Walk, carry, wipe, carry, walk

For already a year and a half of my stay here in Ateneo, there has been no single class day that I alone or together with my classmates and friends don’t go to food court to buy food or something to drink, to eat or to just sit down and wait for our next class. I guess almost three-fourths of the population of the whole Ateneo community are having their meals at the food court. As a student and customer, I have noticed a number of good, industrious and I think well-trained men in white polo shirts with their hair netted. It is so amazing how they moved so fast to get the used plates, spoons and forks, and all the garbages left at the table. Right after, they wipe the table to remove all the leftovers with their most powerful weapon, the towel. Then, they bring all the used utensils to the dish washing area to be cleaned up. Done! Another table again and again and again. Is it so tiring? Walk, carry, wipe, carry, walk.

Many would say “It is their choice. They choose to do it to have money.” As an Atenean, weren’t we should have concern for them? Where is that “Cura Personalis” that every Atenean is noted to have possessed? For boastful some, “
They are just utility men, let them do it by their own.”

Ateneans, aren’t you have feet to walk? Aren’t you have hands to use them? Aren’t you have mouth to say the words “Please” and “Thank you”?

Good thing that at the start of this second semester, the administration had decided to place carts in every post in the food court for the students to bring their used utensils there, so that the utility men would not have a hard time to pick, carry, wipe and walk in every table.

At first, I noticed that many of the students are shy of bringing their utensils into the cart but later on, when started by one, the rest had followed. It is very heartwarming to know that in a simple thing of bringing your used utensils into the cart, it has been a very big thing to the utility men. It has been a big help that you have done.

We are blessed that we are not disabled persons. We are capable of using our body parts at its most and take advantage of it. Use your feet to walk, use your hands to carry your utensils, use your mouth to say “Please” if you want your table be cleaned by someone and “Thank you” when your table is cleaned. Let us keep the Cura Personalis” within the spirit of every Atenean. Let’s start to make a positive difference. Helping others is something that we should not be shy of, instead it is something that we should be proud of because we have able to do it. And most especially, we have lighten up the work of those good, industrious and well-trained men in white polo shirt with their hair netted.

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