Man as a Cross-point (reflection 

paper)
“Janella Marie A. Gervacio as a cross-point”

11 – Fire tree

Reflection Paper

While reading the article entitled “Man and Historical Action” written by
Ramon C. Reyes, I came to realize that, even though we talk and do these
simple things every day like how we chat with our friends about what we want
to do with our life or when we learn how we are different from one another or
how we fight with our siblings because we have our different personalities, at
first, I am not aware that these things are called cross-point or point of
intersection. Based on what the author said “cross-point” or point of
intersection is a certain line of events, there are different kind of “cross-point”
or point of intersection: physical cross-point, interpersonal cross-point, social
cross-point, historical cross-point and existential.

Everyone is a physical cross-point and so I am, that is because every single one
of us are consist of elements like matters and particles, and with this I
concludes that I am composed of materials from billions of years ago, that
took billion years before I can finally be conscious, a psycho- biological
organism. The point here is that we are conscious of ourselves and our point of
intersection. We are gift of nature, we did not create or design ourselves.

Of course, I have my own different uniqueness. As I am conscious physical

cross-point, have a certain quality of my own like having skinny body, having
big eyes and being tall that could probably help me to achieve a certain work
and that is my future career and I acknowledge those traits because all of these
traits made me special. Since I am conscious, I know my limitation, these are
the things that might prevent me to explore myself, and the things that I can
do, by working, I can change my own lines of events.

I am a source of creativity. Since I have my consciousness with this body that I

learn a certain type of work, which is part of what I do in school, that helps me
to achieve my future goal or future career. This work will serve as my guide to
know what are my abilities and skills.
Secondly, I am also a interpersonal point of intersection or simply
interpersonal cross-point. This cross-point has the same idea from the
psychologist and the psychoanalyst that human psychological personality is a
cross-point of various personal relationship, meaning I am a product of a
certain personal lines of event from a certain people, from both my mother’s
and father’s. The personality that I have, come from various people that I
interact with every day. For example, my sisters, my mother, my father and
my friends. The personality that I have today is not just from myself and
because I am a conscious cross-point, and I am conscious of myself, there is a
possibility that I might change my personality depending on what might
happen in the near future and these certain changes can also change a
intersection of personal lines of events of a certain person. With this conscious
cross-point I can develop and improve myself more, even though my personal
sense is not final because it is still made up and still being made by myself and
the people around me. For example, since my mother is a talkative person, I
grew up with her traits. I also have fears like fear of heights that came from
father and fear of too much attention that I am not aware where did it
originated.

Moreover, because I am conscious cross-point in the personal sense, I have my

own possibilities and limitation that will serve as my strength and thus I also
am a source of creativity. I can change the future based on what I can do and I
can also change a certain personal line.

As I am a conscious cross-point of physical and interpersonal, I am also a

social cross-point wherein, whether I like it or not I have a social trait that
came from an even that is way past my control and that is being a Filipino. It is
something that happened without my concern, like how I was baptized
without me knowing if that was what I want or not. Hence, it also made up my
personality and characteristics.

By signing the contract of being a Filipino I gain my own task to serve for this
country. The culture that I am doing today is a proof that I am a social cross-
point and it is my responsibilities as a social cross-point, to pass down and
develop the culture of Filipinos by doing it with my daily life like kissing the
hands of the elder or simply by saying po and opo or
adding ate and kuya even to strangers and also respecting our nation anthem
by simply singing it.

As I am a social cross-point, I am also a historical point of intersection. As I

said, I can’t also hide the fact that I am a historical product for the reason that
I am here today, not 30 years ago and not 30 years in the future thus, it is not
within my control and all I can do is to accept that fact. I am the product of the
changes made by the past, and with this I also have the power to change the
future. It is simply because I am born today that made me who I am now. I can
change my own future by creating a historical line of events such as creating
my own name in the field of medicine and promoting a program that I made.
Sometimes I start to wonder what if I will be born when time machine is
already invented? But of course, as I said I am born today that I have my own
time.

And so, I am also part of the highest level of point of intersection which is
existential. This is where I will determine my purpose in life by simply
knowing my limitation and possibilities.  I, myself, have different purpose for
example if I say that my purpose in life right now is to get a stable job, what
will be my purpose in life after that, is what I think.

To think that at the moment that we were born we have our purpose in life
that we have to accomplish, makes it hard for me to know my own purpose in
life. But that was in the past and today is different. With these cross-points
that helped me see my purpose clearer, it is easier for me to decide about
things in the future. Now I am focusing in what is my mainly purpose in life
and that is to serve God and my family but it is within my limitation and
within the things that I can do. As I have these cross-points, it is my destiny if
I were to change my lines of events. Whether I became a doctor who save lives
or a computer science graduate that programs software and my destiny and it
is my task to fulfill this destiny.