On Gardner's Five Minds for the Future

This may come as a surprise to some, but unlike majority of my schoolmates, I am a big fan of the core curriculum of my school. While most of my peers see subjects like Theology and Philosophy as a hassle, as mere requirements for graduating, as of less priority than their majors, I consider them a privilege and a great opportunity for learning. This may sound kind of geeky, but this is my mindset on the matter: our majors, at least in Comm, can only supply us with the basic foundations for each field. It is only when we start working and become exposed to the “real industry” in the “real world” that we will be able to actually hone our skills and become experts in our chosen fields. On the other hand, it is only in these four years of college that we are given the time and opportunity to reflect on the subject matter included in our core curriculum, so we should take advantage of them while we can, because we may become too busy or even jaded (or both) in the future to actually do so.

This is why I appreciate the Ateneo. This is why I am 100% sure I made the right decision in picking this university among many others. The fact that the institution gives as much importance to core subjects as well as major subjects is truly reflective of the points raised by Howard Gardner in his “Five Minds for the Future” lecture.

However, as great as the offerings of the school may be, they are not enough to fully cultivate the Five Minds for the Future. According to my Philosophy 102 class last year, institutions can only do so much. They may be able to provide us with our needs, but we as human persons must also do our part by responding to these offerings and by receiving them fully. In other words, we have to rid ourselves of the apathetic attitude that we hold towards our core subjects. We have to realize that these things matter, that they should not be taken for granted, because they can greatly form our character for the future. This is the only way we can truly develop the Five Minds.

This is my last year in college. In a few months, I’ll be donning that blue toga and saying goodbye to more than a decade of formal education forever. I’m not really scared of leaving the university and entering that shark-filled unknown called the real world. I’d like to think I’m ready for that, what with my Comm subjects supplying me with more than three years of training in this field. What terrifies me is the fact that in the process of hunting for jobs, of spending each day in toxic concrete jungles filled with unfamiliar faces, of keeping up with the fast-paced lifestyle of a working person, I might lose that reflective attitude that I’m used to now. I might forget to see the good side in things. I might forget to be appreciative of the things that really matter, that values and good character are as important, or even more important, than anything else. This is why we have to use this time while we can. Awareness and attitude is the key.