by Len Virata
"I am responsible for the death of the other". To me, this was the most powerful phrase I heard this morning in doc g's lecture. Powerful in a way that i have come to gain deeper insight on how the lifestyle of many of us plays a twisted consequence on the other (whether we are aware of it or not). In the world today, witnessing social injustice at work has become a normal sight. Most of us acknowledge that there are well off families and poor families. Some become successful in life, and some fail. That is how the world works. Moreover, earning a living today has become more competitive therefore we have come to live in a society that is pragmatic in a way that we make decisions on what will most benefit us. Looking at Philippine society, the social structure is very stratified. Meaning there is a huge gap between the rich and poor. Most of us were blessed to be in the upper part of the social classes. We are lucky to be living comfortable lives and experiencing an easy lifestyle. Due to this, we have become unaware of the other and how this (to some) lavish or convenient lifestyle for us has affected the other.
One example that came to mind was when manila got flooded almost a year ago. While most of us were lucky to be in a house or a condominium, a lot of people lost their make shift houses and roofs due to the heavy rains and running water. While these people were fighting for their lives, property, health and loved ones, there were people we knew (and maybe even us) who were complaining about having no electricity to watch television, no wi-fi to play games, or no air-con to sleep comfortably through the night. It's a horrible realisation that this is the reality we live in. That there are people complaining about the most unnecessary things while there are others suffering right outside their doors. One complain that struck my attention though came from a tweet i saw from my friend and other users about wanting a Mcdo delivery. So given that there was a flood, everyone was stuck at home. That meant we had to make us of whatever we had at home to either entertain us or use. This also meant, we had to eat whatever we had at home. For some reason, some of my friends weren't satisfied with the food they had home so they had a brilliant idea to decide they wanted a delivery from their favourite fast-food, Mcdonald's. He even had the nerve to tweet after that he hoped the delivery will be fast because he was hungry. When i saw these tweets, i felt so angry because there was so much wrong thing with it. First, how was this person so insensitive and selfish at a time like this? Second, does he not know that he is putting the delivery boys safety in jeopardy just for food? Third, are there people who really are that ignorant?
This instance really makes you think what kind of people you are living with in this world. But is it really his fault? I'd like to believe that there aren't really that ignorant people but it is because of the lifestyle we are living in that has made us forget about the other. We get things so easily and in convenience that we forget the long process that it comes from that has to do with the other. In this case, we can see the other as the delivery boy. Some of us might have forgotten that the process of a delivery has to deal with real people, not just our purchases. It is still a person who will go from one area to your home to deliver these things. We only care about what is delivered and we forget about the other involved. Have we ever even paid attention to him at all? The death of the other can be seen when my friend wanted to have his food delivered knowing that the area was flooded. He completely had no regard for the other. He probably didn't even realise he's putting someone in danger because he was so selfish to just think of himself. Or maybe he did know, but he didn't care because it was just a delivery boy to him. Either way, this kind of attitude results in us negatively affecting the other.
Seeing now how connected our actions & attitudes reflect on the other, it should make us more aware and more sensitive on how we live our lifestyles and deal with things. Just because we can afford to do things or we are capable to do things, does not mean we should. Looking back at the mcdo example,
the company should not have even allowed the delivery boys to be on duty because it is dangerous. But they did, and even so that does not mean we should take advantage of this. We can play our part through not ordering a delivery thus not putting the other in danger. We should take this small example to the bigger context to show that sometimes living simply and paying attention to not just the other but the distant other are ways in which we can change our lifestyle so that we can ease the burden off the other and become more mindful of the others around us.
Your Mcdo example is a great illustration of how our attitudes can affect our surroundings. We can also see from this example the different views of each individual and how philosophy works in our lives. I mean, by being aware, we tend to reflect, and by reflecting, we learn to be more for the other, which is what Levinas wants us to understand.
ReplyDeleteTrixia Tan
Ph102 C
I couldn't agree more with your example. A little awareness and sensitivity is really something that people should pay attention to nowadays. However, I can't really blame your friend for behaving in such a manner because in one way or the other, regardless if we were aware of it or not, we are also guilty of being insensitive. The world that we live in today is so fast-paced that we actually forget to be human as we pursue our never-ending goals. As a student, I am guilty of giving nearly 100% of my attention to school work and my own personal problems that I sometimes forget to acknowledge the existence of the helpers my family has at home. This is unfair, because if you think about it, it was our helpers who maintain the cleanliness of my room, who prepare our meals, and wash the clothes on our backs. It's a sad thought, but I will definitely give a more conscious effort to show my gratitude toward the people around me.
ReplyDeleteLeo Lorenzo (A)
Whenever we think of convenience, we should remember that in this world, there is no such thing as a free lunch. For every gain, someone loses something and for every convenience, someone suffers for us.
ReplyDeleteMar Tan - PH 102
Capitalists often justify this by thinking that the delivery by is paid fairly. However, the boy had to risk his life going through the typhoon, because he does not have a choice but to do so. In businesses, ethics plays a very important part to protect your reputation to the customers, investors, and employees. However, going beyond the law of the I, ethics is important, because it is our duty to take responsibility to the other as well.
ReplyDeleteKate Bonamy , Ph102 A
To your post I would just like to say..."Preach!"
ReplyDeleteI witnessed similar incidents happening when I was a boarder in Eliazo my first year. Once, when Katipunan and Ateneo's road parallel to Katipunan was flooded yet I saw so many dormers ordering food from outside establishments. It even got to a point where someone had to call them out on it on the ARSA fb group for it to stop. There were even some delivery boys that walked from Katipunan instead of exposing their motorbikes to the risk breaking in the floodwater.
Even without flooding and it's just simple rain, the delivery boys still have to face the rain. They get soaked and are vulnerable to catching diseases. In addition to those risks, they face the possibility of having to pay for the food if it arrives soaked. They also have to face possible damages to their motorcycles in the water.
We call for delivery because we do not want to inconvenience ourselves by going out of our houses to get food. Especially in times of flood, we don't even bring cars out as it could damage the engine immensely.
Your friend clearly "killed the human" in the delivery boy and just saw him as a means for food. It's a sad truth and your post shed some very truthful light on it.
- Alix Apostolicas Ph102 A