Know Thyself

Change is constant in this universe. We should not be scared of its essence; instead we should be inspired to value its fecund purpose in ameliorating our civilization. Its significant role enlivens us to conquering more heights, reaching our dreams and fulfilling our destiny for the best thing in life. Change is called to be the evidence of life. We cannot grow as an individual if we will not undergo the process of change. It is not a clandestine for us to deny or deprived of because of its explicit goal which is to lead our way and hitch our wagon to the acme of success. Success brings our hopes for an impudence progress. It is our greatest ally to achieve it. To have such kind of determination for change, we must be open-minded to accept and recognize formidable reality around us. This acceptance opens many doors for opportunities. Let our flambouyant spirits grab it. Then, it will guide us in searching for the ultimate truth. This truth seems clairvoyant to the senses or a state of being. It is the primary goal of our existence – to find reason behind our life. Many philosophers give different views regarding this matter but until now no one can perfectly presented us its true meaning and essence. Its quiddity is still oblivious for our senses to seize it faithfully.

When confronted with the issue of change, when faced with questions as to the way we formulated or organized it, when in a quandary of what the future will bring, we always take a pause; think and re-think; and look back at how things have been going lately. There were so many questions that bother us of what we must have to do which requires us in accepting reality. Have we really taken the right path to progress or change? Have we really moved towards a common direction? Have we really made sure that in all that we do, we think of the best future for ourselves or for everyone? In our own little voice, we claim to the world that we are doing well and we actually have such mind set – submitting ourselves for the holistic conviction of accepting to undergo examination of our own self.

The unexamined life is not worth living for. These are words from the mind of philosopher who being sentenced to death because of his vocation and mission in life. What does this dictum tell us about? It reveals the reality of life. It depicts liberation from the slavery of ignorance. It upholds the culture of intellect. A revolt against the deception of stupidity makes it impossible to seek its contemplation as an eye-opener for the masses living in blind acceptance. For us to understand in maximum capacity the mystery of life that we have, we need to examine it. It will enable us to grasp answers to the questions that tickling in our minds. It will distort our senses in flexibility and astonishing realization. By examining our life, we will understand what we are, what we are doing and why we are doing such.

Examining or understanding is a revelling activity. It is a stupendous way of searching for the ultimate truth. That is we wanted to discover later on in our journey to fully grasp our existence.

An act of questioning is the evidence that convinces me that a person is thinking. We asked questions because we wanted to have answers. As if we were in a deep sleep, we were arisen by the clamour of perilous world. This perplexed reality leads our sight to wake up from our hasty sound sleep and challenge ourselves to scrutinize its existence.

Out of the juvenile world full of complexities, we are looking forward to think and search what is within us and ahead of us. So, we asked questions. We examined our well-being. We wondered for our existence. Who am I? What am I to do? What is its meaning? Who created that meaning? Does the meaning exist? We searched for the answers of these questions, until now. Answers we gained are indefinite for it continues to evolve. It seemed to be unfathomable. Identifying our primary matter and of being our substantial form is not enough to attain its main or focal point. Recognizing our strengths and weaknesses as well as our positive or pluses and negative or minuses attributes can be an aid to deepen our understanding. These are our guides to consider conscientiously searching for interminable happiness and life worth living of knowing oneself.

This act of questioning with confidence, grants us to hear a spasmodic perpetual voice of our soul. It speaks of our existence. Henceforth, we are liberating from the chains of unquestioning acceptance of whatever is at hand. We are resisting with those truths that hold us back in the thoughtless conformity. So, we can say, we are free to live the life and lead the world, our world in a vintage deftness of our philosophy in life guided by the methodological and philosophical vehicle body of knowledge.

From accepting the reality of change to the sense of wonder processed through submission for life examination to liberation may lead to identify our personhood. It entails or necessitates us to know and to do something about ourselves. That is what we are doing now. With our personal conviction and own creativity – we are aiming for the highest intensity for the quest of our identity and purpose. It is a kind of determination in examining one’s life worthy to stand for and worth living for.

Human Dignity

Our existence as human being is complementary with our missions or goals in life. It somehow tells us what we want, what we need, and what we aspire of in due period of time. Eventually, we do believe that those reasons of our existence, being alive, here and now are primarily based on that goal. Unless we might say, it is the need of the rope. Stop! And life is just until there. Absolutely, it could not be. If then, one might be foolish to do or to be such. Most probably, the way we crave for something that will fulfill our existence could be based on palpable experience, external things. In usual and plebeian way of life, it is actually true and might be for it manifests giving value by fulfilling all the potentialities that we have given by Someone’s gift of life.

 

Good looks, money, material possession, fame and popularity are maybe our external or sentient goals in life. It seems to be appearing temporarily in our world but then its may sometimes our source of survival. If we are just contented with what we have and what we are, it can manifest a realm of mediocrity. We want to have good looks since we have given the nature that can be possibly developed to somewhat superficially better or best. It is our natural inclination to have such, for it is our nature. It would be irrational for us to neglect to become what nature has meant us to become. So, be human in nature because we are human beings. We want that money and material possession. Those are things that make us to endure life in the competition for survival. We incline also to have or to possess fame and popularity. Is he an approval addict? Pleasure seeker? Maybe, he is. But this desire will somehow cater to be honored and to gain respect just only in different means. Thus, it represents a desire for an increase of ones selfhood.

 

We could not incriminate those individuals who aiming for those things. Actually, we do it just to live fully our existence in its utmost potential as a way of valuing or giving highest degree of meaning to our being, human being. Yet, the prevalence of this predicament might devour us to be blind, to be ignorant and to be too materialistic at some point. We may be enthralled with its glimmering spark of luxury but it will tend to deceive us in putting our life in disdain. We might use other persons to attain such goals. We couldn’t deny the circumstances that it really happened in our society. We tend to lead ourselves in perilous terrain of arid place. The dignity that human person must mold, must have and must possess has just taken a backseat. If then, we all get a big mistake. It shouldn’t be.

 

As human being, we possess that faculty which somehow dominates other living creatures, our rationality. Being rational is our identity to have that capacity to think and to possess will. In the stratification of our hierarchic dimension of all living creatures, rationality is the possession that makes us on the top and has dominion over other lower being such as animals and plants. Thus, we have that supreme worth and profound dignity due to the fact that we are rational agents. Whereupon, we can think and decide what goal we may pursue and what we want to our life.

 

Thereby, our capacity to determine our vintage uniqueness as human being endowed with rational faculty lies on ourselves on how we could find our destiny or end as a self-directed and conscious being. Moreover, treating human beings as objects, manipulating or exploiting is undignified act and absolutely not in accordance to its nature. Treat humanity not as a means but as an ends.

 

For Kant, human beings have value that is absolute and unconditioned as an end in themselves. So act so as to treat humanity whether in your own person or that of any other always as an end and never as means only (Fernandez, 2006). Hence, a human being must be treated as human being not as animals. The value that he endowed is the true manifestation of his nature. Consequently, a person cannot be treated as an object of any means of his existence. The worth belongs to other person and to the one who value it and it is unconditioned worth. We cannot think that they are mere thing, object or means in achieving our goals. Respect on their nature is much important and that really matters on the person. Unlike things, their worth is not sporadic state rather it is interminable ulterior possession. For the things or material goods, these are just spasmodic desires that the boundaries of worth will lost when no one will desire on these things.

 

Hence, human dignity is innate in us. It is intrinsic attributes within us. It speaks of what we are, who we are and determines or guides how we might live in, live by, live for. Without this, we are nothing; we are empty. Sometimes, this realm seems to be impractical. Our day to day experience of life will somehow attest that these are opposite to what kind of dealings we apply with others; it seems that it is too idealistic kind of reality. It might be so stupendous scene of life. It’s good but it is not usual that we do. If we do then, yet in other way around, is it justifiable? does it subvert or overthrow our dignity as human being?

 

Typically, when we go to school, we have that goal to study, to learn or to experience what life is. Our teachers or our instructors are persons, human beings. Thus, they must be treated as a person not as a mere object. But sometimes, when we try to scrutinize some points, ponder and reflect on it, we tend to realize and discover that we use them as our means to achieve our goals. Really, they are and we are convinced that we do it otherwise. Their existence, presence is our means to reach our end. We do believe that same thing as well babbling on their minds, we as a student, were just means to carry out their role or function as instructor , as teacher, if not, maybe their profession would be futile. When riding a tricycle, do you think we are not using someone to reach our destination? We do. We are using the tricycle driver as means, the same scenario on the part of the driver that he is somehow using us as a means to get what he wants, money from us. If we are going to look closer about this situation, is it wrong to do such thing?

 

Eventually, it’s not. In that encounter with the teacher in school, with the tricycle driver, we are not only thinking of ourselves, of what we can gain from those individuals, what services they can provide for us but for the fact that we never treat them rudely will somehow show them what is due to them, the respect as a person, as human being. We think at some point we do not just look at them as a mere thing, a means to get along with what we want. The respect that we have shown to them is equivalent to the dignity they possess as a person, as rational being. On the other hand, making someone respectable, putting a human person in dignified pedestal in elevated platform, it is duly justified to treat our own selves with the same respect we yield to others. It is our moral obligation for our own selves not just only to others. Thus, we must treat ourselves in humane and just vis-à-vis to the pole of dignity. We must not let or allow others to manipulate us for we have that willful respect to our own self, in order to get something. It is our duty to protect this gift. We have that obligation to care for it and live it to the fullest. We have duties of proper self-respect permeated the staidness of upholding the concern to our bodies, to our being. That is why, self-exploitation can somehow go against in preserving the dignity of a person. It is justifiably immoral in a sense of prohibiting oneself to rest, if we are too busy, to play if we are so pressured with school requirements, to stop for a while if we are bombarded with confusions, to pause for meditation if we are so engrossed with what is happening in our lives.

 

We can say that we can try to set time for work, for plat, for everything. Otherwise, we can intermingle both work and leisure. These are best efforts that we can show love and respect to ourselves. Consequently, as a social being, we do not only mean to be socially able person but we can also value our personal existence by valuing our own self with dignity. We must to corroborate that we have dignity to be glorified. Everyone is valuable. No one is futile. We are all noble.

 

Thus, we must be in our own self, fully alive, existents, here and now. In the end, we, albeit many goals, have in our life either it is material possession, good looks, fame or popularity, it doesn’t really matter because what matters in life is not what we have but what we are – our innate and distinctive dignity as a person. Hence, with our rationality, we have that capacity to think and to exercise our own freedom and reason in determining what is good for us and for others. We are the makers, arbiters and promulgators of goodness to human race. In confidence and vehement spirit, we can claim our own inherent dignity and we are worthy to be called human persons – the masters of our own fate, the captain of our own ships, the architect of our own dreams and the carpenters of our own desired future.