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My group's NSTP engagement with the Caloocan Anti-Drug Abuse Office Rehabilitation Program graduates is an experience that I will always cherish and look back on because of the various learnings I gained, as well as the growth that I believe we collectively developed. I chose the photos of their artworks because they serve as a reminder for me of how the overall interaction with them during the semester greatly embodies upholding and choosing the more loving option, wherein we were all able to go beyond our comfort zones and find a common ground, our love for art. Despite being limited to only 4 synchronous sessions with them, I think that we were able to encounter them in a deeper, more genuine, and meaningful way in the sense that we became cognizant of their needs, desires, dreams, and stories that led to the creation of an art project alongside them—a constant reminder for me to share my passion, gifts, and crosses in championing the greater good.

(Here is the Facebook post that features the context and full-blown artworks of the community: https://www.facebook.com/humansofcadao/posts/104619835400173)

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When a semester got really difficult, I knew how difficult it would have been to listen to myself probably ringing alarms telling me to slow down. I think I will always be reminded by these words that actually got me to reflect and be more loving, first and foremost, towards myself and others who could have very likely been experiencing the same. I knew it may have been the more loving option because motivation or perseverance would have been difficult to bend or sacrifice, if not by a greater force like love.

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On a much more personal level, I decided to submit a picture of my grandfather and I during my 18th birthday. When he was giving out his speech, one of the things that really stuck to me was when he reminded me to always remember to say thank you, anytime, anywhere, and to anyone.

While on a surface level, it really is a great practice, this habit is really ingrained in me and, on a grander scheme, it reminds me to live out my days not only with gratitude but also with intention. Living out a life of magis does not have to be grandiose—it is about the little things as well that we often take for granted.

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The past years have been, to say the least, difficult. And I just never realized the toll it took on me until I I noticed how emotional breakdowns became a part of my daily routine already. Depression is not a pretty sight nor a pleasant feeling. It refrains you from loving yourself and from loving the people around you. As such, I feel quite proud for taking the first step towards becoming a more loving person by choosing to love myself, for seeking help. While it might be a long tedious process towards becoming better but healing begins somewhere at some point. I'm glad I've arrived there that I'm here now.

- Trisha Anne

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For me, sunset skies have always been a constant reminder of beauty and grace though there is darkness approaching. It's a splendid reminder too that there is a Creator who painted the sky, that I am never alone in my brightest days or darkest nights. It is also a reminder that though the day is ending and there are times when I know I could have done better, there is hope of another one coming, with no mistakes in it yet, another day where I can choose to love.

- Khylie Isidro

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My mother’s hometown is near a beach. I learned how to swim there with the help of my father. Ever since I did my first laps, I just found water to be my favorite element and swimming to be my favorite hobby. I do not swim for sport but I swim for the act of swimming and how it lifts me and fills my soul. For more than two years now, I haven’t swam because of the pandemic but I still yearn for my next swim, and for the next time I go to my mother’s hometown and sink into its shores.

I have always loved to float. The feeling of letting myself go and trusting the water to keep me afloat, keep me alive. While floating, I can look at the light blue sky or the dark sky with the stars facing down on me and I can feel each particle of water pushing me up.

I want to be like what water was to me but with others. I want to be strong enough for others to trust, and someone strong enough for others to ask for help whenever they need someone to keep them afloat. To become as strong and as reliable as water, I also need to take care of myself and allow myself as well to lean on others. A single drop of water won’t keep someone afloat, it needs millions of it to help someone keep himself on the surface. I need to be able to rely on others as well and allow them to help each other.

During the pandemic, I learned this the hard way. I forgot myself and the people around me. I needed to be my worst possible self for me to realize that I have been neglecting myself which also led to me neglecting the people around me.

My small dream to go to the beach and swim again kept me hoping for a better tomorrow and reminded me of myself and everything I wish to be which is why I think it is the one that reminds me of magis and inspires me to practice it as well.

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In times of conflict and misunderstanding, it is always very easy to give into our emotions and allow oneself to react in ways that may potentially hurt others.

However, when we choose to remind ourselves to be the bigger person, most especially in the toughest situations, we are able to stride through these challenges with compassion, composure, kindness, and respect. This way, we are able to come up with solutions that are rooted in compromise and inclusivity, to ensure that we are not swayed by our own bias and all all voices and concerns are attended to instead.

- Sofia Martinez

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Recently I learned that we learn Magis as one that is the more loving options directed outwards, and we tend to forget to return that love back to ourselves. I believe that Magis is also a form of self-compassion, and that there are times we need to recharge and revisit passions with our well-being in mind. For me, remembering my own passion statements, and also thinking about my Ikigai, reminds me that I can only achieve what I envision for myself if I am well rested, healthy, deeply and genuinely fulfilled, and able to serve others wholeheartedly. For me, Magis is not just doing, giving, and being more. To me it means that I am capable of showing my love through all these things: my passion, mission, profession, and vocation, without having to burn myself out or compromise that love and Magis I need to have for myself.

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This diagram which illustrates the various components that make up the ikigai has, ever since, reminded me to practice the spirit of Magis. For me, magis is to constantly go beyond one's self and be more not only in terms of school work but also in striving to learn and discover more about my passion, mission, vocation and profession in the years to come. As I have mentioned, while I still do have the opportunity to create the best version of myself, I will spend my time gradually honing what I may offer in order for me to wholeheartedly serve different groups of people while healthily striking a balance between time for myself and others.

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Throughout the asynchronous experience, I was reminded of the movie Pay It Forward (2000) which taught me of passing on good deeds. These new lessons about becoming a loving person emphasize how our individual actions matter and reverberate to others. I believe that we all have our callings that will take on important roles in other people’s lives and in this, we can practice magis - whether it be big or small.

Photo source:

https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/pay-it-forward

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With the passed days greyed out, it leaves me to imagine what it would be like if I just ceased to exist, would it have been a life that emanated love? The calendar reminds me that today is an opportunity to create positive impacts, no matter how big or small and in the end, these actions have the ability to transcend time. It encourages me to make the most out of the time I have through always try to choose the most loving option. (192677, Kwan)

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My great-grandfather once told me that, "One day, you'll be able to do things and go further than you could even imagine, all at the right time." I've kept with this me for years because I often feel pressured to do more right now, that I lose sight of how beyond I can go past my limits whilst also being happy if I just take notice of the present instead of rushing too far into the future. I took this picture years ago on a plane, and it describes how I feel right now: the star is where I want to be eventually, but even at my current position I can do magis and soar. (193688, Ongsiako)

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Here is a picture of the view from my window during sunset. On rare occasions like this, I get to see the three beautiful peaks of Mt. Apo.

I chose this picture since every late afternoon, I make sure to open my window and take some time to just relax and stare at the sunset. Since I work mostly in the morning and afternoon, the sunset is a symbol to me that I worked hard, did a job well done today, and that I deserve some rest. It also serves as my daily mental reset, that today is done and the grind starts once again tomorrow.

Even back then in Katipunan, I would always enjoy walking home while watching the beautiful sunset. It always felt like a reward for working hard at the end of the day and inspired me to keep on going and doing better.  - Chiew

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"Don't miss out on something that could be great just because it could also be difficult"

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"Don't miss out on something that could be great just because it could also be difficult"

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I got this quote/reminder during my preparatory course session back when I was a freshman. I am not really sure who said this, it might be the Chair of our Department back then but it might also be the president of our home organization that academic year. Nonetheless, this quote has stuck to me ever since and it always serves as a reminder to me to just keep going whenever the going gets tough. This quote/reminder embodies the very concept of Magis for me because it calls one to go and look beyond the difficulties of the situation and to focus more on the importance of why you are doing or pursuing whatever it is you are called to do or pursue. Magis means choosing the more loving option and this is always something that we should strive to embody even when it is difficult and especially when it is difficult to do so. This is one of the things that we, Ateneans, hear all of the times. I believe magis calls us to do and choose the more loving option even if it comes with possible complications and difficulties because the good that will come out of it far outweighs the challenges that we will face along the way.

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This is a photo of a family. My family serves as my reminder and motivation to always push myself in all matters despite the hardships and difficulties that I face. With everything that I am doing (i.e. schoolworks, orgworks, businnessworks), I continuously stay motivated and keep moving forward because I want to do better for them. They always support me in all that I do, and I owe everything that I have and can do to them. Hopefully, one day I am able to give back all that they have given to me and more. I also hope to go through my journey in life with them as I surpass all trials and become a better person. - Morgan Sy

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My family fuels me. They are my constant reminder to do good and be loving, not just to them, but to every single person I encounter. -Maj Victoria

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It has become pretty common to hear the word magis being used as part of daily conversations—many students use it to describe their efforts to go above and beyond what is necessary. However, I think that the real essence of magis as choosing the more loving option can be lost so easily in our very busy and fast-paced world, where we seek to be as productive as we can within the shortest amount of time possible.

This is why the ocean is what I believe can best inspire me to practice the spirit of magis. I have loved the ocean for as long as I can remember, and I am never as at peace anywhere else as I am when I am near the ocean. With this image comes a reminder to take one step back and a moment to breathe and discern. It is with the love and peace that I get from simply looking at this photo that I can find the peace I need to see and choose the more loving option. - 193067, Macalalag

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Life can be strange and unpredictable; but one thing that will constantly remind me of what it means to love and to be loved is home. This doesn't necessarily have to be a concrete place: it could be people, creatures, and other things; but would be because of this that I would never forget the wonderful experiences of love—why I should respond to the call to love. And with that, from my aspirations of nurturing home, I seek fortitude and strength here to keep persevering to proliferate love, the essence of magis.

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When I think of Magis I tend to think of my friends. I feel that they are one of the constant groups in my life who inspire me to really do and be more. Whether it be in a casual or professional setting, they become one of my driving forces.-Charles Gan

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My family has always inspired me to be a more loving person. They remind me that we always have a choice to choose the more loving options and give me the strength to pursue them.

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I've been through a lot in the past few months and two of the things that stuck with me are 1.) food is comforting, and 2.) the world needs more love. I marry these two ideas by sharing a meal with others, whether it be my own cooking or just takeout/dessert, and having conversation over these meals -- it may seem simple but it's really the little things that help keep us afloat and makes us feel human. For me, to practice magis is to practice love in all ways, always and this encourages me to be the person that I needed when I was at my lowest, but this time, I want to be that person for other people.

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In light of practicing the Spirit of Magis, I find that watching films, especially those that explores the thematic of what it means to be human, helps me be more sensible and open to social realities outside my own human experience.

Watching film desensitizes my mind of the influences of prejudice and shapes my autonomy to be driven by an acknowledgment of differences.

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I chose this image because it is closely related to the organization I volunteered for. As someone who always had a hard time forming good connections with people I just met, I am extremely proud of myself for doing more through starting a church organization in my previous school. I might not have been able to continue it but I am glad I am one of the igniters and batches next to me stepped up.
-Lance Bayron

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I grew in a province, where farming is one of the main livelihoods. When I was 4 years old, my mother used to bring in a farm where my grandfather works. This made me realize how rich our province is and how important this rich natural resources not only to my grandfather's livelihood but also to everyone who depends on nature for sustenance. As a result, it has always been instilled in me to cherish what I have and to do the more loving option, for the betterment of everyone. Ultimately, nature reminds me of magis and inspires me to exercise it every day.

-AENGUS DONAIRE 191761

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Sometimes, when I feel too tired, I start to think that I can no longer do my best. I sometimes get the urge to just go through with life like a ghost, without really doing my best. However, remembering that I am lucky enough to be given these opportunities, I remind myself that I can do more, and sometimes doing more is also choosing to rest even when it feels like I do not have much time for it.
- Soriano, Erika

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My family inspires me to practice the spirit of magis. Their unwavering support in me keeps me motivated to be the best version of myself.

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This is a photo saved in one of my gallery albums entitled "Joyful". It reminds me to see the silver lining in the most challenging situations and to trust in the process. It also orients me to be more as it alludes to the goal of growth, which is an inevitable concept when we talk about love (especially in Scott Peck's terms) :> -Mac Mungkal

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There is a certain quiet that I feel whenever I'm in the Gesu, and that has allowed me to discern and reflect on myself more deeply. It's in moments of quiet like these that I feel that I am able to renew my spirit in loving more actively and deeply.

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Magis means to be more or greater, and most of us have always associated it with becoming a better person each day - be it in our respective aspects of our lives. However, magis has been redefined for me such that I become more when I share myself (like a candle) with others like becoming a wellspring of wisdom, a source of hope and even a shoulder to cry on. Practicing magis is for self-development and to extend it upon others such that we bring light in this world. - Alex Lee

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The sunset for me, signifies tomorrow, thus the future. With this photo, or simply by looking at a sunset inspires me to practice the spirit of magic. Our everyday lives can differ, sometimes it may be bad or at times we can end our day with happiness. However, I always keep in mind that I have no control of what has already happened however, I have a fighting chance when it comes to facing the obstacles of tomorrow. With this, I face tomorrow with full of hope.
-Jasmine Ragot

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This was taken by my friend a few weeks back when I visited some Arete exhibits. 

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With everything that I do and the things I continue to work towards, nothing inspires me more than art and creating it. There are times that I forget to appreciate where I am and remember the effort I put into making it this far. All it takes sometimes if for me to pause and reflect-- art gives me the space I can ground myself and remember why I work so hard, and where I want to end up.

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Magis, from my understanding, is choosing the loving option to be a loving person. When I bake bread I am able to reflect and think about all the things that I've received and are thankful for. It's a peaceful repetitive action where I can make something nice for myself and the people close to me. - Cathleen Bagagunio