by Eve Avila
As a mom to early twenty-somethings, I am always the boss, because I know everything. But since I enrolled in Philo 101, I seem to be in the experience of ontological humility (a humbler way of existing).
Now I know that I do not know a lot and I can even learn not just from the “lilies of the fields” and the “birds of the air”, but from my children themselves.
I was with my son last Sunday at our usual study joint in Starbucks Libis. On our way out, he was looking for his umbrella in the stand, and it wasn’t there. He called his group mate who borrowed it earlier to confirm if he had put it back in the stand and he said he did. After searching again and waiting (in the hope that someone just took it momentarily), we gave up and left without it.
As the boss, I told my son to immediately call his friend and tell him that the umbrella wasn’t there. I had hot spasms when my son said, “No Mom, I don’t have to call him now about it. He might feel guilty, but it is not his fault. And besides, it is already late and he may not be able to sleep worrying and he is just as stressed as me preparing for our final exams”.
I relate this anecdote to what I learned today from the lecture of TA Earl. As I gather my lived experience, I do not profess to remember the philosophical vocabulary such as existential fulcrum, metaphysical unease, intermediary thinking, existential phenomenology, but surely I will remember to be patient, truthful, kind and to help others live a human life.
I really like how you concluded this reflection. Even though I'm a philosophy major, I don't think it's the "philosophical vocabulary" that will stay with me years after I've graduated. It's my experiences and what I've learned from all of these classes that I'll really remember, divorced from philosophy's more technical terms or aspects, especially in a class like PH 101.
ReplyDelete- Veronica Jereza (C)
I think that that is the very essence of philosophy. People would not know what onthological humility means, but they do know what love and kindness is. If it is our goal to relate well with others, the big philosophical words are merely ways to articulate the lessons we have to remember. This, in my opinion, applies in many areas like math, science, and history. The very essence of taking up those subjects is to learn to persevere. I guess I would not need to know matrices and calculus in order to live, but it is there to probably hone us to be more patient. Anyway, my point is that I agree with the importance of philosophy, especially in that practical sense.
ReplyDeleteKate Bonamy (A)
In my opinion, education is more than education and should not be treated or viewed as only education itself. When we study we do actually study hard for the exams, and most likely we will sooner or later forget most of the lessons that we have studied/memorized/crammed. So for me education should not be limited to book knowledge, but it should enhance both our mental and spiritual being. Being in education, we actually learn a lot more than the lessons taught to us. Through it we learned to be punctual, to be patient dealing with readings, being truthful and kind to our friends, etc.
ReplyDeleteThrough our education, what we have learned that can't be taken away from us is not only the knowledge that we have gained, but also the experienced that we have gone through in these years of education. And what's special about philosophy is that it helps us to make sense our experience. For me philosophy is the study of life.
So, Wai Yiu (A)
I really got inspired by the way your son thinks of the situation in finding his umbrella. Not only he thinking of himself regarding the exams but he also thought about what would his friend think if i tell him that the umbrella wasn't there. In a way, he was able to dance to the world (or should i say perspective) of his friend but still remain on the object of the umbrella. This situation has also embodied how the umbrella exists in this world but exists differently for your son and his friend. It has taught me that as philosophers, we must be able to think in the place of others and realize what this world might mean for them which will be greatly different from ours. (Mar Tan PH 101 A)
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point that in the end, not everyone is going to remember all of these terms or even fully understand them but I think life will show itself and eventually, through experience, one can live all these.
ReplyDeleteDiane Cheng (C)
This post reminded me of how we should be open to seeing everything as a learning experience. We must never think that we know everything, because there will always be much more to know. Probably one of the most important insights from this class is this kind of humility that unfortunately is lost in the "Broken World".
ReplyDeleteIn the end, it is not really the terms we memorize and the grades that we get that will matter. It's really the things we have been through and the lessons that we learned that will contribute the most to bringing us closer to the kind of person we want to become.
Kathleen Sun (A)
I really relate to this post because I go through the same experiences with my own Mom. Both of us have very strong personalities and neither of us ever back down. I think however we fail to see that there are indeed fights that are worth fighting and fights that are not. I guess we both need to have a sort of ontological humility in order to allow us to admit our mistakes and move on to bigger issues.
ReplyDeleteStephen Vera Cruz (A)
I think that the goal of doing philosophy is conversion. Because of philosophy, we are able to see the world differently from how we used to. We can't unsee the realizations that we have come to, and these might change us. However, we undertake this change in order to become better people. We change for the better. It is not always an easy process, and it is a long one. However, the end goal is well worth it. It ma be a hard road faced with many challenges, but there is light at the end. But we must have ontological humility and humble ourselves as we do so, and approach life honestly and clearly. Only then will we be able to philosophize.
ReplyDeleteMiguel Co (A)
I do agree with what you said in your last statement. Truly, in a few years time or months even, we will come to forget all these terms that we have read and studied. Indeed, the importance of Philosophy lies in teaching us how to live a more human life. For me, Philosophy has taught me that to be human is to have an extreme form of consciousness of everyone and everything around us because with this awareness, we realize that we are not the center of the universe; we realize that we must be patient, we must be kind and ultimately, we must be compassionate.
ReplyDeleteRobert Go (A)
I'm sure it took a lot of courage on your part to admit that you made a mistake and for that, I truly respect you! Like you, I probably won't remember any of the terms but I won't forget what it taught me and continues to teach me. All the readings, 1 hour and 30 minutes discussions, and insights from my fellow classmates taught me so much about myself and the world around me. It was truly a humbling experience and I will definitely carry these realizations with me after this semester.
ReplyDeleteGenica lim (C)
I think that is really what philosophy is all about, teaching us to think deeper, to consider and realize more the world around us. Being patient, trusting, kindness, and being helpful are just parts of our transformation when we open ourselves to the realities of the world.
ReplyDeleteTrixia Tan (C)
I think the beauty of Philosophy is that it teaches us to look inwardly on ourselves and be able to relate to others afterwards. It reminds us of humility which the world often seems to take for granted especially with all the power that titles give people. This course allows us to take a step back and breathe to be able to reassess ourselves and intelligently not blindly delve deeper.
ReplyDeleteYzabelle Siy (A)
Like you, I will probably not remember the terms that we took up in Philosophy class but I too will always keep with me the appreciation of life and others that I have learned to recognize more clearly. As I have learned, Philosophy is not always about the assigned text and encasing ourselves into that certain text. It's about relating the information we gather from the text and applying it to our lives and others'. As it was mentioned in one of our readings, Philosophy is like a cold shower that wakes up and helps us gain new insight. With the perspectives and insights that have been offered to us in Philosophy class, it is definitely easier to recognize the small, mundane actions that we would normally miss out on. As we have learned from David Foster Wallace, we can control the way we think, and by doing so, we are able to go beyond ourselves and connect with those around us.
ReplyDeleteClarice Libunao (C)
It's really nice how one simple act can lead us in having a concrete reassessment and reflection of ourselves. And how you were able to reach that conclusion and thought on having that ontological humility is really admirable. This just goes to show how the extent of what we learn in class really gets to be applied in our life. And I think that's what is important, that we are able to act on what we have just learned and live it out.
ReplyDeleteOntological humility made me really remember also what David Foster Wallace's poitns on living on our own bubbles and looking through life in our eyes. Sometimes we really go outside of ourselves and put ourselves in the shoes of others, humble ourselves deeply to be able to get a hold of a situation. But most ultimately, to be able to become better persons.
Denise Tan (A)
As I can say as well, I don't think I'll be able to remember all the terms taught in class. But the whole experience of participating and understanding parts of what's going on in class makes me think of things in a bigger sense. I know also that everyone will not understand every topic that is taught, but the good thing is that you can relate all the other lessons together. Doing so can help understand what Philosophy truly means and its experiences. I believe it's just living life fully and truthfully. Just like you, being able to understand your son and the situation at hand is Philosophy. Living life with others and experience it with them.
ReplyDeleteLuis Tanjuatco (A)
The quote "the only permanent thing in our world is change" must have come somewhere. Indeed, change and conversion is an integral part of our lives. It can be seen in all fields, be it in psychology, biology, literature, philosophy etc. In order for us to change, we must be open to the possibilities out there. This openness is only possible if we admit that we are limited. conversion is therefore an invitation for us to go out of ourselves, go out of our comfort zone. Perhaps this is why we are encouraged by Ateneo to be a man for others, because through this, the world can be change for the better. And perhaps, you will also change as well.
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