"Power of Emphatic Humanity"

Alex Magno in his The Philippine Star column "First Person" this 10 July 2018 writes about the heroic humanity in saving the lives of trapped Thai football players. It is the kind of message we need to read to enable us out of apathy.

"Surviving against the odds for nine long days, with no hint of a comprehensive rescue effort ongoing, is remarkable in itself. These are a brave band, summoning some heroic to survive.

Extracting them, however, proved to be a great challenge. One trained diver has died in the effort. Meanwhile, oxygen was running thin where the boys are trapped and forthcoming monsoon rains threaten to flood the cave even more. The best divers from several countries are on the scene, putting their own lives at risk to rescue fellow human beings.

More than two weeks after the boys entered the cave, four have been successfully extracted. The rest, we all hope will be saved.

We will wait in great suspense. This is an effort that would nit have been possible at all without the best equipment and the best technical divers there are. Still, the effort has to beat the odds, win the race against time in a most hostile environment.

If this massive effort is successful, it will be a dramatic tribute to the compassion we can muster in the direst of times. That will stand in stark contrast to all the callousness and crassness that seem to have pervaded modern societies these days.

Should this massive effort end in triumph, the real heroes will be those who thought nothing about risking their lives to save another human being. It will be a reassuring story about the power of emphatic humanity."

Grabbed from https://expressdigest.com/terrifyingly-narrow-passage-that-trapped-thai-football-players-must-squeeze-through/

NY Times article https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/02/world/asia/thailand-boys-rescued.html

L.A. at the UB? Vietnam in C. M. R.? #youniversitysuites

Walking along the pedestrian walkway from Loyola st. to Legarda st. along CM Recto Avenue in Quiapo, my attention was caught by a modern building with a unique entrance, giant oak fountains in between two known outlets, Watsons and The Coffee Beans. I was drawn inside and spotted an atrium that is about 5 stories high. Above it is an airplane hanging from the ceiling.

This structure is the retrofitted Laperal Building now converted into a student dorm with all the amenities. Now named YOUniversitysuites, its main attraction is the food court with concept restaurants spread out at the three floors of the suite.

Patronizing the food court are mostly students and young professionals presumably working within the vicinity.

Times indeed have changed. Decades ago, only school canteens provide food service to the university belt population. Then carinderias sprouted at the side streets offering tasty and affordable meals. The UB also witnessed the proliferation of fast food chains occupying the preferred real estate locations. Catering to the majority of workers are the food providers selling ulam in plastic packs daily. In keeping with combining function and concept, glamorized carinderias called cafes and bistros earned their niche in the district.

When entrepreneurs are willing to invest in capital costs, the consumer always wins. A structure built as massive as YOUniversitysuites is an indication of the changing landscape in Quiapo, the emergence of a more discriminating student consumer and an untapped gold mine in the university belt.

How easy is it to get back to grind?

  I’ve stopped watching games since the MICAA days after I concluded that whether it is Yco or Ysmael or Utex that wins, viewing the games over black and white TV elicits thrill. Victorious if it’s a win, pain for loss. The rivalry between Crispa-Toyota years after validated the see sawing emotional reactions of a victory and defeat. To avoid pain, don’t get involved.

Recently, through the intercession of a professional colleague, I was asked as an enterprise trainer to provide input in designing a bonding session to a collegiate basketball team.

That exposure led to a series of interactions making me ask, how easy is it to get back to the grind these days in the digitals’ and millennials’ era?

The teams are professionally run. There is science to their play. Strategies are in place and clear to all. (1) Teams are supported by a clear organizational structure. (2) Routines are in place and managed. (3) Stats are systematically and digitally derived for key results management. Resources are not the player’s concern. Roles and responsibilities are formally and informally clear. Processes are respected. Skills development is given importance. (4) Rewards are great with sanctions for non performing players. (5) Productivity is always looked at for enhancement.

Watching the games in venues other than Araneta Coliseum is pleasant. Sound and lighting systems are excellent, officiating is fair and the energy is high care of the large cheering crowd.

What reinforces the learning process which is unique in this era is the emerging of young annotators providing not only statistics and highlights but an analysis of the games from their perspective as spectators, ex-players, or sports enthusiasts. Responses are posted real time in Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

When you get home, you review the games in a large high definition screen reinforcing appreciation. Scenes you want seen can be viewed repeatedly.

How easy is it to get back to the grind? Easy these days especially if friends sit you at the VIP area to watch the opening game. How easy is it to transform a performing team to a high performing team? That is the challenge. As one coach said, even if the elements are in place, there is a competing team. “Bilog ang bola.” (The ball is round.) What is universal is there is pain in loss, joy in a win.