Reaping the Fruits…
February 22, 2008“Nanananana- na, nanananana-na, batman, batman, batman…” Making his way around Gotham City, the fearless hero, Batman once again saves the day. Through his hard work, perseverance and determination, he doesn’t have to use any superpower to battle the forces of evil that make the world unsafe. Just like Batman, we are also faced with the task of fighting against the challenges that life offers us every day with no extraordinary powers. Sometimes the tasks are tedious and complex, but like our favorite superhero in black, we can transcend beyond our abilities as human beings through effort, patience and perseverance. Like Batman, other superheroes and everyday heroes, I believe that hard work, patience and determination do in fact pay off in the end.
Whenever I am faced regarding the perseverance in life, I immediately remember the process I went through in studying for a Math long test. Studying for Math long tests were always stressful weeks given only two-week intervals between long tests. Last Thursday, we just took our fourth long test and I know that I made a lot of preparations for that test. Just weeks before the test, I started answering the exercises in the book, the sample long tests and reading the book several times. Add to the list the sleepless nights I spent studying for that test. Eventually, I think that I somehow got a good grade in that test when it was returned. The sleepless nights of solving the integral and the area of a function paid off.
Another illustration of the sweet success from hard work is the story of how my grandfather worked his way to be where he is right now. My grandfather came from a small town in China and went to the Philippines sometime in 1955. When he came here, he didn’t know a lot about the country, the people here and what to do. It wasn’t easy for him living in a new place. Even business was complicated for a newcomer like him. My mother and her siblings grew up experiencing the hardships of life like having to share a single hamburger for their snacks and balancing their small amount of allowance. However, as years passed by, their status in life improved and this is because of the hard work my grandfather placed in his job. He engaged in different businesses and responsibly saved money for his family. he slowly crept his way to the life he is living right now and at the same time, he was able to buy a new house for his family. Currently, at the age of 83, he still works hard in his own office from six am to five pm. His story serves as an example that inspires me to persevere more in what I do.
Another vivid memory that comes into my mind regarding hard work concerns the eighteenth birthday celebration of my best friend. Her birthday falls in the last week of September 2007. As we all know, that week is one of the hell weeks in the Ateneo because the much awaited semestral break is almost near and finals week is approaching. I was really stressed that time because I had to do birthday surprise preparations alongside tons of schoolwork. At that time, I didn’t know what to do first and how to do all those things at the same time. There were a lot of sleepless nights along with several cups of coffee to accompany me through those nights. The day of her eighteenth birthday came and the plans were successfully executed. The moment she saw the surprise and the reaction on her face made all the hard work and effort pay off. I saw how happy she was that day and that feeling of elation proved that it was all worth it.
Perseverance, patience, effort and hard work- all of these are clearly illustrated in the life stories and experiences above. And all of these are what I believe to be essential attitudes we must be equipped with in life because these bring out the best in us. Like my experiences and those of my grandfather, the fruits of one’s efforts would definitely be rewarding and worth it that’s why I strongly believe in the power of hard work and perseverance.
Yeah, this one is really hard to prove… and easier said than done.
There are so many pedicab drivers, factory workers, and ordinaryong manggagawang Pilipino who work their butt off for a better future. But so many factors beyond them limit their future: their lack of education, inflation, the prejudice of society, the closing of opportunities to people like them.
We have to consider ourselves lucky. There are many people who are definitely more hardworking and persevering than we are.
Whether we like it or not, society presents better opportunities to us– for simple reasons like having an Ateneo education, or for silly reasons like looking less scruffy than the person who washes our laundry.
Summary: Sam starts by introducing Batman, a superhero with no special powers and comparing him to all of us– humans with no powers but are able to do heroic deeds too. She then states her belief that putting in hard work, patience and determination pay off in the end. Sam tells a story about her math long test and how much hard work she put into it. As a result, she did pretty well in the test. She then proceeds to tell a story about her grandfather who knew nothing about the country, but just used patience and determination in his job, which resulted into a great life up to now. Her final story is about her friend whom she prepared a surprise for, and how happy her friend became because of the effort she put into the surprise.
Comments:
-The Batman intro really shows how we too, can be “super” without special powers.
-These personal anecdotes made the entry interesting.
-I think however that hardwork, patience and determination of course, would pay off one way or another in anything we do, even though it’s not seen immediately. I think that this belief of yours is actually something that can be proven.
Summary: Sam starts by comparing Batman to us. No, not because we are wearing a mask and tights, but because “we are also faced with the task of fighting against the challenges that life offers us every day with no extraordinary powers.” She mentions that hard work and perseverance pays off in the long run, which she further proves with her three anecdotes. The first anecdote was about how she was able to get a high grade for her math long test after preparing two weeks in advance. The second one being the story about her grandfather coming from a humble beginning here in the Philippines and becoming a solid provider for Sam’s family. Third, Sam recalls a story where she spent sleepless nights dealing with school work and the preparations for her friend’s birthday. After it was all said and done, her friend loved Sam’s surprise for her. All of these show how hard work does pay off. And like how she ended her entry, the power of hard work and determination is indeed rewarding and worth while.
Comments:
- Have you ever heard of, “Hard work pays off later. Laziness pays off now”? =D
- “Eventually, I think that I somehow got a good grade in that test when it was returned.” You should not have said “somehow” anymore because you just mentioned on how well you prepared for that test.
- Good stories. Avoid drinking too much coffee in your sleepless nights though. Try eating apples instead =D