The Magis and the Law

I recently read an article boasting about the students, specifically the mooters, of Ateneo Law. Read here: http://ateneolaw.ateneo.edu/?p=16&type=2&sec=2&aid=83

The article agitated me-- not simply because I'm a student of UP Law. As a matter of fact, I consider myself one of the few rare creatures that can be considered as a hybrid of the best institutions: Ateneo "College" and UP Law.

But the said article's insistence on the superiority of ALS over UP is not only baseless, but overly immature. Granted that their moot court team's success grants them the right to boast, I feel that its constant allusion and comparison to UP Law has wasted what should have been a great homage to the amazing mooters of ALS.

Yes, I agree with his argument that the public's perception of Ateneans as mayabang and elitista stems from the Atenean ideals of the "magis." However, having studied in a Jesuit institution for 9 years, I can't help but feel that the article has perverted the concept of the "magis".

I first encountered the idea of "magis" when I was around 13 years old. I was young then, and all I can fathom was that it had something to do with being the best, with being excellent, with being number one. Sure, magis truly means pursuing for excellence. However, my years of being a student, whether inside Ateneo or not, as well as my numerous experiences with Ateneans and non-Ateneans, has taught me that magis is never simply about being the best, about being number one. It's not being excellent for excellence's sake. Rather, it is a persistence grown out of love.

Yes, love-- a concept, which in the mature mind, is so profound and complicated that it might as well be a full course in law school. It's so multifaceted that I can't even begin to imagine where to start. But for me, a person who truly embodies the spirit of the magis is a person who reaches for the stars, not for fame and glory, but so that he can show everyone else its brightness. The Ateneo education teaches us how to be the best, but always with the caveat that what is even more important than being the best is being persons for others.

I have nothing but the greatest respects for my counterparts in Ateneo Law. Like me and everyone else in UP Law, they are true survivors. Everyday is a test which we tackle and overcome. And it is my earnest belief that all of us- UP Law and Ateneo Law students alike- persist because we love.

So there is no need to compare. There is no need to say who is better. At the end of the day, isn't the legal profession all about upholding justice and protecting the oppressed? Isn't it all about guaranteeing that every Juan is accorded due process? Isn't studying the law, whether in Ateneo or UP, all about truly being professionals for others?

Maybe I've been out of Ateneo too long. But I doubt that magis has changed since then.