Words and Video by Yann Magcamit (@alltheloveyann)
“Lundagin mo beybe.”
You’ve probably heard it from an Atenean somewhere—and since we’re notorious for making up random new words, you’ve probably assumed it’s “just another thing people from Arneow made up”. But hear me out when I say that “lundagin mo beybe” is a far cry from the other slang words Ateneo is known for.
Lundagin mo beybe literally translates to jump on it, and that’s probably the simplest explanation behind the phrase. Coined by the well-loved and legendary Father Ferriols, SJ, the phrase has been widespread among the Ateneo community as both words of encouragement and advice—so much that it even became the theme of my batch’s OrSem (orientation seminar for freshmen) in 2015. In fact, it was the first advice I had ever gotten as an Atenean, and I sure am more than grateful for it, especially during times of doubt and the phrase suddenly comes to mind. Like a whisper from an angel.
Lundagin mo beybe. Jump on the opportunity. Because even if we’ve heard it all before, it will always be true: opportunity doesn’t knock twice.
We make choices in our daily lives, and there are chances that we do and do not take—of which the latter usually comes back to haunt us. Sadly, we cannot go back, retrace our steps, and choose to take that chance when we realize that we should’ve done so in the first place, because it would’ve probably been too late when that time comes, and the opportunity is already gone. Sayang, we tell ourselves, I should’ve taken the chance when I still had it.
It’s perfectly fine to be scared of taking risks, but just remember that regret is way scarier than that. Better an “oops” than a “what if”, as they say. You never know what would happen anyway, and although the unknown is a tough enemy to battle, you must let your feelings win. If you want it enough, then it is worth the fight.
There are 7 billion people in the world, and if you don’t open your door, the opportunity could easily knock into another person’s door. And it won’t have to wait for you, because someone else would be willing to take that opportunity in. Sabi nga nila, ang mabagal, naiiwan sa kangkungan.
So, just remember: lundagin mo beybe.
That internship from a huge company that you’ve been dying to snag but think you might not be good enough? Lundagin mo beybe. That Youtube channel you’ve been wanting to make so you could tick it off your bucket list but you’re scared that people won’t pay any attention to your videos? Lundagin mo beybe. That org you’ve been dying to join but you stop yourself from signing up every time because you feel so intimidated by the thought of it? Lundagin mo beybe. That huge crush you have on that girl who always sits in front of you during Histo class? Lundagin mo beybe.
And to get you started, we even asked a couple of Ateneans to share with us their most memorable lundagin mo beybe moment, and here’s what they said:
What is your most memorable lundagin mo beybe moment? We’d love to hear it! Tell us in the comments!
