The Purpose of Life

by Cara Garcia


I have never thought that Philosophy would provide me the answer of the one question I’ve always asked myself since high school - what is the purpose of life? Because everyday, we do the same routine and as students, we go to school in hopes of landing a great job and creating a successful career for our future. But all of that, in truth, is short term. After the whole staying up all night to write papers, and studying, and more studying, we finally reach that point where we are where we wanted to be. But what’s next after that? Say, after making a name for ourselves, we decided to settle down, get married, etc., and then we make another whole set of goals for us to do the same thing all over again – work hard to achieve that goal. So I thought to myself, is this what life is all about? Set goals. Work hard. Achieve them. Then do the cycle again and again...  until we die?

I wondered if there’s some point to that. If there’s a purpose why we do it. If in the end, something great or miraculous will happen that we always work our butts off over momentary things that one day might slip away from our fingers. I’ve always been so curious if really, there’s a basis for this, an end goal into which we live the whole of our life to reach.

And I wanted to know the answer. I wanted to know if there’s some concrete, specific explanation or reason as to why we are here.

We have, in our bookshelf, a book entitled The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren and I decided to read it during high school, but after a few passeges, I gave up. It didn’t give me the kind of answer I was looking for.

And yet, during a usual Thursday session in Philo class, I was enlightened. In a span of a five to ten-minute sharing by my classmates, my eyes opened and an epiphany dawned to me. I’ve finally found the answer.. and it was during a time that I wasn’t looking for it. It suddenly came to me, just like that. In Philo class. I realized what the purpose of life is.

When Sir threw the question, “Is there something to make life out of if things are passing and we are destined to die?”, I honestly couldn’t think of any response. But when my classmates shared their insights about this, it occurred to me that they’re right. And I was so overwhelmed with the fact that these people, my classmates, eighteen to twenty-year-old people would know what the purpose of life is. And here are the answers they’ve given (credits to those who shared these ideas. I do not own them. I may have revised the words though):

It’s about investing yourself with the things you love -- immersing yourself with the people, things and experiences that make you happy.

You should enjoy them for the moment and not be too attached so that when time comes to let them go, it won’t be difficult.

It’s about what you leave behind for the future generations – making an impact, leaving a mark in the world of what you’ve achieved. Because when you die, it’s what you’ve done that will let the people remember you.

What it means to you – the experiences, people, and things you’ve come across have their own significance. It’s about being able to appreciate the things you got yourself into. Some people may not see it as important, but what matters is how you value them.

There will always be new experiences and opportunities.

Relationships are important because it’s always about experiencing people. To be engaged with them. To share a moment with them. To feel what they feel. 

Life is about the joy of experiencing material things because through them, we learn. And through learning, we realize the superabundance of life - that there’s always more. There’s so many things that life can offer us and we will never have enough of them.

Because of these insights, I realized the purpose of life. It’s not some concrete, clear-cut goal we achieve in the future. It’s not something that awaits us in the end.

It’s the here. The now. And the everyday.

The purpose of life is living it everyday – to surprise ourselves, experience the wonder and appreciating every moment that encompasses us. So if we’re all destined to die, why not make the most of what we have? What we have now…

I read a quote once, and it says, “Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we’re here, we should dance.”

And it’s fitting. Since things don’t always go our way – it might not be the best music, we might not enjoy the people we’re with -- it’s best that we make the most and enjoy what’s there in front of us instead of wasting time looking for things that aren’t present in the moment.

Maybe this entry doesn’t explicitly talk about Marcel or Descartes, but to engage and practice in a kind of philosophical thinking, I believe, is what matters.

I must say that Philosophy affects us no matter what. I entered the Ateneo, taking a degree in Management in hopes of becoming a businesswoman and achieving that goal, that purpose of being successful in life. But after experiencing Philosophy, I’d probably remember this realization in Philo class than actually doing company studies or making financial statements.

Am I Doing This Right?

by Adrian Bautista

25 September 2012

Discussed text: Gabriel Marcel, The Mystery of Being


Here I am, sitting in front of my laptop, silently watching the cursor blink as if it was made to entertain me, while taking glances at the window filled with city lights that flicker about, illuminating the night sky. Then I wonder, how am I supposed to start this blog post?

To be clear though; obligation is not my motive as to why I am here. Such feelings of worry and hesitation embrace me as I think of what to write here. I worry that what I think might not be the thoughts relevant and appropriate enough for this site, and this is the reason of my hesitation. Questions of anxiety fill my thoughts. What if I don't understand anything at all? What if the way I understood readings isn't the way it is supposed to be done? What if I fail to gather my thoughts and express them accordingly, making this post a clutter of words no one will be able to understand?

These feelings of distress, I know that I am not the only one who feels the same way, especially every time we ought to start or experience something new. We tend to question the certainty of such events, as to whether we should do it or not, and what are the ways we can be successful, coming across these instances. Think of the nights you lay in bed during summer vacation or semestral break, waiting for sleep to visit you, wherein your thoughts were about the upcoming semester. There maybe are times where you are at unease, thinking what should you do with these core subjects that are irrelevant to your course, or hoping that this class you signed up for has a mentor with the kindness of a thousand angels, enough to give you a grade that will make your parents increase your allowance. What is essentially being stated is that there are times where, in a way, detach ourselves from the experience and try to see it in another way besides actually experiencing it.

As I go back to my dilemma of how to write this post, maybe it is time that I go tell myself, "Why don't you just write it?" The same goes whenever we have these feelings of doubt regarding experiences in our lives, and probably things will just happen before we know it, like how this post reached its length. Instead of looking at another way to "experience experience", maybe this is what Marcel means (or as how I understand) to set aside the questions and bring about the immediacy of the situation itself, and how it affects us; what meaning does/will this experience bring to our lives. And as I take a sip of coffee and stare at the city streets of Marikina through my window, writing this post, I set aside all those questions of worry and hesitation, and feel the warmth of the coffee as it goes down my throat and as the lights of the houses and buildings enlighten my view, I say: here I am.

Future Use

by Christian Go


The first thing which crossed my mind when the last discussion was going on was how my own mom did not want to use expensive plates and would always keep them for "future use". This so called "future use" would never occur. The purpose of a plate is to be used for eating and not merely for show or for safe keeping and so I did not quite see the point in it. Then it came to me that we have become so materialistic in life that we tend to forget that everything we purchase and everything we obtain are only the means to an end. We want to be happy, we want what's best for our very own families but in the end, we tend to forget that it is the goal we want to achieve. Soon, it will become all about finding the right job and making money and we forget that money is only a means to an end and its not the end itself. I think that is why despite knowing that something will disappear and vanish through time, we tend to grasp so hard on to something. We forget that it is only a means and that there are other means towards that happiness we seek in life. We attach our means of happiness to that one thing, that we forget we can achieve it elsewhere. I think this goes back to how Marcel described the broken world we live in today.
   
Beyond this, the truth is that life is such a fleeting thing. The reality is that people die everyday without us knowing and who knows we could be next. But the point of it is that we should not be holding on to dear life and decide not to experience the outside, not to experience the world for that matter. If life is to end, then why not make the most of it. And when life is to end, we can always say at least I lived a good one.    

Possessing

by Paolo Avecilla

25 September 2012

Discussed Text: Gabriel Marcel, The Mystery of Being

Browsing through the recent discussions in class, I was able to draw some essential realizations about the contrast between being and having. Of course, we're all aware of how possession in the context of being is much deeper than the context of merely having, in the sense that the possessing something in the context of being means to have something that is naturally ingrained in your identity as a real human person. Possessing something in the context of having thus gives a separation between the owner and the thing which he supposedly owns. Whatever this thing is, we've understood it to be something physical and tangible which we can see and feel. At least that's according to the examples sir has given over the past few discussions. However, what about the intangible/abstract things which we currently hold such as our knowledge, values and beliefs? Unlike our body and identity, which we own (and is more importantly part of our BEING), our knowledge, values and beliefs were not ingrained in us naturally from the moment we started to exist. These were things which we acquired/earned, the same way as we acquired/earned all the material possessions we have with us to this very moment. However, these intangibles, upon receiving them, naturally became part of who we are or what makes US the beings that we are. And unlike the material things, these things cannot be taken away from us or separated from us. Unlike a book that can be easily put aside from our sight, our values and beliefs cannot be put aside that way. So should these intangibles then be considered as possessions of being or having?

How To Be Present

by Mary Gutierrez


Last September 18 Doc G left the class with the question:

What makes you present to the world and yourself?

Out of all the questions Doc G left so far, this is the one question that got me thinking and unable to resist writing about if not to least to get the question of my head. Then again to understand the implications as to why it affected me so much maybe a little introduction of sorts is required.

Hello! I’m one of your classmates and chances are you don’t know me. Not that you would considering I’ve never recited in class or talked to anyone who doesn’t talk to me first. I’m the invisible girl that is never late, never absent, never misses a requirement but still manages to blend in and disappear. I’d be graduating with most of you come 2014 and you know what, you’d probably never see me again or know that I even existed. So how do you know I was there at that moment? That I was present in class or I was your seatmate? Not to be emo or anything but I’m not the only quiet introvert in the class or in a bigger scale, the school. So how many people were you classmates with whom you’d never know or worse remember?

You see, this is where the misconceptions start. That you have to be outspoken and confident to be present and noticed. Although it is understandable because confident people are easier to spot and easier to be around with because you wouldn’t have to be as careful around them as you would have to be with a silent person. But if there is one thing I realized it is that while it may be easier to spot the leaders and confident people in parties, class discussions, and group works it doesn’t mean they are all that are the only people present. The introverts may have the tendency to blend with the shadows but once everyone is quiet, the tables turn and it would be easier to notice those who are usually quiet. Try it. It’s like they are suddenly just there quiet and composed in silence.

I’m sure everyone has already taken the MBTI personality at least once (or twice because of Gen Psych) but the thing is, it seems like a greater part of the population are actually introverts. People who might want to keep to themselves and may sometimes disappear. If I remember correctly in my block less than 10 are extroverts (then again my memory could be wrong) and considering we’re psych majors who are supposed to be studying the behaviour of others, the assumption might be that we are people persons. Still, there could be the possibility that maybe instead of studying others, psych majors are in that course to study themselves. Better yet, isn’t it the reason why every one of us is a student of this school because we haven’t realized our potentials yet? That despite the fact that we are in different courses and different specialties all of us are simply young adults whom the society deemed as legally mature (if you are at least 18) but know in ourselves that we are yet to be ready? That we don’t know enough. That we aren’t skilled enough. That we aren’t mature enough...shall I go on?

Everyone might have their own personal views on why they are not yet ready, why they’re not yet sure of what to do in life and why they are afraid to go out of school and be a part of the productive working members of the society. We have been in school for so long (almost 17 years?) that despite the claims to hate the school workload, leaving the safety of the occupation of being a student is a daunting concept. One of my psych teachers (whom I unfortunately cannot credit because I can’t remember who) wisely said: Psychology is about discovering your own weirdness and making it your strength. Still, if there is one thing I disagree about in this statement, it is the fact that the statement is not just for Psychology but for all courses. All of us feel imperfect and weird at some point (I refuse to believe Hollywood propaganda that some people are perfect) and its part of what makes us afraid. How do we go and survive outside the walls of Ateneo after with these imperfections? You make those imperfections your strengths. This is what would make you present. Both to yourself and others.

Just because I’m quiet doesn’t mean I’m not present. Just because I’m quiet doesn’t mean I have nothing to say. Just because you see me as someone quiet doesn’t mean I’m not noisy when I’m with people I’m comfortable with. The common misconception is that being quiet and shy is only adorable in kids, high school would be pushing it, and if a person is already in college and still painfully quiet and shy you’d be thought of as antisocial. But my Gen Psych teacher told me it could be a kind of strength (although I still haven’t figured out how to control and use it).

So to end, maybe just as much as we have and want to be present we also need to be aware of the presence of others. According to Marcel the “I” cannot exist without the others and I agree. I mean what would be the use of being present if no one would see that you are present and an individual? But then there is another rule that I believe encompasses Marcel (no offence to Marcel) and that is the golden-and-overly-cliché: do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you. So if you want to be present it would take more than turning your weirdness into strengths but also noticing those present around you. And since being present is pretty hard (Identity vs Identity Confusion, teenagers) then do not expect that being the one looking for the presence of all the people around you would be easy.  

All Things Are Passing...

by Earl Valdez, teaching assistant

In the Thursday (27 September 2012) class, I left you guys a question that I think is very important and worth reflecting on: In the face of radical contingency, where all things immediate to us, including ourselves, are passing, how do we live our lives?

Let me share two things which I think illustrates very well the fact that there are things that pass in life, which perhaps will aid us in seeking our own answer to these questions.

The first one is from the book of Job, a story which I think, on one hand, reminds us of how things can pass away quickly, and yet such reality goes hand in hand with the Absolute whom we are called to hang on to.

(this passage is quoted from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible)

"9 Then Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face." 12 The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, all that he has is in your power; only do not stretch out your hand against him!" So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. 13 One day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the eldest brother's house, 14 a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were feeding beside them, 15 and the Sabeans fell on them and carried them off, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you." 16 While he was still speaking, another came and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; I alone have escaped to tell you." 17 While he was still speaking, another came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three columns, made a raid on the camels and carried them off, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you." 18 While he was still speaking, another came and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house, 19 and suddenly a great wind came across the desert, struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; I alone have escaped to tell you." 20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." 22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing."

Perhaps the big question is: Can we still manage to hang on with life after facing such radical contingency?

The second one is something that I encourage you to watch (by yourself or with friends). This movie is about confronting death and finding one's meaning through the experience of others' deaths. (side note: this is one of the most meaningful movies introduced to me by Mr. Calasanz, and I believe this is worth sharing to you, guys).

Departures (Okuribito), won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in the Oscars last 2009.

What do you think?

The Importance of Doubting

by Russell Virata

20 September 2012

Discussed text: Rene Descartes, Mediations on the First Philosophy

The common perception of people when it comes to the word “doubt” is something negative. To doubt means to question, to be unsure, or simply to distrust. When someone, say a close friend, doubts you, you will definitely get hurt or be offended (unless of course you know yourself that what you said to him or her was a lie). Reversing the situation, when you doubt someone, there is the possibility of losing your trust and bond with that person. However, as we have discussed in class, doubting can be positive and is an important step in doing philosophy.

Galileo, through the act of doubting that the sun is the one revolving around the earth, was able to discover that the opposite is true. Descartes also doubted the philosophical foundations during his time and was able to come up with his own method known as the “Universal Methodic Doubt”. He first doubted his senses, thinking that these can be a form of deception like when you are dreaming or when you are in reality a butterfly thinking that you are a man. (I personally had a similar experience in the past when I thought, what if I, together with other people, are just characters being controlled by someone who is playing “The Sims”? But then this sounds improbable given the fact that a Sims character should not have a thinking of his own and I, having this thought, am sure that I am thinking.) Descartes then also doubted the foundations of mathematics, thinking that there could be an evil genie who is tricking him to believe that a triangle is a three-sided polygon or that two plus three equals five. Finally, after doubting everything, Descartes came up with the conclusion that there is only one thing he cannot doubt, and that is he exists as a thinking thing which doubts. Through doubting, Galileo and Descartes were able to have their own thoughts.

Indeed, doubting the norm and the status quo, just like what these two did, is very important in philosophy. As Simon Critchley says, “The philosopher neither sees nor hears the so-called unwritten laws of the city, that is, the mores and conventions that govern public life.” Bear in mind that this does not mean doubting and philosophy is about contradicting socially accepted truths or proving new discoveries. This just means that in doing philosophy, one should not easily accept things and take them for granted even if they are universally accepted, but rather to be always open to inquiries, questions and possibilities. It is from these questions that insights, reflections and realizations come in. For example, I have my own experience, which I believe some of us have also encountered, where my parents instilled in my mind when I was still a child that I should be a doctor when I grow up because no one in our extended family has become a doctor yet and of course doctors have very high salary. As I grew up, I doubted that being a doctor was for me because I did not like science much and so I took up a course which was more interesting for me. If I accepted my parents’ advice for me and closed my mind from the other possible paths, then I am pretty sure I would not be enjoying college now.

Take the RH Bill debate as another example. We should not choose a side simply because many people are pro-RH Bill or because the Catholic Church is anti-RH Bill. Rather, we should carefully assess and inquire about the different advantages and disadvantages of it before thinking critically whether the bill is actually worth passing or not. And even after having your own stand, I think you can still doubt some more and increase your thoughts about both sides. This is just one of many situations where doubting can be relevant.

As we can see, doubting is not only relevant in the times of Galileo and Descartes, but also in the present. It is a very essential ingredient in philosophy, which is not meant to break the laws, but rather to enable one to think and reflect on his own. Let me end with a quote by George Iles, “Doubt is the beginning, not the end, of wisdom.”