Comparative Philosophy Blog #1
TRAVELING AND PHILOSOPHIZING
(photo from: https://www.shareexit.com/sustainable-travel/)
Traveling to various places is more than fun. I always see it as a learning experience. Every new terrain that I am able to explore evokes in me a sense of wonder.
Wonder – what an interesting word. It is after all what prompts philosophy. I say that it is interesting since wondering is such a ‘basic’ thing to do given our rational and inquisitive nature, and that even the most random and mundane things trigger it – even traveling.
It is exhilarating to note that the greatest ideas from the wisest thinkers of history were born from unique landscapes – the Greeks at the agora, Indian sages in the wilderness, and Chinese sage masters across the warring states.
The common denominator among their ancient (but immortal and influential) ideas is the self, or the human person himself: be it Socrates’ dictum, “Know thyself”; the Indian sages’ teaching on Moksha; or Kong Zi’s assertion on man as a moral project. These ideas provide an avenue for philosophizing, and for introspection.
I have traveled quite a lot in my 22 years of existence, but only within our country. I would also describe my Elementary and (Junior and Senior) High School days as a life of traveling. I lived in Sarangani, but I studied at NDDU, a university in General Santos City. Hence, I had to travel for 45 minutes every school day for 12 years. Since I was not allowed to commute, my father drove me to school and fetched me afterwards. This set-up enabled me to be alone with my thoughts for a quarter of an hour in the morning, and another quarter of an hour in the afternoon. This was only possible because both my father and I have an introverted orientation.
My point is that traveling does wonders by evoking wonder. As I was shifting my horizon every day from a rural landscape to an urban one, I was able to philosophize in my own innocent way. My personal philosophy back then was not influenced by the ones that I am learning now in my Philosophy course. Instead, it must have been formed by the daily ‘horizon-shifting event’ brought about by my travels. The product of such philosophizing plays a pivotal role in who I am today.
Wonder – what an interesting word. It is after all what prompts philosophy. I say that it is interesting since wondering is such a ‘basic’ thing to do given our rational and inquisitive nature, and that even the most random and mundane things trigger it – even traveling.
It is exhilarating to note that the greatest ideas from the wisest thinkers of history were born from unique landscapes – the Greeks at the agora, Indian sages in the wilderness, and Chinese sage masters across the warring states.
The common denominator among their ancient (but immortal and influential) ideas is the self, or the human person himself: be it Socrates’ dictum, “Know thyself”; the Indian sages’ teaching on Moksha; or Kong Zi’s assertion on man as a moral project. These ideas provide an avenue for philosophizing, and for introspection.
I have traveled quite a lot in my 22 years of existence, but only within our country. I would also describe my Elementary and (Junior and Senior) High School days as a life of traveling. I lived in Sarangani, but I studied at NDDU, a university in General Santos City. Hence, I had to travel for 45 minutes every school day for 12 years. Since I was not allowed to commute, my father drove me to school and fetched me afterwards. This set-up enabled me to be alone with my thoughts for a quarter of an hour in the morning, and another quarter of an hour in the afternoon. This was only possible because both my father and I have an introverted orientation.
My point is that traveling does wonders by evoking wonder. As I was shifting my horizon every day from a rural landscape to an urban one, I was able to philosophize in my own innocent way. My personal philosophy back then was not influenced by the ones that I am learning now in my Philosophy course. Instead, it must have been formed by the daily ‘horizon-shifting event’ brought about by my travels. The product of such philosophizing plays a pivotal role in who I am today.