Small Ideas, Big Achievements

Through the years, I live with an old adage that goes “small ideas, big achievements” which I borrowed from a front page photo caption of my Alma Mater’s organ back in 1982.

Fresh to university life, I used to getting acquainted with active youth leaders from the progressive movement. Some of them were writers of DAWN, the official student newspaper of the University of the East, like I did. They belonged to a bunch of hardcore activists, at least, at that time. (Years later after a hiatus from campus life as I was immersed to community organizing then to professional media, I became its editor-in-chief for school year 1994-1995).

The DAWN, no doubt, helped the growth of student activism not only within but also outside the campus. It was because its staffers wrote pieces about the issues of the day that not only affect the students per se but they also discussed the social problems affecting the whole nation.

The reign of strongman Marcos was beginning to fall at that time and so with the rise of student activism. Demonstrations on campus were held daily as students were more busy in picket lines and rallies instead of in their classrooms. 

As for me, that old adage struck a space in my conscience. I also became active in the student movement.

That “small ideas, big achievements” caption described fully the details in that front page photo of the DAWN and effected on many students to also become aware on the pressing issues.

The photo shows a big student gathering at one of the corners of the campus after walking out in their classrooms brandishing banners, streamers and a megaphone. Though, that scene was not unusual in a newspaper in those times (especially among the national dailies that braved the storm at that suffocating years of Martial rule in the Philippines), its caption made the big difference. It went on to snatch the top award in a photo contest.

More importantly to me, it serves now as a guide to struggle against the vicissitudes of everyday life. 

I can say that by living with that adage, I became more aware of social issues. But being more politicized is not just about this adage.

We can actually achieve big things for our lives by doing small things. We can do something good by starting with small ideas.

For instance, we can teach young ones on many small things around them and how to behave with their actions about these things. That’s a big help to them as they grow old. You can instill in them positive traits. In this way, you can change their outlook in life. Nurture them with small ideas, good ideas, and in the process help them mature and behave about things that affect them and in the long run look-up to you with respect. It is because you have teach them a positive trait. You are a good influence on their attitude.

These ideas suddenly came to my mind while passing the gate of an exclusive children’s school in Quezon City this afternoon. A school girl just throw away a piece of crumpled pad paper on the side-street while she was carted away by a woman companion (probably her mom) to a waiting car.

Should teachers in all our schools constantly remind their students on proper disposal of their thrash, we can expect a cleaner environment. 

There are many things that we can demonstrate that small ideas can produce bigger achievements in life. Not just material achievements or success but making our beautiful world more beautiful and more wonderful.