One B

A friend of mine from the Supreme Court was regaling me with tales of a "legendary Falcon Crest" block in UP Law, when in the midst of her storytelling I slowly realized the block she was talking about was my own! As I didn't watch this American soap, I checked the plot online and found little in common between the Machiavellian scheming of its characters and the tempestuous relationships in our class. Nonetheless, we did create our own share of drama- just enough to make life in law school more interesting.

We were freshmen when the above picture with our adviser, Prof. Muyot, was taken. I was class president then, but too busy trying to balance reading cases and writing for the campus paper: I was oftentimes the last to find out about the latest class dispute or entanglement, except when I myself was involved in it!

Prof. Muyot helped provide balance and stability to our class of anarchy, One B. He encouraged us to show up for our parties... and stay beyond 9 PM even if we had a backlog of readings. He reminded us that, for better or worse, we would be stuck with each other for many years, so that we might as well make the best of it. And he gave us a vision of ourselves as future leaders of the country.

Our class has had two reunions the past month- it's a jubilee year for us, and people are making a special effort to reconnect. What's wonderful is how we know each other- both our flaws and strengths- because of the pressure-cooker experience that was law school. While my most intense relationships probably happened outside our block- or even our College- the friendships I made in our block are definitely among the most resilient and longest-lasting.

illusions

You are led through your lifetime by the inner learning creature, the playful spiritual being that is your real self. Don't turn away from possible futures before you're certain you don't have anything to learn from them. You're always free to change your mind and choose a different future, or a different past. -Richard Bach (Illusions, 1977)

I just returned to my Vasco Da Gama room after a candle-lit dinner by the Mindanao Sea with some Facebook friends, people with whom I spend a few days in exotic locales every couple of years. We're all here for a wedding, and while talking to Cathy, the bride, we realized that it has been around ten years since we last talked to each other.

Yet I feel like I know her very well, perhaps because we went through an intense experience together- perhaps because, as Richard Bach said, we know our friends in the first minute we meet. You see, Cathy accompanied me in my first trip abroad- to Beijing- and for me was a calming presence. At one point, she even helped carry my luggage in the Manila airport! Beneath a graceful exterior was a strong spirit. And it was in Beijing where she met Laurent, who she'll marry tomorrow.

The day has been magical for me. Each of my friends is surrounded by an emotional zone- when we talk, I see a flesh-and-blood person, and I also see the wonderful places and people we've seen together. It's almost like watching a film, or living episodes of my life all over again. I even bumped into someone who's not a Facebook friend, but who once made my days better- and helped me achieve more than I could have by myself. So it's an unforgettable day in a special place.

I also see how I'm changing: a part of me can now view emotions with disinterest, or at least amusement, instead of being overwhelmed by them. It's time to change the "Romeo and Juliet," roller-coaster script of my most important relationships- perhaps for me tomorrow's wedding of Cathy and Laurent would also mark a turning-point, a graduation into the next stage of my journey.

once a catholic

That's the title of a book that an agnostic friend once made me read. I think out of curiosity- and also the desire to find answers to her own questions- she asked me why I would stick with Roman Catholicism, notwithstanding my disagreement with certain positions of the Church (on birth control, for example).

I answered that, for me, my spirituality- my personal relationship with God (or the Force or the cosmos)- precedes the institutional religion to which I belong. Roman Catholicism provides the forms and structures that allow me to express my gratitude to the universe and connect with the pulse of life, and I am comfortable with this.

Moreover, isn't religion inherited, in a way? I am Catholic because my parents and grandparents are Catholic; you are agnostic, because one of your parents is agnostic (and an intelligent and articulate one at that).

Well, now, I can think of a third reason: the Church has given me a community, a web of relationships that has given me security and a sense of belonging. In Nueva Ecija, for example, where I've been spending a lot of time these past few years, Tito Doc and Tita Violy treat the clergy- fellow priests of my cousin Msgr. Mike- as members of the family.

Because of these ties, I met Fr. Elmer (in the picture above), to whom I can easily relate because we're around the same age. He once said that a priest has three traits: he is priestly, kingly, and prophetic. And interested as I am in others, I sought to better understand Fr. Elmer and all priests by adopting these aspects- in a way, by realizing the priest within me.

I believe that what's most important in a religion are its standards for ethical conduct that allow people to live with dignity and in peace with each other, as well as realize their best selves.

Thankfully, our Church friends have not put me in a box and, instead, have given me space to be myself- to contribute to Christianity in my own unique way.