In the Thursday (27 September 2012) class, I left you guys a question that I think is very important and worth reflecting on: In the face of radical contingency, where all things immediate to us, including ourselves, are passing, how do we live our lives?
Let me share two things which I think illustrates very well the fact that there are things that pass in life, which perhaps will aid us in seeking our own answer to these questions.
The first one is from the book of Job, a story which I think, on one hand, reminds us of how things can pass away quickly, and yet such reality goes hand in hand with the Absolute whom we are called to hang on to.
(this passage is quoted from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible)
"9 Then Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face." 12 The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, all that he has is in your power; only do not stretch out your hand against him!" So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. 13 One day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the eldest brother's house, 14 a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were feeding beside them, 15 and the Sabeans fell on them and carried them off, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you." 16 While he was still speaking, another came and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; I alone have escaped to tell you." 17 While he was still speaking, another came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three columns, made a raid on the camels and carried them off, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you." 18 While he was still speaking, another came and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house, 19 and suddenly a great wind came across the desert, struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; I alone have escaped to tell you." 20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." 22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing."
Perhaps the big question is: Can we still manage to hang on with life after facing such radical contingency?
The second one is something that I encourage you to watch (by yourself or with friends). This movie is about confronting death and finding one's meaning through the experience of others' deaths. (side note: this is one of the most meaningful movies introduced to me by Mr. Calasanz, and I believe this is worth sharing to you, guys).
Departures (Okuribito), won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in the Oscars last 2009.
What do you think?
"To be, or not to be; that is the question
ReplyDeleteWhether tis nobler in the mind to suffer
the Slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
or to take up arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them: to die, to sleep
No more; and by a sleep, to say we end
The heart-ache, and the thousand Natural shocks
That Flesh is heir to? 'Tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To die to sleep,
To sleep, perchance to Dream;"
So the famous soliloquy from Shakespeare's Hamlet reads.
This dilemma was one of the first things I had to face when I abandoned my religion, and effectively, hope for an after-life.
I've taken up the Book of Job in my literature class wherein we found the theme was the folly of trying to understand why humanity suffered. We could choose to ascribe meanings upon meanings on our suffering but ultimately, I believe we suffer and die simply because it is in the human condition.
I've yet to answer (if there's even an answer)that question that keeps me awake at night, "What's the point of it all?" All I can do is keep searching and reflecting. To borrow from the imagery of Murakami's "Dance Dance Dance", I have to dance to the beats and tempo of life. I hope that in my last moments of consciousness before death, I can look back and say that I did everything conceivable right.
Memento mori and carpe diem
“I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it is much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers that might be wrong. If we will only allow that, as we progress, we remain unsure, we will leave opportunities for alternatives. We will not become enthusiastic for the fact, the knowledge, the absolute truth of the day, but remain always uncertain … In order to make progress, one must leave the door to the unknown ajar.”
ReplyDelete― Richard P. Feynman
"We are all destined to die" is a line that has been going around lately in class. And yes, that's one thing in life that's certain. We are going to die eventually. It's a scary thought, but it is inevitable.
ReplyDeleteI think it's safe to say that most of us fear death, but I don't think people are afraid of death itself. What we really fear is that when death finally comes knocking on our door, we'll be faced with the reality that we've had empty lives or that we didn’t do enough... but when you do realize that, it's too late.
Doc. Garcia has mentioned last meeting that when you pass away, you no longer exist in a phenomenological and physical sense, but you still continue to exist and live on. Every day, we constantly leave a mark in this world, and interact with family, friends, and colleagues. Even if we pass away, we live and remain through them, even if we are only rendered as memories to them.
Relating all that to the film, Departures (in my opinion) is a perfect example of that. We fear death and those whose work revolves around it (as seen in the film, those who work in a morgue). But that only shows that we fear living. We are afraid of getting hurt, not being secure, not making others happy, not making yourself happy, and being forgotten. We are afraid of so many things, we end up not living. We only become really aware of that when we are faced with the ultimatum that is death.
We become too preoccupied that we actually forget to relish in the fact that we are alive. Living isn't about avoiding death or prolonging your lifespan, it's about how you use up your time here on earth.
Krista Agbayani (section C)