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Journal Entry #9 - Social Learning

For our final project in CSRGOVE, we were instructed to create a series of projects centered on the needs of our assigned beneficiary, TOPS, which is a school for young children in the Pedro Gil area here in Manila. The class was divided into specific focus groups that were tasked to focus on a particular beneficial activity that would greatly impact the children and parents at TOPS.

For this major project, I joined the Christmas Tarpaulin group, and was made its team head. Since Christmas is fast approaching, the beneficiary needed Christmas decor and designs, one of which is a tarpaulin backdrop that TOPS could use as a photo op prop. My group thus had the task of creating a Christmas Tarpaulin for then to use this coming holiday season. To supplement, we also provided a few more additional designs for them to choose from.

Having already visited TOPS, I can say that this project will really be able to contribute to making a difference in the lives of these children and parents. This Christmas season is all about giving with compassion, and so I believe that this CSRGOVE project has instilled in all of us the spirit of giving and service to our community.

#CSRGOVE

Journal Entry #8 - Community Development

Different people have different ways of showing their desire to help out their community. This is evidenced in the different methods of social action and concern that people undertake in order to do good and give back to society.

This shows that, despite our vast differences, we still choose to work together for the benefit of our communities. By employing different techniques to help out, we are choosing to overlook the trait of selfishness that is present in each of us in favour of the trait of goodwill and compassion that ultimately trumps the bad.

For kindness is a free act, it does not require any material ingredient and is purely done out of one’s desire to serve others.

#CSRGOVE

Journal Entry #7 - Service

It's always better when people work together to achieve a common goal. This is something we know all too well, especially in groupworks, projects, involvements and the like. The feeling is different when one is working with other people than when one is alone in accomplishing a motive. The sense of success afterwards a certain group task is immensely greater than one! For our class project, we are preparing to do a Service Learning involvement, and naturally, we have different sub-committees that have different objectives and aims. The common goal is to be able to contribute to making our Service Learning a successful project, one that really does help those who need it. Being part of a team instills a sense of responsibility and urgency to finish tasks among the team members. I can use this to be able to perform my tasks better and to motivate my groupmates to do the same. It's all part of a process of planning, working, adjusting and operating efficiently. Executing tasks properly and efficiently is the key for us to make our project an overall success.

#CSRGOVE

Journal Entry #6 - A Break, A Brief Respite

The break last week offered me, like many others, a brief respite from the stress of everyday life, especially of college and other personal matters. There was only one class day, which happened to be Thursday, and so we had our CSRGOVE class as scheduled. Although I felt that that one day of class felt more like a cliffhanger and should just have been suspended in order to extend the break, I am ultimately grateful that it wasn’t cancelled.

During our CSRGOVE class, we had a couple of presentations by some of the groups. Building on the previous week’s topic of suicide and its effect on society and on individuals, each group reported on the incident that occurred just a few weeks ago within our very campus.

Hearing my classmates report on a young girl’s alleged suicide really brought me to my senses regarding the fleeting existence of us human beings and the fragility of life. It made me re-assess my own life and the actions I do every single day, as well as reevaluate my plans for myself.

All in all, an otherwise uneventful day was actually able to help me rethink my own purpose in life, and I can say it was indeed a day well spent in school.

#CSRGOVE

Journal Entry #5 - Of Life and Loss

“Be strong, be fearless, be beautiful. And believe that anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you.” ― Misty Copeland

A student fell to her death last October 25, 2016 in the Br. Andrew Gonzales Hall of De La Salle University - Manila. The incident shocked many among the DLSU community, and even reached other universities, as well as spread through social media, radio stations, news channels, and others.

This event, although saddening because of the loss of a life, should become a call for action to the Philippine society to raise awareness for mental health, mental illnesses, and empathy. We as a society still have a long way to go in terms of understanding our minds, and it is very infuriating to see how most people simply dismiss mental disorders such as depression or anxiety disorder, because they think these are exhibited by the afflicted persons in order to gain attention. They think that these disorders are simply changes in mood and can be fixed after a relaxing day or a relief from stress. However, mental health is not that simple, and I believe that the key to providing prompt response and strong support to people who do have these disorders is by first understanding them for what they are: valid and real illnesses that can be treated through constant unwavering support and the right medication.

People fail to realize that the human mind is so complex, expressing many different aspects and traits, such that each person has different and unique experiences. It then becomes really easy to judge someone based on what is perceived physically rather than internally. This behaviour is extremely counter-productive to achieving a harmonious society, and must be stopped before it does irreparable damage. Judgment, stigma, teasing, blaming, disregard. Society must realize that these aren’t right, that these traits do harm the lives of other people.

We must understand that everyone is going through some kind of hardship or challenge. No one lives their life completely free from troubles. Thus, it is important to be kind towards everyone we meet, no matter how good their life may be. Kindness and compassion are what will allow society to unite as one harmonious community.

“All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart.” ― Tahereh Mafi, Shatter Me

#CSRGOVE

Journal Entry #4 - Ethics in Society

“Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.” ― Potter Stewart

Oftentimes we overlook the importance of discernment, perhaps because of rashness or lack of judgment, and fail to think through our actions before we perform them. We tend to forget that the world does not revolve around us, that we are members of a living and breathing community, which itself joins others like it to create a diverse yet continuously growing society. Acting selfishly, we forge through our lives tirelessly working for our own benefit, forgetting that our actions have effects that constitute a domino effect across the world.

There are probably times when you might think, should I act only for myself, or should I take into consideration the welfare of those around me? It is extremely easy to live selfishly and thoughtlessly, as it requires no effort on one’s part. The rewards are boundless as well. If you work hard to further yourself, then you shall reap all the benefits of your efforts. However, is this really the way we wish to live our lives? Can we really continue on our ways undisturbed, when everywhere around us there are injustices being committed? Big or small, injustice is injustice, and wrongdoings are wrongdoings no matter what way you present them.

Ethics should be the backbone of our everyday lives; otherwise, how shall we expect society to function properly? An unethical and immoral community is one that is prepared to lie, cheat, backstab, betray its own members as well as other communities for its own good. ‘A community is only as good as its weakest member.’ This stresses the importance of the wholesome development and continuous progress of each and every individual in society. This is needed so that the world can be a much safer, peaceful, and harmonious place for everyone to live in.

#CSRGOVE

Journal Entry #3 - Life's Multitude of Moments

The beauty of life is not its joyful moments; but the fact that these times of genuine goodness exist amidst the hopelessness and tragedy in this world is what makes life so enjoyable and precious.

This week in CSRGOVE, we learned about our life objectives & goals. These struck out to me because they allowed me to discern my priorities in life. I learned that I valued independence, wisdom, creativity in attaining my goals, which included having a good life, gaining important knowledge, building strong relationships, and the like.

Reflecting on these now, I realize that, once we get a clearer understanding of who we are and what we aim to achieve in life, we are able to set out to attain these exact goals. Not only that, but the challenges and difficulties we face each day also play roles in our development as individuals and in our eventual successes. Overcoming these trials in life allow us to improve and become better at dealing with the hard times, and ultimately allow us to appreciate our better days, as well as appreciate ourselves and our capabilities.

#CSRGOVE

Journal Entry #2 - The Effects of EJK to the Philippine Society

The Duterte administration is no newcomer to issues, scandals, and accusations, be it from lawmakers, foreign personalities, or even its own countrymen. One very recent issue, however, takes the spotlight because of its extremely harsh and infringing nature. Extra-judicial killings (EJK) have been the topic of all the news channels, news sites, radio stations, and the like, for the entire month. Not to mention, the issue is all over social media, with people expressing their opinions through Facebook wall posts, shared photos, comment wars, to name a few.

I will not be discussing the logistics, morals, or ethics regarding extra-judicial killings, as I fear I will end up writing a full-length essay, or perhaps a novella. However, I WILL be discussing the EFFECTS of the whole situation, be it good or bad, to society.

All this talk about EJK’s allows the people to really pay attention to what is happening in our Philippine society. It opens the eyes of those who previously thought nothing of political or societal matters, living their lives undisturbed by what is happening around them. With the rashness, the ruthless violation of human rights by the EJK’s, people are reacting, some even extremely, to the issue. This benefits the whole society because it raises the awareness of the Filipinos to the problems we experience as a country. It’s about time we start to speak up for what we believe in.

On the other hand, the increasing public outcry about the extra-judicial killings is causing the majority to lose even more trust in the government. Most people believe that a Duterte presidency would allow the Philippines to become a safer, better place. However, many have been disappointed by the scandals of the government, at its center, our very own President. Of course the people should be critical of the public officials which they themselves have elected into office, but the manner by which most are voicing out their opinions is often illogical and only aim to attack rather than review and critique. Yes, this is a matter of national urgency, but I believe that most people, especially those on social media, could have handled their arguments better. This also affects relations between one Filipino to another, as keyboard wars online are now commonplace, especially with regards to political matters. In standing up for what they believe is right, for justice, and for human rights, our countrymen are bringing each other down by blatant accusations, attacks and curses.

Which begs the question, how far are we willing to go to fight for our own beliefs, even if we know that the manner by which we fight is wrong? How is throwing attacks at one another conducive to fixing our societal issues? If we continue at this pace, we lose the opportunity to work together towards identifying the weaknesses of our government. The Philippine political scene is already as marred by scars as it is. We definitely do not need to add any more unnecessary wounds to it.

#CSRGOVE

Journal Entry #1 - The Need for Ethics

One of the main reasons why corporations exist is to make money by selling their goods and services to consumers. They have developed multitudes of strategies through the years in order to gain the favour of the masses, as evident in the many advertisements we see around us. Billboards, commercials, print ads, news features, and the like are displayed everywhere we go and all around the world. Most huge corporations have that unparalleled drive to excessively market their products so that they may rake in as much profits as they can. There is nothing wrong with these firms having the desire to gain all the profits they can; however, they should strive to achieve these without resorting to unethical means. So many companies in the past have had scandals wherein they have done unethical business practices. These resulted in so many people being taken advantage of and their rights abused. Not only that, companies have also done injustices towards the environment because of the lack of concern for its welfare.

These reasons are why business ethics should be non-negotiable for each and every business. A lot of corporations think they can get away with being unethical and continue their malpractices, but sooner or later, they will realize that society doesn't take kindly to those who do bad deeds. Especially given that individuals are becoming increasingly sensitive and aware of the issues happening in our world nowadays, the rash injustices present in our society are being revealed in dramatic fashion. Thus, companies should make sure that they not only comply with ethical standards, but go beyond these, else they run the risk of being persecuted by the masses.

The thing is, corporate ethics goes beyond simply doing what's right to the stakeholders of one's business, it also means being stewards of human rights, caretakers of our environment, and good role models for future generations to come. Together, we will be able to achieve a harmonious, peaceful, and beneficial world for everyone. To aid in this process, corporations must then strive to be ethically conscious and concerned in all their practices. This, once achieved, can greatly impact the world in which we live in.

“Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.” — Potter Stewart

#CSRGOVE