DIE AND LIVE (Marcel)

THE INEVITABLE TRUTH OF LIFE

“Every man dies, but not every man really lives.”

This line from William Wallace played by Mel Gibson in the award-winning movie
Braveheart (1995) has always caught my attention. Death is one of the most inevitable things in
life, but living is always a choice for man. In life, we often search for our purpose spending time
discovering our potentials, improving our status, lamenting on our weaknesses, seeking for
truths, manipulating reality, and savoring both achievements and defeats. But the aged
question still exists in every man’s knowledge: how should a man live his life? And what does it
take to die?

You are alive, and that is the basic truth we know. We live the moment we breathe, and
we exist based on the value given to us by those who surround us. Life is a complicated concept
to understand and study. Life could be a process, a system, or a permanent scratch on the
head. We could be a boon to some, but bane to others. But do we really need to look at life
based on how others see us? Living is a daily necessity through which we are able to perceive
and be perceived. But it is always a choice for a man on how he should live his life. But life
offers condition we sometimes overlook because of egocentrism. All what needed is a glimpse
on oneself to sense what is lacking in us.

To understand life, one must experience it. And to experience it, one must be ready to
live. However, experiences and interactions are sometimes meaningless in the sense that they
do not contribute on our existence and search for truth. Humans are contingent on conditions
which make up the framework of for our very existence according to French philosopher
Gabriel Marcel. Environment and conditions surrounding a human being truly shapes how he
lives and sees life. This leads us to crave for possessions rather than being someone. In the
history of mankind, life’s value is often measured by the profession a man has or possessions he
had attained. History will prove it as notable persons such as members of high society are
frequently mentioned and given attention to in historical books and other materials.

We often objectify ourselves, and the life we have. The notion that having something is
better than being someone has been man’s goal in life even in a contemporary realm. This
belief turned out advantageous as demands for possessions rose up; and when the demand is
great, development and production is at equal pace of greatness. Technology, enters in.
Innovative ideas dominates among men. Nevertheless, man remains slave by these goals
forgetting a sense of freedom for himself. We move, because society demands it. We act,
because it is expected of us. The objectification of ourselves through these tenets often robs us
our freedom. One is not truly free when he is controlled by egocentrism. Also, freedom is not
about doing freely what desire dictates, nor it is based merely on independence.
 The absence from the alienation of oneself and acting within the bound one’s trait are
the meanings of freedom. This entails a more precise assessment and focus on oneself before
making the “self” as merely a machine to satisfy life. Self and body are one. When the body is
objectified, so does the self. When one ceases to objectify the body and acknowledge the
essence of freedom as defined above, he can act freely to participate as being among beings.
Contemplating about life is existentially necessary to redirect purposes and goal through
actions considered within the bounds of a person while seeking out others. Connection is vital
in realizing oneself and to find meaning about life. Having freedom is only relying on oneself,
but also depending on others for

Looking in this scope, it details living life based not on targeted or attained possessions
nor on being a self-centered person, but based on the freedom to decide for oneself, act based
on the capacity and ability to engage ourselves with others. Going back to the movie
Braveheart, the main character immersed himself to popularity because he was able to listen to
himself and not to what he wants, but to what others need. He did not let himself be invaded
by foreign ideologies and objectives, but trusted his own will and decisions based on the cries of
his people. It tells us to not to be controlled by outside influences but rather drive ourselves out
through freedom to attain self-realization.

Whether we like it or not, death will come to us and we don’t have idea when – and
that’s a brutal truth about life. We can only live because we exist but without the body, we
cannot though a part of us may still live on among the living. Mortality’s expiration is
undetectable. Material wealth, possessions, and professional achievements will not save us
from our graveyards. These are material things achieved when the body is objectified.
However, objectifying the body is no bad at all especially when it delivers us to self-satisfaction.
It is however otherwise when it inhibits one person to have his freedom. Furthermore, it is safe
to assume that balancing things in our life and freeing ourselves are essential to satisfaction.

There are those who died, but lives on today. And some of us lives, but we might be
feeling dead because of some personal reasons. What is significant in life is realizing ourselves,
and to give time introspecting on what we can be of ourselves considering all the limits we have
and not prioritizing possessing material wealth. Also, our contribution to the society is expected
but self-actualization and freedom are more significant before anything else. In life, time is
indeed an invaluable asset knowing we cannot see through a looking glass how tomorrow may
turn out. Live, die and there’s no rewind button nor repetition of existing. What we do today, to
others and for ourselves do not limit the chance of death upon us.

What we can do now is live and value ourselves.

SADNESS AND DREAMS (Frankl)

SUFFERING AND SADNESS IN SEARCH FOR TRUE MEANING

Emotion, driven by several influences, is a powerful force which controls our mind at
times. There are factors by which these array of emotions may temporarily or permanently
dwell on us; these includes experiences, expectations or aspirations. Some of which are
unexpected or unwanted. Being the affective aspect of consciousness, emotion is typically
accompanied by physiological and behavioral change in the body. It can shape a person’s
outlook in life, behavior, goals, principles, and his total well-being. We, as human beings, are
often slave to our emotions as it is being slaved by our own thoughts. Varying mental elements
affect our affective domains which is then projected through our physical shape.

Traumatic experiences may trigger negative emotions such as sadness or anxiety which
may lead to depression. It automatically changes the behavior of the person involved
manifested in different ways. Nevertheless, through these emotions we sometimes search for
answers about life and contemplate on our existence. It is interesting to note that our mind is
patterned to adapt to different experiences but could only handle one dominating emotion at a
certain time. This means that we cannot be happy when we are sad, or vice versa. Specifically,
sadness is not spoken about much as it expressed or to put in a better way. But as a matter of
fact, sadness is actually important and it is totally fine to feel it and express it. It is innate to
humans to feel sad. While sadness is less valued in our contemporary culture, truth is, there is
no happiness when without it; both co-exist with each other.

According to some scientists, sadness can confer important advantages. We are often
told that this kind of emotion is better be kept at bay. However, study shows that sadness can
help people improve attention to external details, reduce judgmental bias, increase
perseverance, and promote generosity. Hence, this “problem emotion” possesses adaptive
functions, and must be understood as vital component of our emotional repertoire. Among the
benefits of sadness according to different studies include improvement of memory, judgment,
increasing motivation, and stimulation and enhancement of interaction (Joseph P. Forgas, June
2014). In fact, many of the greatest achievements of Western art, music, and literature explore
the landscape of sadness. This proves that sadness has numbers of contribution in shaping
culture, identity and history.

In furtherance, through this powerful emotion, our outlooks on life is affected.

Manifestation of this is the theory of logotheraphy or pursuit of meaning for one’s life by Viktor
Frankl heavily influenced by personal and traumatic experiences of suffering and loss in Nazi
concentration camp during World War II. It tells us that in sadness, a meaning is formed. A
better understanding of life and of the world can root from negative experiences. Reality
suggests that human drive is not pleasure but the pursuit of what we could find meaningful.
People who suffers and find meaning from it are better able to cope with what would otherwise
be a struggle too difficult to bear. In short, negative emotions, including sadness, anger, and
fear create a cognition which gradually bake reality and meaning about life. It is high time to
consider normalizing sadness as essential part of human existence, and that it is not always
implying bad effects.

With the insurmountable march of advancement in the field of psychology,

comprehending different emotional components among humans is in the tips of our hands
which have broken the stigma and stereotypes regarding emotions and some mental health
conditions such as depression, bipolarism, anxiety, and many others. Making its way to the
scene, emotional health is seen as vital as physical health. Many believe that sadness causes
depression, and while it is sometimes true, the former is milder than the latter. And when it is
mild, it does not consequently give great negative impact on someone. Depression is a more
complicated condition and needs professional hands to mitigate it from person, whereas
sadness is subjectively easy to handle depending on its weight.

On the other hand, we humans could also find meaning through our engagements with
our dream. Our dreams with the powers that connect to us in dreams, are forever inviting us to
reclaim the knowledge of who we are, why we are here, and what purpose is in our life
experience. A dream is also a powerful tool which highlights our goals, aspirations, and
ambitions in life while determining appropriate ways to attain them. Dreaming might be a
delusion to reality, but it directs our path by providing images of expected end results. It give
life meaning in a way that the weight of the dream also measures our purpose and reasons for
existence. However, the meaning of life does not rely on how big the dream is.

A dream is an escape from the reality giving us hint of the future if desirable outcomes
and methods are achieved. Through this a new outlook on life is created, making us motivated
to be responsive as we act up on things necessary for this dreams to be achieved.

What is it that makes life worth living? Is it the pursuit of happiness? Attaining success?
As human beings living in a vast and endless universe (or multiverse for that matter), what are
we actually living for? No one can answer those particular questions for you but know we are all
searching for answers, trying to look for ways to make sense out of life, the numerous paths we
have all trodden as well as the roads we have not taken. We look backwards rummaging
through our past examining our own mistakes, failures, and losses and what we could've done
to correct those that which cannot be changed. We yearn for the truth about our own existence
where pain, suffering, loss, and even death is inevitable, but amidst those darkest moments, we
rise above those conditions and grow beyond them.

As Frankl emphasized in his book Man’s Search for Meaning, “He who has Why to live
for can bear almost any How.”
THOUGHT AND CHARACTER (Vitoria)

THE INNATE POTENCY OF MAN’S THOUGHT

A man is how and what he thinks.

Our mind is a venue of universe of thoughts and ideas encompassing unlimited

possibilities and edgeless depth. These thoughts beget a character which is a reflection of the
former. A man either creates or destroys himself through his thinking. Because thought is a
dictator, our behavior and actions are often its slaves. The mind does the abstract or concept
while the body manifests and implements them. Biologically, every cell in our body is
connected to our brain; it is the core of our body. What the mind stimulates, the body reacts.
And this is the universal truth: thought and character are inseparable.

I am the lord of my thought. I control it, I make it, I am it. We hold the key to every
situation, and we have in ourselves the different channels by which we heed to what we will.
Being the master of thought, the governance of this abstractness will always be based on the
condition and situation of our environment. However, there are two sides of thought: the
conscious and the unconscious. While the conscious is the better of two as it can be controlled,
premeditated, and begets positive actions, the unconscious on the other hand is abrupt, wild,
uncontrolled, and damaging generating negative bodily manifestations. It is the controlled
thought that prevents us from afflicting others and ourselves; it is devoted to its master, the
man. Unconscious thought is a master itself, dominating the man before he could control and
or properly react to its nature.

A person, knowing he is craving for a fast-food meal, decided not to buy himself a food
from the expensive establishment because he’s got no money left in his pocket. He has food in
his house anyway. In this scenario, the thought played as the master of man, controlling his
action because of rational causes; the man is conscious. But when this person buys the
expensive meal though he will spend the last sheet of money from his pocket, and unintendedly
thinking for its end, the thought becomes the master controlling the man. More often than not,
unconscious thought results to resentment. And when there is resentment, our emotional
stability is afflicted, reflected by our actions.

Personally, this concept is strategically helpful in knowing oneself and when building a
personality. This gives a wide view on how to properly tend on our thought and idea when
used. We think almost all the time. Before we do something, or say something, our minds has
to filter first on how to critically process them in our system so that they might result into
something considerably satisfying. By the right choice and the true application of thought, man
descends to Divine Perfection; by the abuse and wrong application of thought, he descends
below the level of beast. This is according to “As a Man Thinketh” by James Allen which
promotes the direct connection between our thoughts and the life we have. In this book, Allen
highlights the influence of our thoughts and tells us that our mind, a haven for thought, is the
core by which we are alive.
 One theologian, who contributed numerous basis in today’s international law, had
proven and substantiated that a person’s thought must be reflected by his action. Being a
Catholic, Francisco de Vitoria, advocated for human sensitivity in the practice of invasion and
war and enunciated that a belief must not be forced down the throat of nonbelievers because it
opposes the overall objective of the church which is to spread peace on land. Unlike other
intellectuals, what he was and what he believed in were manifested in his actions and thinking.
This leads to the eventual establishment of laws which human had benefitted from until this
days.

A man is as he thinks, so the bible says. In order to achieve great things in life, we have
to have great thinking, and with great thinking requires great personal characteristics. As
mentioned, thought begets character or vice versa. Sometimes, it is our character which
becomes the master of our thoughts. It follows what the body needs. Moreover, our
environment obviously affects our way of thinking. When in school for example, you think
academically. In a situation of do or die, our mind thinks of ways to escape it. When in mild
conditions, our thoughts are also calm and clear.

When a person change his thinking, the mind follows so as the character we wear. It is
important to note that our thinking helps us to grow and widen our views about the world we
are living in. It is our thinking that we stack up goals becoming our guide on how to live our life
and pattern a routine enabling us to perform our role as human beings. We need to have
healthy thoughts and character. Both should be aligned with each other. What we do, say or
how we react on certain occurrences will always be traced to what we thought.

The Law of Attraction could be the cousin of this thought-character notion. This law
states that positive or negative thoughts bring positive or negative experiences into a person’s
life. This gives us a hint that we will be what we think.

Thinking comes with great responsibility. We have to be accountable for an idea we

made, implement or share to others. Its power is undoubtedly massive for humankind when
used properly. The world we live in right now is a product of multiple thoughts from numerous
people and group of individuals. Their thinking made us what and where we are right now.
Imagine a world without it, we might be living in a primitive environment. Thoughts does not
only build up a person’s character; it also create a world beneficial and comfortable for
everyone. The power of our thoughts, little they may seem, must not be underestimated
because it is the small ideas where great ones come from.

Our thought is the seed for action. Once the seed is controlled, so does its effect. Our
quality of thoughts determine our quality of life. Having a pure and critically good thoughts, will
lead to good life also; and vice versa.
GOODNESS OF THE HEART (Wojtyla)

Action speaks…

Action reveals the person.

We are endowed with the skill to decide and choose. Along this verity, is our free will
which determines our own actions. Human action is conscious and voluntary exercise of
person’s efficacious casual power whereby that person acts through himself to intentionally
achieve a certain end. What we do defines us – that’s how society in today’s world would
perceive us. Actions are determinant of a behavior, character, and personality. Concise example
of this is defining those who have had killed as bad people. But what about those who killed
enemies for the sake of war or for the benefit of self-defense? Are they morally bad based on
their action? Morality is about doing the right thing – and if by killing someone based on a
rational and accepted causes, it is considered right.

In our daily lives, we are given numerous choices and we have a moral obligation to
make the right choice. This right choice would give a good result however, sometimes it has its
consequences and as a conscious being we should be flexible enough to absorb the latter.
Commonly, we do decide based on what our heart’s desires. We enter into a dimension of
decision based on the knowledge that it is good for one’s self and for others. The objective is of
course anchored on the perception of rationality based on moral quality of an idea we decide
on to. From this decision, an action is born. And from this action, a character is formed.

Morality controls our action. We based how we act on the standards set by the society
through laws of the land or by realizing the obvious right or bad wrong of actions. True, we do
have our free will, however it should be taken into account that it is manipulated by the moral
standards we all should abide to. Violating these standards will definitely put a repercussions
on our head.

Culture has a big grasp of the moral standards we have. For example, it is considered
morally right to give back to our parents once we be successful in our future life, however in
other countries, giving back to parents is just a mere issue of a choice – it doesn’t matter what
the choice is, and if for instance one is not able to give back does not mean that he is not
morally right for the decision he made. I too have always been telling my kids not to be
obligated of giving back on us their parents when they grow up because it is not their
responsibility and to be indebted to us is just mere glitch of a culture. This kind of upbringing
would sound foul for other parents, but it does not mean that it is morally wrong. It is a matter
of a choice for the children. Morality is essential to human person palpably because the human
person is being rational and free. However, morality sometimes become a repressive institution
if it limits what a person needs or wants and if it obligates a person. However, these morals
were set for order and peace in the society. Violating these morals would mean a violation of
some established laws.
 The goodness of the heart causes an action compounded with purity. As Karol Wojtyla
emphasized, “…action reveals the person, and we look at the person through his action. Action
gives us the best insight into inherent essence of the person and allows us to understand the
person fully.” Therefore, to understand someone, you must look into his actions more than his
words. As the famous cliché tells us, “Action speaks louder than words,” we should look at how
a person acts, its rational or unconscious causes, and the intent behind these actions. More
often than not, the intent and rational causes of an action have been the most vital aspects of a
person character more than the action itself or its result. We sometimes forget the limits set for
us, and the moral requirements exacted for us to meet, that’s why peace and order in any
society is implausibly perfect.

With goodness of heart, the adherence to moral standards are evidently distinguished.
This springs an action which are carefully intended for the benefit of not of the doer alone but
all of those involved in a society. The being complicated of human being’s rational and
misunderstood behavior has always been the cause of curving from the standards an institution
sets. Experiences also play a role in the implementation of several actions at a given situation
whether they meet the standards or not. We should be reminded that these moral standards
differ from one culture to another, so aliens of a certain culture would often be unaware and
insensitive about the new culture he is in.

Love (goodness of the heart) helps the moral character of a human person be fully
realized. In this case, love is a powerful component in realizing the effectiveness and result of
an action. It is the only proper response for a person leading for the personal actualization, and
thus reaches the fullest realization of its being and life. Love revolves around the good. The
good is the center of the gravity of love - love recognizes desires and delights in the good. This
is according to Love and Responsibility by Wojtyla. Love causes an action predominantly
hovered with good intentions for the benefit of not only the doer but of course the receiver of
an action and that who surrounds the subjects.

Morality is a healthy aspect of a human person guiding him to act justly in accordance to
an established standard beneficial to everyone. In a changing world, morality is needed to be
permanently injected to everyone’s mind so to achieve a harmonious society. And as teachers,
our role has always been important to the growth of students, hence, it is vital to show them
the importance of being morally upright by being a model to them. It is also important to note
to them the significance of having a good heart to be effective human beings.

TROPHIES AND TRAGEDIES (Scheller)