Of Mediums and Perspectives

I started drawing at an early age and I still vividly remember doodling my very first concept of a house on a piece of paper. It was an amazing feeling to see a simple sketch of lines and shapes turn into something detailed right before my very eyes which my mind has perceived beforehand. I even remember being one of the few in my elementary school to get chosen and join drawing competitions.

I never really understood then why we have to portray the Filipino concept of bayanihan--saving Mother Nature, recycling, or doing acts of goodwill towards others in our drawings instead of fighting robots, funny cartoon characters, or carnage and gore (I was a kid). I enjoyed the challenge, though, because it made me ponder and look at the things that really matter in the world. Never would I have thought that what I was doing was a form of social artistry.

According to Pauline Salvana-Bautista, a professor at the UP college of music, she defined the term social artistry as “the process of becoming aware of one’s goals and potentials, expressing these in ways that can be experienced by the senses, and defining values and habits to animate these experienced goals and potentials, in the context of improving self, community and environment.”  In short, art can be used as a medium that can convey an idea that is both relative and subjective. It can be easily and openly interpreted making it the perfect language to capture the curiosity of a person for whatever purpose. In our case, this means opening self-awareness towards the improvement of society.

But then again, before one can start using art to help the society, one must learn first its 7 key concepts to pinpoint its problems.

(1) Society

(2) Values

(3) Poverty

(4) Human Rights

(5) Good Leadership

(6) Contribution of Teachers and Parents to Nation Building

(7) and Sustainable Human Development.

I don’t know about you, but I would enjoy reading a comic strip or watching an interpretative dance about saving the planet and helping other people. Heck, I even took pleasure listening to Smokey Mountain’s "Paraiso" as a kid.

Source:
Ayala, Joey et al. SINING-BAYAN: ART OF NATION BUILDING: Social Artistry Fieldbook
to Promote Good Citizenship Values for Prosperity and Integrity. (2009). "SOCIAL ARTISTRY IN CIVIC WELFARE TRAINING SERVICE, Building the Self to Extend to Others (p 189-196). 

Seven Months Ago Today

I was sitting alone on a bus that gloomy Monday morning. I tried my best to sleep but the chilly atmosphere kept me awake. The air con was humming full blast mercilessly. I figured the driver wasn’t too sympathetic towards his passengers either. Peering outside, looking at the endless road made me forget the cold atmosphere and it was even enough to put me in a daze to make my mind wander.

   

Seven months ago today, was a life-changing moment of realization. I wasn’t happy with my everyday routine of sitting my ass off for a six-hour travel just to sit for another eight, doing a mind-numbing job behind a desk. Don’t get me wrong though, despite a highly competitive job market, I was thankful to even have one. I remembered myself ecstatic at first. I thought I could easily get used to the pressure, the competition, the long commutes, conflict among colleagues, the racist boss, the drunkenly wasted Friday (or Monday) nights; not to mention the impossible goals and quotas we need to achieve. Reaching the end, it eventually burned me down. Working for the man has its toll. Sooner or later, I was bound to realize that I was the cog running the capitalist machine. I suddenly pictured myself as a mule, pulling a cart that won’t budge because it’s loaded with heavy stones. It’s just pointless, impossible, and never-ending--and I didn’t like it one bit. The futility and idea itself made me lose my significance and question my fulfillment. “There must be something more to life, there should be.” I mumbled to myself.

Seven months ago today, was a moment of pure clarity. I’m back and full of purpose, studying in the country’s top University, no less. I am trying to set my priorities straight because someday, it is my duty and obligation as a citizen to give back to my country no matter how big or small. 

The Communitarian Model of Citizenship

The trustor-trustee relationship in a social contract gives us an idea why societies need a form of government. The social contract is put in place to ensure the society’s stability, order, and progress. Looking at the other side of the coin, the individuals in a society has an equal role to perform alongside its chosen system of rule to fulfill the success of a social contract.

By definition, the communitarian model of citizenship argues that “society is made up of groups and communities and only works effectively when individuals feel part of such communities.” (Leydet 2011, Zalta 2011) It is in Man’s innate nature to seek for the meaning of his existence which he may validate through self-fulfillment. The communitarian view gives an individual a sense of purpose as a citizen with duties and obligations for the good of his community. This also gives him the satisfaction and feeling of giving something in return in exchange for his rights as a citizen. Under these circumstances, the aim of an individual in the communitarian perspective to validate his self- fulfillment is to do his duties and obligations as a citizen for the good and success of his group or community.

In a nutshell, if I were an individual with a communitarian perspective, it is my duty to give back to my community because it is in my belief that I can only be a full-fledged citizen and be allowed my rights by doing so.

Back to School

So we're required to write a blog for our CWTS1 class. I have decided to use my little corner of the internet to air out my thoughts.

It was my second time last night to attend an online class. We used Yahoo Messenger as the primary medium of communication for another subject just a few years ago. We experienced a lot of technical difficulties making it less enjoyable then. I'm glad to say that today, technology-wise, computers have more-than-enough hardware specs and the ISPs can provide higher bandwidth capacities which are more stable and faster. Not to mention that there are a lot of great online teaching tools the instructors may use and choose from.

The discussion last night was about citizenship. There were a lot of ideas and each of my eager classmates had a lot of thought-provoking insights to share (specially when it comes to politics.) The scroll speed of the chatbox was nothing short of insane. I hope Prof. V. didn't have a hard time catching up (to think she was also feeling a bit under the weather.) I thought she discussed the topic pretty well and I was able to understand most of it.

I think the gist of citizenship is that we have our responsibilities (following the law) to ensure our "needs" are met from a fully-working society. At the same time, what we "want" in life (e.g., success) will give us the fulfillment in which only a successful society can provide.

See you all again in class.