Citizen

Kristian N. Escobido 1997-60291 CWTS Prof.
Rachel Khan
Personal Virtue and Responsible Citizenship
With a temperament like mine, how can I best serve the society I am in now as a college student majoring
in Community Development and in the future as a Community Development Practitioner?
Each individual members of the society has a role to play in its success or failure. From the cream of the
crop down to the so-called dregs of society, each one plays a vital role. Why I say this is due to the
differences of each individual. No two human beings are ever the same. That is an accepted fact. Each
one therefore is different and in these differences, we can say that we complement each other. What one
has or lacks, another individual may fill in, so to speak. In this light, I would elucidate on my being as an
individual and as a member of the society.
Let me begin by discussing my temperament. I am more of a melancholic person with a strong tendency
towards phlegmatic as well. Several online temperament tests that I took mostly showed the same results.
As a melancholic, I am deeply analytical, self-introspective, skeptical, conscientious, and cautious. On the
other hand, as a phlegmatic, I am calm and collected, practical, quiet, likes to watch people, cool under
pressure, stubborn, and dependable. At least, these are the qualities that I have as an individual and most
people around me have seen. More than that, I have a tendency to see the big picture and set my goal
towards that direction. I am inherently a problem solver with a disposition to patiently weather out each
problem until it finally unravels. I am also a good listener with a strong grasp of the circumstances of the
person I am listening to. I am not intrinsically friendly. In fact, I am wary of people. I am slow to trust but
if I do, I trust completely and unconditionally expecting the same to be reciprocated. I am a conscientious
worker and I make sure that I do things right the first time. On the flip-side though, I tend to procrastinate,
choosing to do things until the last possible time. I am quick to anger and my temper flares up
immediately once roused. I am also very vindictive, biding my time to strike at an unsuspecting someone
who has done me wrong. This is me in a nutshell.
Knowing my temperaments, and as a student majoring in Community Development, I can best help the
society I am in now through the following: Firstly, as a thinker, I have a better grasp of my society’s
realities on a day-to-day basis. Knowing these realities is the first step towards analyzing the problems
that my society faces. In so doing, I am able to assess myself and what needs to be done based on what I
can do as an individual. As a student of Community Development, we have already undertaken initiatives
to address some of the society’s problems. By conducting training needs analysis, we have provided
capacity-building activities to some of the impoverished communities within Metro Manila. By
conducting interviews among the residents of the communities that we have visited and having the
penchant to listen and read between the lines, I was able to propose and spearhead relevant measures
within our group to empower them. An example of this is the leadership and career orientation seminar
which we held among the youth of Bgy. Camarin in Bagong Silang, Caloocan City in October of last
year. Our group initially went there to conduct seminars and trainings among the adults. However, during
the course of our interviews, the adults themselves deferred the seminar to the youth because of the rising
incidents of violence and criminality among them. Being the leader, I suggested that we deviate from our
original plan and create a program for the youth instead. Secondly, I am very observant of the dynamics
between individuals. Having said this, I am more attuned to the nitty-gritty of group dynamics and I can
easily distinguish if there is any tension brewing. I can also easily predict, based on the predispositions of
the people that I observe, what will happen and where they are headed. Knowing these things help me to
mediate and moderate people. Thirdly, and I think this is more important, by being responsible for
myself, I too am being accountable for my society. What this means is that, simply by doing my duties
and responsibilities, I am consequently serving my society. Case in point, I already have a family. I have
two children whom I am raising to be reliable and productive members of the society in the same way that
I was raised by my parents to be such. I am also in the process of raising my family in a way that would
no longer add to the dysfunctions of the society I am in. Bottom line, and I think this is what people
always forget, building a proper and functional family that will eventually serve the society is just as
important.
In the future, I will eventually be a community development practitioner, whether through theories, i.e. by
teaching, or through practice i.e. getting actively involved in the communities in a participatory manner.
When I entered the University more than ten years ago, I had a different mindset of what it is that I
wanted to become although it was not always clear. Years have passed and I have been in and out of the
academe. I started working and began paying my dues to society when I was not studying and in the
process, I was schooled by the outside world. I have seen and experienced firsthand the beauty as well as
the cruelties and injustices of the life outside the University. Because of my experiences, when I went
back and re-enrolled, it was my intention to get into a program that will enable me to create the biggest
possible difference to society. Luckily, a friend of mine recommended community development. I have
not looked back since then. In all honesty, I cannot say for sure what I can do once I am done in the
University with my degree. I only know that community development has opened more doors for me than
any other field I have chosen in the past. Suffice it to say that if my ultimate goal in life is to serve my
society and the country, in general, developing communities is the best way to go.

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Kristian N. Escobido 1997-60291 CWTS Prof.

Personal Virtue and Responsible Citizenship

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