Phenomenal Thursday Nights

I spend my Thursday evenings with 40-plus co-students listening to this tall forty-something wide-eyed sleep-deprived (I think) guy rant about Marx, Luis, and Catholicism all in one breath. For three hours, with no breaks at all.

This is maybe not your idea of a perfect Thursday night. Some find this boring. Some spend their Thursdays at home lounging around or at the streets (or bars) partying, as if Thursday is their Friday.

But for me, these Thursday nights are the "high" of my relatively uneventful school/university life. (If you're wondering what's my low, my answer in two words would be: Anthro One.) Aside from reports, ACLEs, quizzes, poem analysis, practical exams in Fencing, I don't really look forward to anything. Except for this class.

My professor (who I shall not name). He's like Joey De Leon/Tito Rod/Sir Esguerra rolled into one. He's funny and has that weird, uniquely Pinoy sense of humor. Plus, he's very, very smart (ask Peter Blau). when he's talking you'd know that he knows what he's talking about. And no matter how far-fetched (and nose-bleed causing) the concepts he's trying to teach us are, he'd find a way, an example to make you understand. Before you know it, you'd find yourself agreeing with him.

No, this blog is not about his greatness. So I'd stop here.

One of the many things he taught us is that we don't really understand what other people are going through perfectly, exactly. Because we are, simply, different individuals. We are shaped by our lived experiences, the environment we have, and the people we interact with.

Also, he told us, "The one you love is the one you have to set free." No, this is not a Joe D'Mango class. What he said basically is this: You don't own anyone. Even the one you love. So, let them free.

One more thing. Phenomenon. He said that for every person, there is that one defining moment called "phenomenon" which shapes, molds or forces a person to change. For my professor, his son is his phenomenon. When his son came into his life, he started thinking more about his health because he realized that he wants to see his grandchildren, suddenly.

As I walk the streets of Vito Cruz and Dominga, on my way home, I find myself thinking: What (or who) is my phenomenon? When is it coming or going to happen? Has it happened? Or is it happening now?



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*This is a cross-post from my Multiply page.