REFLECTION PAPER

Philo 108

Soul cultivation. This is one of

Socrates’ philosophies which I could
correlate on some parts in the book
Not for Profit. To take care of one’s
soul means to make oneself an
ethical human being. When you live
with your own virtue, moral, and
principle, empathy and sympathy
would naturally come out from you
and these are one of the best things
you could offer to others.
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve
gotten episodes of insecurities about
my intellectual ability specifically in
the Mathematics and Science
subjects. My knowledge for these
subjects can only reach their surface
and since then, I labelled myself as
an “average student”. In Nussbaum’s
Not for Profit, in the old paradigm
about nation’s advancement, the
GNP was the primary standard for a
nation’s development and neglecting
other ingredients that are also as
important as the said standard. It
lacks balance and for me it cannot be
granted as a fully and well-
developed nation. As for myself,
living in a modernized world, I try to
adjust and engage myself in activities that I know would be helpful in my goal of becoming
a healthy and developed being. In every camps, preaching, readings, seminars I have
injected in myself, even tried meditation, I came to a realization that a well-balanced being
must feed its soul, too. It deserves to be cultivated and nourished where the consciousness,
will, and emotions dwell. Possessing skills in numeracy, technical, and scientific would
definitely help you to be globally competent and has advantage in engagement to the
economic growth they are thirsting of, but through analysing the situation, accompanying
such skills with such activities that make our souls nurtured, that we tend to often forget, it
will give birth to a citizen that aims for economic growth and as well as empathetically
joining in giving solutions to any problems that affect our fellow countrymen.
Whenever I have time to contemplate, I suddenly want the time to pass quickly so
the current leaders would be replaced and the Philippines would have been better on that
time. Let us also try our best to practice what we preach while criticizing responsibly.
 Recently, a news came out
that caused enormous outrage from
the Filipinos especially those who is
greatly affected by the sudden
report about construction of houses
and factories once again in
farmlands. Agriculture plays a
significant role in the Philippine
economy. Involving about 40% of
Filipino workers, it contributes an
average of 20% to the Gross
Domestic Product. This output
comes mainly from agribusiness,
which in turn accounts for about
70% of the total agricultural output
(CIDA-LGSP, 2003). The low
government support to the sector,
uneven distribution of resources,
and transformation of farmlands
into buildings for personal gain just
worsened the poverty situation in
rural areas. As a citizen who has a
massive support and empathy to the
farmers, it pains me knowing other
people are so selfish to those who
have a great role in carrying the
economy of the country. This is what
happens when a business elite is
blinded by money— continually
creates for, produces for, and
satisfies herself until it became a habit of living for oneself. This is associated in one of
Nussbaum’s statement:”This was always the first and most basic problem with the GNP per
capita paradigm of development. It neglects distribution, and can give high marks to
nations or states that contain alarming inequalities.” Nussbaum might ride the same boat as
me because of the evident inequality happening here and the seemingly lost in track of
handling this country for they do not give attention compassionately to what is extremely
important. I can say that on one particular decision, Senator Risa Hontiveros could be the
Martha Nussbaum of the Philippines because quickly after the said news, she would lobby
for a higher annual budget for the Department of Agriculture (DA) for 2021 to bring
immediate relief to the producers of the staple to provide more interventions to palay
farmers. This is a one-step progress to the goal of our nation to the development and
improvement of agricultural sector which will absolutely revive our dying economy.
I will bet everything I have to the side of “we cannot live and survive with foods”,
which the farmers are the primary producers. I certainly hope that we should treat them
not only as our food provider, but also human beings who deserve high salary and vast
support from us. We do not only live for ourselves and we should always remember that.