PHOTO BLOG

CITIZENSHIP

FRANCIS

As a future business leader and a Filipino citizen, I am obligated to help my fellow countrymen. The Philippines currently has many problems which need fixing, such as poverty, hunger, lack of education, lack of housing and shelter, and so on. The corporate world has a responsibility to help society for the greater good. As a future business leader, I plan to reach out to the community as much as possible. Feeding programs, scholarships, and free housing projects are some of the initiatives that corporate leaders can engage in to help alleviate  the problems of the country.

 EMMAN

Citizenship is one of the things that Filipinos forget to give importance to. A lot of pure blooded Filipinos prefer speaking foreign language than their mother tongue. Many also prefer imported products instead of local ones. Most teenagers today have more love to foreign music than OPM. This picture shows the National Champions of TUGSAYAWIT back in 2014. Words aren’t enough to express how grateful I am to be a part of this team. This made me appreciate the local dances that our ancestors made and the music they used to play back then. This experience made me grateful to be a Filipino.

JJ

   This is a photo of my sister, my brother and I in front of the Sto. Niño Church in Cebu. It is part of our culture to be active in church and to be faithful to our religion. I am proud to be part of this country because of all the good things it brings to our society. Religion has made our society a better place because it teaches all of us to be good to one another and to also forgive. Religion has taught our country on our morals and to be a good Christian for our God.

MISEUNG

The green passport shows that I am a citizen of Republic of Korea. As a Korean, I want to pay back to my country when I graduate La Salle. I want to work in financial institutions. I need to study hard and I want to apply what I have learned from school in that area. Nowadays, economy of Korea is going down and it shows little inflation. I hope one day I can solve the financial problem with my knowledge.

GILBERT

This photo was taken during Sinulog Fluvial Parade. As a Filipino, we must promote and support our rich traditions. In this way, this helps us in being a good citizen of the country that we live in.

LEADERSHIP

FRANCIS

When going on scuba diving trips, you have to use the buddy system, which is a procedure where the "buddies" operate together as a single unit. As a future business leader, I will work together with my colleagues and subordinates; I won't be the kind of leader that always gives orders and tells everyone what to do. I will be a leader who works together with his teammates, support them, guide them, listen to them, and accomplish goals together with them.

EMMAN

Being an effective leader is not an easy task to do. The process involves failures, disappointments, and experiences. I learned that to be an effective leader, being sensitive, a good communicator, motivator, and a risk taker are quality traits one must have. Unfortunately, I did not know this before when I was tasked to be a team leader in our HS Senior Camp back in 2014. I was not a good communicator, I didn’t motivate my members enough to do their best, not know what they were thinking, and I was afraid to take risks. Because of this, we ended up in last place. Nevertheless, I learned a lot from that experience and I will treasure it for a lifetime.

JJ

When I think about leadership I always think about my dad because someday I would also like to become a lawyer like my father. My father guides me throughout everything and my father also helps me in my studies when I have a hard time. He is my role model because he always teaches me to do good and to do my best. Leadership is an important aspect in becoming a better person because it helps you organize your obligations and to accomplish them in a precise manner.

MISEUNG

This is the picture which is taken while doing the missionary activities to Pagbilaw region. The guy who is writing something on the black board is a leader of our team. He accepted our opinions kindly while preparing the activities. He tried to accept most opinions and encourage us to do better work. He was a delegate leader. I want to be a leader like him. Without him, our missionary work could not be success.

GILBERT

This picture was taken when we won our first trophy as a team. We wouldn’t be able to win if our coach wasn’t there. He was our leader. He has all the attributes of being a leader. Our coach motivates us during our games which is very important in crucial moments of the tournament. Also, he doesn’t care about how small the credit he receives from being such a good leader. 

STRESS

FRANCIS

"Why address a temporary situation with something that has life-long effects?" People high above the corporate ladder are known for  drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, doing drugs, and so on in order to de-stress. Even though I will soon be part of that world, I will not participate in those activities. I will de-stress through other means. My favorite activity to de-stress is scuba diving. Exercise and meditation are also other ways of de-stressing.

EMMAN

Most people eat, drink coffee, impulse buy, and constantly vent when they are stressed. When I’m stressed, I play Dota 2. This somehow serves as an escape from reality for me. When I play this game, I forget every problem I have and this gives me relief and satisfaction. It also helps me improve my strategy skills and reflexes which will be useful when I’m already working.

JJ

    This is a photo of me in Santa Barbara in the United States. When I think about relieving stress I think about going on a vacation to relax and unwind. When you are on a vacation you don’t think about the responsibilities you have. But to have a better vacation it is better to go through all of your stress and treat a vacation as a prize of doing all your hard work. I think about vacations as a motivation to push through and do all of my responsibilities.

MISEUNG

There are many ways to relieve stress and sometimes picture of happy memory has an effect of relieving stress. This is a picture taken when I went to Spain during the LOA (Leave of Absence) period. It was my first time to travel abroad except the Philippines. Spain is one of the countries I really eager to visit since I was a high school student. I was really happy and enjoyed the time when I was there. It is the reason why I feel relieved when I recall the memory of it.

GILBERT

This picture is a symbolism of stress. As a college student, I realized that I only drink coffee when I’m stressed. Coffee for studying, and coffee to keep me awake the day after pulling off an all - nighter. 

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY

FRANCIS

 My family is the best. They are always there for me. They are there to give me support and guidance whenever I need it. They provide emotional support and guidance. Likewise, I shall also be always there for them. I will give them support and guidance whenever they need it. I will also try to live as close as possible to my family, just so that I will be closer to them. With regards to marriage, my lolo always told me to get a stable career first before getting married, so I won't be in a hurry to marry. 

EMMAN

Marriage is when two people have made up their minds and followed their hearts to be with each other for the rest of their lives. Marriage is a sacred vow that is never meant to be broken and it is meant to last for eternity. This also serves as a unity of two families into one. The picture above is the invitation for my sister’s wedding. Her fiancé is her Polish co-worker in Australia. 

JJ

   This is a picture of me and my family in South Korea in our vacation. I always think about my family when I go through hard times. I always try to cherish my moments with my family because they are my motivation in studying hard in college. I think about them when I think about finishing my college degree. I do my studies for them because they also want me to become successful in the future.

MISEUNG

Marriage and family has relationships of friendship, role, and intimate. We can find the friendship relationship which is based on trust, engaged in commitment in family. Family also has roles like mother and father, mom and dad, and sisters. This is the picture of my family when my sister took it when I visited Korea for vacation. I tell most of my worries to my family especially to younger sister but we also fight a lot. As a family, we trust each other more than others and that is the reason why we sometimes get more hurt from family members than from others. Family is which makes me strong and get power to endure the hardship.

GILBERT

A ring is a common symbolism of marriage. Rings are worn by married couples. This symbolizes their loyalty with each other. The ring is in a shape of a circle because it symbolizes eternity. Love that does not end. Love that is worth fighting for. 

VOCATION

Growing up in a family of business people, I always knew that I would be working in the corporate world. My family has always supported me in my dream to work in the corporate world. I was raised by business people. From them I was able to learn a many things. My abilities, gifts, personality, and experiences are suited for the corporate world.

EMMAN

Having a vocation is a must when a student is already in college. Knowing what you want to be in the future helps you sets your plans carefully and see your future clearly. The picture above is the International Finance Summit 2016. It’s a seminar wherein interested people in financial management gathered to learn how to be competent financial leaders. This seminar let me see a glimpse of what I want to be after I graduate in DLSU, and that is to be a successful Financial Analyst.

JJ

   In my vocation I used to play soccer in high school. Whenever we play we are always guided by our school’s slogan and that is to do everything for the Greater Glory of God. I believe it is also in my mission to express those words when I play sports. It is also how we represent our school in various activities. We always do it in the name of the Lord.

MISEUNG

When I did LOA in La Salle, I worked in Everland which is big amusement park located in Korea. I worked with these kinds of attire to attract guests. While working here, I could learn about responsibility and how to deal with other people who have various personalities. I could also experience the system of organization, corporation. 

GILBERT

This picture is taken in a party - gathering among young entrepreneurs. Since I was a kid, I was already exposed in the business industry and I feel like that my vocation is in this kind of world. And I think I am destined to be part of the corporate society. 

On Death: Why We Shouldn't Worry About It

On Death

Death is a subject that most people try to avoid. Who can blame them? Death is a rather depressing thing to talk about. And no one likes to talk about depressing things. "Why focus on death? Just live!" they say. Some people would even suggest that talking about death is pointless, because it's completely unknowable. After all, how can you have a meaningful discussion about something that is unknowable?

Some philosophers argue that one shouldn't even worry about death at all, because death could not ever really touch you. So it's best that one be indifferent to death.

The reasoning behind this is quiet simple. It goes like this: death is not really possible for you. Because when death comes, you are gone. Death is not something you can experience, because you and death cannot be in the same place at the same time. For you cannot experience death, in the strict philosophical sense, you have no reason to be concerned with it.

If you fear the actual event of death, if you fret about what death will actually be like, you are wasting your time. You and death cannot be in the same place at the same time. It makes no sense to worry about it.

Of course, you may worry about dying, how you die. But that's concerning the suffering you may feel before death, and not concerning the actual event of death itself. 

On Kierkegaard

Soren Kierkegaard was born into an extremely wealthy Dutch family. His father, Michael, was a successful, smart, faithful, but, also, very quiet and sad businessman. Like father like son, Kierkegaard would inherit his father's qualities, but he would not use his intelligence to pursue financial rewards. Instead, he used his wits to found a new school of philosophy: Existentialism.

Kierkegaard is often credited for making philosophy "personal." Before him, philosophers focused on humanity as a whole, the world as it is, the fundamental truths of the universe, the nature of God, and so forth. Unlike the philosophical "world-view" prior to his time, Kierkegaard's philosophical point of view starts at the individual, human level.

Kierkegaard started on a path to self-discovery. He discovered many truths, truths about himself and the human condition. Kierkegaard hated, and therefore rejected, traditional pieties and systematic answers of philosophy and the Christian church of his time. 

Kierkegaard created a new, sort of, version of faith. He claimed that faith is not grounded in reason or rationality. Rather, faith is a real, personal choice, one that cannot be validated or justified by reason. He coined what is now called "the leap of faith."

What did he mean by this? Kierkegaard asserts that reasoned calculations or heavenly church commandments cannot answer questions about life, about how to live, about what to believe, about what to do, and so on. Answers to these sort of questions are found in one's self. One must answer these questions in the deepest chasms of one's individual soul. 

Wu Wei: Effortless Action

Wu-Wei is a prominent concept in Taoism. In English, it literally means non-action, do without doing. And, as a result, it is often misinterpreted as laziness or passivity. Words quickly lose their meaning once they are translated.

In Taoist writings, Wu-Wei can better be translated into English as "not forcing." This is a better translation. "Not forcing" loses the least amount of meaning in the English translation.

So what is Wu-Wei? Wu-Wei, as we have defined earlier, means "not forcing." "Not forcing" means going with the flow of things, swimming with the current, trimming sails to the wind. In other words, do not fight the natural flow of things.

An example of Wu-Wei in practice is a man who uses a sail. Instead of paddling, the wise man uses a sail. He lets nature do the work for him. He is not forcing the boat to move by fighting the water with a paddle. Rather, with the use of the sail, he makes the boat go with the wind. 

The wise man exerts no effort, yet his boat moves just as fast as a boat being rowed by a hundred men. This is Wu-Wei in action, doing without doing, effortless action, not forcing. 

On Nirvana

Nirvana is the ultimate goal of Buddhism. Nirvana literally means, in English, "blow out." Many people believe that Nirvana is the blowing out of desire. Imagine that desire is a flame, and that Nirvana is sort of blowing out the flame.

There is a sort of problem here in the English translation and interpretation of Nirvana. "Blow out" is not quite the proper term. One does not "blow out" desire from one's life. But, rather, one "lets go" of desire. I will elaborate.

If one were to "blow out" the flame of desire, then that would be rather tedious. Nirvana is not achieved easily. It takes a life-time of spiritual meditation and devotion. The flame of desire burns with blazing intensity, and it is not easily "blown out." Now, imagine yourself constantly trying to "blow out" the flame of desire. You would run out of breath quickly and become exhausted. 

The path to Nirvana should be an effortless one. What do I mean by that? If one were to try to blow out the flame of desire, one is consciously trying to get rid of desire. If one consciously tries to get rid of desire by blowing it out of one's self, one will never attain Nirvana. Why? Because when one makes a conscious effort to rid oneself of desire, one is also desiring not to desire. Do you see the problem? It's sort of like an infinite loop. 

So instead of "blowing out," one should "breath out." Let go of desire. Do not even think about desire. Do not even think about getting rid of it. Rather, loosen your grip, relax your mind, and breath out. Little by little, the flame of desire will burn out naturally, since there is no longer anyone that fuels the flame. 

So the secret to Nirvana is not to fight the flame, not to try to blow it out. But instead, one should breath out and let go of one's desire, not kick it out, but let it go. That's what Nirvana really is, letting go.

On Freedom and Man

"Man is free; Man is Freedom" - Jean-Paul Sartre

What makes Man a distinct being from others? There are many types of being. A tree is a type of being and so are dogs, cats, and even apples. Man is one type of being among many others in this world. While we haven’t really given much thought into it, we can confidently conclude that Man is somehow radically different from all the other beings. Something about Man makes him distinct — something that makes him greatly special. Man is not regarded as just one type of being among others — in the same way that the letter  a is regarded as just one type of letter in the alphabet. There is something totally unique about us humans; something about our being that  is completely distinct compared to that of others.

It is highly obvious that there are many types of beings or entities. They are all around us. Each of these entities or beings have something special about it, something that makes it the particular type of entity that it is. In metaphysics, this is called the entity’s nature or essence — its native or inherent qualities that make it what it is. Let us think of a tree. What can be said about its nature? Well, a tree is tall and it sways when the wind blows on it; it has leaves and a woody trunk. These characteristics and other qualities make up the nature of a tree or its essence — what it is for something to be a tree. A being that doesn’t have these attributes is not a tree. This notion applies to all beings. All these beings, including Man, have a distinct nature that make them the particular being that they are. However, I will not enumerate all the qualities that make Man what he is, but I will focus on one fundamental feature of Man that completely distinguishes him from the rest.

So what then makes Man unique among all other beings? What makes him not only unique but also exceptionable —  the most special kind of being? That which makes Man what he is — at the most fundamental level — is none other than freedom. Freedom is the fundamental characteristic of the human being. It is surely the feature that makes us the exceptional creatures that we are. Consider: something that fails to be tall, to have leaves and a woody trunk, is not a tree. In like manner, a being that fails to have freedom, a being that is not free, is not Man. Man is the only being that can choose, the only being that has free will; Man is the only being that is free. He is the only being that can choose what he becomes, can choose how to live his life; therefore, freedom is the attribute that Man shares with no other being. Without freedom, Man would be no more special than a tree, dog, cat, or even an apple. Freedom is the most essential feature to us. Nothing, not even our rationality, is more important to us than our freedom.