A theory about roads and paths.

The theory: I have this idea that the Ateneo administration is trying to eliminate all paths either inadvertently or intentionally created by Ateneans. To those who don't understand what in hell am I talking about, let me elaborate.

What is a path?

Well, let me first begin with what a path is NOT. A path is NOT a road. It is not a fixed structure created with a fixed purpose and destination in mind. For instance, the way from the Gonzaga Caf to SEC is a cemented road. It was created and cemented for precisely that purpose: to have a way from the Caf to SEC. On the other hand, consider the way from the Chem Building to CTC. There exists a cemented way (a road), but beside that road lie two earth-based paths. One path leads to CTC through a space between two columns, and the other directly leads to SOM. These paths are not fixed. They are pregnant with potentiality. Of course, the argument may be raised that these are just roads without cement, but that is precisely my point. Neither their ways or their purpose have been dictated and established by cement.

What the Ateneo administration tries to do is to eliminate all these paths. How? My theory is that their action is two-fold. One, and by virtue of my argument above, by placing cement on the earth-base paths. It has been done before. Look at the Chem Building-CTC road I have mentioned earlier. Years ago, while the CTC was only in the process of construction, that road was only 2 square stepping-stones in width. When CTC was finally constructed, and people began to deviate from the road, they cemented another 3 square stepping-stones' worth of road width. Just to make sure that the Ateneans step on the road, and not create their own paths. Unfortunately, with those two dirt paths lurking beside the road, their efforts don't seem to have succeeded all that much.

The second way by which they eliminate paths is by barricading them. Take the example of the extended CTC (or Faura, whichever way to see it) road leading to the overpass near National Bookstore. Instead of allowing people to take the hypotenuse to reach the foot of the overpass, the admiministration decided to barricade this option so that people may be forced to take their Luneta-like road (complete with lampposts along the way). Unfortunately for the administration again, I have sighted a path in the making behind the trees near the barricade, so the efforts, once more, don't seem to have succeeded all that much.

There are more examples to prove my theory. The road to the Gabay Org room was just a path before, as well as the road to DSWS. The Caf-SEC road was laden with square stepping-stones with gaps between them; now, the gaps are gone and what remains is one intact road. Path-to-road occurrences are dime a dozen; one just needs to search them.

I don't really know why the administration is pushing for this mass eradication of paths. Perhaps they think that paths are ugly? Or they consider them a defiance of their structured ways? I do not assume to know their mindsets. But whatever efforts they may place to eradicate these paths, the sad fact must be faced: they are utterly failing in their endeavor. Ateneans like making paths. I suggest that they leave them be.