A Student's Untimely Farewell

Amiel Alcantara. I will never forget that name. Upon receiving a message regarding the tragic incident, I knew deep inside that I've not just tragically lost a student, but also a driving force in my journey as a teacher. With his brotherly praises and greetings filled with tremendous joy and unforgettable laughter, as unmagnanimous destiny was for him, no one would not feel a certain stop in the beating of one's heart in sadness and hatred (for the dreams that will never be fulfilled, for the visions that will never be conceived). 

 

As I've read his parent's appeal for prayer, surely, I believe this is the best gift that I can give and share all for him in this moment.  

Humihingi kami ng mga dasal niyo para sa kaluluwa ni Amiel Alcantara. Siya ay nasa ikaapat na baitang at mag-aaral ng Mababang Paaralan ng Ateneo de manila. Kanina lamang, siya'y naipit ng dalawang kotse sa may dismissal/waiting area, oras ng kanilang uwian. Kinailangan pa siyang hugutin mula sa ibaba ng kotse upang maialis siya sa pagkaipit. Maraming dugo ang nakita sa pinangyarihan ng insidente. Naisugod pa siya sa ospital ngunit hindi rin nagtagal at siya'y pumanaw. Nawa'y ipagdasal niyo ang kanyang kaluluwa at ang kanyang pamilya. Pakipasa ang mensaheng ito sa iba. Maraming salamat po.

I am offering my condolences to his family especially to his brother Avie who is also one of my students. 

Godspeed, Amiel. 

Who is Mr. Common Sense?

Do we really make sense or do our senses make us?

This is a rather paradoxical question to ask, yet a very obvious one. So obvious that no one, even the philosophers, ever asked it because all statements made will nullify itself; since what had been thought in the duration of thinking shall make a contradiction to the act of thinking itself (if it is, in the first place, a valid act to one's perception).

Anyway, here's an attempt by a writer (this was sent to me by a friend) to make a forecast or to paint a not-so-distant reality of the death of common sense.

Leave a comment below if you have spurts of statements to let go off your mouth's leash.

If there's none, just enjoy and view his sense about the (global) common sense.
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Obituary: Mr. Common Sense

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;

I Know My Rights

I Want It Now

Someone Else Is To Blame

I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.