My last stand

If I am to make a gadget, it would be a make-up-your-mind-danator. Why? Because I cant seem to make up my mind. I need a gadget so that when I hit a button, voila! A decision is made. Oh how I wish decision making would be this simple.

What is there to make up my mind for anyway? I needed to make up my mind whether to attend the Commitment Setting and Planning Workshop for the iSchools Writers in Manila or to go to Cebu or to finish checking the works of my students.

Just like anybody else, decision-making needs careful assessment of the consequences of saying yes or no. If I am to stay in school and continue checking the students’ works, I can submit grades on time but I will miss the opportunities and the responsibilities that entails of being an iSchools writer. And I love being a writer. If I am to go to Cebu and attend to my personal stuff, submission of grades will be delayed and I will still miss the meeting of the iSchools writers. Decisions… decisions…

That is why I need to invent my make-up-your-mind-danator. Kidding aside, I remember a quote by an American entertainer Peter Marshall.

“Give to us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for - because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything.”

So, I decided to attend the meeting in the University of the Philippines-Diliman. I made my stand. The meeting-workshop in Manila will give the participants like me a clear idea of how it is to be an iSchools writer. It will also point out the responsibilities and benefits that goes along with being a writer for iSchools. I know it would be difficult. I am pretty sure of it. But, I have to stand for something or else, I would surely fall for anything. See, the gadget did the trick! I arrived at a decision.

Off I traveled and arrived in Manila on the 14th of March. Attended the training on the 15th and met wit the other would-be iSchools writers. Others are determined to be a writer already while some, like me, are still caught up in the height of work and personal conflicts.

During the meeting, I finally come to terms with myself. An introduction made by Ms. Rosella Torrecampo, one of the training speakers, is from the Greek Oracle of Delphi, “Gnothi se auton.” In English, know thyself. Indeed! If I know myself better, it would not have been hard on my part to decide which is which. If I know myself better, I would know what things I should stand for. I would have known that I can multitask and I can work even under pressure.

Although I cut short by one day on the meeting to go to Cebu, I submitted the required outputs. While I was in Cebu, I checked my students’ works from time to time. All is well that ends well. I get to attend the workshop, I went to Cebu and I even managed to check the works of my students. The bonus is I get to know myself better and that is because I made my last stand: that is to fully accept of being an iSchools writer.