The salutation speech that follows was delivered by Niña Andrea Marañon on August 26, 2024, at the Plenary Hall of the PICC during the 29th Graduation Rites of the University of Asia and the Pacific. Niña graduated magna cum laude from the 5-Year Master of Arts in Political Economy with Specialization in International Relations and Development Program of UA&P.
I have a question for all of us: Which is more important, the journey or the destination? My father asked me the same question, and I answered “destination” without any hesitation. That was the time in my life when I was so preoccupied with completing my degree that I did not realize there were other equally important things right in front of me. A few months and many trials after, my answer changed. I realized that focusing on the destination is not the most important thing because it causes us to forget ourselves, forget our loved ones, and forget the bigger picture.
In focusing solely on the destination, we neglect ourselves. We end up not having time to rewind, recollect, and reflect. Most importantly, we forget to rest because we feel that we cannot do so without accomplishing something first. We then beat ourselves up for failures when we accomplish nothing, like missing deadlines, submitting disappointing drafts, and doing poor presentations. We need to realize that we have to take care of ourselves to become our best versions when we reach our destination. There is no use in accomplishing something when we are too burned out to celebrate it.
With her parents and siblings.
When we focus on the destination, we forget the people around us. We decline our mother’s invitation to an afternoon snack, even when she took the time to make our favorite cheese sandwich. We ignore our friend’s messages when they ask how we are, even if we have not caught up with them in weeks. We become so preoccupied with the future that we cannot make time for our loved ones in the present. Remember that we only have a limited time on this earth and with each other. So, let us look at our loved ones and hold their hand or lean on their shoulder. Whether we have reached our destination or not, we could not have made it this far without them.
Lastly, by emphasizing the destination, we forget the bigger picture. We do not pay attention to mundane interactions because we do not think they will help us with our goals. But looking at the bigger picture means acknowledging even the smallest of things because those seemingly unimportant detours, interactions, and experiences, build us to who we are today. Unitas means “unity of life,” and as we expect to live in harmony with others, may we also find harmony within ourselves by accepting all of our memories, experiences, and lessons in their totality. To embody the very spirit of our university is to find unity within us, to remember the good and bad, accept it, and do better. The holistic development we so advocate for is not just displayed in the mere sum of skills we have learned but is in the adoption of a worldview in which every step, every memory, and every interaction we have gone through evidently leads up to who we are today. Remembering where we came from allows us to acknowledge who we are now and, ultimately, enables us to trailblaze on.
As I end this, I would like to revisit the question. Is the journey more important than the destination? Or vice versa? My answer is that we need to recognize both. We need the destination to guide us and give us direction, but we also need to appreciate the journey to form our values, build our character, and learn to be better. Most of all, we need to know when to stop to take a breather, sit on a rock, and just appreciate the view. So the next time we climb a mountain on the way to our destination, let us not forget to look back. We may never see the sun set like this again.#
Banner photo by Vlad Bagacian on Unsplash.
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