Culanculan, Joseph Jordan R.

Philo 102 I
Dec 6, 2010

REFLECTION PAPER

Man as embodied subjectivity. Man being defined as a “rational animal” is what a man

usually referred to. Man is an animal with a body and a soul which other animals do not possess

both characteristics. Man as composed of a living body and soul makes us unique because we

possess two entities compared to other creatures present in our world.

Man is foremost subjectivity, a unique core or center, source, depth, well-spring of initiative and

meaning. The human body is a subject-body, already a meaning-giving existence. This statement

means that man has existed in this world and each one of us gives a certain meaning or

contribution to what is already happening in our community.

Man as being in the world. This statement would imply what we are doing and what do

we contribute to as a being in our world. The human body is the link of man with a world.

Sometimes we have our own worlds, which mean we consider ourselves as the center of this

world or being stereotyped with other people. We may be compared to other creatures like the

animals and plants but it is the man that gives meaning to the surroundings. We live in a complex

world where sometimes we think of life is unfair because of other people having things that we

would want to have but it is not present with us. To speak a man is to speak of his world. This

statement means that when we speak of a person, it is sometimes not of his being or his

personality, but it is the world he is living, his environment that he grew and became used to.
 Man as being with others. Man also lives with different kinds of people, with unique

characteristics and different personalities. It is our individualities which sometimes make us

misunderstand with other people around us and sometimes the root of some conflicts we

encounter. But with these individualities is what makes us as a group, which makes our

community. If every person is the same, our world would be boring and there will be nothing

new to discover or to interact. We would always have the same view of things, same likes, and

same dislikes. Some people would think that this would be good for all people because we would

always have peace and be united, but it is the other way around. When someone wants to become

a celebrity, who would become his audience or his fans. If everyone wants to become a teacher,

who would be his students. It means that individualities of people makes life balanced and not

just to compress on one side scale.

Man as a person. Madaling maging tao, pero mahirap magpakatao. This statement

summarizes the theme Man as a person. It is easy for us to become a human being in this world

but is difficult for us to be human to other people. We are selfish in our own ways; we only think

of ourselves; or we don’t care about other people. We are born in this world for all people but

sometimes we make this world only for our own self. Love, in a way makes us a true person, a

person which considers other people that exists in our world. Love is the maximum of justice,

justice the minimum of love. This statement means that justice if turned into a person, love

would be his highest achievement in life. While love, on the other hand, will have justice as the

first or lowest achievement in life. Love which makes the world go round (for some people), is

what makes man truly a person; which gives us the capability to be the human, to give what God

has also given to us.

 Culanculan, Joseph Jordan R.
Philo 102 I
December 15, 2010

“Life of Mama Mary”

Mary is a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee, the daughter of Joachim and Anne. She

was born not just as an ordinary child but a child with a special mission to accomplish in her

lifetime. She was also not like any other human being because when she was born, she was

exempted from original sin. She has a duty that can’t be done by any other person because she

was chosen by Almighty God to conceive Jesus Christ.

It started when the angel Gabriel announced to her that she is the one chosen to conceive

the Son of God. She had a hard time with the mission given to hear but she did her best in order

for it to accomplish. In ancient times, Jewish people discriminate women who had been pregnant

without a husband as a prostitute, but Mary was not affected by this because of the task that

given by God. Then, Joseph was the person who decided to join Mary in her mission to be the

husband of Mary and the father of the child in her womb.

She had been with Joseph and traveled to Bethlehem which was also the time when they

arrived at the place, Mary was ready to give birth to Jesus Christ. She had her delivery in a

manger in Bethlehem at the time of Christmas. This was the time when Jesus was born to this

world and will become the Promised Messiah who will also share the mission of her mother

which was to proclaim the good news of the Lord to the people who had been living in this world

and to help everyone realize how God loves us so much.

Mary had supported Jesus Christ in the mission to proclaim the good news to everyone.

She had been one with the other women which support the cause that is done by Jesus like what
the disciples are doing as the followers of Jesus Christ in proclaiming the good news. She

possesses some of the best qualities of a mother like supporting her children as they grow old

and make their decisions, her undying love that is sacred, and her desire to protect her children

from any form of evil and wrongdoings of other people.

The most spectacular event of Mary being together with Jesus Christ was when he was

being held to the cross with Mary being always with his side till the very end. Mary had always

loved his Son and as he dies, she wants to be together and to support the cause which Jesus

Christ’s purpose as to proclaim the good news. This event shows that a mother is truly a loving

being to their family members especially her children which she had brought them into this

world.

Mary had always been devoted to god. From the article “The early life of the Virgin

Mary by Helen Sparn”, Mary becomes the prophet of God’s mercy, as well as its icon. She, more

than anyone else knows the mystery of mercy that reaches its climax on Calvary. Mary, the

Virgin who became the Mother of Jesus at Christmas, enabling God’s mercy to become

incarnate. This explains the pure qualities of our Mama Mary which had always been with Jesus

Christ. The qualities of mercy, compassion, comforting and counseling have long since been

seen as feminine qualities, all of which Mary emanated. A simple, ordinary loving person who

had become extraordinary because of her mission in this world and even with this special

characteristic within her, she has always been the model of loving mother who we had always

been admiring. We will never forget the things she had done and contributed and it is because of

that we celebrate December 8 as the “Feast of the Immaculate Conception”.

 Culanculan, Joseph Jordan R.
Philo 102 I
January 3, 2011

A Good Life

What is a good life? I suppose it is different for each person. Some would like to live

alone but others would like to enjoy company. Some people want to live in the city while other

people feel comfortable living in rural areas. As stated on an article in the internet, “The good

life” is the life that you would like to live broken down to its most basic form. It deals with the

simple pleasures that make you happy, the compassionate deeds you perform, the personal goals

you strive to achieve, the relationships you nurture and the legacy you leave behind. Sincere

personal fulfillment is generally the collective end result.

When talking about having a good life, it would always be associated to how the person

is happy. It may be of his interests that are always met everyday that is why he is living happily,

or it is of other people that make him feel satisfied in helping them. Living a good life will

always be related to the happiness of the person because it will result to having a satisfaction in

doing something and thus making him feel contented. Having a sad life will not be a good life

because it saddens the person making him feel unimportant and dissatisfied in all the things that

he does. In my understanding, if you live a good life, it would always result for the person being

happy and he wants to live a longer life for him to continue experiencing these things that make

him relaxed and able to do things the way he wants it. Living a good life is living a happy and

contented life.
 Qualities if having a good life would be like having a relaxed pace. This means doing

things in a slow speed, not doing things in a rapid motion which would result to unfavorable

results. To appreciate life’s simple pleasures because the best things in life are free, life’s

greatest simple pleasures can only be purchased with mindful awareness. Being self sufficient,

freedom is the greatest gift; Self sufficiency is the greatest freedom. Learn about different things

in life, a jack of all trades is far more equipped than a master of only one. Forget perfection, find

satisfaction. Perfect is the enemy of good. The idea of perfection is based primarily on personal

opinion, circumstance and flexibility. Instead of searching for perfection, find something that

satisfies your needs. Lastly, is to be here now. Right now is the only moment guaranteed to you.

Right now is life, so don’t miss it.

For me, I can say that I am living a good life. I am able to enjoy many things in life

compared to other people. It is because of the people around me, my family and friends. They

contribute to the things around me that make me feel happy, despite the fact that they also

contribute sadness in my life, but these are the reality in this world. No one is able to experience

the ideal living that he always wants it to be without having hardships and difficulties. We

sometimes need to overcome these obstacles in life so that we can experience having a good life.

I may have some discontentment in my life but these still cannot be compared to the good things

that I have experienced. The greatest thing that contributes me in having a good life is because of

my parents. It is because of their love, support and guidance that I have been living a good life.

They will never let me run into sad things in my life alone. They would always help me in

anyway they can do. So, what I can say about this reflection paper is that I am having a good life

and it is because of how I do things and of the love of my parents.

 Culanculan, Joseph Jordan R.
Philo 102 I
January 12, 2011

“The Passion of the Infinite”

Finding the meaning in this world is what most of the people are doing and they spend

their whole lifetime searching for it. Like in some movies where young people look for their

mission in life and grow up to fulfill it. Very old people who talk about stories that they had

experienced in their life, the task they had done for their children. These people are like

philosophers that find the purpose of their life, the contribution that they can give to this world

for them to be remembered in the next generation.

The first common feature talks about the existentialists thinkers attempt to philosophize

from the standpoint of an actor rather than from a spectator. People that would want to search for

the meaning of their existence would want to experience the events that happen everyday, rather

than looking others doing it. We would sometimes test ourselves in many things to be able to

know how strong we are or to know our own limitations. No one could be able to obtain

something easily without focusing in how to attain it and doing means to make it their own.

The second feature talks about stressing the subjectivity of man. We must not look on the

physical features of man but what is on the inside of it. We don’t only use our eyes for us to

understand what that person is but we use our feelings to know what a man is really made of, his

true character which is the way on how he interact with others. How the person acts and how the

person feels to other people.

 The third feature talks about the existentialists philosophies stress on man’s existence.

Man exists in this world for a reason. That reason is what makes us what we really are and we

would want to search for that reason and we utilize our time in this world to be able to find it.

Like what Rene Descartes had done in his time, he realized that he exists in this world as a

thinking being. Because of our capability to think, we exist in this world.

The fourth feature talks about existentialist thinkers’ emphasis on the freedom of man.

We can associate this from the movie “Bruce Almighty” which he cannot control the humans

because we have our own free will. Even we can’t have freedom like other people have, but we

can still make decisions for ourselves because of free will.

The last feature talks about existentialist philosophers propagate authentic existence

versus inauthentic existence. It is about how we live in this world. It is on how we spend our

lives without being controlled by other people and making our own decisions.

I had spent my time in searching for my meaning in this world but I think 19 years of

living is still not enough. I may find it if I’m older because I still didn’t encounter my mission in

this world. I would wonder sometimes about my future and how am I going to live. My search

for meaning is the search for my purpose in this world. I’m still searching for it because I know it

is the reason why am I here right now. I still didn’t have done some things that can make me

remembered that I had lived in this world but I think this search for meaning will only be

realized when we are already fulfilled and what we have done, not only myself but for other

people.
 Culanculan, Joseph Jordan R.
Philo 102 I
February 7, 2011

“Thinking Twice”

At first when I was introduced into this lecture, I recalled what I did in my past life, and I

say so that’s what it is. I had done this exercise a bit often, because it helps me recall what I did

and reflect on it to be able to help me in any way what I encounter everyday. Primary and

Secondary reflection is done by people without knowing they actually do it. It’s like a basic

instinct that is already present in anyone but some people would not know how to exactly use it

and use it to help them solve their everyday problems.

This thinking comes out when there is a break that had happened within a person. Like a

problem or an event that is striking and the need to solve for it or to know what is it. When we

come across these events, our mind is telling us to pause and reflect for a while. Recalling the

past is the first thing that we will do. Like in the article, for example, the person who had

received a set of pastel crayons as a gift. He thought of it as a merely dull gift. This is the break

of that example because he thought that he and his friend are already too close to each other yet

he received this kind of gift. He always thought that what he received was a useless gift which

has nothing to do with him. Primary reflection comes in when he thought he had received that

gift because the girl doesn’t know about him too much, same with what he thought about the girl.

He recalled what they did in the past and come to a point where he ended up with the things they

shared with each other. The girl gave him a se of crayons because he was fond of doing some

artworks. Secondary reflection then comes in after the first. He thought that the gift was
somehow useful in a way and that it is what the girl thinks that he is really fond of doing

artworks. He also came to an idea that what he had received is the start of getting something

better next time. Primary reflection is a step to recall the past and examine it to be able to know

what had caused the break. Secondary reflection starts when you combine these events to come

up with a solution and to solve the break that had happened.

The next thing about primary and secondary reflection is that it has always to do directly

to the person who is rightfully involved to the problem itself and not other people. It is because it

starts from within a person, which other may not know directly. The only one who can play a big

part in solving my problem is me. Anyone may be able to help me, but the rest is dependent on

me. No one would be able to reflect which who didn’t experience the break. A good example for

this was the ferryman. No one will be able to solve the problem of a broken bridge but the

ferryman himself.

There are many things that I learned with Primary and Secondary reflection. It made me

aware of the things that happened around me, making me conscious about the breaks that happen

in my life. Making me responsive to the problems that I encounter in my everyday life and

telling me that I am the only one who can play a big part of solving my problems. Other people

are only present to lend me a helping hand. Recalling the past, combining these events to solve

my problem, is like a person who is able to “Think Twice”.

 Culanculan, Joseph Jordan R.
Philo 102 I
March 16, 2011

“It’s easy when you put your mind into it”

When I became a third year student, many things have happened to me. I experienced

many breaks like being separated from my original classmates from the BS Accountancy class,

not being able to meet them always because we already have different time schedules now. Next

are my own hobbies. I quitted from many computer games that I play because I already got bored

with them. First reason is that I don’t have my classmates to play with it, and second is that I find

it too boring already and because of the pressure that I experience from my studies. I really need

to shape up because this is also the last chance of my scholarship because I am in my last

warning stage. These are the breaks that I experienced this school year 2010-2011.

Whenever I think about what is philosophy, wise men are always the first thing that

comes in my mind. How they answer questions of their own and of other people. So I thought

when I take a philosophy subject, I’ll be able to become one. But the thing is, taking philosophy

really makes our mind open to things, thinking critically on why things happen around us.

Finding the reason and searching for truth and meaning was introduced to us in our first

philosophy subject. But now, this is about of our second philosophy subject which is the

philosophy of man, how we think as a human person, and this will be about the final paper which

I am going to write about. Every time I write reflection paper I just think about what I had

experienced in an activity or so, look a few articles in the internet and respond on them with my

own personal understanding. However, there is always a break in making a phenomenological

paper. It is because I don’t just write any other reflection paper and summarizing it, but also to

assimilate it in a different form which is into a form of a true phenomenological paper which is

to make a reflection paper and reflect to the reflection paper at the same time. This may sound

confusing but it is like that.

I first think that taking philosophy as a subject maybe not required for me in my course.

But why should I need to take it. First reflection would that it what makes the Ateneo unique

from other schools because it is the only school in the country that has 12 units each of

Philosophy and Religious Studies. It is really not clear to me why it is required but with

secondary reflection is what makes it clear for its purpose. It is to mold us students as men and

women for others. So how should I start in making a phenomenological paper? It should be

about the time I had spent in taking Philosophy 102 subject. I have learned many things in Philo

102, but where is the break here. I guess it is the time that needs to be allotted to this subject.

Because in this subject there are many handouts and I really need to read them because I don’t

have any substantial background in philosophy not unlike accounting and other subject which I

had already learned for the past 2 years. This is new to me, so I really need to give myself some

time on this subject by reading handouts at home.

Another break that I also not experience from other teachers is the mindset of our

Philosophy teacher. I think it is because he is really into the philosophy and that is why he thinks

that way. Although it may also influence me, because in this age of adolescence is really when

we teens are forming our own perspective and mindset as we grow to become adults. He tells to

us that we always have a mutual bond with each other. Why do I need to go to school? First
reflection would be to get a better future to be able to help my parents. This mindset makes me

think that in school we treat each other as assets. The teacher needs us students because we are

the ones who give him salary from the tuition we pay, and we students need the teacher to be

able to get a diploma and get a job in the future. Our parents also think of us as assets which will

help them financially as they grow old. But with secondary reflection I can think clearly why

there is a need for me to go to school. I simply do not go to school and study because I want to

get a high grade and pass the subject. I go to school because I need to learn, to feed my mind

with education, to be able to make a difference in our everyday lives. The teacher needs me and

my classmates because he wants to share to us with his ideas. He wants an audience to share the

things that he had learned which will help us in the near future. He treats us not as his goldmine

but like his book where he shares to us about the philosophy subject and maybe expecting us as

when he publishes us as we finish taking the subject, we will be able to use the information by

applying it with ourselves and other people. My parents want me to go to school because it is the

great inheritance that can be given to me that will help me as I grow old. It is the only goodwill

that can be given which cannot be stolen to other people. I believe that it is the greatest

“intangible asset” that a parent that can give to their sons and daughters.

Hence, how did I come up with the title “It’s easy when you put your mind into it”? It is

because when we experience these breaks we tend to reflect. We reflect to find out why these

things happen to us, the solutions on how to overcome the breaks. I learned many things because

I took this subject, and now it has made a change in my mindset a bit. Like not merely thinking

about passing grades but the learning I had. But practically speaking, it is high grades that are

needed to be considered for me to maintain my scholarship. How I wish the Scholarship Office
has this kind of mindset. Also this subject is relevant to be taken even it is not required in my

course because of its concepts and teachings. Making us not to be self-centered on things

because we humans are an embodied subjectivity, a being-in-the-world; a being with the

Interhuman and social; and as a person and his crowning activity is love which presupposes

justice. We can always overcome the problems and breaks that we experience in life because

with the help of Philosophy, other people, and when we can JUST PUT OUR MIND INTO IT!