by Tricia Allado
2 August 2012
Discussed text: Gabriel Marcel, "Introduction, The Mystery of Being
One of the things that really hit me while listening to Dr. Garcia was that he was so passionate about what he was saying. You could tell by how he never needed notes to quote from the most random philosophers or how he just spouted these French or German philosophical phrases off the top of his head. Sometimes, I will admit, I do space off randomly but whenever he says something philosophically poetic, I just snap back to attention.
An example of this instance was last Thursday, we had all been hoping for a suspension and were silently disgruntled when (yet again) no suspension occurred. I was sitting in my chair in the front row, lamenting the fact that my shoes were soaked, when Dr. Garcia mentioned the silence in the appreciation of works of art and a coinciding silence in the human person. This phrase just snapped me back into attention. I imagined that it was the act of silently spending an hour or so in front of a painting that just intrigued you or reading a poem and feeling it resonate somewhere in you or watching a performance and tearing up because—just because.
This, he explained, was the difference between grasping and being grasped. Sure, I can memorize mathematics (barely) or science until I feel like I’ve retained enough information until a test and then, afterwards, forget everything. That is cold and practical. That is a nuisance to me. That is me grasping for a good grade to get a good job.
But this. This is being grasped by something that is completely useless. This is what my quiet moments are for. This is what I do at the end of the day when I am silent in my room and I can be myself. I appreciate and revel in the pointless. This is not something that will help you make money; you cannot sell something like this. This is not something that will help you survive in the real world. But this is what keeps you going. This is what being a human is all about. This is pointless and impractical, but it is also beautiful.
Being grasped by something is “experiencing something you cannot put your finger on.” You cannot measure it. You cannot quantify it. You cannot count it. You cannot bottle it and sell it. But you can feel it and that makes all the difference.
As a math major, I always repeat the same "rituals" every two weeks: memorize, understand, cram every bit of information I feel useful into my head, and then wait until those bits of information subside out of my head. It's really hard and frustrating sometimes, especially when you're not able to retain enough information to pass. But in between those moments of hardships are the moments of silence that probably keep me "human". Some of these moments are moments looking at art, yes, while some are moments listening to music. While these moments may seem pointless, as they decrease my study time, I don't think they are pointless. As you've said, these moments "keep you going", and they are "beautiful". Beauty, I think, is very much needed in life, especially in these hard times.
ReplyDelete-Nathaniel Barretto (Section A)
The reason why I likened 'being grasped' to 'being controlled' is because there are many things that happen in life which we cannot control, so sometimes, our naturally tendency is to be in control as much as possible, to control anything and everything within our reach. However, controlling to the point of obsession is not healthy; at some point, we will feel the inclination to drop everything down and let ourselves be swept away. Thus, to be grasped is not exactly to be controlled, but rather, to let go of a certain degree of control, to be moved, and to be surprised, once in a while, or every so often. As we know, "The road of life can only reveal itself as it is traveled; each turn in the road reveals a surprise." We have to let go, in order to let ourselves go, to experience life more intimately, to be alive ... to be.
ReplyDeleteAbi Go Ph101 A
I'm really struck by how you said, "But this is what keeps you going... This is pointless and impractical, but it is also beautiful." To think that the most wonderful things are those that really won't provide you the most successful or prosperous life... it's kind of sad. I'm in management, but I'm not really interested in accounting or the technicalities of it all, but it is what's practical. What I love to do is read and write, but reasonably, in the real world, it will not give me a high paying job. For me, to read is to give in to the temptation of the aesthetics because there is beauty in words, and to write is to express one's emotions about the things that move/grasp you. I find that the balance of practicality and art is important. Practical decisions like the jobs you choose is the means of living, while art is there to make the life you live worth it.
ReplyDelete~ Cara Garcia, Ph101 - A
I felt exactly the same way just a while ago. I had just finished watching "The Boy in Striped Pyjamas", a film set during the peak of anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany during the Second World War. The film displayed children's innocence in the cruelty of man and a simple humanity rediscovered by the fidelity in friendship. To not disclose the story's twist, it's sufficient to write that it isn't difficult for us to be grasped by something if we welcome it. Oftentimes the things capable of grasping us are impractical or useless which is why we regard them as such. As in my case, choosing to watch a film over studying for an exam. However it is usually these experiences that make us feel human. Although the Holocaust did not directly affect all people, it reminds us of the capacity of man for evil and in the film, for good as well. Similarly, nationwide relief efforts for the victims of the recent storm show how we feel responsible for the lives of others, regardless of their relation to us. It reminds us of our humanity, our being in Being, how "any man's death diminishes me" (John Donne).
ReplyDelete-Justine Dinglasan, Ph101-A
"This is pointless and impractical, but it is also beautiful." While I do agree that it is beautiful, I do not agree that it is quite pointless. Impractical, maybe - at least in this fast-paced modern world upon which we exist. Indeed, this feeling of being grasped, it is what makes us human and what keeps us sane. Imagine a life deprived of music, art or even just a good book. Where can we find our inspiration? Where can we find our peace? I guess what I'm really trying to say is that it's not pointless or useless. I just went around in circles explaining that...my bad.
ReplyDelete- Lica Lee PH101 C
i know this is kinda late, but i really love the way you defined "being grasped".
ReplyDelete"Being grasped by something is “experiencing something you cannot put your finger on.” You cannot measure it. You cannot quantify it. You cannot count it. You cannot bottle it and sell it. But you can feel it and that makes all the difference."
this for me, sums up what i took home from Doctor Garcia's lecture that day. to add, i think being grasped is an experience we personally participate in, but it's also a universal understanding we each resonate with. when we're being grasped by events or experiences or even people, we each have our own ways of relating to it, but when we come together and discuss//share our sentiments we find out that sometimes we have common perspectives. just like in this blog, in this post even, we were all "grasped" by Doctor Garcia's lecture on "being grasped" and we find ourselves subjectively commenting on a post that was a personal reflection, each somehow relating to one another.
"Being grasped by something is “experiencing something you cannot put your finger on.” You cannot measure it. You cannot quantify it. You cannot count it. You cannot bottle it and sell it. But you can feel it and that makes all the difference."
being grasped is, in a way, inexplicable because it is personal but it is felt and that feeling is, in more ways than one, something most of us can relate to.
--Katerina M. Vargas, Ph101-A
I like how you mention that it is something that you can't sell or help you survive in the real world but this is what keeps you going. I think many of us here, at some point of our lives, felt the same way. Personally, I love to read, to draw, basically anything art- related. This is what I am passionate about but there are moments in my life where I do regret being in management since three years ago I did think it was the most practical and useful course that will help me in my future. I guess, whether it's art, music or the thing where we felt " being grasped", these things kept us going or kept us sane through the hard times and the trials in our lives. Without these things, life wouldn't be fun and exciting.
ReplyDeleteKat Balonan
Philo 101 A
yes.. without those moments of 'being grasped' by something, it would be hard for us to go through the day's routine. it makes our lives more attractive and beautiful in a way of giving it a sense of unexpectedness. it might seem pointless. but sometimes the feeling or insight from being grasped has striking power as being enough to change the direction which our whole lives would flow into. like my friend who was all of a sudden converted into a vegetarian after seeing a doc. about animals.
ReplyDeleteLee Si Yeon
PH101-A
Being involved with academics and org works, I rarely have time to relax and simply indulge in the blessings I have been given. It's nice to be grasped once in a while, to bring us back to the reality of life. Life isn't always just about academics, getting the best jobs, having the most money and such; we have to see that there is life outside of these things. As taught to us by Sir Garcia, we need to take time to appreciate art. We have to scrutinize it to be able to understand what it means. As in life, we also have to take time to appreciate the world and what has been given to us. We have to be critical of what matters most as to give attention to these details in life.
ReplyDelete-M. Cua, PH 101 A