Let Us Not Waste Our Talents

Note: In 2012, I joined The Reaction Newsletter, the official publication of the University of Santo Tomas Chemical Engineering Society. The following essay I have written as part of the application process. I dug up/found the word file while looking for a different, older essay. Minor redactions were done to suit the times.

A person should always be encouraged to continue his constructive hobbies, as long as these said hobbies do not cause harm in any way. Through his hobbies, a person’s talent is enhanced and mastered. This is one of the reasons why I desire to be part of the Reaction team. I would like to utilize my God-given talents to contribute to the Chemical Engineering Society as a writer to its official newsletter. I believe that a person’s talent should be utilized periodically so as to prevent it from “dulling”.

Remember that a talent is like a gift, and we must take good care of it. (If one has a knack for trivia, let me tell you that even the word “talent” was ultimately derived from the Greek word talanton [Koine Greek: τάλαντα] which refers to an ancient currency used in Greece during Antiquity.) Maintaining one’s talent by proper utilization is fun and enjoyable, not to mention a good recreational activity in one’s spare time. Here is an example: If a person’s talent is painting then it is natural for him to paint in his spare time especially when there is nothing else to do. I am inclined to believe that being a writer – especially fiction literary writer – is one of my talents. If I pass the screening, I hope that my experience as a Reaction staffer will equip me with knowledge and experience to further sharpen (so as to not make dull) my writing skills. Not only that, I would like to contribute, even to the very least, to the society using my talents. Whether it is reporting news or mind-boggling my fellow Chemical Engineering students through literary works, I hope that my writing skills, whether or not it is still far from perfect, will be useful to the society. This is the core reason why I would like to be a Reaction staffer. Our talents and skills should not be left “around the corner unused”, but instead they must be used to contribute to the society and through this, we are making ourselves a catalyst of change, or in a more positive-sounding term, improvement.