Way back college, a student organization head and I patched some personality differences up to save our friendship. It later serves as an important bookmark on my life where I can turn back and reflect. During the said lengthy flow of logic, emotions, arguments and reactions, I learned that the person wishes for the same respect I am getting from our peers. Then, the person lectured me about two kinds of respect – the respect out of fear and the other one which is out of love. As vague as you can imagine, how’s love gotta to do with it? My friend then compares two person. The first one walks to the corridors, comes across with our classmates and if the day is generously good, would be answered with promises of beating the deadlines of deliverables on the upcoming event of the club after hello’s. Then if I will walk to the same corridors, will meet the same group of classmates, regardless how good or bad my day is, the vague word of love becomes evident.

I checked this observation with my other friends. One of which is a teacher of ours. She said I got charisma which unfortunately what my friend is missing. Honestly, I’m blinded about it. I’m just being myself on what I do. Motto 1. ‘Nagpapakatotoo lang’. I was never elected president of a high school student council neither hold a highest position in a college organization. But I became the Alumni President and Batch Representative of my high school and college friends. Hindi ako magaling sa pulitika. Sa papakipag-relasyon siguro. Or maybe because elections happen during the start of the year as opposed to the selections of batch representatives happening at the end of the school year. Respect takes time.

Dejavu!

It happened again with me and someone. The person remarked ‘I don’t know how strong your influence to your peers’ which is unknown to me either. I consulted this with my friends (the peers) and had suggested me to agree and should have replied ‘Yes, I know.’ during that moment, so they would appear like what you usually see in SWAT movies on that scene when and where the remark was spilled.

It is not my intention to have them feel that way – intimidated. I wanted to play back the infamous line of PBB Season 2 Big Winner, Bea Saw, ‘ang respeto.. hindi ini-impose… ini-earn yan’. Respect is not imposed. It is earned. There’s no CBA or documentation on how to earn respect. Inflict fear or sow understanding. One will gain authority… the other will receive love.

Strong influence? Having said that is like removing their privilege to think by themselves – to act by themselves. Collective thinking? Nope, I call this standing up on a common ground – fighting for a common cause. Understand others and be understood. Motto 2. ‘Nagpapakatao lang’.