Wednesday, June 12, 2013
An Introduction to the Introduction
by Eve Avila
Today, our house was unusually busy because it was my first day in school. Not to bring my kids to their classrooms but to be the student myself.
Why did I enroll in Philo 101? At 61 years old on my last birthday, I’d say that I have almost completed the joyful journey of living, been there, done that. Now, what do I do with the rest of my life?
I recently returned from a two-year volunteer work in Africa and for the whole time that I was there, I was transported back to my childhood years when life was a struggle. Today, I can see that the meaning of my young life then was for NOW. Then what’s next?
I reckon that I can find the answer if I go back farther and start with the question, Who am I? And by knowing, then perhaps I can create another meaningful chapter in my life – the real meaning of life, in the first place.
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I can relate this most to the commencement speech given by David Foster Wallace. Oftentimes we are in the default setting of thinking immediately, and mainly about, ourselves. I highly doubt this to have any exceptions to any of us.
ReplyDeleteThe value of reflection, of questioning and choosing to think of the possibilities and variables of the things that go on around us enlighten us in ways that make us see much clearly, the world and the everyday routine we are in.
The volunteer work of Mrs. Avila was a choice, the decision made to think and see in a different way, a way that deviates from our default self-centered setting. The real value of her everyday routine of her young life was revealed to her because there was a choice that was made: the choice to think, to question, and search for something more in the everyday routines.
Hi Dominic!
DeleteKindly identify yourself (nickname and full name) as well as your section every time you comment. This goes as well for everyone. Thank you!
I think our very own yearning for this self identification is a basic impulse of our own consciousness. As we keep asking ourselves this question, "Who am I?", we are awakened to life itself. It is truly a long and difficult journey and it may even take a life time to discover but it is in these fundamental questions which we ask that we learn to look at life, to look into our own experiences and bring out the answers that we yearn so much to know.
ReplyDeleteWe must learn to look. To see the bigger picture , this reality in which we actually live, and to drive away from our own “default settings” which limit us in considering countless possibilities and discovering what is truly real. By doing so, we are brought into the awareness of a reality which is obvious yet also so hidden- the value of life itself.
Frenchi Baluyot PH 101 A
I believe that as I begin my journey understanding philosophy, I am challenged everyday to ask myself who I am. Even beyond this, I am challenged to see who I am in a world where others exist. I am not the only person in this world. As I go through life everyday, I've realized that although I stumble upon some answers to this quest of mine, I soon find that there are even more questions and so much more answers that have yet been revealed.
ReplyDeleteAs David Foster Wallace, ends his commencement speech saying "your education really IS the job of a lifetime," I believe now that to be human is an inexhaustible task of trying to get to know myself and the world around me. Moreover, it is also being continuously aware of other people and how my daily exchanges with other people give meaning to my life and vice versa.
As Mrs. Avila shares her yearning to find a greater meaning to her life, I not only see that being human is a never-ending search for infinite answers to infinite questions, but it is also a conscious and voluntary decision to try. We may have these questions in our mind, yet we do not act on them and try our best in answering them. With this, i truly admire Mrs. Avila's courage and passion to persistently understand and know the meaning of her life.
Kyla Relucio PH 101 A
My take on this is that life is finding one's purpose. What we consider precious will mold us into the people we are. Think of life as a canvass. We paint our own blank canvasses from birth with Life's guidance, into a series of paintings that will continue on until we paint our last finishing touches. In Miss Eve's case, I guess she's gonna paint another part of her larger canvass.
ReplyDeleteKathleen Gayle Ching PH101 C
When I looked at this just pretty recently, I remember a conversation I had with the Rizal Library Director a while ago. We were talking about jobs in the future and I said that whatever you pursue is fine, as long as you're doing something you like. I was just thinking if maybe that is the essence of life: to be happy, and to make others happy. I've always had these thoughts, and I feel what Ms. Eve is saying about finding who am I and why am I here? I want to know if there's a deeper level to these thoughts I've always had, if there's some way of going further and going beyond myself.
ReplyDeleteThe very thought of learning how to think is really exciting, and it opens up a door into a world that I've always been curious about, but never bothered to peek into. I share the excitement Ms. Eve has about this, and I earnestly want to find answers and more questions in this search, because this is what helps me grow as a person.
Miguel Co PH101A