Bsa 4c - Long Journey Home

MENDIOLA, Alyssa Kristine D.

BSA 4C

MWF 2:35-3:35P

Long Journey Home Prelim Requirement

Chapter One: Waking Up to the Journey

        The book’s first chapter was all about the world’s search for meaning – the search for “something more”. There was a speaker who talked about the man’s search for the own meaning of their lives. After his speech, he shared many conversations with different eminent names from the world of success having the same longing for something they didn’t have. They wanted to know the deep sense of life’s meaning. Even though, they were all on top of their own worlds, they knew it wasn’t enough.

        After reading the chapter, I have come to realize that I am one of the many people finding the purpose and fulfillment in my own life. I am one of the many people searching for that “something more”. I am one of the people who doesn’t know the reason why I am existing. Is it because I’m not even halfway of my journey? Or my life? Maybe because I haven’t experienced much. I also agree that at this age of life, the twenties, we are so carefree, we feel so immortal that we forget to wonder what life is all about. But does this mean I have to do something? Does it mean that I need to search for that purpose? Many questions have filled my mind and maybe after reading the entirety of the book, I will be able to have my answers.

        We have been always striving to achieve our goals ever since we came up with one but is it really worth it? Is it enough? Is something really enough for us? Is it really about the end goal? But then, I woke up to my senses. It is all about the journey. As Winston Churchill said in the last days of his life, “It has been a grand journey – well worth making once.” (page 8). I have been challenged by this quotation.  I have to make sense of my life as soon as possible to make it worth living. But for me to find what I need to find, I should have an open mind to see life as a journey.

Chapter Two: An Examined Life in an Unexamining Age

        As the title suggests “An Examining Life in an Unexamining Age”, clearly, we are in a generation that does not examine our lives. Of course, who has the cares right? We live in the time where everybody is busy with their own lives. So when do we realize that the life we are living is really worth living. This chapter started with a speaker named E. F. Schumacher having been lost because of a bad map which have not included all the things he most cared about. He then used this map as a metaphor for our faith. We should find faith as the guide in living a moral life. This chapter also states that naturalistic ideas, the extreme ones, are above reproach. Also, the chapter mentions that people who tend to live a secularistic or naturalistic life seem to live their lives like there’s no color in it.

We all know that faith has its fair share of the corruption and wickedness of this world. One example of this is the division between humans because of faith. Faith, as we know it, is being spread as a tool of unity but instead of uniting people, it divided us since the dawn of time. We discriminate each other because of our faith (e.g. we typically think that Muslims are terrorists). We even waged war because of faith (e.g. the crusades). Some even commit fraud to the masses by using faith (e.g. Jonestown Massacre). Secularization is also not that bad. It has important contributions to human society too. Secularization allowed same-sex marriage, women’s right to suffrage and even their right to drive vehicles. It also contributed in the advancement of science and our technology.

Chapter Three: A World of Difference

Malcolm Muggeridge reached into the point of his life that he doesn’t know the why’s. He suddenly lost the reason he was living then almost decided to end his life. However, he found light – purpose. In that moment, he became a seeker.

This chapter is all about our curiosity, worldviews, and our determination in finding the significance of our lives. They say that humans are not only homo sapiens, but we are also homo quaerens – a human that asks and asks. We are seekers. We ask a lot of questions until we find the answer.  We either see our lives as a artwork with a sheet that’s covering it. Uncovering, revealing and looking at the artistic creation is like the experience of finally finding the meaning of our lives.

This taught me that whatever we accept is the motivation behind our lives, we should ride on it and let it control us until the end of our time. This could conceivably make our lives significant yet in any event we lived it how we would have preferred to. A few people can't bear to take the risk in following the guiding. This thought may sound pessimistic yet toward the end purpose of our lives, we would prefer not to ask as to whether we truly carried on with an existence worth living isn't that right?

I also learned that ideas are powerful enough to shape how we perceive reality. Our ideas are the ones that provide us with a sense of meaning and belonging in this world. The worldviews that we use are also important in shaping our lives.

I, therefore conclude that we are the ourselves are responsible in giving meaning to our lives. We are on our own journey in our quest to find life’s meaning.

Chapter Four: Trading Our Tomorrows

The homosexual world for Foucault was highlighted in this chapter which was said to be irresistible causing him to test his limits. By overcoming these limits, as it was written, will give him intense joy. However, it comes with the risk of “gay cancer” or we call it in the modern days, AIDS but it didn’t stop him. Also, the chapter mentioned two of the most common denials: bargaining with death and ignoring the trio of reality, time and death.

This chapter tackles the idea as to why most of us leave the search for meaning in others. This chapter basically says that we are in a constant state of denial. We avoid to tackle the most important things in life like our meaning, death, and purpose. We use all available means for us to be distracted by the fact that we are always carrying this question deep beneath our minds.

“Modern society itself is one grand diversion—the Republic of Entertainment” this line basically captures my ideas about this chapter. Society itself is providing us with distractions to prevent us from thinking about those things. We use entertainment, sports, businesses, roles in the society, and even education as a way in avoiding the thought of these things. I, myself, try to think about these things at least once a day and I admit that society is doing a pretty good job in keeping me distracted from thinking about these things. I always wonder why we can’t do both, play a part in society while thinking and searching about the meaning of our lives. One must always detach the other facet and focus on it.