For many of us, Christmas is a time of giving. It is a time when everything in the world seems perfect—we buy gifts for the people we love, and at least for most, it is a time for reconciliation.
During Christmas, the world seems like it is a smaller place. Barriers go down as people greet each other in the streets, and for just one night, people learn to share. Some may even say that Christmas is a miracle in that the world seems like it does not have problems in this time of year.
But the truth is that our problems do not disappear , not even during Christmas. The government still needs to work on the culture of impunity, corruption and many more issues, while the private sector still struggles to balance profit with sustainability.
The world is not without problems this time of year as well. Environmental threats, poverty and the lack of sustainable practices have become universal problems that many countries have to address together.
In this country alone, many people will not celebrate Christmas. Families of a less than 2,000 people who are missing or dead because of typhoon Pablo will have little to celebrate. Though many government and non-government organizations continue to provide support, the Php 14.3 billion- damage is not something these organizations could address overnight.
The same is true for the University. DLSU is not without its share of problems. The University needs to address issues such as the use of sustainable practices. Moreover, the University needs to look into several school policies, the output and quality of research produced by the faculty and transparency issues as well as the nearing Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) accreditation next year.
Let’s face it. Christmas is different for everybody and the world does not change overnight. But what is it with Christmas that makes people inspire others to continue to strive to change? What is it that pushes people to look at each other and see commonalities instead of differences? And what makes people do good things when it seems like the world will not change anytime soon?
We do not really know, but we at The LaSallian believe that it is faith. To put it simply, we all have faith that Christmas makes everything possible—forgiveness, change, selflessness, kindness, conscience and truth. Christmas may be different for many people, but one thing stays the same. We have faith; it maybe in God, in our family or in ourselves.
The LaSallian’s Christmas issue will continue to present issues that promote critical thinking because we have faith in the students, the administration, in student leaders and in the country. We continue to write because we believe that people could change for the better and that we have a role to play in the University.
Merry Christmas, and may we all bring our faith along with our presents, smiles and added weight in the coming New Year.
