16 July 2013
Discussed Text: Gabriel Marcel, "Introduction," The Mystery of Being
“Philosophy is concerned with the process; it involves the journey”- It was this lesson from the latest lecture in my Philosophy class that stuck to me as I left the room, mainly because it applies so much to my life and my situation right now- a third year college student engrossed into the numerous possibilities of the future. This feature of Philosophy being focused on the process could be translated into how one lives his or her life.
Here’s the funny thing about college: one day we’re attending the Orsem, then BOOM. Next thing you know, you’re suiting up for your graduation and you’re left wondering how time could fly by so quickly. One of the many possible answers to why four years suddenly feel so short is because we tend to think only of our goals and not of the path we take to achieve them. Nowadays, we think in a result-related manner. I’m pretty sure some of us are itching to leave this school, ready to tackle the world and make an impact on the world. Some of us, on the other hand, don’t want to leave- uncertain of the future and what it may bring. But the question is, is it really necessary for us to preoccupy ourselves with the what’s going to happen and forget what’s happening right now?
Though I do agree that it is necessary for one to live with a goal in mind, I believe that it is important to enjoy what is happening now for the simple fact that when it comes to college life, or life in general, it is all about the journey, not the destination.
Just think about it. Every second that passes by is the only second that will ever happen forever. After this minute passes (it’s 12:02 AM, July 18 right now), there would never be a July 18, 2013,12:02AM again. Having this realization made me realize how you can’t take time back, and though it would be such a blessing (and convenience) to be able to have time back, it will never happen, and maybe that is a good thing. Knowing that we can’t take time back will make us realize how precious every single moment really is- that we cannot waste each moment that passes. So go ahead, enjoy and cherish the time you have with family and friends. Live in the moment. Feel the world around you and take everything in because right now is a gift.
“That’s why it is called, ‘present’” – Master Oogway (Kung Fu Panda)
I agree that it is important to enjoy every moment in life and to live our life fully. But how can a person actually enjoy his/her life and have a positive thinking while he/she is facing difficulties in life such as sickness, accidents, or even death?
ReplyDeleteFor example, a man loses his wife because of a car accident. Can the man really enjoy his moment, his life, and not being preoccupied by his sadness? And on the other hand, can we say that the tragedy is counted as a part of the journey of the man's life? If this incident caused the man to become insane, how can we approach this result in a philosophical way?
Wai Yiu So PH101 A
I think this is exactly why we must live our life to the fullest and cherish every moment with our family and friends. We never know when their time or our time will come.
DeleteFor the man who losses his wife, yes, there are some people who never quite get over these kinds of tragedies (I will get back on this later). But when you think about it, if a man knows that he spend every moment with his wife to the fullest, the pain and sadness will eventually pass. Day by day, he will be able to move on, accept reality, and live his life again to the fullest, for he knows especially that he has no regrets with how he lived his life with his wife. In fact, they look at the bright side, that their loved one is happy and stress-free up there.
For those who become insane, I think they are the ones who weren't able to live their lives with their loved one to the fullest. They may have lots of regrets and this is what keeps them from moving on. He may have wanted to do this and that then but as they say, "huli na ang lahat." Because of missed opportunities or some other thing, guilt may consume him, causing him to turn insane.
This is why we must live life to the fullest, so that we would not have any regrets. We must live in the moment because every second, every minute is, as what Jevin said, a gift. Eventually, when our time comes, we are ready.
Marika King
PH 101 - A
I agree your point, but even though we live our life to the fullest with the people we love, isn't it that in the end we will still inevitably regret about their death? Since they have already become a part of us, and there are more, more, and more things that we'll want to do with them. So how can a person be able to actually move on and live his life again to the fullest, if the most important part of him had been taken away?
Delete^ I believe no one can really give a satisfying answer to your question, Wai, but the man in your example himself. It is all a matter of perspective. We can't tell people how to live their lives, we can't predict how the widowed man will continue to live the rest of his life after his wife's death. In my opinion people, and life, are very complex.
DeleteTragedy is a reality of life. But people also have the choice to rise above the tragedies they may encounter and not let these tragedies define them, or the rest of their lives. To add to this, one tragic reality of life is that not every human being in the world will live their life to the fullest, not everyone will reach their deaths happy/fulfilled/having made the most out of their time here on earth.
Francine Seno
PH 101 - C
But the thing is, though one is sad despite the loss of a loved one, life still goes on. Grieving is normal, but eventually, he or she has to move on, and be happy that the love he or she shared with the person is real and that it happened. This just proves the value of time that it could be taken away, so it is important to make the most out of the time one has with someone. And shouldn't one not center his or her life on another person?
DeleteJevin Sarmiento
PH 101-C
I can really relate with your blog as often enough, I feel time pass me by so quickly that sometimes I am no longer able to grasp it. We take so much things for granted, especially time, that we fail to realize we have so little of it. We have to dwell in our experience, we have to dwell in life to precisely make it have meaning. To let it pass us by so quickly is to not realize what it means to live. I totally agree with how we are too engrossed with the end results, with the final destination that we often forget how to get there. The entire process is completely important too. To be able to reflect and gain a deeper meaning on our lives makes it more of value to us.
ReplyDeleteFrenchi Baluyot (A)
Time really passes by so fast, today is already october 5 and i must say, the start of the school year, the start of junior year, for me, seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. I understand what you are saying of living in the present, and I think that this statement that sir Garcia said was the thing that really made me see what being grounded to the present and looking at the process towards our destination is the most important part of life, cause it's what builds up our character, what transforms us into us.
ReplyDeleteTrixia Tan (C)
It's true that we tend to worry about the future so much that we forget about what's happening now. I've learned that life is too short to worry about what's going to happen. So instead, I try my best to savour the moment, even if it seems to be irrelevant to me right now. If you're having a good day, be happy, be extremely happy! If you're hurt, cry, act out! Cry untill you can't cry anymore. Don't hold back and don't undestimate the little things in life.
ReplyDeleteGenica Lim (C)