why i love wisdom

in the present situation, calculative thinking for Martin Heidegger is mostly used because it gives an almost immediate reward. he writes this in his memorial address where he mentioned the different kinds of thinking and why neither is more important, but rather both are complimentary to each other. for Heidegger, reflective thinking is crucial for man to become a grounded being. without grounds, man-like a plant- will wither within the slightest pressure of circumstance.

for sartre, freedom is not dependable on situation- regardless whether it is bad or good- but rather the latter is a product of freedom. this idea is often reiterated in ethics. because man is free, he has to make a choice. choice is a manifestation of both reason and freedom because an act always has to have an ultimate rational ground. if not, this action is merely a reaction, not a response.

in epistemology, ignorance is defined as "the absence of knowledge from a thing that is capable of possessing it." this term however is different from nescience or, the absence of knowledge from a thing that is not supposed to possess it." man cannot be a nescient being because he has the peculiarity of having reason. man is capable of thinking whether he tries to or not.


but among all these, philosophy explains love, freedom, self-determination, proper acting, proper thinking and reason. whenever a man tries not to think, the thinking about not thinking itself is a thought composed and grounded on a determined action.

but honestly, philosophy is a course that may not be studied as a proper subject. wisdom is not earned by how many degrees on has earned or the amount of awards one has recieved. but the fact is that wisdom is earned by humility and incessant self-deliberation and reflection. without each, one will never achieve wisdom.

i have noticed for some time that there have been many professors who forget that they are symbols of education and hope. some, rub their masters degree in the faces of the students who try to question their authority (or often times their grades). some, smoke right outside the premises of the school where every student can see them and that the school is an environment friendly academy. needless to say, it hasn't been exactly the ideal actions of a teacher.

more events have entered the school without our eyes touching the surface of the matter. the xavier scandal (featuring the engineering comfort room), the katrina-hayden scandal, the secret drinking sessions in stc building, the public display of affection behind the chapel, the seemingly uneducated students screaming inside the chapel are only few of the real atrocities happening daily.

for more than three years, every student has either not cared about these issues or cared a bit or cared too much about it. those who do not care about these incidents focus on their studies because it is what is reasonably important. those who care a bit about it keep the gossip alive. those who care too much about it either create a barrier to prevent students from seeing the reality of the situation or motivate students to be better than the danger that lies within the realm of truth.

to prevent the truth from coming out will only increase its production because of the power of curiosity. man has the capability to find ways around things. as a friend told me, "ang kanding gani na gi hiktan kai makabuhi, kana pa kahang tao na walay hikot". much to my surprise, this still applies to many schools and many young people.

all these are products of undeliberated actions. without thought, or even rethinking of actions, they will all lead to a dark directions. actions should not be grounded on feelings because feelings change. and change is always constant. but with a reason and with reason, there is a consistency and a correct path. there is nothing permanent in this world. anything permanent is a product of deception by the senses. but to think beyond these will lead us to a better, more stable future. without reason, there is no point in living a life at all.

how we should act is a matter of choice. choice is a by-product of freedom. but freedom is not to do whatever it is that is wanted by man. freedom is always accompanied by responsibility and constant reminder that others too are free. others are free to question, to breathe, to choose, to believe, to be silent, to escape, to not be tempted, to be a true person. and others should recognize this and not tempt themselves of not caring about what others will feel. for as long as we are living in a society, other people will forever affect our decisions. our task now is not to ignore their influence, but we must constantly recognize this in order to free ourselves from it.