PASCUAL, Joshua Ejeil A.

IA / 2012-30683
Legal History – Prof. Ryan P. Oliva
Final Exam

Apathy and Legal Education

It is the twenty-first century, and our country is tackling a deeply-entrenched problem:

Apathy. People are always on the go. People are always on their phones. People buzz about
going through their daily routine. People get killed and news of it lingers for a few days –
weeks if it is really sensational – and everybody then forgets about it. Entire communities are
slaughtered and people manage to come up with arguments that does not call out such an
atrocity. Hundreds of people are killed on the streets, and only a few out of the millions of
people actually see what is wrong with it.

The fact is that in this day and age everyone is a statistic. Given the technological
advancements of today, it may very well be how things are changing into, but that does not
mean it is not a cause for concern. How could people, with all the current means to be even
more connected, resort to quickly forgetting about the problems of others? Instead of being
more compassionate towards their fellows, people become more distant. This apathy is
bringing this country down even more so.

Apathy has made our country weak. Without the distinctly human trait of empathizing
with others’ suffering and needs, we lose our sense of community – of being a people. One of
the reasons for such is the amount of work that people have to churn just to be “successful.”
This has brought about a self-oriented attitude. With more and more people looking out for
themselves, there are now less who are looking out for those unable to do so for themselves. In
a country where poor people qualify for the latter category, this brings about more oppression
and destruction. How are we to progress as a country when the majority of our people are being
oppressed while the rest turn a blind eye due to apathy?

If we are to combat such a rushing tide, we must be proactive in our approach. The
solution would be to instill a culture of advocacy. An advocacy requires the mind, body, and
soul to be in sync towards fighting for a certain ideal. As practical the world now seems to be,
the penchant for ideals may seem out of style. However, it might just be what is needed to
combat the culture of indifference that is surely taking over the minds of our leaders and society
as a whole. We may exhibit concern for others in certain instances, but with the problems we
are facing nowadays – and the steady rate they are growing – such instances need be more than
what they are. What this country needs is a steady source of advocates who will fight for what
need be fought for: human rights; freedom of speech; freedom of sexual orientation; economic,
social, and political freedom – just to name a few.

How are we, then, to accomplish such a feat? How are we to instill in people such a
burning passion for advocacy? The answer: Legal Education.

To paraphrase from former Justice Irene Cortes, legal education must not only adjust
to the times, but also be the catalyst for changes throughout time1. While it is true that not

1Cortes, Irene R., “Legal Education in a Changing Society” in Emerging Trends in Law: Albino
Z. SyCip Professor of Law Lectures, UP College of Law, 1983, p. 75.
everyone can undergo a legal education, for those who do, they must develop and hone their
skill in fighting for an advocacy. Legal education must instill in a person the timeless virtues
of justice, fairness, equality, and liberty. It may go against the grain of the harsh reality that
most of our people face, but it remains that in these times of great need and suffering, people
instilled with those virtues might just be what is needed to introduce the necessary changes that
will usher in a better era for the country.

As society changes, so should our approach to solving our problems. However, those
approaches should still be firmly rooted in the ideals, truths, and principles that we strive our
society to be. Apathy will continue to pervade within and among us if we do not have
advocacies with which we will fight for. Fighting does not come naturally. Hence, it must be
honed and developed in order to be wielded effectively against whatever problems may arise.