The Crossroads

by Trunks Atienza

30 August 2012

Discussed Text: Gabriel Marcel, "Primary and Secondary Reflection," The Mystery of Being

One of the “first world problems” of today is starting a paper in a profoundly strong way. You never know what to talk about or what topic to attack first because of the vast variety of topics that our minds present to us. More often than not, man is vulnerable to the downfall of trying to cope up with all these beliefs, concerns, prejudices, and whatnots in our lives that we lose sight of the things that are truly significant. And this, my fellow Garcians, is where reflection comes in.

I presume most of you reading this blog entry are at the crossroads in life called college. Here, our “leashes” are loosened. We are given a broader sense of freedom: late nights with the barkada, wearing absolutely anything we want to school (even if we look ridiculous), sitting-in on your crush’s class, cramming for a long test on philosophy etc. A lot of us may see college as a venue for adventure, buffoonery, and enjoyment. I am quite sure most, if not all, of us characterize college this way. As Mike Ross and Harvey Specter would put it, we would all be committing an act of perjury if we denied this fact. But what college is, more importantly, is that it is a turning point in our lives where our broadened freedom will have to co-exist with a mature discernment for self-realization. Here, we are given the opportunity to bank on what we desire to become for the duration of our lives. There are no limits to the possibility of decisions we can make throughout our college lives. We may decide to cut class, resent professors, or forego studying for an exam. But we must reflect on how these decisions could affect us in the long run. We may have cut class now but what if we miss a bonus quiz by doing so? We may resent a professor or two but what if they could have turned out to be quite a likeable person? We may pass on a chance to study for an exam but what if we fail the course and eventually get dismissed from Ateneo just because of that exam?

Reflection calls for us to pay attention to significant moments in our lives, to internalize these moments and self-examine our feelings and thoughts, and embrace these moments and convert toward how these moments affect our lives. The decisions we make in our lives lead us down certain paths which comprise of the fruits that our decisions bear. For us, the young, wild, and free generation, reflection is a way for us to ask the question: “What do my decisions lead me to become as a person?”