Lest it be pointless, an essay should follow a clear and focused thesis statement. Shouldn’t this be the case with life as well? In the beginning of his classic ‘Spiritual Exercises,’ the founder of the Jesuits, St. Ignatius of Loyola, articulates what I consider a thesis statement of life. It is clear and logical, and befits its subject […]
November 24, 2010
When I was in high school, my father told me one of his deepest desires: “Sana bumagsak ka.” I never experienced failure in grade school, and my father, who was my opposite when he was in school, said that life is incomplete without it. I bring this up on the eve of the Ateneo High School math exams, about […]
November 15, 2010
A college teacher whom I always consult about my profession advised me this morning, in reply to another long e-mail of mine, to trust my intuition. She said that she strongly believes that “everything happens for a reason.” Reason and intuition, which is irrational, do not seem to make a perfect combination. How can the product of logical thought […]
November 11, 2010
May napulot na naman ako kanina mula sa dati kong guro, ang 84 taong gulang* na ama ng pilosopiyang Pilipino, si Padre Roque Ferriols, SJ. Matapos akong mangumpisal sa kanya kanina, napag-usapan namin ang samu’t saring bagay kabilang ang kamatayan. “Kapag matanda ka,” aniya, “may kahiligan kang magtaka kung kailan ka na nga ba mamamatay. […]
January 1, 2011
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