Expanding horizons

Learning new things is something I never thought I would enjoy. In the past, I didn’t like trying something new or changing a routine; I did so only when I was forced to, and I focused on improving what I already knew. But after more than a year of sitting in my comfort zone, I am now determined to change so I can develop myself as a person and as an Atenean.

Joining the Association Internationale des Estudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales, an organization at Ateneo de Manila University, has been an important part of my plan to explore and experience new things. I do volunteer work in the different projects of Aisec, and I am making an effort to try as many new things as possible. Being active in extracurricular activities has also made me realize that there are many things that can only be understood in an environment like an organization.

Of course, as a new member of Aisec, I have to learn how the whole system works. I have to know how to work things at the most basic level, and I do that by observing my colleagues and superiors in the organization. I make sure to note what people do when tackling a problem; I study their approaches. Knowing how other people approach a problem helps me understand things from a different perspective.

I am also making sure that I fully understand the organization, its structure, and its projects, so that I can be a really active member. Studying the organization itself in great detail is important for any member because it would be a factor to the impact that he/she makes.

Before deciding to develop myself as a leader and take a proactive approach in my extracurricular activities, I had always believed that a person will get what he/she deserves to get. I was a subscriber to the thought that people get exactly what they worked for. Now, however, I believe that I’m working hard not because there is a reward at the end of the line but because working hard is the key to being a better person.

It is through this humanistic perspective that I am encouraged to learn more because I know that I can do more. It encourages me to explore more because I believe that I have to unlock my full potential and be a better version of myself.

However, when the environment changes from an organization to something purely social in nature, this humanistic view that I have changes into a sociocultural one. In social settings, I am more comfortable in showing Filipino values and practices that I have been taught while growing up.  These values and practices have influenced me when judging whether an action is appropriate or not, so much so that I always go back to what is the Filipino norm when I find myself in an unfamiliar situation.

But my sociocultural perspective in social settings makes me feel awkward in large groups. It is actually so important for me to make the group feel comfortable that I neglect socializing with people in it. This, for me, is a big flaw in my interactions.

Environments, whether they be workplaces or social venues, or a mixture of both, are such an important part of a person’s life that it is essential to reflect on how one interacts with other people in different settings. But in order to examine your perspectives, you need to broaden your horizons. It will force you to see yourself acting differently in various social settings, which makes taking a glimpse of your true self easier.

Emmanuel Josef Tumanan Concina, 19, is a fourth year economics student at Ateneo de Manila University.