THE GROWING PERSON IN THE WORLD

XAVIER UNIVERSITY – ATENEO DE CAGAYAN UNIVERSITY

THE GROWING PERSON IN THE WORLD

A RESEARCH PAPER SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE

PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT

BY: KRISTY LEAH HERNANDEZ

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY

OCTOBER 2010

Self-Identity in Change of a Growing Person

            Who am I? Where did I come from? And to where am I heading? These are basically the questions each and every one of us is facing each day. As human person living in this world, one inquiry the researcher would like to have an answer is how does a person remain himself even with the changes that are occurring to him?

            The human person in this world is confronted with many questions that make him think to be able to know the answers. As experienced, as one grows there is change in this person yet this person totally remains the same. When one had committed a mistake, this person will surely move on by changing towards something good.

            From the words of the late Pope John Paul II in his encyclical letter, “Driven by the desire to discover the ultimate truth of existence, human being seek to acquire those universal elements of knowledge which enables them to understand themselves better to advance in their own self-realization”[1] which as the researcher understands, because the human person is a rational being then their desire to know themselves better and by that the researcher understand that there is a process of growth involved in the person.

            “To change is to grow; to remain the same is to die”[2] where one can say that to grow is to change and it is healthy for one to change for him to be able to say he grows. While one undergoes change, the self remains the same and its identity never loses itself. “The self is the living synthesis of both self-identity and process”[3] and that one can affirm the self is all throughout united with the changes it undergoes.

            As a changing being, what then becomes of this being’s substance? The researcher had stated from the top that even though being changes, self-identity remains the same. Substance as Aristotle had said is “Therefore that which id primarily not in a qualified sense but with qualification, must be substance.”[4] As the researcher understands it, being never loses its substance throughout the change.

            To grow in this world, one must be able to realize that he must be open to changes that will instill growth in him. For us human beings, we are fully satisfied with saying to grow; there are some changes in ourselves to actualize the said growth. Self-Identity then is the becoming of being, where this must be achieved through change. As growing individuals we are faced with the challenges presented to us by this world and there is a need for us to reflect on these changes metaphysically to understand the ground of this change.

            One must accept the fact that to be able to know and discover himself, one must undergo the process of change but as the researcher had stated the self is the living synthesis of what self-identity and its process is. This is to say, for us to grow, changes in our life must be done without losing who you really are and what you really should become.

            This question of where we are heading, there is an implied reality that purports, that there is really is a substance higher or somewhere in the universe to say that one really exists.

CONCLUSION

            Beings undergoing change within them are growing beings. Thus, self-identity never loses itself in a being it is because it is united with the being. Self-Identity is a proof of what the person has become throughout the changes that this being has undergone. To grow in this world is to change and to be the same at the same time.

BIBLIOGRAPHIES

            Que, Nemesio S.J., ed. 2001. Central Problems of Metaphysics. Manila: Office of the Reseach and Publications.

 Pope John Paul II. Fides et Ratio (Faith and Reason). 14 Sept 1998. Papal Archive.The Holy See.http://www.vatican.va/edocs/ENG0216/_INDEX.HTM

Aristotle, Introduction to Metaphysics. (New York: Penguin Books).

           

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[1]                Pope John Paul II. Fides et Ratio (Faith and Reason). 1998.

[2]               NemesioQue, ed., Central Problems of Metaphysics. (Manila: Office of the Reseach and Publications, 2001). 48.

[3]               NemesioQue, ed., Central Problems of Metaphysics. (Manila: Office of the Reseach and Publications, 2001). 49.

[4]               Aristotle, Introduction to Metaphysics. (New York: Penguin Books).

Reflection

REFLECTION PAPER

            The challenge of being a leader, on handling employees, as what I have read from the article is the challenge of one’s ability and also to desire to develop the potentials of his employees. It is a crucial for a manager to enhance the company he is working alongside with the challenge of enhancing the capabilities of the people working under him. There is a need for a supervisor or a manager to have the perfectly honed skills on development coaching.

            A good manager or supervisor knows the difference between a good work and great work together with the skills he has and with the people, that is, the employees, working for him and with him. A manager must develop his employees by encouraging professional development, and that means a manager must guide an employee for the future, the future that is to make ready for the employee to be of great asset to the company and soon to be leader. A manager must also possess the right skill of creating a plan, not just a plan but well-thought plan to make way for the employees to be more goals oriented that is necessary for the skills needed to achieve goals for the company. Also, I’ve learned there is a need for a manager to pair employee’s with a mentor, where all parties involved – mentor, mentee and the company - will benefit. The mentor can enhance his skills, the mentee can learn and the company will be soaring high with the perfect skills both the mentors and mentee together helped achieved.  It is also important to identify opportunities to expand their professional network, it is where employees improve their networking ties and also create solid networks that can help them in their needs for the future. Another crucial role a manager must play is to challenge employees to move out of their comfort zone, so that in order to release their talents and abilities one must move away from things one already knows. The challenge needs providing employees new environment, exposing them to new things to enhance their creativity and also release the inner inhibitions that may help in the company’s betterment. Lastly, hiring a coach or a consultant can be way to develop employee’s, help them visualize their goals, directs them to the right path and help them in their work.

            A manager must therefore be a flexible in all the right areas to achieve goals for the company. A good manager must be equipped with interpersonal skills that will guide and help him in supervising and managing the company and also the employees that will surely let him soar high for himself and for the company.

Existence and Analogy

Kristy Leah O. Hernandez                                                                                   October 13, 2010

AB Philosophy 4                                                                                                     PH 25 A

Existence and Analogy

By: E.L. Mascall

            The author of the book started his discussion on the nature of Christian atheism. In this chapter of the book the author explicated that there are conceptions of God in nature and also in theory. From this chapter, there is a summary of the Book of Genesis and also a critique of it being part of doctrines and also the famous Christian revelation. The author’s way of explaining is by dissecting parts of how to understand theism in two approaches which he used on his book. The first approach he used was the essentialist approach on how one can understand theism. In this chapter of the book, the author introduced philosophers which from his point of view are using the essentialist approach.

One of which is St. Anselm and his famous ontological argument, The Proslogioun which encourages readers that God is what he says “than that which nothing greater can be thought” which was critiqued by the author saying it is defective because St. Anselm’s argument seems only to solely based on conception of God which means God is only in our minds which leads the author to speak of Descartes’ position on the subject matter where Descartes says God is supremely perfect. Also, the author discussed about Liebniz and of Spinoza’s famous pantheism. The author criticizes Spinoza because in the way of the philosopher had presented his argument is by way of geometry and for the author, geometry can never explain the existence of God, even so how essential it is.  After exposing the essentialist approach to theism, the author then exposed St. Thomas Aquinas’ approach which is existentialism where the author who explains from St. Thomas that ens is the actual concrete existence where the existence of a finite being is determinate and a beings act of existence is primary.

The author also elaborated the very famous The Five Ways of proving God’s existence by St. Thomas Aquinas where the author said that there is cognitive act. In the next chapter, the author explained the doctrine of analogy that by using this doctrine the purpose is not to explain existence of God but to explain how it is that we have been able to do so and to analyze what it is that we have been doing and succeeded with the chapter about God and the creature where all of us will all fall to the same belief about God and how we understand Him. After long discussion of each chapter, the author concludes that we are surrounded by a world of active beings which is dependent upon God who is Pure Act and so ended his conclusion by saying the position will be left incomplete as is to day the reader is tasked to choose from which side he takes.

            What I noticed from the author is that how he lavishly explains existentialism as if he was implying to the reader that the best way to approach theism is by the use of existentialism where it can be understood that God exists and His essence is only the mode of His existence. From his critique which he made about St. Anselm’s argument saying it is defective and that Descartes was able to give justice to what is the real ontological argument might for me somewhat subjective in a sense that the author is not so much of essentialism, and is implicitly inclined with existentialism.

In exposing St. Thomas Aquinas’ Five Ways, from what I have understood from previous discussions and lesson about this argument used by St. Thomas, the five ways is  for me enough to explain the existence of God and how contingent beings exists. There is a special character of this argument that lead me to saying and affirming such because it draws to me very intelligible and reasonable, as a Christian, this is faith in God that is in me makes me assert such position.

One thing also that I noticed from the author is that he was dependent upon another author where some of his ideas was taken which to me, in light of his inspiration that is why he came about such positions which he admitted he will leave incomplete but as for me a reader, the author is somewhat challenging me to take a stand.

            In line with the previous discussion in class about the existence of evil and also the basic goodness of human nature and everything that surrounds it, by solely relying to St. Thomas Aquinas’ argument, I understand that this Being is one who is the reason why such is existing and to us real. That in our human life, even though we may be on the evil side, still we go back to our basic goodness even though trying to be good still makes us sin, the primary reason behind this is the Ultimate Source of this human life.

            There is also a connection that I can make from the previous book that I have, both books tackled about St. Thomas Aquinas Five Ways to express and explain how conception of “God” for humans had came about. As I believe, and still believe, it through our faith that we can see, understand and maybe know God. All these arguments presented by the author is an affirmation of existence of a Supreme Being, guiding us all, causing us all, all-knowing and ever present. As a philosopher, these approaches might become a turning point for me but this will then all boils down to me being a devoted Christian to believe in Him with my reason and faith.

Phenomenology of a Flutist

Phenomenology of a Flutist

by Kristy Leah O. Hernandez

            I always find joy in music, may be it in forms of listening to good melodies, enjoying the symphony of orchestras, the loud and roughness of bands, and most of all the sweet melancholic tune my flute exudes whenever I play it. Touching the soft curves of the plastic recorder flute, placing my fingers religiously on the note holes, and as the mouthpiece gently lay on my lips; I feel a certain joy that runs from the tips of my little fingers to the innermost part of my heart. 

            As I start to produce enough amounts of breaths unto the mouthpiece, slowly creating a tune, slowly I moved my fingers around the holes producing the perfect music. As the music goes on, memories of my life instantly played before me while I playing the flute with closed eyes. Upon closing my eyes, the world around me seems to become of a different setting, as the music enters my very core, and simultaneously creating vivid images of my past and all the memories, at one point, while still closing my eyes, subtle tears pass through my cheeks that my playing a little distracted.

            Whenever those memories come to life in my head, one memory that’s closest to my heart was when for the first time I played in my school. At first, I was very reluctant and shy with heavy sweat on my back creating smudges on my shirt. The time has come for my performance and I remember perfectly well that I had a struggle in playing it correctly with my hand literally shaking in amazement at the time fright.

            The experience was both fulfilling and at the same time somewhat embarrassing. Fulfillments because it was win on my part for I played perfectly well during the performance and also for the people hearing my music. It was also embarrassing though because people saw me shaking in front and I showed fright almost half of the time.

            Looking back upon those experiences, it came to me that not only I honed my skills in playing the flute by myself but most of all on how to endure pressure from the outside and overcoming my fright.