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[av_heading heading=’ ACCENTS | Big 3 S-words: Sense, Sensibility, Service’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY JULIA CARREON-LAGOC
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Monday, June 5, 2017
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HI, Sirs/Madams. Don’t joke with the s-words, or you’ll be ostracized. Or, find yourself in the despicable garbage bin. If need be — to express extreme antagonism — use a hyphen between letter s and letter t. Oh, shit! LOL! Laugh Out Loud. I’m using the s-word to show how it contrasts with my own favorite s-words: Sense, Sensibility, Service.
The three s-words stood out in the 5th Grand Alumni Homecoming, May 27, 2017, SASNES Ground. SASNES is short for the San Antonio-San Nicolas Elementary School in Oton, Iloilo which, in its early years, included enrollees from the neighboring barangays Cagbang and Alegre.
Throwback to SASNES Centennial Jubilee, May 24-31, 2014: Sense, Sensibility – Service was the title of the FOREWORD I wrote for the centennial yearbook. Then a seventy-ager, now an octogenarian, here are excerpts of what I wrote:
“Memories streamed forth as I stepped on the school ground after several years of having lost connections. Joy mingled with a tinge of sadness engulfed me as I recalled the days gone by, the pitter-patter of small feet in clogs or rubber slippers (shoes were only for special events). Ah, the classrooms where we got introduced to Pepe and Pilar, the fruit-bearing trees we climbed, heedless of Miss Titser’s warnings. Care-free young voices where que sera, que sera was a question farthest from our minds.
“I belong to Class ’49, and, as of today, know of only two left (three are still verifiable) out of about 20 or 25 of us then. I grieve for classmates who went ahead, peacefully at rest “six feet under the ground,” To those who have carved a niche in their chosen profession, warmest congratulations.
“Far from the fictive, romantic world of famed novelist Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility, as used here, refer to the plain, unburnished realities we live in. These are two essential traits that boost up Service in answer to the appalling needs of our country and people. Sense, Sensibility, Service – three components to summon if we have to be worthy of our formal education that began with SASNES.
“A deep Sense of involvement and commitment, and Sensibility to the needs of the community, that of our two barangays in particular. Service rendered without strings attached — in whatever way we can, be it big or small. High time to payback for the free elementary education we have enjoyed. Harness our talents earned from the elementary up to our college years and beyond. Hearken ye, guys and dolls, knowledge gained should flower and bear fruit.
“If truth be told, Success didn’t grace the path of many alumni, and, consequently, neither did Excellence. Fate can be choosy, it is said; the stars are unkind. I say, banish thoughts of fate and ridiculous star predictions. The keystones are dedication and determination. For diplomas and degrees, it was kayud (hard work) all the way from our parents to educate us seven children, as it was with our own son and three daughters. The school’s hallowed portals embraced us all.
“I, a teeny-weeny digit in the vast array of alumni, can only wish the school of my youth, the San Antonio-San Nicolas Elementary School [to quote my Foreword] — ever greater Success and Excellence as it turns out year after year, generation after generation, fresh graduates who will be facing challenges as the next [alumni reunion] unfold.”
June 5, enrollment time, tens of thousands will step into institutions of learning. Forever and ever, education marches on. With buoyant optimism and high hopes for a bright future, this octogenarian encourages one and allto face boldly the hard knocks of life. Dream on, and turn those dreams to reality.
Good luck to everyone! (juliaclagoc@yahoo.com)
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Julia Carreon-Lagoc was a columnist of Panay News for two decades. She pops up with Accents now and then./PN
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