by Miguel Co
A long time ago, I was at a retreat. I had it during a time when I was still young, trying out new things, and exploring the world. It wasn't really that eventful, at least until the last night of the retreat. During that time, I was sitting on the grass, with my back behind the tree. Then for some reason, something strange happened. I felt like I heard a voice, and I was talking to it. I honestly didn't know what to make of it, but it was relaxing and soothing. At the end of the entire retreat, I was seized by a fulfillment that I really can't quite put into words.
Looking back at the experience, I think it was an experience with the infinite. It's something that's indescribable and yet completely real. This infinite was experienced by my finite self, but it's not something that I can comprehend or fully understand. Trying to cram this idea of infinite into me is like trying to fit a house into a small hole: it just won't fit. Therefore idea of this infinite must have come from someone who is also infinite: God. That's what it means when it's said that the experience of God is such that he's in me without me understanding him. I can't comprehend what happened, but I know it's real, that it exists, and that it's a beautiful feeling.
From this experience of the infinite, of a God, I think that it's something that I can't objectify. If I tried to objectify it, then I'd just be dissecting the experience until it's nothing more than an aftertaste. And I'd be missing out on some things: feelings, worries, joys, and inhibitions. There are just some things that are too precious to be objectified because when we objectify, we lose something precious. This idea would best be expressed in this quote:
"Numbers and figures should not speak as loudly as our hearts."
Last year for one of my projects I went with a group of people to a cooperative, an institution made to help uplift the lives of people in its vicinity. They were an institution that did make some money, but they didn't care about the money as much as the welfare of their members and the community where they resided in. Of course, they need money to help these people. They need material to help the spirit grow. It's not all about the money and the profits, but in the end it's about the people and those around us. This is what we risk losing when we completely objectify everything, and why instead of taking everything apart and pursuing everything with an objective approach, there is merit in approaching things and God as a mystery, and as a gift.
I like this article, it makes me realize and understand more about the lesson now. I see that you were able to experience God in your own way and I find it really uplifting! God can be felt or shown to anyone in special ways. The thing is, God is around us everywhere, but we can’t explain it. We’ll just experience it in someway that we can’t understand, but know that’s Him. I also like your quote: "Numbers and figures should not speak as loudly as our hearts." I believe that not everything should be objectified and some things should stay as is. - Luis Tanjuatco (Section A)
ReplyDelete"Numbers and figures should not speak as loudly as our hearts." will probably be one of my favorite quotes from now on.
ReplyDeleteYou're definitely right in saying that we should not objectify everything. Personally for me there is subjectivity in objectivity already since no matter how we share things with others in a objective manner, we will never be able to understand how others will interpret them. As we learned through Marcel, the truth is intersubjective.
- Fern Tensuan (C)
I'm not sure I can say that I've had a similar experience. I don't know what label I could use to express my undefined religious views. The only reason I'm not a total atheist/agnostic is because of people like you, whose experiences/encounters with God seem genuine and poignant.
ReplyDelete"I think it was an experience with the infinite"--I really liked how you phrased this. I sort of hope that I'll get to experience that, as well.
- Veronica Jereza (C)
I think your experience can also be likened to that of transcendence, a calling and a vocation to give out and that can be precisely seen in your experience wanting to reach out and help to uplift the lives of different people. I find it very fascinating how sometimes life can just hit us hard with different experiences and insights that totally change us in a way that we get to know more of ourselves. Through reflection we are able to be suspended, we are able to dwell before we impact life head on and as we impact and face life straight on we are able to cause ripples on the pond, we are able to affect others by other little actions as well.
ReplyDeleteFrenchi Baluyot (A)
Your experience of the infinite reminds me of my Days With The Lord experience back in ICA. Whenever my batch mates would talk about how it was a life changing experience, a part of me thought that maybe they were just trying to keep the excitement of the DWTL experience alive. But when it was finally my turn, I can truly say that it was the first time I've been so sure of God's existence. There wasn't really a defining moment but somewhere between those 3 days, I was absolutely sure that God was real. Looking back, I still can't explain the surreal feeling and no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to put it in words that can possible justify what that moment was for me. That was probably the closest experience I've had to the infinite as a finite being.
ReplyDeleteGenica Lim (C)