Awe and wonder

By: Dr. Herman Lagon

(This was the author’s speech during the Character Day and Launching of the Book Month celebration held November 8, 2019)

Zǎoshang hǎo. Good morning, all the characters in the house! Yes, I am Gru on a diet at least for today.

Like your chosen book or pop-culture character, I also chose my own character because I can really relate to him a lot. What I like most about the characters in classic and good contemporary books, TV movies, TV series, and the geek-sphere is that there are usually no clear protagonists or antagonists in the story.

That is why, like some of you, I also particularly adored Tyrion Lannister of the Game of Thrones, Maleficient of the Sleeping Beauty, Dr. Sheldon Cooperin The Big Bang Theory, Professor Snapes in Harry Potter, Joker in Batman, Tony Stark and Dr. Strange in the Avengers universe, Zaccheus, Peter, and Thomas in the Gospel, John Wick in his own universe, and Warden of Liway, among many others.

Reading books and watching flicks remind us that life is a spectrum—a 4-dimensional spectrum to be philosophically profound. Our Character Day and Book Month celebration highlights this reality hoping that we get to transcend over the pitfalls of discrimination, self-righteousness, exclusivity, lethargy, pessimism, and toxicity.

Books, poetry, literature, TV series, movies, cartoons, manga, comics, and folklores are all alike. They all—even the dark horror or violent ones—ironically teach us to somehow approximate reality in the imagination of its authors or creators.

The books we read are all reflections of our own stories on many levels. They are reminders that we must be more accepting and understanding of the context of others, more loving and less judgmental. Celebrate the truth, creation, imagination, diversity, tolerance, and positivity. That at the end of the day, everyone is a work in process and that we need each other to perfect this endless desire to be better versions of ourselves and to do greater things in life.

That is why I chose to be Gru for he reminds me how a broken and sinful man can still desire to do better and be better for and with others. In the same manner, I pray that this celebration of ours will also somehow remind everyone to see the goodness in the chosen character of our classmates, teachers, and friends.

So I ask you now to look at your classmate, appreciate his or her costume or character and say no matter what character you are, “You are a good person, my friend.”

Dearest Ateneans, never cease to read. Dahil ang nagbabasa ay palaging malaya at palaging may malay. A good piece of literature or art can change one’s life and can inspire one to be a heroic Ignatian leader in the process.

So ladies and gentlemen, through reading books and appreciating the different expressions of it, let us celebrate the beauty of imagination and the goodness of everyone despite all the masks we wear.

Let us enjoy the rest of the Character day and Book month with awe and wonder!