ryan-edward-lim-chua:

I interviewed Mr. Eduardo Jose Calasanz, my philosophy teacher and friend, for The Guidon’s graduation special issue. We talked about his journey as a teacher for more than 30 years, his teaching style, the things he learned, and more.

He told me that what baffles him about young people nowadays is that they are easily discouraged. And so for this easily discouraged generation, he gave this message:

(Transcribed verbatim)

“What I really would like you to hold on to is hope. There will always be reasons for being pessimistic. There will always be reasons for being discouraged. Always, always. And as you get older, there will be more reasons for being discouraged, for despairing. And so all the more you have to decide for hope. You have to decide to be willing to begin all over again. It’s a decision; it’s not a feeling. It’s really a decision to hope. Precisely against all odds, you will experience a lot of meaninglessness. That’s why you have to opt for meaning, decide for meaning. In the midst of all this, there can be meaning.

“As you get older, more and more you will experience infidelity. Promises will be broken. The ones you love will leave. You will leave. And so you have to opt for fidelity. People change, but you decide for something permanent in the midst of change. It’s not that nothing will change—you will change, people will change, things will change. But precisely because things change, then you decide for something that’s permanent. It’s really your decision. Or the way I would put it, the common idiomatic expression that puts it very well: It’s your call.”