Valedictory Speech
It was choice that brought me here. Destiny might have allied with my actions but as how such a word is defined by my own principles, my fate of finally being here in cold palms but in ardent spirit was all because of what decision I chose. . . and that is far beyond what the supernatural can encompass. It was through efforts, through dignity, through hope --- such human incentives that drove me closest to where I thought triumph seemed unreachable. And I share the moment with you --- to those who have ears that are willing to listen and eyes that are yet to open.
*Greetings, Blah, Blah, Blah…
Life is a relentless battle --- an epic of failure and submission balanced by one’s own endeavors of struggling hard in reaching the sweetest success. It is an endless story to which only death can punctuate. But for as long as the body endures, so must the soul and the passion.
Indeed, we made stories. We penned tales that are a forever keepsake to our hearts of what true high school life was indeed all about. There were times of embarrassments that never fail to put a blush on our faces; unforgettable conflicts and upheavals that prompted us to be at our strongest; moments of heartaches and “heart-makes” that inevitably trapped us into momentary dilemmas; and instances when we had to laugh at the top of our lungs because of some friends’ gag shows. Failing times were, as well, evident; they were like a hundred arrows to counter. . . However painful, they have nevertheless metamorphosed us into the well-armored warriors that we are right now. And bringing out the human in us was indeed the essence of having been high school students of the magnificent Zamboanga National High School West!
We may forever reminisce the moments when we had to dash with time just to anticipate the dreaded due dates of requirements and paper works demanded from us by our mentors. What can I say? It was in high school when I first met overnight stresses, early morning fatigues, afternoon exhaustions and working holidays! The sleepless nights and tedious days almost consumed our vigor completely and the inexorable toil lured us away to the edge of chaos --- almost sabotaging the fleet and making the protagonists barely resist.
It was in high school when I learned oblivion and kept my idle head whirling in motionless pondering. Such were times when staring upon the heavens in darkness played as the only resort for wandering psyches like me. Such were times when giving up seemed unavoidable, and evading the combat in disconcerted aura seemed to be the only elixir that would ease the entire burden. The relentless hard works, the anomalies of expectations, the empty dining table, Papa in hidden anxieties of hunting the next meal, Mama on overseas lands weeping in painful solitude, the girl who never took notice of the boy’s affection, the love that seemed fleeting from one’s very own grasps --- they were all but a tempestuous wind in a stormy scenario gone berserk lambasting the feeble light of a struggling candle. And the candle personifies us. Furthermore, it is self-evident that indeed once, the wind almost blew the light away. And all he could do was play naive while she who was more vivid wept in silence.
It was in high school when I learned oblivion and kept my idle head whirling in motionless pondering. Such were times when staring upon the heavens in darkness played as the only resort for wandering psyches like me. Such were times when giving up seemed unavoidable, and evading the combat in disconcerted aura seemed to be the only elixir that would ease the entire burden. The relentless hard works, the anomalies of expectations, the empty dining table, Papa in hidden anxieties of hunting the next meal, Mama on overseas lands weeping in painful solitude, the girl who never took notice of the boy’s affection, the love that seemed fleeting from one’s very own grasps --- they were all but a tempestuous wind in a stormy scenario gone berserk lambasting the feeble light of a struggling candle. And the candle personifies us. Furthermore, it is self-evident that indeed once, the wind almost blew the light away. And all he could do was play naive while she who was more vivid wept in silence.
Resentments were then winning the fight and downgrading the esteem that frustrates the person. The trials were indeed the antagonists of the story, our story, and it hindered us from emancipating our tired souls from wandering aimlessly in search for something we are yet to know. And we were but ruined souls then.
For a moment, I found myself shut in pandemonium with no passion left but timid existence of someone else’s persona whom I thought I never knew. Along came the heroes of the tragedy: the tutors who seemed indifferent yet empathic in mysterious ways; the faces whom you call friends who listen upon however insane words you utter; the good Samaritans who linger right before your very eyes that were, all this time, blind to see the aids of such wonderful people; the family that had defied every frustration that burdened you. They were there. They always were. And tomorrow will not forestall them from loving you forever.
And this is when I say “thank you” to those spirits who have guided me to fulfillment. To my advisers who were all appreciative and undeniably supportive in their own peculiar ways, you were all I needed when everything else turned to gray. To my SSC classmates, thank you as well. You have indeed made a person out of me! I have drawn so much strength from you when my blue sky was at its absence. The gladness that I possess right now of having to find you in the multitude will last a lifetime in my heart. The Special Science Class will always be in my heart. To all of the teachers that had taught me and enlightened my perspectives towards aiming for excellence, I give you my heartfelt gratitude. Thank you very much. And to my Mom, who has always been my inspiration and my driving force amid all the pains and turmoil that came to pass, maraming salamat. You and Papa always were the shaft of light that peered through my darkest days and ferried my hopes of seeing joy in the midst of pessimisms. Papa could have been so proud of me and wherever he may be right now, this exaltation is for him as well.
And now, the story has to find its end and bring us soaring to a much more realistic plot: a new chapter where a pot of gold would no longer suffice the craving but freedom from the superficial that have been faltering within us through all these years. Having to reach the finale of this journey is not merely on what records you’ve established; it always was not all about excellence for not all can strive enough for some prestige and recognition that are expected from them. It was more of the betterment of the psyche. . . of the person whom we see in front of the mirror. The moments we have cherished for the last four years or so in Zamboanga National High School West were not learning alone, it was the inquisition per se for the profound that is beyond what the periphery can offer. It was all about personhood --- to genuinely feel the downsides of life but wrestle with them with perseverance and rise from the ashes like a phoenix in blazing fire. We were fashioned not only to be students who aim for profession but to be significant and life-changing humans for this whimsical world. So let us prove them right, that we, the newly directed souls of that proud school by the sea are about to make a difference on the surface of this planet. For all this time, we were forged to show the world some love.
Thank you and congratulations, co-graduates! Kudos to all! Viva Zamboanga National High School West!
***
Funny how things turn out today. I had dreams and thought I could fulfill them, but what I see now in all of what I wove in this college era is how not-even-close-to-less-of-a-better person I have become. My last four years cost me nothing sublime and life-changing. My only way back to that summit now, amid this discord, is redemption. Still that humongous question segues: Paano, Kim? Paano?
