to aspire is to perspire! :))

As far as my perspective of intuition could reach, I assume that one of the common denominators of people inhabiting the earth is the aspiration they have in life. Somehow, in one way or another, it gives an edge towards the spirit of achievement. It provides an inspiration and a sort of encouragement to pursue on whatever one is aiming for.

     As to myself, I could not have gotten this far without the presence of my aspirations. It kept my ardor to things evident in all my endeavors. Also, it moved my zeal of encouragement to the next level and thus inspired me not to stop. One of the strongest aspirations I have is that I aspire for success; in almost all of the things I am engaged to, I aim for success! I cannot find a single assumption which would support the claim that a certain individual is into the “pwede na” attitude. This is not about bragging but rather this is somewhat a form of sharing my technique of letting things flow the way they should. In the same way, aspiring for success is far from aspiring for perfection. Success is not synonymous to perfection! Thus, if one aspires for success, one also undergoes from a series of mistakes and downfalls. In other words, one should first pass the rough and tough road before actually arriving to a smooth high way of journey.

    

     My second aspiration is that I aspire for independence. I guess this has a lot to do with the fact of being an only child. Raised as one, I developed within me the sense of being independent which also shaped a strong foundation of a coping mechanism within me. And until now, I am aspiring for that sense to be enhanced in me. Yes, problem rocks our world! It shakes our nest but not to the point of giving up or of depending to others for the solution of the problem to arrive. I intend to take a move and handle the situation despite the struggles that it will occur. I aspire for independence but not in isolation with God. I know that He is ready to rescue everyone who falls, and as a result, whatever the outcomes may be, I credit them all to His will.

     Further, I aspire for satisfaction. Life will never be meaningful without being satisfied. It would lose its real essence if one will not learn to feel contentment. To this account, I desire to obtain satisfaction in life. I am very much aware that due to my humanly nature, there are really times when I am always searching for that something to which I feel is lacking. I do not deny this weakness of mine since all individuals get to pass by this stage. However, I desire to slowly extinguish this kind of character and eventually become contented with everything that life offers. I aspire for satisfaction to be manifested in my personality because I know it is where true happiness is found.

     To sum it all up, my aspirations in life contributed a lot in the molding of my personality. It may not be in a real holistic manner but still it covers a spacious lot. The dreams and aspirations I have with respect to my ambitions in life are my roadmaps toward this journey. But of course, God is the initiator of this journey and I am but a single dot in combat with the other particles much bigger than me. Nevertheless, I aspire to persist! 

Rationalism VS Empiricism

       Under the umbrella of Epistemology lie two (2) opposing stones of the foundation of knowledge. One rests on reason while the other on experience. Which is which?

            Rationalism, from the Greek word “ratio” which means reason, is a school of thought that acknowledges reason as the primary starting point of knowledge. It stresses the fact that a human being is called as a rational animal because he has the faculty of reason including logic and mathematics. Thus, we find the answers to our questions by thinking logically. Also, this view holds the idea that we are born with ready-made tools for creativity. In other words, we have our innate knowledge with us which in turn allows us to organize our experiences in the world. It is just another way of saying that humans are born with a mind populated with several concepts of knowledge ready for use. Rene Descartes, a French philosopher, is the key proponent of Rationalism. He developed doubt to almost everything even on his own existence. However, as he was on this doubting stage, he began to realize that he was also thinking. And this has led him to conclude with his famous line “Cogito ergo sum – I think, therefore I exist.”

            Empiricism, on the other hand, is the negation of Rationalism. This covers the idea that the sole source of knowledge is experience as apprehended by the senses. John Locke, a strong advocate of this view, gave rise to the concept of human mind as that of a blank slate or popularly known as “tabula raza” theory. This asserts that there is no such thing as innate knowledge and that we are born with nothing in our minds. But as time progresses, we begin to fill it up with knowledge base on our experiences. As a matter of fact, according to this theory, innate knowledge is not observable and is therefore unreliable. In the same way, no matter how brilliant a man is, still he will not be able to evaluate everything in isolation and will not have the ability to form ideas prior to having an experience. A classic example to which the Empiricists reckon about is the notion of colors. If innate knowledge really exists, then how can a man born blind distinguish one color from another? How can he determine that “black” is black and “red” is red? It is only through experience with the aid of the sense of sight that he can be able to know these things. To this account, they came to an end that sensory experience truly prevails. Nevertheless, rationalists also insinuated their stand that if we are nothing other than what we experience in life, then we are just like machines being manipulated by our very own experience. If sensory experience is the sole source of knowledge, then how can it justify the existence of God? We have not seen God, yet we acknowledge his presence?

            This philosophical battle brings about a healthy dispute of ideas with regards to the source of knowledge. However, to reconcile the situation, we can say that both of the said views contain a strong point to stress about. Rationalism and Empiricism are both sources of knowledge. We have our reasoning faculty as an innate factor within us. And it is our experience which strengthens it. Though Empiricism tells us that experience is the best teacher, still the truth about Rationalism cannot be denied. In simple sense, one is connected with the other.

Additionally, we should take into consideration that God is the universal source of knowledge. Everything originates from Him. Without Him, nothing will ever exist, not even reason nor experience.  

my favorite lines

1. Give God what's right -- not what's left.

2. A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.

3. He who kneels before God can stand before anyone.

4. In the sentence of life, the devil may be a comma--but never let him be the period.

5. Don't put a question mark where God puts a period.

6. Are you wrinkled with burden? Come to the church for a face-lift.

7. When praying, don't give God instructions - just report for duty.

8. We don't change God's message -- His message changes us.

9. The church is prayer-conditioned.

10. WARNING: Exposure to the Son may prevent burning.

11. Plan ahead -- It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.

12. Suffering from truth decay? Brush up on your Bible.

13. Exercise daily -- walk with the Lord.

14. Never give the devil a ride -- he will always want to drive.

15. Give Satan an inch & he'll be a ruler.

God cares for us .. God loves us! :)

meet the dot

      A typical dot has been living this big world of quest for 19 years and 4 months already and will continue to exist until the Maker cuts the rope. From the moment the dot opened her eyes to the vast realities of life, she began to look for those necessary means to express the little voices within her. Just the thought of putting them into words causes her mind to do somersault. It may not be that important for others though, but for this dot it is.

     Giving justice to her thoughts is one of the important factors occupying her territory of thinking. She believes that the yell inside her should go out from its cave and be enunciated. However, shouting it in the seaside of the earth can do no good to her objective. Saying it orally to someone or in a group would also mean fluctuation from her thinking appetite. To this sense, the dot met writing and found out that it is the character that she has been looking for. Yes, she did write! She wrote her poems on unused notebooks, and her stories and essays on bond papers. She ended up keeping her outputs to herself, or if not she’d show it to her mom. Little by little, she improved; her audience increased. Soon, she began to love the art. But then, somehow, there is lacking with the dot’s way.  She felt that something is needed to customize the situation - something cool and trendy. What could the best way be? Where could it be hiding? And so the dot searched. With the technology surrounding her environment, she was urged to use it as a tool for her goal to be realized. But time to her seems to be so aloof. And it was only NOW that the dot pursued to do the act.  Blogging.  Yes, it is!

     With that desire to express the thoughts kicking in her mental apparatus in a more comfortable way, this dot started to write a blog. She really did hope that she have started doing this thing even before. Anyways, too much for regrets!

     This dot has been through a lot. But her journey persists and continues.

     This dot aspires for expression; not by merely saying it now and forgetting it afterwards, but one that perpetuates through time. This dot writes. This dot is me.

The Book and Me

           Books have always been part of our lives. As a matter of fact, it is said that aside from dogs, books can be man’s best friend. They are never disloyal. Instead, they serve as the most accessible and constant friend of ours. But the question is: Do we really consider each and every book our friend regardless of their appearance? Or are we the same with those people who love new books and hate old ones?

            The most common scenario when you decide to read a book is that you tend to scan first the pages and see if there are colorful pictures and images in it. In the same way, if you do not like the cover of the book because it is probably worn out, you often dump it in the corner and look for something else. Poor book! Everybody thinks he is boring to read. People are becoming too judgmental on the basis of what they see in the outside. They do not even mind reading what are written on its pages.

            I am saying all these issues because I see myself as a book. I know exactly the feeling of being rejected and judged by many, just as how the book was. But, despite all those things, I am not sorry for myself. Rather, I feel sorry for the persons who then made conclusions based on what they see in the outside of me. Just like a book, they have not yet read all of my pages. Therefore, they should not put a period on their judgments. Who knows, if they get to know me more, they might discover that I am not the kind of person who they think I am.  The same also with the book, if only people will read the whole of it, they might say it is more interesting than what they have thought it to be.

            In my symbolism, Humanities is definitely at work! From its meaning, “the best that man has created,” the book as an object is one of those great accomplishments that man has ever done. It continues to contribute to the development of man, thus making it one of the roads to knowledge.

            In conclusion, we must learn to value every person in our life regardless of their appearance, mental capacity, religion and belief. We must treat every single dot in this world fairly, not only our fellow human beings but all the things around us. Be it to animals, or even to object like books.