalayan.
Masakit mang aminin, marami sa mga nabanggit na isyung nagaganap
sa kasalukuyan ay bunga lamang ng mababang katayuan sa buhay ng
karamihan ng ating mamamayan.
Paano matutustusan ng isang nagtapos sa kolehiyo ang mga pangangailangan
ng kanyang pamilya sa kasalukuyan, kung hindi niya susunggaban ang
pinakamabilis na paraan para maghanap-buhay.
Kumita ng pambayad ng upa sa munting tahanan, pambili ng pagkain,
mga pang-araw-araw na pangangailangan ng kanyang mga nakababatang kapatid na nag-aaral pa lamang.
At papaano na kung si itay ay may kapansanan, o di kaya’y si lola na kinakailangang
magpatingin sa duktor o di kaya’y kailangan tumustos ng gamot para sa kanyang karamdaman?
Mga bagay na dapat tugunan, mga bagay na di makapaghihintay ng kung ilang
taon hanggang dumating ang mga pagkakataong kay tagal na nating inaadhika?
Marahil ay matapang nga na matatawag ang mga taong nananatili sa Pilipinas.
Maaring ako’y mali sa aking pananaw, ngunit ‘di ‘bat mas matapang ang sikmura ng
mga nangingibang bayan, ang mga umaalis, lumalayo sa mga pamilya upang matugunan
lamang ang mga pangangailangan ng kanilang mga mahal sa buhay?
Hindi sana ganito ang ating kalagayan kundi lamang sakim at
mapagsamantala ang mga nananatili sa bayan at nagpapanggap na makabayan.
Mga nakapagtapos kuno ng mataas na antas, ngunit kinapos sa pang-unawa sa mga
maliliit, walang inintindi kundi ang mga pansariling kapakanan.
Maganda sana ang mga binabalak ng kapit-bahay kong si Mang Simeon, nga lang ay
walang malapitan para sa puhunan, naipambayad na raw ng SUV ni Junior, upang di
nga naman mahirapan sa biyahe sa tuwing papasok siya sa unibersidad ng mga
mayayaman. At mayroon din naman akong nakasabay sa jeep noong minsan, nalugi ang
kanyang maliit na negosyo dahil kinumpitensya ni meyor na kasosyo ni kongresman.
Kinakati daw mamili sa ibang bansa si misis no. 1, 2, at 3, pati na rin ang kanilang mga alalay.
Ang insan kong nagtapos ng medisina, na matapos magsunog ng kilay, gumastos ng katakutakot ay walang
makitang malinaw na panggagalingan ng pambayad ng inutang ni tiyo at tiya para sa kanyang kolehiyo.
Hayun! Lumunok ng kung ano at nangibang-bansa na lamang upang maging nars.
Di ko maalala kung gaano kalaking halaga ang ilang bilyong salaping padala ng mga naghahanap-buhay
sa ibang bansa. Marahil ay naipangtustos sa mga utang sa kanto, o di kaya ay naubos na ring pambili
ng mga lecheng kung ano-ano na hinahain ng mga lintek na shopping mall na iyan.
Mga Koreyano? Ano nga kaya ang kanilang nakikita na di natin alam?
Maari kayang sila’y maraming pinagkukunan ng kanilang mga pangtustos
sa kanilang mga luho na kanilang nabibili sa Pinas? Ano kaya ang mangyayari kapag lahat ng
kanilang pagpaparangya ay tapos na?
Pasensya na at napahaba, wala namang malinaw na mungkahi o adhika. Mahirap kasing magbitiw ng
mga adhikaing luma na ibinalot lamang upang medyo gumara. Sa sumulat, mapalad ka at maari
mong sabihin ang iyong mga panukala. Nawa’y matupad ang iyong mga balak sa paaralang iyong
tinukoy. Mabuhay ka! Ako naman, sampu ng aking mga kasama dito, ay kakayod muna para sa mga
anak at magulang sa Pinas. Marahil bukas, sa aming “day-off”, baka sakaling makasagap ng sariwang
kasagutan para sa bayan. Pero sa ngayon, kayod muna, at kelangan daw ng pang-”load” sa selpong
ng kuya kong tambay sa bahay.
I agree that the original title should stand but I thank you for posting this as I would not have read it if not for your blog.
This is a really inspiring piece that gave me goosebumps. To think she’s only a teenager. But then again that’s the age when we are really idealistic. As we age we tend to get jaded & less dreamy.
It is indeed a tall order to battle through & lead a life of a pioneer & etch an immortal footpirnt as you tread through life when you are barely living a decent lifestyle. But sometimes I guess that may be the price to pay in search for excellence & immortality in name as shown by the lives of great artists such as Vincent Van Gogh (misunderstood & unrecognized through his lifetime but immortalized after his death) & Joseph Conrad (who lived a life of frugality & simplicity but whose family eventually grew in riches after his death & his works appreciated).
@Kat, Thanks
@Tiyo Paeng, Mabuhay ka! Pero sana isipin mo rin na may hangganan ang pagtulong sa pamilya. Yun ang mga sakit ng mga Pilipino. Kinakaya natin ang lahat kahit minsan abuso na. Sayang ang paghihirap mo na minsan ay napupunta lang sa wala. Hindi masamang alalahanin din natin ang mga sarili.
I think, as a youth who is fortunate enough (not rich but living a fairly comfortable life); what we can do is to take the challenge and also inspire our families, friends and colleagues to do the same. Try to do something for our society and country in our own little ways. If we can’t give solutions, at least strive to be not part of the problem. I think it will be easier if each one of us will just do his or her part.
we need more people willing to work for their country more than for themselves if we really want to grow as a nation.
hope all Pinoys will recognize that so we can get there soon. Thanks cigarette_girl
Hope that all Filipinos have that LOve Of Country for them to know and think where they from..and help to build our nation to be great..
She is such a brave girl. Who would jump from 2nd year high school to college (heck, Physics is a 4th year subject!) and get a 1.099 while doing it? Insane… Congratulations to her!
…it is a typical graduation speech of ideal aspirations to make a difference…a speech just appropriate for the occasion. Congratulations!
…let us not try to rationalize “brain drain” as a simple personal choice of not being brave?
She is absolutely intelligent…graduating at a fragile age of 16 years old…I hope she will have a chance to grow and become more brilliant…(and more humble…to be more cautious). I also hope..that people around her will tell her that sometimes…on some points she is wrong…
I am now voting wisely at the Embassy…doing my part to make the Philippines great…
@ phildanao
yes, it was a speech, of inspirations. and aspirations. cause if one had the brain one would have stayed here on the country and had helped instead of going somewhere else...
She’s a little idealistic alright but our country needs more people like her. People who are brave enough to choose the path most people ignore.
I guess man paeng was a bit intimidated or probably jealous to this young lady. We all have our choices. I guess you have stayed there long enough that you have forgotten your ideals for our nation. It’s time for you to serve your country since I think you have given your family all the support they needed. Staying there too long will only make your them to be dependent on you all your life.
Choices in life …
i think that at 16 yrs old you can afford to be idealistic
she’s totally smart… she is not that stereotype of “those who dont study but do well in academes”. she’s totally focused of her craft and look where she’s gotten herself? purely a defiant and a studious gal… she’s withstand the pressure with her brilliance and mere hardwork & study-smarts…. goodwork!
@Kat
When Irene wrote TAKE NOT THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED, she was trying to say that even roads that are less traveled aren´t a better choice…instead, create your own road.