“My right ends when the rights of others begin.

” This quote has been embodied in almost all

political communities around the world. It is one of the fundamental maxims that a member of a
community ought to keep in mind if he is to live a harmonious communal life. It gives emphasis to the
idea that we as human beings are naturally inclined to live with other people in a community. And as
such, our actions should be guided not just based on our self-interest, but the interests of others as well.
This kind of orientation will eventually lead to the achievement of the common good. However, in order
to achieve it, individuals must actualize the common good through practice.

Currently studying in college, we can start practicing the common good in the smallest unit of
society, the family. This can be done by first focusing on the necessities such as food and learning
materials. We should avoid buying the unnecessary things such as branded clothing, games, expensive
gadgets and other things that we wouldn’t really need at this time. Second, we should learn to conserve
electricity and water within the household in order to mitigate the already high electricity and water
bills. These expenses could be reduced just by learning to turn off and unplug electronics we are not
using. Third, we should learn to manage our time well so we can devote some time purely for the family
or to make ourselves available for doing house work. Even if school workload is getting heavier by the
passing months, we should not spend all the time studying or take up too much time in doing
assignments. Lastly, we should maintain a positive attitude whenever we interact with our family
members. Never do or say something out of anger.

When it comes to the field of education, we should strive to be life-long learners. Meaning, as
much as possible, we should apply all the concepts and values that we have learned in our institutions.
We, as individuals who have the privilege to avail of a proper education, should try to educate others,
whether it be with friends or family members, or in social media, by applying in conversations and
discourses the ideas we have learned from the subjects and courses that we took in the past. Also, when
it comes to our fellow block mates, we should assist those who are having a hard time with their studies.
We should be open to inquiries they might have on a particular subject and offer our help to them
whenever needed. We should attend our classes regularly and engage actively in class, especially in this
time when educators are trying their best to reach out to their students.

As of today, the Philippines is in an even worse state than the previous year after measures to
combat the pandemic have been implemented. Even if our government had failed multiple times in their
interventions, we, as members of the community at large, should still continue to do our part in
alleviating and eventually resolving this dilemma. First, we should follow the mandated Covid protocols
at all times. This includes observing social distancing in public places and wearing of face mask and face
shield whenever we go outside of the house. Second, as much as possible, we should avoid going to
other places and only do so when it is necessary like when we need to buy some groceries or medicine.
We should also learn to use online platforms in buying essentials in order to minimize the risk of
contracting the virus and never forget to perform home disinfecting procedures. Third, we should avoid
unnecessarily going to places where unavoidable gatherings are likely to occur such as malls and public
events. Gatherings among friends could wait for another time. These small sacrifices during this time in
the pandemic are not just done for the sake of avoiding contracting the virus. We should keep in mind
that we do them for the common good. Because right now, the “good” that our community hopes to
achieve is transitioning to a new and sustainable “normal.”