What have you created lately?

For some time now, in my philosophy of ethics class, we are talking about creativity and its importance in creating ethics and virtues. We all know (if you dont, too bad. :P) that most things or seemingly inherent characteristics in life and in the world are constructed. Like culture, it is more of a social construct than an inherent manifestation of groups of people with the same skin color and or heritage. Anthropologists will say that it is more of geographical location than anything else. Politicians and sociologists will argue that it is something elites or influential people decisively or unconsciously do to uphold or destroy a certain norm. Being familial and hospitable of Filipinos is one example of this. Once when life was about territory, super beings (as in "Malakas" at "Maganda"), deity and battles, bayanihan was something needed for without much protection from the elements, Humans need to flock in order to survive. I believe, even without research (ha!) this was true in all places. Nomads, i think what we call them. However, after industrialization, states, social contracts or in other words change happen, all of the people in the world had a strong sense of bayanihan. Then why is it that we filipinos take pride on making it our own? Yes, truth maybe is that we exude the bayanihan spirit more than other groups of people.

really, Why?

I believe it is because even with change, we are all still threatened. Nearly being introduced to world trade and capitalism, the Spaniards conquered us. there was massive terror and social groups created that called for bayanihan spirit. the KKK (something, something something. :D) is an example of that, a group of people, now recognized as non-peasant group was a call for bayanihan. I dont want to go into full details, but then we had Americans and Japanese to delineate distinctions which then created more "in and out" groups. Of course then there was the dictatorship. Bayanihan was promoted, enforced and highly encouraged by groups of people, it was created because it was, in their opinion, needed.

So what am i saying?... what am i saying?!

Creation is a big part of humans. We are after all co-creators. In ethics, berdyaev will reinterate that it is through creativity or creativeness do one transform life. That from the problems of pharisiastic law to [real] ethics or good.

In a family, certain values are built because it was decided upon intentionally or not. Take for example in my family, my dad wanted super people. :) athletes but smart children. He wanted the world to know that we are special and he brags about us often. This was his decision and manifested into afternoons and nights of training, dinner discussions in english, drinking raw eggs and devouring huge pieces of red meat to build my body up. It wasnt horrible, but most probably different from how you grew up which was the decision of your parents. You became you because of them. Not only but mostly.

Think about this then. What have you created lately?

a bunch of atheist
a group who found pleasure in showing their sexuality
a depressed child
goodness?

PASSION

is passion created or inherent?

i took History of Southeast Asia and one of the main thesis that we looked at is how a country's National Identity is created as oppose to how it is portrayed as inherent. Inherent in the sense that as if the country's "identity" existed since time immemorial.

so now that i am froth with procrastination, since it is supposed to be my summer vacation... i am trying to figure out if "passion" is inherent or created. if it is inherent, we should look for it. if it is not there then it does not exist and will never exist. if it is created, we can make ourselves feel it... maybe not now, but in time...

so is it created?

the definition of passion in the encarta dictionary is...

pas·sion

pas·sion [pásh’n]
n (plural pas·sions)
1. intense emotion: intense or overpowering emotion such as love, joy, hatred, or anger
Try and play it with a little more passion.

2. strong sexual desire: strong sexual desire and excitement

3. outburst of emotion: a sudden outburst of an emotion such as rage, hatred, or jealousy
He flew into a passion.

4. intense enthusiasm for something: a keen interest in a particular subject or activity
a passion for music

5. object of enthusiasm: the object of somebody’s intense interest or enthusiasm
Orchids are my passion.

Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

for the purposes of this discussion, im talking about the definition that is highlighted...

lets say passion for music.

a lot of people whether they can sing, play an instrument or not expresses their passion for music by creating music of spending ridiculous amount of time listening to music. these people, did they like music just like that or their experiences and their effort in finding the right type of music inspired their passion?

there is a girl i know who loves music because music gave her the strength to move on from past hurts. i on the other hand is thankful for movies and tv shows that showed me hope and just released inescapable truths that is bottling inside of me. so in that regard, i can say i am passionate more about movies than i am with music. but if i had a radio than a tv at my room, things maybe different right? since it is because i have my own tv at my room that allowed me to spend ridiculous amount of time watching tv...

same goes for those people who does not have cable tv, they get to appreciate local shows. or those who dont have a tv, they get to do nothing but study and get better at school.

hmm...

so is it inherent?

if i just spend more time on my computer doing my work as oppose to lying on my bed, waiting for inspiration or passion for what i need to do.. would it work the same way?

thats my real dilemma... i need to do stuff, i dont really want to do... as of this moment.