I have entitled this post Pride and Prejudice to disguise the fact that I just read a piece of chick lit by Helen Fielding. The book, which is a 20th century retelling of Jane Austen's classic work, deals with the travails of a single woman in her thirties struggling to find love and career success. Timeless classic it was not, but it was absolutely hilarious and it was hard not to like Bridget.
As a young married man with two kids, I find it comforting that I will not be waking up in my mid thirties like her: still unsure what she wants to do with her life, still wondering whether there will be someone she can settle down with. By marrying early, I have skipped ten years of bachelorhood and all its attendant pleasures. Yet ironically, the very lack of choices is what makes me happy and keeps me focused on my career and my family. I do not have to play the game for the next ten years or so because I know who I will be spending the rest of my life with. Without the need to impress women, I focus on accumulating wealth, building a career, and taking care of my family. Instead of counting alcohol units drank, calories consumed, and weight gained as Bridget does, I can focus instead on counting minds provoked, hearts touched, and lives changed.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Pasyon and Revolution
I first became familiar with Reynaldo Ileto's Pasyon and Revolution as a freshman UP student taking up Kasaysayan I under Atoy Navarro, a brilliant young professor who smoked in front of class, spewed provocative thoughts with every puff, and was apparently denied tenure because his view of history was outside the mainstream. Ileto's book, as with many other readings in that class, gave me a much richer understanding of history, one that went beyond the stories of the elite, powerful, ilustrados of Manila.
Ileto succeeds brilliantly in his attempt to write a "history from below." Hermanong Pule hardly merits a paragraph in conventional history books, but Ileto makes him a central figure in Philippine history, demonstrating how his mastery of the Pasyon form allowed him to speak the language of the masses and lead them in a struggle that was both religious and political since no such artifical distinction existed in their minds. The Confradia de San Jose was only the first of a succession of movements that allowed the masses to shape Philippine history, the Katipunan being one of them. I used to think of Banahaw and Cristobal as the sanctuary of cults; I now realize they are holy places of Philippine history, consecrated by the prayers and the blood of heroes.
Ileto succeeds brilliantly in his attempt to write a "history from below." Hermanong Pule hardly merits a paragraph in conventional history books, but Ileto makes him a central figure in Philippine history, demonstrating how his mastery of the Pasyon form allowed him to speak the language of the masses and lead them in a struggle that was both religious and political since no such artifical distinction existed in their minds. The Confradia de San Jose was only the first of a succession of movements that allowed the masses to shape Philippine history, the Katipunan being one of them. I used to think of Banahaw and Cristobal as the sanctuary of cults; I now realize they are holy places of Philippine history, consecrated by the prayers and the blood of heroes.
Virtue of Selfishness
I began reading Ayn Rand's Virtue of Selfishness skeptically yet I finished it thinking how many of my values were consistent with Rand's. I thought the book was going to be a defense of narcissistic moral relativism; it turned out to be one of the clearest articulation of the best of American values: respect for the individual, self-responsibility, the free market, and rewards based on merit.
Rand argues that rational self-interest should be the aim of ethics. She claims this to be an objective truth, based on the premise that acts that affirm life are good, and those that destroy life are bad, and the way to discern this distinction is through the use of reason. Her radical claim is that this form of ethics is to be contrasted against altruism, which is the more commonly held ideal of morality. It is good to be selfish; it is bad to be selfless.
A lot of this philosophy was written to condemn the totalitarian system of the former Soviet Union, where the self was not an end in itself, but a means subordinate to the ends of the state. This emphasis on the individual would appear excessive in the 21st century where individual freedoms are more taken for granted. And while I cannot argue against the virtues of fairness, responsibility, and reason, one cannot help but feel a sense of emptiness where family, community, tradition, and spirituality would normally be.
Rand argues that rational self-interest should be the aim of ethics. She claims this to be an objective truth, based on the premise that acts that affirm life are good, and those that destroy life are bad, and the way to discern this distinction is through the use of reason. Her radical claim is that this form of ethics is to be contrasted against altruism, which is the more commonly held ideal of morality. It is good to be selfish; it is bad to be selfless.
A lot of this philosophy was written to condemn the totalitarian system of the former Soviet Union, where the self was not an end in itself, but a means subordinate to the ends of the state. This emphasis on the individual would appear excessive in the 21st century where individual freedoms are more taken for granted. And while I cannot argue against the virtues of fairness, responsibility, and reason, one cannot help but feel a sense of emptiness where family, community, tradition, and spirituality would normally be.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Socrates for Kids
We received Socrates for Kids by Sage Essman as a Christmas gift for my son two years ago. It is a collection of stories designed to teach a lesson in philosophy. I did not find it remarkable. It certainly was no Sophie's World, which is still what I would recommend for anyone who wants to begin learning about philosophy.
I leave it to my wife to teach my kids philosophy. She is, after all, a philosophy major. As a political science major, however, I did read a lot about political philosophy and continue to be fascinated by that subject.
Plato and Machiavelli remain by favorite philosophers. The idealism of the former and the realism of the latter describe most of what happens in the world. History is an ongoing struggle between the fight for ideals and the pursuit of raw power.
Everyone should read more philosophy. It is a useful antidote to the monotony, even inanity, of business writing.
I leave it to my wife to teach my kids philosophy. She is, after all, a philosophy major. As a political science major, however, I did read a lot about political philosophy and continue to be fascinated by that subject.
Plato and Machiavelli remain by favorite philosophers. The idealism of the former and the realism of the latter describe most of what happens in the world. History is an ongoing struggle between the fight for ideals and the pursuit of raw power.
Everyone should read more philosophy. It is a useful antidote to the monotony, even inanity, of business writing.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Eleven Minutes
I once dismissed Paolo Coelho's writing as self-help exhortations thinly disguised as literature. The Alchemist was too much like The Little Prince, but longer and less endearing. But Veronika Decides to Die, at the time I read it as a college student, was a good corrective to the self-centered depression and vitriol that sets in at that time of life. Last month, I read Eleven Minutes, ostensibly an exploration of sex, but really more about love.
Coelho writes about Maria, a prostitute who finds love in an occupation where people go through the motions of, but almost never succeed at making love. She learns that love is about giving unselfishly. Coelho reminds readers true love is given by one whose cup is overflowing, not one whose personal shortcomings need to be compensated by someone else. He writes about the reunion of two beings that were once together as one body as Plato described it in the Symposium - as people talk today of soul mates.
So if Coelho manages to convey eternal truths garbed in feel good novels millions have already bought, what good is there in being a literary snob about it?
Coelho writes about Maria, a prostitute who finds love in an occupation where people go through the motions of, but almost never succeed at making love. She learns that love is about giving unselfishly. Coelho reminds readers true love is given by one whose cup is overflowing, not one whose personal shortcomings need to be compensated by someone else. He writes about the reunion of two beings that were once together as one body as Plato described it in the Symposium - as people talk today of soul mates.
So if Coelho manages to convey eternal truths garbed in feel good novels millions have already bought, what good is there in being a literary snob about it?
Great Speeches
My favorite personal success story is how I overcame shyness to become a champion debater and public speaker. I was reminded of this while I read Great Speeches for the Young Orator, one of the books my wife brought from their house when she moved in, which I again read just because it was on my bookshelf.
I recall back in high school when Mrs Cervantes, my social studies teacher who never hid from the class that I was her favorite, once told me that even though I was intelligent, I was never going to be successful unless I learned to express myself confidently - "makapal ang mukha" was how she put it. I never spoke unless it was to offer an answer to questions no one else could answer. I had read a history of the world in 3rd grade and even encylopedias, but what good was all of that knowledge if I did not know how communicate well?
It was not easy, but as I recounted in the post prior to this, I began this journey of self-mastery by enrolling in a Dale Carnegie course. Then when I entered UP, I signed up for the UP Debate Society even though I had never seen a debate before. I went through the application process and I passed. The first year was frustrating because those with high school debate experience did better during the tryouts to represent UP in debate tournaments, but I learned quickly and soon began topping the tryouts. I broke into the semifinals and finals of national and international tournaments. Finally, I became national champion in my third year. Then I made it to the top 16 teams of the world championship. I ended my fourth year with another national championship.
I am proud of my debate achievements, but I still see myself as a beginner in the lifelong study of rhetoric and oratory. I will continue to study Lincoln and Churchill, and observe Obama. More importantly, I will live my life and learn from it to earn the right to speak about it.
I recall back in high school when Mrs Cervantes, my social studies teacher who never hid from the class that I was her favorite, once told me that even though I was intelligent, I was never going to be successful unless I learned to express myself confidently - "makapal ang mukha" was how she put it. I never spoke unless it was to offer an answer to questions no one else could answer. I had read a history of the world in 3rd grade and even encylopedias, but what good was all of that knowledge if I did not know how communicate well?
It was not easy, but as I recounted in the post prior to this, I began this journey of self-mastery by enrolling in a Dale Carnegie course. Then when I entered UP, I signed up for the UP Debate Society even though I had never seen a debate before. I went through the application process and I passed. The first year was frustrating because those with high school debate experience did better during the tryouts to represent UP in debate tournaments, but I learned quickly and soon began topping the tryouts. I broke into the semifinals and finals of national and international tournaments. Finally, I became national champion in my third year. Then I made it to the top 16 teams of the world championship. I ended my fourth year with another national championship.
I am proud of my debate achievements, but I still see myself as a beginner in the lifelong study of rhetoric and oratory. I will continue to study Lincoln and Churchill, and observe Obama. More importantly, I will live my life and learn from it to earn the right to speak about it.
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