My Personal Rule in Life
As a part of the course requirement in the subject for my master’s degree, our philosophy professor one day informed us to formulate our own personal rule that might help improve our destiny and on how it could assist us in the fulfillment of our goals as well as our 5 F’s. In this article, I would like to share what I have formulated.
Many people have already turned into philosophy to understand the universe and our life itself. They built their own philosophy by studying the philosophies of great thinkers of the past and of the present. However, their philosophies employ chiefly speculative means, rather than observation in a search for truth. These philosophies hope to inquire into the ultimate human reasons alone.
The origins of human philosophies are from people who have limitations. The Holy Scriptures informs us: “It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.” (Jeremiah 10:23) History testifies that trying to ignore those limitations have not produced good results. Humans by nature are inclined to commit mistakes and have limitations. Additionally, their experiences in life are relatively brief and are usually confined in one culture or one environment. The knowledge they possess is thus restricted, and every thing is interconnected to such an extent that they constantly find aspects that they had not considered. Because of such imperfection, human philosophies often reflect a basic selfishness that leads perhaps to momentary pleasure but also to frustration and much unhappiness. Any philosophy that they originate will reflect these limitations.
What should be the more loving philosophy to live by? Today’s situation in our country and even in the rest of the world indicates an urgent and serious call for moral recovery not to mention the moral relativism and decadence, religious indifferentism, abuse of freedom, social injustice and rapid decline in the value given to human dignity. The answer to this question, therefore, must be something that may lead and bring people back to God’s embrace again.
It is very apparent that we people, have paid more and more attention to the process and less to the substance of moral enrichment.
Our education efforts have perhaps been geared towards making us emotionally attuned to subjectivity “good” things (that is what feels good and what looks good)at the neglect or expense of what truly and objectively good regardless of what it feels or how it looks. We, perhaps, have chosen to give more value to a culture of pleasure rather than to a culture of goodness.
Here, the structure of my personal philosophy is of course based on the spiritual truths found in the bible. “Be good and keep doing good” may sound saintly, pious and virtuous (for us to follow) and by the mere thought of it, we can then conclude that we cannot religiously do what it suggests. But it is worth a try. Perhaps I will better explain this carefully.
The following are biblical passages that may help contextualize how I came up with this personal rule:
Amos 5:15 “Hate what is bad and love what is good, and give justice a place in the gate.”
Luke 6:45 “A good man brings forth good out of good treasure of his heart.”
Romans 12:21 “Do not let yourself be conquered by the evil, but keep conquering the evil with the good.”
Galatians 6:10 “Really, then, as long as we have time favorable for it, let us work what is good toward all. ...”
John 5:29 “And come out, those who did good thins to a resurrection of life, those who practice vile things to a resurrection of judgment.”
Romans 13:3 “Keep doing good and you will give praise from it.”
It is human nature to feel good about yourself when you have done something great not only to yourself but also to other people. We can perhaps better appreciate the nuances of good if we look at how to do good things. Being good means being kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, freely forgiving one another. This also means caring through small things, doing good things and deeds everyday, bringing joy to our parents, relatives and friends, showing affection, building up good will, putting others first, reaching out and showing an interest in others, giving good examples, being selfless and making others happy without expecting anything in return.
Being good and doing good implies focusing on love and dissolving hate, resentment and hostility. All we owe anyone is love. An expression of love is one that attempts to make others truly happy in an unselfish way. When this happens only then can we make this world a little bit better, a safer place for us to live in. Isn’t this a worthwhile and wholesome philosophy to live by?
We all want to live the good life. Nobody wants to lead a miserable life. Our desire is to be happy. Happiness is the highest good that we can attain. For me, God is the “Summum Bonum “or the highest good to whom all absolute good, beauty, values and happiness are found. If we want to attain eternal happiness we have to make God the center of our life. This means living our life according to what God wills us to live. We have to live a simple life, spend less than what we earn, think constructively, cultivate a mental attitude of peace and goodwill, give generously and work with the right motives.
I may not be the most moral person I know but I am trying to be good in every way I can. God is there for us. He never forsakes us. I am a sinner by thought and by spirit but I never lose faith in Him who cares and loves us even from the start.
As a part of the course requirement in the subject for my master’s degree, our philosophy professor one day informed us to formulate our own personal rule that might help improve our destiny and on how it could assist us in the fulfillment of our goals as well as our 5 F’s. In this article, I would like to share what I have formulated.
Many people have already turned into philosophy to understand the universe and our life itself. They built their own philosophy by studying the philosophies of great thinkers of the past and of the present. However, their philosophies employ chiefly speculative means, rather than observation in a search for truth. These philosophies hope to inquire into the ultimate human reasons alone.
The origins of human philosophies are from people who have limitations. The Holy Scriptures informs us: “It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.” (Jeremiah 10:23) History testifies that trying to ignore those limitations have not produced good results. Humans by nature are inclined to commit mistakes and have limitations. Additionally, their experiences in life are relatively brief and are usually confined in one culture or one environment. The knowledge they possess is thus restricted, and every thing is interconnected to such an extent that they constantly find aspects that they had not considered. Because of such imperfection, human philosophies often reflect a basic selfishness that leads perhaps to momentary pleasure but also to frustration and much unhappiness. Any philosophy that they originate will reflect these limitations.
What should be the more loving philosophy to live by? Today’s situation in our country and even in the rest of the world indicates an urgent and serious call for moral recovery not to mention the moral relativism and decadence, religious indifferentism, abuse of freedom, social injustice and rapid decline in the value given to human dignity. The answer to this question, therefore, must be something that may lead and bring people back to God’s embrace again.
It is very apparent that we people, have paid more and more attention to the process and less to the substance of moral enrichment.
Our education efforts have perhaps been geared towards making us emotionally attuned to subjectivity “good” things (that is what feels good and what looks good)at the neglect or expense of what truly and objectively good regardless of what it feels or how it looks. We, perhaps, have chosen to give more value to a culture of pleasure rather than to a culture of goodness.
Here, the structure of my personal philosophy is of course based on the spiritual truths found in the bible. “Be good and keep doing good” may sound saintly, pious and virtuous (for us to follow) and by the mere thought of it, we can then conclude that we cannot religiously do what it suggests. But it is worth a try. Perhaps I will better explain this carefully.
The following are biblical passages that may help contextualize how I came up with this personal rule:
Amos 5:15 “Hate what is bad and love what is good, and give justice a place in the gate.”
Luke 6:45 “A good man brings forth good out of good treasure of his heart.”
Romans 12:21 “Do not let yourself be conquered by the evil, but keep conquering the evil with the good.”
Galatians 6:10 “Really, then, as long as we have time favorable for it, let us work what is good toward all. ...”
John 5:29 “And come out, those who did good thins to a resurrection of life, those who practice vile things to a resurrection of judgment.”
Romans 13:3 “Keep doing good and you will give praise from it.”
It is human nature to feel good about yourself when you have done something great not only to yourself but also to other people. We can perhaps better appreciate the nuances of good if we look at how to do good things. Being good means being kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, freely forgiving one another. This also means caring through small things, doing good things and deeds everyday, bringing joy to our parents, relatives and friends, showing affection, building up good will, putting others first, reaching out and showing an interest in others, giving good examples, being selfless and making others happy without expecting anything in return.
Being good and doing good implies focusing on love and dissolving hate, resentment and hostility. All we owe anyone is love. An expression of love is one that attempts to make others truly happy in an unselfish way. When this happens only then can we make this world a little bit better, a safer place for us to live in. Isn’t this a worthwhile and wholesome philosophy to live by?
We all want to live the good life. Nobody wants to lead a miserable life. Our desire is to be happy. Happiness is the highest good that we can attain. For me, God is the “Summum Bonum “or the highest good to whom all absolute good, beauty, values and happiness are found. If we want to attain eternal happiness we have to make God the center of our life. This means living our life according to what God wills us to live. We have to live a simple life, spend less than what we earn, think constructively, cultivate a mental attitude of peace and goodwill, give generously and work with the right motives.
I may not be the most moral person I know but I am trying to be good in every way I can. God is there for us. He never forsakes us. I am a sinner by thought and by spirit but I never lose faith in Him who cares and loves us even from the start.
