I
was a little child then when I was first asked this question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” This question that is usually popped by teachers whenever they posed assignment topic to youngsters enabled us to contemplate about life, about what one will have to go through before he or she discovers his or her purpose in life, what one has gone through, and what one has become after his or her long and exciting journey .
To be a lawyer is my foremost dream – to represent client’s interest in court, to inform their rights and obligations under the law, and keep them out of litigation taking into account the ethical standards and propriety required to be observed by lawyers under the Code of Professional Responsibility and Lawyer’s Oath. I am happy and blessed that this dream became a reality on that eventful day of March 2006 when the Supreme Court of the Philippines announced those who successfully made it in the 2005 bar exam. I am so excited and relieved then because the journey towards the realization of this dream has many back-breaking preparations not to mention the agony of the six-month waiting period for the release of the result. The opportunity to become one provided me avenue to think of ways on how I can be of help to those who are in need believing that those who have less in life should have more in law.
I know the work of a lawyer, whether in public service or in private practice, is perhaps the most demanding. Under the public eye, he or she must be studious and always thoroughly prepared when studying cases and litigating contending issues in court. His or her mental faculties must be honed to razor-sharpness and ready to render sound judgment/decisions in order to ensure the protection of the fundamental human rights of an individual and promote the common good.
Our different roles make up the web of life. No matter how seemingly small our roles, status or station in life may be whether one is a mere messenger of a company or even a President of the country, what matters is how well we play these roles. Playing our different roles righteously and justly is what should matter most, not only simply being the best.
All of us must first accept, then challenge the role given at a particular times in our life. Only then can we carve our own path in this world. Of course, people will say, life is not fair, that sometimes no matter what you do, you do not come out triumphant. However, it is a question of how good or great we play the roles that had been handed to us.
The difficulties and obstacles that we meet sometimes seem like unconquerable mountains and seas but we can overcome it by perseverance, purpose and enthusiasm. This exemplifies life’s purpose on earth, discovering our potential, achieving, helping others and searching for life’s meanings. Truly, our life can only have meaning if we venture into the untraveled path where some people have not mustered the courage to explore.
I remember Oliver Wendell Holmes in a book when he said that “the most beautiful and the rarest thing in the world is a complete human life, unmarred, unified by intelligent purpose and uninterrupted accomplishment, blessed by great talent employed in the worthiest activities, with deserved fame never dimmed but always growing.” We can sense from this that as youth living in a democratic and republican state, we are obliged to do and share our part well even in our own small way to make this country a better place to live in. The God-given talent and skills bestowed upon us can be a powerful tool to become responsive and make critical analysis on issues and events – be it political, economic, social, and cultural – that greatly affect us.
