“Where Do We Find the Individual?”

There is such a thing we call as the ‘insecurity about first principles’ (Santayana 5). The Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana knew about this a long time ago. “Long before the Second World War, he prophesied that relativism would be the inexorable fate of 20th Century European thinkers” (O’Sullivan 4). How come this matter of doubt still resounds randomly? It is not just in Europe but in a global scale. Has relativism captured the essence of the individual in our times?

Relativism has raised greater awareness at present. Take for example I ask you what is education and you answer me that it is an enquiry for greater knowledge. Another would say that it is a process for the verification of truths. The next one would define it as going to an institute that trains us to analyze and interpret things like that of scriptures or books. There could be countless other definitions. Some may end up like the previous answer but one could not deny that there is difference among those answers and I ask from where we could trace such phenomena? This is where relativism comes in. Each individual is set apart from the other through ‘perspectives’ wherein the idea of universality or uniformity is blurred. The existence of a single ‘perspective’ on reality that is both objective and universal is a fallacy (Robinson 71). It is a myth. It is one of those absurdities and fallacies I was made to believe while growing up. In school, the professors tell me what is the idea of God. It wouldn’t follow that the preconceived notion of a divine being they are trying to instill in you would be your own definition of a God or influence you to believe in such. It is not because it is what they teach; you believe it and accept it as it is. All things that we label as knowledge are relative (Robinson 72). There is no absolute truth for there is that personal approach, personal perception that serves as a basis on how we are to react on things. With regards to that, you ask yourself, should I believe this or not? Does it give justice and adhere to my personal beliefs?

Santayana was indeed right that people must resort to relativism. What appeared to be the concern of the Europeans is now ours. We must be in touch with our own self, our own personal beliefs, ideologies, and philosophy so as to discern wisely from this and that. If we act in light of what others think is right, we do not act responsibly. It enables us to be transformed into automatons, animated machines that move but do not think. The so called ‘insecurity about first principles’ appears rather suggestive. Society nowadays serves as a constraint that limits us and it has its own set of norms that tell us this is right and this is wrong on the basis of its foundations. Taking it now to foundations, aren’t these things rooted from these ‘first principles’, what the people from earlier times thought and believed things to be. Insecurity is a reaction, it states of rather unrest or uncertainty over the foundations. Rules survive only with the existence of those who break it. And relativism would not have come in to being if people hadn’t realized the benefits of doubting.

“Any kind of universal grounding is contemplated with deep suspicion” (Laclau 1). This must be the attitude of each and everyone, doubtful and judgmental. Only if we doubt then we are aware we have a say and that we are entitled to our own opinion. You may agree to what others say but it shouldn’t be like that always. You think and asses whether it justifies the means. As the things that we label as knowledge and consider as true is all subject to our own judgment. We all are subjective thinkers and as for universality or objectivity how could this be attained. To put it clearer, let us say that theory about something was founded by an individual many years ago. Based on this, many claimed his work to standardize all things that came with it or are related to it. They now declare it as a universal truth and from there on it has been passed from generation to generation. But now, with relativism within your grasp, do you not think that that person was also a subjective thinker. He also had his own biases therefore it blurs the possibility of objectivity. The idea of a universal truth in the first place shouldn’t have been declared as it was one-sided. It can never be objective because it doesn’t give you both sides of the matter.

In the present time, there are different kinds of persons living side by side. The other could be an individual who follows the norms, while the other questions the existence of it and ends up with the label of a non-conformist. Often times, the more we identify ourselves with what is the common notion of the public easily identifies us with them. This engages us in unison in terms of thought but as we try to associate ourselves more often with them but let us not permit this to be all the time. We are individuals and our only way to live like one is to take a side. Get rid of mediocrity so as not to act in bad faith. We must decide whether it is a yes or a no, whether we should go for it or not. Our decision must be our own choice for the individual might fly into oblivion if we will just pattern ourselves and familiarize ourselves with the public and the society we belong to. In our existence, what seems to be the greatest responsibility we have is our responsibility to our self. If you do not know how to find the individual in you, that one who is authentic and is different from the others then it is indicative that you are either unaware of your own responsibility or you are being inauthentic.

The essence individual is a personal approach that will enable us to determine the essence of being our own self. It is something that we truly are and not just some dictate of another. The problem with this world is that we often think and worry about what others think about us. What will they say? What will they think? What shall I do to please them? How shall it be? Each one of us is to determine our own essence and we are not to categorize ourselves with all those ready made standards available. We are individuals and we have every right to proclaim or act in whatever fashion for as long as we pursue and champion authenticity. We can always choose. Everything will always come from what we decide to be and all that we are now is a consequence of the decisions we make. As for the individual, it lies deep down in each and every one of us. Where is he? Where is she? It is up to you to answer that for the individual is our own battle and whether we would triumph authenticity over inauthenticity, it will all rely on our hands.

REFERENCES:

Laclau, E. The Making of Political Identities. London: Verso, 1994.

O’Sullivan, Noel. European Political Thought Since 1945. Palgrave: China, 2004.

Robinson, Dave. Postmodern Encounters: Nietzsche and Postmodernism. London: Cox &

Wyman, 2000.

Santayana, George. “The Intellectual Temper of the Age.” Selected Critical Writings

of George Santayana. Ed. N. Henfrey. Cambridge: CUP, 1968. 5.

What is wrong with Making Dreams a Reality?”

Words when put together make sense and meaning. When used in a proper way makes it more convincing. It makes you believe in the blink of an eye. Structures and technologies started out as ideas put into word and slowly transformed into something tangible and functional. There is that one who is equipped with the ideas and there is that one who paves way for these ideas to come to life. It seems amazing but at what odds and ends must we search for to consider the fulfillment of a vision or a dream for the benefit of man kind? Or are they to alter the way we live forever? Is it for the good or for the bad of all mankind?
A lot of individuals dream and ideally they want those dreams to become reality. Though there are those dreams that are better off as fantasies and those that would further us in to a better way of living. Towards the fulfillment of a dream, what do we search for? What will we get from it?

Visions are remarkable. One can have a plan all laid out. Words and actions could turn out to be as one of the deadliest combinations. A manifestation of this is Adolf Hitler’s misapplication of Nietzsche’s philosophy. Suppose that the Superman pertains to a new breed of man that has overcome himself. It is an ideal race with refined qualities and many other complex features. For Hitler, the way he saw this was a purification of race. This was not what the philosopher’s ideas were trying to point out. Adolf Hitler did the unthinkable, almost extinguishing a race and creating one of the gravest offenses ever made to mankind in the course of history.
The subconscious mind has a lot to say. If one goes back we could dig up a lot of repressed thoughts, things we could hardly think of. It would really be very surprising. A dream may seem like something to hold on top but when dreams become a reality, do they always appear the way you had envisioned it to be? Or does it alter the whole course of your life?

When one comes across engineering, one wouldn’t even think there is something of philosophical relevance to it. That is where I got it wrong. Though there isn’t much that is said about the two fields, when one looks closer there are actually a lot of philosophical things to be found in engineering. One of the things engineers do is they model a new way of life whether or not they are aware of it. With engineering also comes that responsibility of where one’s outputs or inventions could lead man kind. It also involves that big philosophical consideration. And lastly there must be rationality so as to fully decide and make sound decisions on which particular design or product must one choose and offer for use for mankind. Parallel to this is philosophy. Such a field like philosophy is aimed at making man discover and question things around him to give way for a better life. A life of an individual who is more learned, has more wisdom is better because we already see things in a wider scope or perspective. With this questioning, we learn to reason and search for truths and falsities. We make value judgments, which one is more reasonable and valuable or which one is more attainable. Apart from making sound arguments that one is able to derive from such reasoning, your philosophy doesn’t end with questioning and going against fallacies or absurdities there is something bigger that comes with that, it is responsibility. Say for now, your own ideas may not matter to the people of today but maybe in the future. Then in that future one makes use of your ideas and it doesn’t end up as desired but rather at that time it made things worse. There is basically that responsibility we must hold on to like in engineering. One does not continue creating and creating. The achievement of an engineer is not based on how many innovations he was able to end up with but with how many were able to direct everyday life to a better situation. Engineers must also know how to reason and rationalize so they know how to distinguish things and know whether they are doing the right thing. What the engineers do is very powerful though some of them are unaware that they are already remodeling our way of life, and continue to do so and end up not acting responsibly.

It seems that the only thing constant with human life is change but these changes or advancements aren’t always good. It is a sure thing that a lot of things that enable us all the comfort and conveniences were introduced some time ago by these honorable individuals. But what could really make the scope of engineering more in depth and a study that contributes to society is the knowledge of these makers, is how they are to make themselves aware of the possible outcome of their discoveries. It could either help us or ruin us. With change we must have an assessment of it. Evaluate what you are about to give mankind for what is good for you may not be good for all. That is why all of us are subjective thinkers. One couldn’t always have the same ideas or views as you. Though not all would agree to your thoughts, your vision or your technology, all that it leads to, the blame will all be put on you. ‎You must be keen on this. Awareness is vital to making your responsibility prevalent.
Pondering on the matter a bit further, the engineer must be considerate of all the technology that he is producing. He must ask if it is worth it. Is it a matter of objectifying nature? Will it exert our mastery over nature? Is it concerned with human action particularly power? There are just countless questions one could ask oneself on what are the odds and ends of a certain development, technology, or discovery. With the likes of Philosophy, it must also be practiced with responsibility. It can influence change and make individuals reevaluate things but will this help the individual? It is a complex matter that we find ourselves trapped in. In the event of us having ideas or technologies that would be seen or experienced by a certain audience whether big or small, we will be held responsible for the outcome of this. Basically, what makes our life meaningful is our responsibility, how we hold on to it, live it and practice is in our daily lives. And as for abstract ideas, the philosopher may be equipped with the concept while the engineer will have the ability to make the technology. Though the two may help each other in attaining their goals to further human life, one should never fail to acknowledge the importance of being responsible at all costs.

Reflections on Philippine Cinema Volume 1

I am a Filipino. I could say that gain but it wouldn't really make much sense as that word wouldn't have a singular basis for its meaning. The easiest association though is one who is from the Philippines yet in some other context that definition remains vague like the Nouvelle Vague movement in film making spearheaded by Francois Truffaut. It is not like other words that could be confined like a teacher which is one who instructs. The idea behind a Filipino remains ambiguous.

It really doesn't make sense for me to claim and hold up to being a Filipino. I may be passionate about a motherland but it is a motherland that was a creation of a stranger. It was never really mine as until now, the filth of those self serving Westerners continue to vandalize the minutae of
everyday living in this god damned land. On the other hand, I may say I am a Filipino yet my tongue speaks of a language that salutes another civilization. I am divided. Now, even things that are produced in the creative market are all derived from the worst stranger of all which I will mention next.

My country has embraced this place called "Etats-Unis." I choose to remain estranged to that place while all the others of my race pursue them and treat this nation like an heirloom and their people as gods. To me they are nothing to be proud of and worth of my praise. I rub shoulders everyday with people who say that the magic is with them. Hollywood, Frito-Lay, Hersheys, Calvin Klein, McDonalds and many other figures that spell Americaine. At one instance, I recall an instance wherein a friend approached and me and told me that movies should be for entertainment alone- nothing for the mind to ponder on. I guess this is institutionalized film making- conventional and capitalist in nature. Many people I know watch films because of the star system, the blockbuster system, and many other systems Hollywood has inflicted upon us like plague. I choose not to be a part of this phenomenon. I prefer the Nouvelle Vague, Bollywood, Lollywood, or World Cinema. It is sadenning that these institutionalizers have captured the heart of the many with no-brainer film making. Peter Jackson, Clint Eastwood, Ang Lee, etc. How about Ingmar Bergman, Micheangelo Antonioni, Sergio Castellito, Guiseppe Tornatore, Francois Truffaut, Babak Payami, Wong Kar Wai, Zhang Yimou...has any one even braved or desired to look for their contributions to the art of cinema?

Furthering now the audience divide, it is a mere 10 percent of my kind and the rest 90, go for the conventional. Audience matters here because the film industry here has grasped the capitalist nature of the West. In a family reunion, I remember sitting on one corner and sipping wine out of boredom as my uncles and cousins talk and pretend to know film. I do not talk as if I am a film expert but to know the heart of film making, one has to go beyond Hollywood. Such experience is like that of the prisoner who was set free in Plato's allegory of the Cave.

I just gave them a look as if I had dope. I couldn't help but be annoyed because they think that the holistic film viewing experience is synonymous to the following:
> Peter Jacksons's Lord of the Rings
> Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby
> The Academy Awards
> Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
> Teen flicks (american pie, eurotrip)
> Superhero franchises (Daredevil, Spiderman, Batman, etc.)
> anything Quentin Tarantino
> a movie that stars a powerhouse cast like a movie I know that stars Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves
> I'm too annoyed to say more

To Satisfy- A Wasted Effort

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and the rest of Rolling Stones flashed all of a sudden on my mind. Now, I find myself humming to the tune of the 1965 hit (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.

I can’t get no satisfaction cause I try and I try and I try
I can’t get no…I can’t get no.
I can’t get no satisfaction, hey, hey, hey

Enough now for being nostalgic about British rock…let me avoid the possibility of telling you more. If I do so it might actually lead to The Clash, The Jam, Bryan Ferry then to the latter- Oasis, The Libertines, Blur,etc.

The song actually rushed out of nothing in my head. The moment I finished eating dinner and got into my room, I played the song instantly and it intensified the way I feel towards the idea of satisfaction. I have to go on thinking because of a song. Songs sometimes are powerful instruments in getting a lazy mind and body to function; this would actually depend on the lyrics!

It just so occurred to me that in search for happiness, it is well a wasted effort. You try to keep yourself content when all that happens to you when you get what you desire, you just want more. Keeping yourself satisfied echoes Nietzsche’s concept of Eternal Recurrence. I let myself to go through a cycle over and over again. I have now decided to stop thinking that there really is satisfaction that is permanent. There is temporary satisfaction though. Though everything is time bound hence in the future, that sense of satisfaction you are experiencing at the moment may not be so tomorrow. Citing an example of mine which started with a desire to own a pair of decent shoes and when you say decent; something presentable and luxe. I still remember vividly how it felt like to desire for something which you think is the amalgam of all my material wants. Okay, it was a pair of lace ups from my sole-mate Prada. I picked up the pair from the display and I instantly fell in love with it. It was love at first sight as one might say. I said to myself that regardless of the price, I am determined to get it for it is beautiful, functional, and the kind of shoe that would still look the same ten years from now. The inevitable purchase was made and now that I have it, I realized I don’t want to just own lace-ups. It came to me that I also wanted an ankle boot, a moccasin, a driving shoe, a sneaker, and a brogue. Moving beyond my example what I find true to human nature is that there is that never ending quest for things. I know you may be thinking that my example is somewhat shallow but that situation illustrates right through what I am trying to project here. Based on my concept, I share with you a more personal account. I am now a communication arts student in De La Salle University because I want to go to a university even though I really wanted to take up Design or an art course. For now, the magnum of my ambitions is to be able to study in a reputable art school in Paris, London, or Milan. Let us assume that I was able to achieve that and when I get it, I would want something else that would top that. To claim that one can be satisfied is absurd as achieving something doesn’t define us just like that and give us a sense of completeness. Unless we die then there is a complete end to our search for meaning or something else in our lives. Death is just one thing that concludes all our efforts but as we live it will be a recurring process that we go through the cycle exhaustively. The reason why this cycle becomes burdensome is that one often associates an achievement with satisfaction which only later on, one realizes is to be neglected after some time then a new aspiration occurs. Now, I do not wish to satisfy myself any further for we are all bound to live Sissyphus’ fate, we would go through this process over and over again. As I am writing this blog, I do feel that I have shared my thoughts clearly but probably after a few hours I would want to write something better than this. As I realize that I want something else this is the equivalent of Sissyphus pushing the rock downward and when I decide to write a new entry that is when I go to step 1 which is at the bottom of the mountain. The forcing out of ideas and the actual process of doing this new write-up would be parallel to the ascent up the mountain.