It’s almost the end of another semester again. I can’t help, but think about how fast time flies. It’s almost scary— another semester gone, and only a few more to go before senior year. It seems like it was only yesterday when I first sat down on my usual seat in Doc Garcia’s class, my mind still unaware of the circumstances that will happen, my brain still empty from the knowledge I will gain, my heart still unscathed.Whenever I try to reflect on my memories of this semester, I remember some good times with my friends, classmates, and teachers. I also remember the stressful moments, cramming sessions, blurred deadlines, and frantic marathons during hell weeks and hells months. Sometimes, I wish that I could just stop time for even just a second to take a deep breath, recollect myself, and relive all those happy moments when I didn’t feel so stressed. Life is too short. Don’t be so stressed all the time.You only live once, as the young ones would say.
So many things have happened to me in a span of one semester— so many life-changing things that I never would have imagined— things my past self would never have imagined. I don’t want this blog post to sound all sappy and touchy-feely, but permit me to recount some of my experiences. I really can’t shake these feelings of anxiety, fear, and perhaps, nostalgia. This semester, I officially started my life as a double major, had my heart broken for the first time, lost some friends and gained a few, and met so many interesting people in events I’ve always dreamed of going to. I could say that the highest and lowest points of my life (so far) were contained in this semester. There were some days when I thought I was unbreakable— infinite even. But of course, there were some moments when I thought I was broken, unwanted, unfixable. During those moments of seeping loneliness, numbing heartache, and quiet confusion, how I wished I could turn back time and just warn myself from the future that lies ahead. Now wouldn’t that be a safer way to live? But as I reflected deeper, I realized that if those low points in my life never happened, I wouldn’t be where I am right now. I wouldn’t be the exact same person. I wouldn’t have the same realizations, maturity level, experiences, personality, thoughts, feelings, wisdom (perhaps), and (maybe even) attitude. Sure, I might be better off not experiencing those sad events, but I feel, I know, and I acknowledge that I wouldn’t have grown if it weren’t for those circumstances. After all, diamonds only form under extreme pressure.
Forgive me if I’m quite slow on the uptake, but I admit that I just now realized what this means: “the more one changes, the more one stays the same.”This quote makes me think of a book— how our lives mimic the format of a novel, how the circumstances we experience are recorded in the chapters of this book, and how a chapter only begins when the one before it ends. I realized that the more we live our lives, the more our stories unfold. Our actions, memories, daily interactions, and encounters with other people provide the words for these chapters— they lead us to the formation of our being. Things that happen to us affect us in a certain way and influence the formation of our identity. We are the synthesis of our experiences. It’s true that the quote seems to be contradicting itself, but I think that the changes we experience constantly help us affirm our being— our sense of self, that even if we’ve grown, we’re still us and this is still our life. It is true that when we get older, we might understand. Indeed, everything happens for a reason.
I'd just like to thank you for helping me understand, "the more one changes, the more one stays the same." You're right in saying that the changes in life help us affirm our being or who we are. I guess for all of us when we experience new things may it be good or bad, we just have to hold on to ourselves. We shouldn't let go of who we are and how we've come to be. Personally I think in order to understand the world and the people we are surrounded and imbedded with, we need to understand ourselves.
ReplyDeleteFern Tensuan
(C)
I would just like to say that your blog post truly captures how a text can actually move and change a person. While I was reading this, I could really feel your emotions and at the same time I could also imagine the experiences you've gone through. It is very well written and it brings people to understand how a text can truly bring a person into a new world - your world and your story. It capture's the very essence of "catharsis", this fusion between the world of of text and the world of its readers, as I was actually able to relate it to my own experiences. I, too, have the same take on life as I really believe things do happen for a reason. The people we encounter, the different realities we experiences with all its highs and lows, truly piece together our own unique stories and form one single work of art - the self.
ReplyDeleteFrenchi Baluyot (A)
"...even if we’ve grown, we’re still us and this is still our life". When I was reading this part I was imagining what it's like to be our age, when it's so scary because we face so many things, people, and experiences that really bring us out of ourselves. I think that it takes courage to face the world head-on, and if we face our lives honestly and make the most of our experiences, then life will be a more enjoyable ride and we will develop to be better people. Our experiences make us who we are today, but how we react and learn form these experiences is equally important. This reminds me of what DFW said that it's important how we construct meaning from experience, and in your case, it looks like it's being valued, which I think is about the best we can do. In the end it all boils down to making ourselves better, and spreading it to others to make their lives better too.
ReplyDeleteMiguel Co (A)
Likewise Tensuan, I'd like to thank you for clarifying the phrase "the more one changes, the more one stays the same." We really are the "synthesis of our experiences." I guess this is why our parents are careful in choosing the kind of environment we live in. The place where we will have our experiences. Even though we are much smarter, more mature, less annoying to our siblings or less spoiled from 10 years ago, we cannot see ourselves separate from our past selves. Yes, we're different now but we have come to this point precisely because we were those particular persons in the past. Also, even though our lives are not jotted down on paper minute by minute, we cannot escape our past because we have interacted with and influenced other persons in our past. These people serve as proof of our past selves. Again, our experiences are crucial in shaping who we are. Lastly, I'd like to say that other people's experiences may also be an important influence in the growth of who we are as individuals.
ReplyDeleteLaura Hein
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This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI can really relate to your essay because I've also been through a lot this semester, which i believe has changed me in so many ways. I'm pretty sure that we've all used the line "Everything happens for a reason" to someone asking for advice. At the same time, we all hate how people use the same line on us when we're going through something. It's so cliche but when we finally get some sort of clarity amidst all the chaos, we realize how that line will always be true. It's easy to say that you'll come out a better person after each problem, but we must also remind ourselves that just because everything happens for a reason, it doesn't give us the right to make stupid decision. We have to help ourselves before fate steps in the picture.
ReplyDeleteGENICA LIM
(C)
It is ironic how the only constant thing in the world is change. It makes me anxious too. It feels like walking on thin ice, happily going about your daily life until it all just collapses beneath you. I guess these are the times where reflection as attention comes in. When the things we take for granted are just suddenly unavailable we are completely lost. I can relate with your turning-back-time sentiments. I can't count how many time I've wanted to redo something or make sure it didn't happen at all. Up until recently I've always dealt with it with forced apathy. I can't do anything about it anymore anyway so why mope. Upon taking philo I found out another way to manage that frustration. I still remember that Critchley reading about reflecting. He said that we should "take our time." Of course this means that we should stop and reflect on things once in a while but looking at that phrase again I see another interpretation. "Take your time" could mean taking that time you wish you could change and think about it. As Marcel relates reflection as something that will lead to purer experience, "take your time" sort of means making sure that same mistake won't happen again. That, through reflection, you won't be robbed of that time you could use for something better by encountering the same problem again.
ReplyDeleteJIO DESLATE
(C)
"I realized that the more we live our lives, the more our stories unfold. Our actions, memories, daily interactions, and encounters with other people provide the words for these chapters— they lead us to the formation of our being."
ReplyDeleteWhile I was reading this particular part of the blog post, it reminded me much about my recent trip in Spain for the study tour. I lived with a family for about 3 weeks and in the course of doing so, i came to know much about myself too. I like how you stressed that encounters with people provide words for the chapters in our book because if there is one thing i've learned in that trip, it's that at the end of the day, we will be the only ones who can dictate how much we want to grow. How willing and open we will let ourselves be in allowing different people to touch our lives and in turn make a change as well. It is in opening our hearts that we find ourselves able to grow and transform.
Yzabelle Siy (A)
I agree with what you just said. True enough as we live in this world, we experience a lot of things in life that would shape us into who we are. Events both good and bad are integral for our growth as individuals. However, I would also like to emphasize that this is of course possible because of our interactions with the people around us. After all it is through these people that we are able to find and determine our worth and identities as individuals. Moreover, our interactions with these people actually influence the course of our direction in life and sometimes through life changing events make us realize better our place in this world.
ReplyDeleteJohann Pe (A)