Name: Alison A. Abantas
Score:
Year and Course: 1st year – BSMETE
Instructor: Sir Felix Responte
REFLECTION
Humans are unique individuals with distinct personalities, qualities, attitudes, values,
attributes, and abilities. In every aspect of life, we have differing viewpoints, opinions, and
perspectives. We all have different goals, ambitions, motivations, inspirations, and reasons for
striving, battling, and surviving in a world full with huge sufferings, challenges, and hurdles that
most of the time shattered us into pieces and left us hopeless but have eventually made us stronger,
greater, and better in achieving our aspirations. We were born with extraordinary purpose, we live
because of certain causes, and we are still inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide because
God has many plans for us, whether it is to become the person who makes our families' dreams
come true, to make changes for others, or to become the person who bears the torch of hope for
those who suffer greatly in the darkness of sorrows and pains. The question is, "Do we genuinely
know, who we truly are?"
It's undeniable that majority of us are having difficulty developing ourselves, finding our
purpose, and succeeding in life, because we don't know who we are at our core. We tend to follow
what others want for us, rather than choosing what we love; we listen to what others might say,
rather than listening to little voices within our hearts; and we allow ourselves to be affected by the
pressure, stress, and burdens imposed by others, since the fact that we don't know ourselves truly
is the immense force that push ourselves to follow, listen, and be affected by others. Some of us
are tired, some of us are still lost, some of us are uncertain of which path to take, some of us are
doubtful of their destination, and worst of all, some of us end their lives because we have forgotten
who we are, what we are, and what our purposes in this life are. We were terrified of
disappointments, failures, and regrets, which made us coward to take courageous risks of
knowing ourselves and pursue what we actually loved. We forget that recognizing who we truly
are is the most powerful weapon we can use in the war of our lives. Once we understand who we
are, we will never be dragged down by someone's humiliation and demeaning words.
"We can't give, what we don't have," a cliched quote that is extremely essential and
applicable in our lives, yet oftentimes disregard. We recognize that everyone of us has individual
traits and characteristics, and that we act, speak, and interact in distinctive ways. Having said that,
our diversity is both a blessing and a curse, as our diverse personalities provide excellent ideas and
skills that lead us into this progressive life, while also dividing us due to various cultures,
traditions, and viewpoints resulted in several conflicts that necessitate a great deal of
understanding, respect, love, and care in order for us to live in harmony. We must constantly
remind ourselves that we cannot respect, love, or care for others unless we first do it for ourselves.
We must first plant the seeds of compassion within our hearts before they bear fruit for others,
because before we can truly understand other people, we must first understand ourselves.
As discussed, personality is who we are, it’s how we act, react and respond to the world.
Then, how can we develop our personality if in the first place, we didn't know the person who we
are right now? How can we accomplish something if we don't know what we're aiming for? How
can we fully enjoy life if we are still imprisoned in the cage of identity crisis, and how can we
arrive at our dream destination if we have nowhere to go and no clear path to follow? This is why
recognizing ourselves is the most important thing in this world, because from the moment we know
ourselves deeply and sincerely, that's the time we are letting ourselves to be confident, unstoppable
and limitless in this cruel world. Finding meaning and direction in life begins with knowing
ourselves. Once we embrace ourselves, shame and denigration from others will be nothing,
impossible ambitions will be attainable, massive problems will be overcome, and our lives will be
filled with optimism and hope. People will always have doubts about us, they will question our
abilities, they will say hurtful words about our physical appearance, our clothes, our homes, and
our way of life, and this is both inevitable and irrelevant, what matters most is way we perceive
ourselves and how we value who we are and what we have. How we see the roaring lion inside a
kitten's heart.
We are invincible creatures with incredible talents, skills, and capacities; we can overcome
any challenges and survive all of life's most terrible trials if we fully identify who we are and
believe in ourselves. We are all aware that knowing oneself is one of the most difficult things in
life to fulfill since it requires time, experiences, and courage, but it is well worth the effort and risk
once you do. Knowing ourselves entails understanding our worth as well as the fact that we are
flawed, have defects, and make mistakes, and that this is what makes us special and extraordinary.
We should be reminded that true purpose, direction, wisdom, love, understanding, and happiness
come from knowing oneself and when we truly know our worth, no one can make us feel worthless.