To Live is to Die

Day & Night

Light & Dark

Good & Bad

Ying & Yang

Heaven & Hell

Positive & Negative

Everything in the world composed of two opposite thoughts and happenings...
They may seem too different but one cannot exist without the other..

we cannot have an idea of Day if we do not experience night..

we do not have an idea of Dark if we don't know what Light is..

Same as the state of Heaven without the Hell

and being Bad without knowing what is Good..

It is like the notion of to live is to die..

simply saying that we are living in also affirming of our expectancy of dying...

if i am now possessing life, it also means that i am too will possess death...

So, every second i breathe, draw me close to my not breathing...

Truly, Death is Sweet as life... look at it as i do..

.......... ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.......

Commento ng isang Dalubhasa...

Nakakapagod ang walang ginagawa...

Whoever invented the word "heartbreak" Sucks!

To Live is to Die...

Right action was bound to bring right result (Bhagavad Gita)

Man are born free; and everywhere he is in chain

To win without fighting is best...

Abnormality is the only NORMAL in this world

The only permanent in the world is CHANGE

Cogito Ergo Sum (I think therefore I Am)

Nothing that is worth knowing can be taught

MAN as a RESPONSIBLE BEING

“…I am therefore responsible not only for my own individuality but I am responsible for all people.” - Jean- Paul Sartre

The tranquility I cradled in my head suddenly cleared as I speak of the word “responsibility”. According to the dictionary, the word “responsibility” is a state, fact or position of being accountable to somebody or something. Such a simple definition but has a broad and deep meaning. But I speak of the word as if it was a burden and commitment until I read the article, the concept of being responsible to the other selves somehow deepened and stroked me, being a human.

I relate myself to the author, Mr. Randy David. At first, he didn’t believe in charity. I agree with him. My notion of being charitable was not about lending peso coins to the street beggars or giving them food. Helping people means teaching them what to do or how to survive in the middle of crisis and hunger. Like in the saying, “don’t give them fish, teach them how to fish”. I could consider myself as a cruel person. If I see beggars in the street, I don’t mind them. I treat them like they have an incurable disease. I usually blame them. They brought this into themselves. If only they could be industrious, hardworking and patient, maybe they might have something for themselves.

I also blame the government for the sufferings and poverty our country face. Corrupt officials and politicians crawl their arms to the money of the people and satisfy themselves with such great wealth. By these incidents, the rich are getting richer, while the poor are getting poorer. The budget that was supposed to be for the poor was corrupted by the officials. The article was right, we don’t have a just commonwealth. So, I know now that poor people are not entirely responsible for their deprived situation. The sweat for the works our parents and fellow Filipinos vanish and were hidden in the pocket of those dirty people in the government. We blame them, I blame them, but throughout those blames I made, nothing happened. Throughout those shouts and screams of fellow activist in rallies, nothing had happened. The government is deaf.

Poor people in the Philippines multiple like bacteria. You can see them everywhere, on streets, on sidewalks, under bridges, in Tondo, along railroads and other visible places you can imagine. And it hit me. They are multiplying as if they were saying something as you look into their eyes, and by reading this article, the invisibility of the message inside their eyes was released, was known and it’s reaching out to me and to our fellow citizens.

HELP!

Their eyes speak of it. And as Jean Paul Sartre said “…I am therefore responsible not only for my own individuality but I am responsible for all people.” We are not only responsible for our selves, but also for those people around us.

According to Robert O. Johann in his article “The Task of Man”, he quote that “The task of man is thus man himself. It is unfinished business for which God has provided, as it were, only the raw materials. Mankind is thus a reality summoned to share in its own making. Since the goal of this making is a genuine community to which each member freely gives himself and, in the very giving, finds himself, responsibility for its coming to being rests with everyone of us. Each person has the vocation to be for every other the vehicle of a truly creative love- indeed, of the Creator’s love, in and by which alone we all live and move and are”. . As a human being, we were created to share what we have or give whatever we can offer. For according to the quote, helping people also means finding yourself in the process. It is the task of man to be responsible for every other selves. Although it is not in the law that we should help people, but as a being and a creation of God with a humble and reaching heart, it is in our nature to help people and be responsible for the needy and deprived.

The People are the cause of the slow progress of our country. People tend to think only for themselves. They focus on their own future not for the betterment of the others. We must learn to sympathize or rather empathize to the others’ situation for us to be able to feel what they feel as a person. We must bear at our hearts the word “pakikipagkapwa-tao”. We must not choose whom to help, for according to the article “every poor man who comes to us begging for help has a short story to tell. We never know how much truth there is in these tales. But does it really matter?” Who would help them if not us?

EXISTENTIALISM 101

INTRODUCTION:
Why am I here? Where do I come from? These are the common questions raised by those people who were curious of the conception and beginning of their life. Of how he was created, on how the cosmos was formed, and all the things around him. The clash between rationalist and empiricists. The battle between creation and evolution. The battle between Plato and Aristotle. The questions of what is outside them, or what is in the outer part of them. But this paper is not about the outside beings and things or about where we came from; it is about being of an individual, it is about the word “I”, “ME”, and “You”. It is about the question of what am I? (G. Marcel; Socrates to Sartre, p 467) what is my role in this world? Am I Free? Am I the master of myself? Or Am I being manipulated by my Fate and my Destiny, Or Am I here because of the will of God. These are our usual questions about human existence and the truth about our being. It all falls and revolves around the word “Existentialism”.
In this paper, at first, I will present the ideologies or philosophies of the experts regarding the topic. I will present also their examples and later, on my conclusion, I will present also my own reflection or idea about Existentialism based on my experiences.

What is Existentialism? (According to the Existentialists)
What is Existentialism? According to the dictionary definition, it is a mode of Philosophy which focuses on the existing individual person; instead of truth in distant universal concepts. Existentialism is concerned with the authentic concerns of concrete existing individuals as they face choices and decisions in daily life (Glossary, Socrates to Sartre; p.493). Existentialism can be seen as a meticulous attempt to work out the allegation of human individuality. Existentialism is often associated with such themes as the absurdity of human existence and the worthlessness of our lives given our inevitable death. According to Edmund Husserl, Existentialism focuses upon the immediate human concerns of daily existence; it concerned such practical issues like making choices, decisions and personal commitments and urges a life of thoroughgoing engagement and involvement as the surest way of creating meaning for human existence. Existentialism is also the study of human existence. And since we’re talking here of Human existence, let’s begin of defining what is “existence” according to some various Philosophers.

=What is Human Existence?
According to Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), the term “existence” was reserved for the individual who strives, who considers alternatives, who chooses, who decides and above all who make a commitment. Existence must refer to a quality in the individual namely his conscious participation in an act. His example for this is the Spectator and the actor. Arguing that only the actor is involved in existence; though the spectator can be said to exist, but the term existence does not properly belong to inert or inactive things. Another example is the two kinds of men in the wagon, one who holds the reins but is asleep and the other who is fully awake. Surely, in one sense it can be said that both exist, but Kierkegaard insists that only a person who engaged in conscious activity of will and choice can be truly said to exist. Thus, while both the spectator and the actor exist in a sense, only the actor is involved.
Kierkegaard thought that existentialism is a movement from essence to existence (S. Kierkegaard; Socrates to Sartre, p. 453). My personal example for this explanation is the making of a chair. At first, the carpenter thought or conceptualize a chair, what would the chair look like, What type of a chair he will make, what raw materials will he use? Then after that, he will make one, according to what he thought before. Therefore, let us say that, for the chair, essence precedes existence.

Contrary to what Kierkegaard said, Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1980) believed that existence precedes essence. What is meant here by saying that existence precedes essence? It means that first of all, man exists, and after ward, defines himself. Not only is man what he conceives himself to be but he also only what he wills himself to be after this thrust towards existence. In short, man is nothing else but what he makes of himself.
Sartre also adds: if existence really does precede essence, there are no explaining things away by reference to a permanent and given human beings nature. In other words, there is no determinism, man is free.

EXISTENTIALISM: HUMAN FREEDOM
It seems to me that existentialism doesn’t have an exact universal definition. Like Philosophy, it is broad and is divided into different categories and kinds. But my true understanding about existentialism is that, it is a study of human freedom and how man makes use of his/her freedom.

But first we must understand what human freedom is? It may appear apparent that if we are islands of subjectivity, secluded from the forces of the external world, we not only are capable of acting liberally and freely of outside determination, but we cannot help doing so since the only possible foundations of action are internal. The situation, however, is somewhat more complex than this. To know what freedom is we must first see how, even though our inevitable nature is to be free, we all inescapably tend to try to get away or escape our freedom. We try to mislead ourselves and act as if we weren’t free, as if we were really determined by nature, our body, or the expectations of others.
Base on my experience, in order to please somebody like for example, my dad, I pretend or be the daughter he wants me to be, a strong, serious, determined and unmoved daughter. He always wants me to do what he wants me to, like on choosing or picking my vocation; he wants me to take up the course that I hate the most. Even though it is not what I want and I am free to contradict, I let my father manipulate or influence my being and decisions as a person never knowing that it will bring me no happiness through out my life. Another is my personality outside my home, I tend to be quiet and just sit back and listen, that is the personality I portrayed inside a classroom, the “I-don’t-care-what-or-who-you are” student and classmate. Well in fact at home, I was the most jolly and joker sister of all (when my dad is not around). In different environments or nature, I am projecting different personalities; because I let the world and people around me affect and influence my behavior. In this case, I am not using my freedom to express the real me.
In spite of the power given to us by the constant progress, we are tempted to see ourselves as an insignificant unit in the vast universe. Instead of ruling and directing the world we allow ourselves to be directed by it. Although today, we may not submit ourselves to God we ourselves were dominated by the material world, even if we childishly deceive ourselves and claim to be its ruler.
But we might as well ask, what consist of the freedom. Am I free to do anything? That when I close my eyes and think of coming back to Catanduanes, when I reopened it, I’ll already be home? Like when I what my grades to be all flat 1, it will be that way?
We must also bear in mind that freedom has its own limitations and boundaries. For example, we cannot just go to one place if we like in just one snap of our fingers. We cannot change what we are or what we want to be in physical means. The only thing we are free to control is our mind and our soul and because we are inscribe or in our body, and in the world, we cannot do all and exactly what we want. The outside world is not in our control.
Our freedom is a freedom of synthesis. It is the freedom to pull ourselves together into the type of coherent whole that we will ourselves to be. Even if the things from which we construct or mold ourselves are determined, what we make of ourselves out of this stuff is up to us alone. For instance, if someone gave you a white short bond paper. It’s up to you to decide on whether what you will do to it. Its either you will throw it unto the trash, draw something on it, make it a paper boat or a paper plane; you can just keep it or return it. The decision is always in our hand. We are free to do whatever it is that we wanted to do.
We cannot make the external world determine this even if we try. The sentence of freedom is the need of drawing ourselves together at each moment out of the innumerable unlike influences and pressures striking themselves upon us from the environment, our community, and our own bodies. We are required to make ourselves, to pull ourselves together, and make of ourselves what we will.

LIBRONG KALUKUHAN NI JUSTINE BORBE

CHAPTER 1


Nakakalito talaga ang buhay noh? Di mo malaman kung saan ka nga ba dinadala ng tadhana mo o may tadhana ba talaga na nadidikta sayo. Simula palang, gulo ka na? Naalala mo pa ba yong unang mga tanong mo sa mga magulang mo? Litong lito ka, kasi di mo alam gagawin mo. Halimbawa ang mga tanong na: Ano pangalan ko?, Ano address natin, Tay? Dagdag mo pa ang mga tanong mong: Nay, pano po ba tumaeng mag-isa? Dahil sa mahal na mahal ka ng magulang mo ay tiniis nilang samahan ka sa banyo’t turuan ka kung paano tumaeng mag-isa. Ano pa mang sama ng amoy ng nilabas mong sama ng loob. Sabay request ka pa kay Nanay, “Nay, di rin ako marunong maghugas ng puwet, pano po ba maghugas ng puwet?.” At dahil mahal ka nga talaga ng Nanay mo, buong puso nyang inaalis ang sama ng loob mo sa puwet. Iba talaga magmahal ang mga magulang. Tsk.. Tsk.. Tsk..

Ako, naalala ko pa mga unang tanong ko. Tinanong ko sa Mama ko kung babae ba ako o lalaki? Kasi ang akala ko talaga noon, isa lang ang kasarian ng tao sa mundo. Kung anung kasarian yon eh hindi ko rin alam.

May isa kasi akong kaklase na nagtanong sa akin dati. Mga grade two ata ako non. Filipino subject namin. Tinanong niya sa akin kung ano daw nilalagay dun sa sulatang papel namin, dun sa may nakalagay na “kasarian”. E ako naman, pasimple din. Siyempre kunwari alam ko. Sabi ko sa kanya, “Sinabi na sa akin yan ng mga Ate ko eh. Alam ko yan. Yan ata yong gamit na meron ka”. E sa tuso din ako nun, may mga root word pa akong nalalaman. Dagdag ko pa sa kanya, “ Kasi ganito yan, galing sa root word na ARI yan. Ibig sabihin, bagay na ikaw ang nagmamay-ari”. Dahil naman sa masyadong nakumbinsi ang kaklase ko dahil sa taglay kong malakas na convincing power dinagdagan pa ng kunting bola, eh paniwalang paniwala naman siya. Siya pa ang unang nagsubmit ng papel. Dyahe nga! Wala nga akong sinulat sa blangko, sa Kasarian, dahil ako mismo, di ko sure… Malay ko ba na yong “ARI” pala na nasa kasarian ay iba pala ang ibig pakahulugan. Tandaan nyo grade two palang ako non. Nalaman ko nalang ang ibig sabihin non, grade six na ako.

Speaking of kasarian, abay! akalain mo na lima na pala ang kasarian sa mundo ngayon. Sabi ng Mama ko, dalawa lang, babae at lalaki, bat iba ata nakikita ko? Mayroon pang bakla, tomboy at bisexual. Habang naglalakad ako sa kalye, pagsakay ko sa bus, pagpasok ko sa school, naglilipana sila. Para bang bacteria na nagmumultiply kada segundo. Naalala ko tuloy yong forwarded message ng barkada ko sa akin nung nakaraang araw. Tanong niya, kung ang mga bakla daw ay di nanganganak, bat daw sila dumadami? Siya nga naman. Bakit nga ba sila padami ng padami? Nakakalito talaga ang mundo…

Alam nyo, madami na akong nakilalang mga bakla. Iba’t ibang klase din sila. Mayroong bakla na disente. Yon bang tipong kahit sobrang landi na nila ay di pa rin sila makakapayag na magsuot ng mga revealing na damit o kahit man lang damit na pambabae. Mas komportable sila sa panlalaking suot.

May bakla namang tipong gusto parating pagnasahan ng mga lalaki. Yon bang pagdumaan sa kalye e gusto atang ma-rape. Ito yong mga baklang ika nga e pinangangalandakan ang kanilang pagkababae. Kung magsuot ng palda eh para bang micro micro micro mini skirt na masisilip na kung anu man ang masisilip. Tipong pag dumuko ka ng kundi e labas na kaluluwa mo. Nagpanty ka nalang sana. Sila yong mga baklang may mga kolorete sa mukha, at kung saan saang sulok ng katawan nila. Ang kilay e akala mo kasing nipis na ng sinulid sa kaaahit. Sila din yong mga nag-aaksaya ng pera in the name of beauty. Pagnakatalikod nga o kahit side view lang, aakalain mong babae talaga. Kaya nga lang, ang boses di talaga mapipeke. Kahit pa palagyan yan ng fake boobs e wa epek pa rin. Dagdagan pa ng bakat na adam’s apple sa leeg. Nabuking nang todo!

At ito ang matindi sa lahat ng kabaklaan, may mga bakla na ayaw pang lumantad. Yon bang kahit amoy na amoy mo na at halatang halata na e deny to death pa rin. Yon bang tipong hihintayin pa na makapasok sila sa Bahay ni Kuya, sa Pinoy Big Brother para lang sabihin ang mga katagang “ I’m gay, pero hindi ako masamang tao”. Gusto pa atang maging ala Rustom Padilla.

May kaibigan ako dati, sabi niya lalaki daw siya. Habang tumatagal samahan namin sa school ay nahahalata namin na medyo gumigewang siya pag- naglalakad. Tinanong ko nga siya one time, sabi ko “friend, Bakla ka ba?”. Biruin mo, sabi niya, Justine, bi sexual ako, I like men at the same time women. Naguluhan ako bigla. Teka nga muna, di ba sabi niya dati lalaki siya. Nakakalito naman. At ito pa ang matindi dyan, mga sisters, pagdating namin sa second year sa kolehiyo ay bumigay na ang lola mo. Take note, my boyfriend. Natagpuan niya sa DOTA. Ang tindi! Nalito ako dun huh?

Tinuturing daw na kasalanan ang maging katulad nila. Ayon nga sa bibliya, dalawa lang na klase ng tao ang nilikha ng Diyos. Actually, Wala namang masama sa pagiging bakla. Kung ako tatanungin, tanggap na sa mundo yan. May mga tao lang talagang konserbatibo. May mga tao din namang hindi pa bukas ang isipan sa mga bagay sa paligid nila. Kung ano na lamang ang nakasanayan, ay inaakala nilang iyon ang normal. Kung mahal ka ng Diyos, matatanggap niya kung ano man katauhan mo. Kung berde man kulay ng dugo mo, tatanggapin niya yan.

Pero, mantakin kayo! Minsan nga, bilib ako sa mga bading. Kasi magagaling silang dumiskarte sa buhay. Magagaling sila sa klase. Lalo na sa recitation. Magagaling din silang magformulate ng ideas. Mga creative sila. Magagaling sa negosyo. Tulad na lamang nina Sir Elton John, George Michael, Allan K at boy Abunda. Ilan lang yan sa mga tanyag na kabilang sa federasyon. Tinitingala sa lipunan sa kabila ng katauhan nila.

Ang matindi pa sa mga bading ay ang gagaling nilang mag-imbento ng mga salita. Ang tawag nga dito sa kasalukuyan e Gaylingo… o linggwahe ng mga Gay o bading. Ito ang ilan sa mga nakalap ko:

-Jumujulanis morisette
- Plang!
- Chaka
- Chenelin
-mudra, muher, monsor

Marami ka pa bang alam? ….. andami nilang naimbento nuh? Darating ang araw, magkakaroon sila ng sariling diksiyonaryo. O di ba, Bongga!

Magmasid ka sa paligid mo. Yang mga dumadaan sa harap mo, yong nakaupo sa bandang dulo. Yon nga! Yang nagmamadaling maglakad. Sa palagay mo, anong tipong bakla ang mga nakikita mo. O baka naman iyang katabi mo dyan ay di pa makalantad. Pakitanong nalang ng mga katagang ito:

“Pssst… Bakla Ka ba?” i ba aw, magkakaroon sila ng sariling diksiyonaryo. o imbento ng mga salita. ang g na kabilang sa federasyon. i man lang damit

Sasampalin ka bigla sabay sabing “ Gaga! Hindi Nuh! Swear to the Nth power”.




CHAPTER 2



Bilbil! Nakikita mo ba yan? Pisilin mo nga. Ang cute tingnan nuh? Anlambot! Naisip mo bigla, at kinausap mo siya. “Bakit kaya tinatanggal ka ng ibang tao? Cute ka namang tingnan?”. Bakit hindi ka ata tanggap ng lipunan. Kapag lumabas ka o nakita ka, pinagkakamalan akong sobrang matakaw kumain”. Nakakalito talaga mundo!

Baboy! Tabachoy! Tabachingching! Anak ng Lindol! Yan tawag sakin ng mga kababata ko noong mga bata pa kami. Habang naglalaro kami ng piko at Chinese garter, pagnagkakapikunan na, babanatan ako ng mga kalaro ko ng mga katagang yon. E siga siga ako noon. Haharap ako sa kanila ng buong tindig. Para bang nagpo-pose para ipakita muscles sa katawan (hindi nga lang muscles kundi taba). Babanatan ko rin sila, “Palibhasa madami kaming masasarap at heathy food sa bahay kaya Inggit lang kayo”. Sabay ilalagay ang mga kamay sa ulo at kakaway. “Bleh! Bleh! Bleh!.

Noong grade five na ako. Pinaka malaki na talaga ako sa aming klase. Malaki pa ako sa mga klasmeyt kong lalaki. Sabi sa akin ng mga teacher ko, “Tin, ang healthy mo talaga”. May isa nga akong teacher na buntis at natutuwa siya sa akin. Pinaglihian ata ako nun. Sumasakit na mukha ko kapipisil habang sinasabi nilang “Ang Cute cute mo!”. Teacher din Mama ko, kaya pagbinabati ako ng mga co-teacher niya, proud na proud naman si Mama. Biruin mo ba naman na sa hirap ng panahon ngayon, napalaki niya akong healthy at ganoon kalaki.

Nang mag high school na ako, unti unti kong napansin sa paligid ko na wala nang nagsasabing cute ang pagkatabaching ching ko. Parang self proclaimed cute nalang ako noong araw na yon.

Padating sa bilihan ng mga damit, halungkat ka ng halungkat sa mga paninda. Tumatagaktak na pawis mo, tila wala pa ring kumakasya sayo. Halos pilitin mo na, sa braso palang, di na makapasok. . Biglang may nakita kang tipo mong damit. Pagtingin mo sa size,S (small) lang. Kinamot mo ulo mo bigla, tinawag ang sales clerk. “Miss, my XL kayo nito?. Tugon naman niya, “free size lang po kami eh”. Muntik ka ng maiyak sa panghihinayang.

Pagkalipas ng ilang oras mong pamimili nang damit ay wala ring kuwenta dahil wala ka ring nabili. Mapipilitan ka ngayong pumunta sa department stores at doon nalang bumili ng ano mang damit doon. Kahit hindi mo naman masyadong tipo. Sa department stores kasi, may PLUS SIZE!

Sa mga jeep na sinasakyan mo, hindi ka mahintuan ng driver sapagkat, ang mauukupa mong upuan ay doble. S’ya nga naman, malulugi talaga siya, P 7.50 din yon.

Maghihintay ka ngayon doon sa may mga pilahan. Sure na sure, makakasakay ka doon. Pag-upo mo, tinutuktok ng barker ang likod mo para umusod. “Siyaman po yan. Usod usod lang po nang makaalis na tayo”. Ngayon, dahil walo lang ang kakasya sa side nang inuupuan mo, ang barker naman ang magsasalita sa driver. “Pare, malaki ang nasa loob eh! Di na kayang ipilit”. Titingnan ka pa ng masama nang driver. Para bang nandidilim ang kanyang paningin. Tila ba pinatay mo ang pamilya niya at ang kanyang kinabukasan. Mahihiya ka bigla dahil pinagtitinginan ka ng taong na animoy ikaw pa ang dahilan nang pagkaabala sa pag-alis ng dyip. Titingin ka nalang sa labas na para bang manhid ka at wala kang alam sa mga nangyari. Pasipol sipol ka pa!

Hindi ba kayo nagtataka kung bakit karamihan ng mga babae ngayon ay pinapatay ang sarili nila sa pagpapapayat. Tuwang tuwa ang mga nag-nenegosyo ng gym kasi parating puno business nila. Nong isang araw nga, habang nalalakad ako sa kahabaan ng Ortigas Road may nadaanan akong gym, 50 pesos lang per session. Aba! Mura na ha? Buti pa ang mga gym, bumababa ang mga presyo, samantalang mga bilihin, mabubutas bulsa mo kung mamimili ka. Tsk… Tsk… Tsk…

Kung pagmamasdan mo yong mga tao sa loob, gatimba ang mga pawis sa katawan. Pagal na pagal. Hirap na hirap. Naiisip ko lang, mga masokista ba itong mga taong ito at tuwang tuwang pinahihirapan ang kanilang sarili?
Kung ganito ang paraan upang matanggap ka ng lipunan e di bale nalang.

POLITICAL CIRCUS

President Gloria Macapagal - Arroyo delivered her 8th State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 28, 2008. Before her address, many negative statements and whereabouts were made from her critics, such as activist and the ordinary Filipino people itself. Some of them predicted that the address will be full of lies and dishonesty. Some thinks of it as a way of the President to make herself look good in the middle of the vast crisis that our country is facing. Others think it’s pointless and irrelevant. As a student with high political passion, I viewed it as a reference of myself in the future. I viewed as something that is positive.
The SONA of the president tackles on different activities and priorities of her administration such as the importance of Value Added Tax (VAT), the infrastructures, and others. She did not answer the call of the people on eradicating the Oil VAT nor their call for reform because for the President, sacrifices, though hard, must be made in order for the country to progress.
After the SONA, critics voiced out that all the projects that she addressed was not her own. In fact, about her statement, “Texting is a way of life. I asked the telecoms to cut the cost of messages between networks. They responded. It is now down to 50 centavos,” proved to be merely a promo of the telecommunications companies.
But, as I said I did not mind whether she’s telling the truth or merely lying. I focused on her statement that made me reflect. She said, “To meet the challenge of today, we will feed our people now, not later, and help them get through these hard times. To meet the challenges of tomorrow, we must become more self-reliant, self-sufficient and independent, relying on ourselves more than on the world.” This made me think that the solution to the problems that we are facing starts with ourselves. Our survival relies on us. I am a constant critic of the president, but I realized that nothing of the things I’ve done will make my country be proud of me. I call for a change yet the change should start within me. I am now sure that Presidents are elected simply to be blamed for the countries mistakes. (Poor Gloria Macapagal Arroyo).
Another statement of her:, “We are three branches but one government. We have our disagreements; we each have hopes, and ambitions that drive and divide us, be they personal, ethnic, religious and cultural. But we are one nation with one fate.” This clearly states the fact that our nation is not progressing because we are disunited. We criticized without first listening or supporting. I am not seeing progress in the distant because the road is still has many obstacles.
I am not being idealistic nor dreaming, because in a democratic government, it is always evident that people oppose. But come to think of it, if the people will unite with one cause, surely our country will progress.

THE PHENOMENOLOGY OF L.O.V.E

“One is loved, because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving”
- Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist)


My notion of love before was this phrase. That love needed no reason at all. If you’d felt something as strong as love, there is no use of finding its root or reason out on its beginning. Love is just love.
Then, philosophy came. It started to teach me to not be contended with common notions of people. Therefore, taught me to think deeper and more critical.
Looking at Manuel Dy’s Phenomenology of Love, it tackles about the cause or origin of love. According to Mr. Dy, Love starts when a person realized that he is alone and that his being alone brings him loneliness. This loneliness leads the person to search for the other. The being of a person is composed of different interest or likes. In this interest, we have different social groups and friends we mix with. For instance, one of my interests is music. My friends in class is different than those people whom I share my passion in music. There comes a point in a person’s life that he searches for someone who will embrace him fully and wholly regardless of his likes and interest. And when he finds that someone who’ll complete his emptiness and perish his loneliness, loving encounter happens.
In loving encounter, the appeal of the other is stressed. This appeal is an explicit request from the other. It may be shown in a form of gesture, a word or any actions. The appeal of the other is himself. This means that in this appeal, the other open or offer himself to you, His whole being as a person. Like an incident where your friend hugs you whenever you are sad or in pain. This shows that your friend is giving you a feeling of relief and that tells you that she’s there, wholly.
In love, it must be reciprocated. Love is more accomplished when it is heard or better, when it is answered. This states that you will not think of the other alone. You will not just give him love or anything you wish to give. There must be something which should be returned to you. This is the love from the other. What you feel must be symmetrical to the other.
When love is reciprocated, the creativity of love enters. You will no longer be an “I”. You will create “WE” together. In this “WE”, you create your own world that only the both of you can share and interpret, together.
In conclusion, many philosophers attempt to explain these love phenomena, like Dr. Manuel Dy did. But if we go back to the basic question of what love is?, it’s still unexplainable and complicated. Therefore, Love still puzzled me. And I think although Dr. Dy did an excellent and exquisite job on illuminating somehow the mystery of these love phenomena, still experience is the best teacher. So, I have to witness it myself.

MOMENTS AND EMOTIONS

Moments are cherished forever. These moments brought bitterness, sadness, fright, hatred, happiness or sweetness, and are remembered always. In relation to our moments, we connect it with emotions where we experience Love, Fear, Anger and Anxiety. Towards this emotions bound in our moments, we cope, handle and adapt on it differently. This paper will tackle the connection of my emotions towards a particular moment.
If people will choose what their ultimate fulfillment will be, majority of them will answer the word “Happiness”. This word means the state of joy, pleasure, goodness and satisfaction. According to Aristotle, happiness is the ultimate goal in life. Human beings seek happiness. If I’m going to ask myself in front of a mirror about what makes me happy the most, I will surely answer my love ones particularly my family. I am emotionally attached to them. Seeing them happy brought me happiness as well. When I’m experiencing happiness, what I do is, I cherish every moment of what I feel. I don’t mind the things which might and continually hinder the spirit of ecstasy I am experiencing.
Since we’re talking about moments which are written in the book of our lives, there is always depressing situations which makes us down for a while or for a long time, perhaps. I cannot recall a depressing situation I had encountered. The word depression is a very deep word which is deeper than sadness or sorrow. But I think the most recent event that had happen to me was when my sister did not agree on me getting into a serious relationship with someone which starting to be a very special person in my life. I was down for about two weeks, but then, what I did was to look on the situation beyond what it seemed or to look on the brighter side of it. I tried to evaluate myself, my priorities, my goals and the things that are important to me. After reflecting, I came to judge myself and come up to the point of concentrating to that thing that matters the most, which is my studies. Through evaluation, things are sighted and are assessed to formulate a better solution to cure the depression.
Furthermore, as we go on talking about moments, it also speaks of hurt feelings and hatred. These things rooted in anger. Honestly speaking, I am a type of person that can easily be annoyed which makes me angry. I felt anger whenever someone, some thing, some situation turn out opposite on what I expect them to be. I am an orderly person and always have plans on things. I become easily disappointed which lead to hatred and anger. So I try to control my temper on times like that. I know that the pressure I have against my environment is very limited that’s why I tried to bear in mind that not everything I planned will turn out to be exactly what I expect them to be.
In conclusion, this three emotions, (happiness, depression and anger), became a norm in our daily lives. We have different encounters on those emotions but the main point of feeling these emotions was to learn something out of it. These emotions whether they brought you bad or good moments, must always be remembered. For every moment, there is always a story. And every story always has a lesson to learn.