by Justine Dinglasan
Think about others.
It’s not always about you.
Decentralize.
To be honest, philosophy and I didn’t get off on the right foot. Yes, David Foster Wallace made sense. Yes, his address spoke to me. Perhaps this is water, but surely, I’ve heard that before.
In a single well-constructed speech, he had summed up values from kindergarten (and a certain purple dinosaur), insights from Sunday homilies, sermons from my parents, and everyday experiences. All of which comprise what I consider basic knowledge; to some extent even, simple common sense.
These life lessons aren’t at all inaccessible. I mean, Amir eventually stood up for Hassan in The Kite Runner because he realized the world doesn’t revolve around him. Harry Potter didn’t exploit his prestige as “the chosen one”. Instead he risked his life inexorably for the betterment of wizardkind. If fictional characters grasp life’s value and choose to live it out for others, shouldn’t we be able to?
Deep down aren’t we all aware of this capability?
Almost suddenly, it became clear to me. Philosophy, a kind of light, had finally penetrated my arrogance.
Yes, we are aware of this choice. However, more often than not, our awareness is deep down. It is hidden, obscured by thoughts we deem more significant. This consciousness is an untapped resource—invaluable but untouched.
“Philosophy is an explicitation of the obvious” because the obvious is what we don’t see. David Foster Wallace and Dr. Garcia are right. We’re too preoccupied with trivial concerns that we often overlook values we picked up in pre-school or moments of revelation in our own experiences. Choosing to be aware makes all the difference. Philosophy opens our minds to this choice. Reflection permits us to look deep into our most disappointing experiences to draw out what is always salvageable, ourselves.
Philosophy and I may have had a rough start. Now however, I’d like to believe that we’ve become good friends.
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