Sense of belonging is a common human emotional need for inclusion, acceptance, and support within a group. We usually experience this when we are introduced to a new community, particularly when meeting or working with a new set of people. The pressure to fit in often builds internally because of our desire to be accepted and included. There are many instances when we take actions without fully thinking them through or feel that we have no choice but to go along with the group. For the sake of gaining a sense of belonging and building camaraderie, would you sacrifice a part of yourself — or even risk your life?

This may have been a motivating factor for Divine Adili and Rene Baterbonia of the Ateneo Blue Eagles men’s basketball team. They passed away in a tragic drowning incident on June 8 in Dipaculao, Aurora, during a team-building activity. Both student-athletes were already making names for themselves in the basketball scene.

The 21-year-old foreign student-athlete Divine Adili began playing for Ateneo in UAAP Season 88, delivering a promising performance on his maiden flight as a Blue Eagle. Meanwhile, 19-year-old Rene Baterbonia had recently committed to the university just days after representing the Davao Region in the Palarong Pambansa held in Agusan del Sur. Notably, he helped lead the Davao Region to its first-ever Palarong Pambansa basketball championship last year.

While investigations are still ongoing, there have been speculations that the players underwent initiation rites disguised as team-building activity. Reports alleged that bruises were found in Rene’s body and that participants were brought into the water with weights attached to their arms and feet, circumstances that may have contributed to the fatal accident.

No one’s safety and security should not be put at risk in exchange for gaining a sense of belonging within a group — or, in this case, the brotherhood of a team. When situations like these arise, protecting human life should take precedence over activities that place individuals in life-threatening situations. The human need for belonging should not be fulfilled through dangerous or harmful experiences, but rather through positive, empowering, and safe activities.