Wisik: A Splash of Reality

  (photo from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2020/may/18/why-is-elon-musk-telling-us-to-take-the-red-pill) A COMFORTING LIE OR THE HARSH TRUTH? (A reflection on the film The Matrix – 1999) “Welcome to the desert of the real.”                                                  - Morpheus     Blue pill or red pill?        One pill comforts you with ignorance; the other slaps you with the cruel truth.        The Matrix (1999) is filled with philosophical insights which inquires on different topics like Metaphysics, Epistemology, and more importantly, with Existentialism. Metaphysical inquiry was evident as the film posed questions about reality. The protagonists, after all, were running from a dream world (i.e. ‘the Matrix’) which distorts the very idea of reality. This resonates to our pandemic experience. With the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, we are forced to stay at home for our own and for others’ protection. The heavy constraints imposed on us before the efforts of

  (photo from: https://www.healthline.com/health/touch-starved) TOUCH BY TOUCH: A TACTILE PHILOSOPHY (A reflection on Richard Kearney's Touch: Recovering Our Most Vital Sense, Chapter II)      The human person’s sense of touch is his/her way of being in intimate contact with the world. Perception by means of ‘touch’ might sound like an argument or belief of an empiricist, but, it is actually a known fact in real life that even the ‘ common tao’ knows. We see that people have a longing for human contact: wanting to play with friends, missing the hug of a loved one, or longing to fulfill their carnal desires/needs with their significant other. Moreover, touching as means for human contact has also become a symbolism for agreement. The simple handshake between conflicting parties could mean that they have reached a compromise; the handshake between two opposing teams in a sport event after the game could mean thar they accept the game’s decision and result; and the sexual intercour