On The Questions That Matter: present

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Journey

by Jevin Sarmiento

16 July 2013
Discussed Text: Gabriel Marcel, "Introduction," The Mystery of Being

“Philosophy is concerned with the process; it involves the journey”- It was this lesson from the latest lecture in my Philosophy class that stuck to me as I left the room, mainly because it applies so much to my life and my situation right now- a third year college student engrossed into the numerous possibilities of the future. This feature of Philosophy being focused on the process could be translated into how one lives his or her life.

Here’s the funny thing about college: one day we’re attending the Orsem, then BOOM. Next thing you know, you’re suiting up for your graduation and you’re left wondering how time could fly by so quickly. One of the many possible answers to why four years suddenly feel so short is because we tend to think only of our goals and not of the path we take to achieve them. Nowadays, we think in a result-related manner. I’m pretty sure some of us are itching to leave this school, ready to tackle the world and make an impact on the world. Some of us, on the other hand, don’t want to leave- uncertain of the future and what it may bring. But the question is, is it really necessary for us to preoccupy ourselves with the what’s going to happen and forget what’s happening right now?

Though I do agree that it is necessary for one to live with a goal in mind, I believe that it is important to enjoy what is happening now for the simple fact that when it comes to college life, or life in general, it is all about the journey, not the destination.

Just think about it. Every second that passes by is the only second that will ever happen forever. After this minute passes (it’s 12:02 AM, July 18 right now), there would never be a July 18, 2013,12:02AM again. Having this realization made me realize how you can’t take time back, and though it would be such a blessing (and convenience) to be able to have time back, it will never happen, and maybe that is a good thing. Knowing that we can’t take time back will make us realize how precious every single moment really is- that we cannot waste each moment that passes. So go ahead, enjoy and cherish the time you have with family and friends. Live in the moment. Feel the world around you and take everything in because right now is a gift.

“That’s why it is called, ‘present’” – Master Oogway (Kung Fu Panda)

About The Professor

Leovino Ma. Garcia, Ph. D. is a professor of the Department of Philosophy of Ateneo de Manila University. He finished his degree in humanities under the guidance and tutelage of Fr. Roque Ferriols, S.J., and eventually attained his doctorate degree in Philosophy in the Catholic University of Louvain. He was the dean of the School of Arts and Sciences from 1988 to 1994 as its first lay dean, and then became the dean once again, this time of the School of Humanities from 2001 to 2007. He is the second recipient of the Natividad Galang-Fajardo Lifetime Chair for the Humanities in 2011 and currently the President of the World Conference of Catholic Philosophers (COMIUCAP).

But most of all, he is a thinker, a life teacher, a lover of the arts, and, as he always claims to be, "the poor boy who knows the fields and rivers of the Cagayan valley," truly human in his own way.

These lectures delivered for the school year 2012-2013 are transcribed and summarized by Earl Allyson Valdez (AB Philosophy, Pre-Divinity Track 2010), once his student and now his teaching assistant.