Choose the difficult: A call to courage in a fragmented world

On the evening of Aug. 16, as the University of Asia and the Pacific marked its 30th Commencement Exercises, Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala stood before 414 graduates— not to flatter, but to challenge. His message was not one of ease or applause. It was a call to friction, fire, and purpose.

- SPEAKING OUT IGNACIO R. BUNYE

"Choose the difficult," he said. "Because character is formed through friction, through struggle, through fire."

In a world that rewards shortcuts and celebrates speed, Zobel de Ayala's words cut against the grain. He spoke not only to the graduates in caps and gowns, but to every Filipino navigating uncertainty, rebuilding after loss, and choosing integrity over convenience.

The world we inherit

Zobel de Ayala described our times with unflinching clarity:

"Fast, but it lacks wisdom. Loud, but no one is listening. Hyperconnected, but deeply fragmented."