The Conventional Truth in life: Niethzsche and James

Wilfredo C. Juntilla Jr.

We tend to know the truth of things that we may stop living for ourselves but for others,
but on contrary, it’s actually we tend to conform the truth made by others that we may continue
to live for ourselves. Truth is non-sense, but necessary to motivate existence, in words of
Niethzsche. This, perhaps, is the reality of truth, the conventional truth in life.
Life is of no choice. I mean to say, human existence seemed no choice in life but to
agree, conform, to be with the side of others. Technically, without consent from ourselves, we
continue to agree with life, continue to be conscious, spend time, continue to create past and
looking forward to future. Disagreeing means our own end. Even inside this life itself, we avoid
hate, rejection, denial, as to why we conform to superiors, as a child to those taller and bigger to
us, befriend bullies to avoid being bullied, be friend strangers, listen to teachers, obey parents,
etc. For human lived and structured in such a way. Even the name Philippines that refers to this
country is but a name agreed upon. Yet rationalist think that this place has its essential nature.
Spaniards 300 years of tyranny to Philippines became that long due to acceptance of their
superiority. Their truth, religion and others practices were adapted for the sake of avoiding
unpleasantness in life. Jose Rizal declared as national hero for he qualifies, accordingly to the
journals he had written, the description of a true patriotism, to die for one’s country. Patriotic for
there was such a conceptual truth of patriotism is nothing but a pride that there is one Filipino
who died for Filipinos. The people’s power revolution was believed to be a people’s power
revolution against Marcos regime. It was a truth made for a boxed period of time, a truth in their
time but not in our time. Their leaders hold media, the means of influence for conformation and
it becomes the truth they lived. For us who discovered that it is a mere 2% of the whole
population would embrace the truth that such revolution is not a Philippines revolution. Constant
flux of truth reflects that there was no such universal nature of truth. We agree and embrace how
we are structure to live in a period, place, environment, and family we were born as if it is who
we are and who will be. Even these thoughts I have now is not actually a truth. Not even the truth
I believe.
Well, those thoughts above are of Nietzsche. If James would respond, he would then say,
“My unverified little bother, what you said is right. But let people live in that way, for after all
we know those are useful.” We tend to criticize love today from how people love yesterday, and
tend to do love today from standard set today. The truth in love is non-sense, it is a mere deep
regard of one to the other that which end up in commitment. But what they felt, if James would
say, is being verified and is useful to them, then that’s the truth of love. After all, within the
border of their experience, they find it valid. Along the way, that love would be in mutation.
Looking at lens of their philosophies, they tried to maximize their use of intellect to
understand the truth of the world.