Routine is the king that should be followed by a modern man.
Unfortunate to hear, but we’ve got to admit, it is true for most of us. In these modern days, everyone’s day is scheduled. And gradually, and maybe even unknowingly, everyone’s life is. We are obsessively glued to the same actions everyday due to the sense of security that we derived from it. We feel secured that we are doing everything in order. And by doing everything in order, we are secured that we are doing the right thing.
But there would always be a time wherein this order falls apart. Inevitably, there would be an immediate errand to be done, a sudden project that is to be passed tomorrow or a request of a friend which we feel like declining, if not only of shame. And all of which are unplanned- given a day or even an hour before the deadline, thus forcing us to break away from our system. And these sudden twists in our schedule cause us also to fall apart in chaos. But also, these twists leads us into reflecting, probably to restore the sanity, be it little or not, within us.
But what does it really mean to reflect in these modern days?
To reflect, in the modern definition, could be likened into looking at a fresh water pond. It is a therapeutic remedy brought about by the cool atmosphere of serenity and peace. It makes us relaxed, like sailing away of this modern away for a moment before going back to its tense and uncertain atmosphere. But is this really reflecting?
In a way, yes. For when we look at the pond, we look at ourselves and maybe the clouds at the sky. But what I have realized is that, maybe this is not a total reflection. Because a total reflection, as I have implicitly or expressly learned in my philosophy class, involves going further than one’s self. It involves looking at others as well, as the environment that surrounds us. True, we look at ourselves through the pond, and maybe the stars and clouds in the sky or even the birds that fly aloft in the air. But that is not the total picture.
Have we ever tried noticing the movement of the water itself when we look at the pond?
Nope, most of us do not. And honestly, I admit that I do not. Who bothers noticing the water anyway when we can clearly see a reflection of our face?
But this is the perception that we have to avoid. Again, as I have learned in my philosophy class, we must try to be detached to ourselves. We must try to look into other things, especially those little things that are of most value, but are least noticed. And when we do this, we gain serenity and peace. Like looking at a clear pond in itself.
I like how philosophical your blogpost turned out to be. The use of a pond as a metaphor for reflection is very suitable, and it made me go "Onga no!" My understanding of reflection may not as clear as yours though, with the metaphor that I associated with it. I've always thought that reflecting upon oneself is like crossing a two-way road. Yes, we do look at our right to know there's no approaching cars, and yes, we do look at our left to check on the same thing, but in the end, we still look straight ahead towards our end goal. I'm not sure if that made sense but what I'm trying to say that sometimes, we do actually pause, but that's about it. We just pause, but we don't actually stop.
ReplyDeleteSuddenly becoming static in the middle of the road is dangerous though, just like how I interpret the lesson we had about over-thinking. Philosophizing must end with an action, or else it won't actually result to anything, and it might "kill" us, literally, just like what Simon Critchley pointed out.
P.S. I beg to disagree with your statement: "I admit that I do not." I think you did actually look at the water as itself with your blogpost.