Journal Entry # 2: SENSE EXPERIENCE

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What I saw:

  • scratch paper
  • yellow pad
  • ballpen
  • eraser
  • cellphone
  • laptop
  • learning materials (lectures, notes, etc.)

What I heard:

  • quarreling of the neighbors
  • old music from the radio

What I smelled:

  • food being cooked from the kitchen
  • gasoline

What I tasted:

  • my snack


A Short Reflection

It feels like a million bucks to have this opportunity to just sit for a while and reflect on myself despite a challenging day ahead! Aside from that, I have come to a deeper realization regarding the self in relation to the ideas of John Locke and Immanuel Kant. I feel amazed for that fact because I did nothing but use my primary senses and still I have made these realizations. 


What I Learned from this Activity

As I looked down on the list of things perceived by my senses, I had a short stare on it and thought deeply on how I can find the meaning of the self.

A Piece of Paper

There is a piece of paper on the left side of my desk which I used as a scratch paper for taking notes. Of course, it has erasures and doodles in it. I left it on my desk after I transferred its content to a clean piece of paper.

From there I have perceived what self is in line with John Locke's idea regarding the self. Locke said that the self is an empty space that we fill with experience and what the senses perceive, thus, the self is founded on the consciousness (daily and sensory experiences). 

Just like that piece of paper, at first, I am nothing but blank. I fill it up with notes and details of what my senses perceived (from the discussion of the instructor). After that, I proofread my draft lecture and took note of all mistakes, after which I will rewrite it on a new piece of paper to make it look neat just like how I, as a human, learn from my mistakes. This is the essence of Locke's idea: to learn from our mistakes and experiences. 




Quarreling of the Neighbors

As I sat quietly, I can't help but listen to the quarreling neighbors, probably because of their loud voices. It seems that they are fighting because of a kid who is asking for new toys from his father. I heard the father saying to his kid that he cannot buy toys because they are just poor. A loud voice contradicted the father, saying, "You are poor because you think you are poor! If you just have the initiative to find a job then you won't be poor!" The fight ended when the kid said that it's alright if he cannot have toys because he knows that they are just poor. From there I have came to a realization that others perceive us depending on how we perceive ourselves.

Kant said that "how we see ourselves is also how others would see us." Looking back at that encounter, the father perceives himself as poor and that explains why his kid and the other people see him as poor. If only he perceives himself as a man who is capable of looking for a source of income and not just a poor, helpless guy then others, as well as his kid, would see him as more of a provider rather than a burden in the house. 

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