I like a lot of things. It is always a blazing desire and enjoyment for learning new and re-learning old ways of understanding things. No new idea is unattached to a preceding idea. It could be an improvement, enhancement, reaction, collaboration, contradiction, natural evolution or simply a differentiation. The continuous flux of ideas is always a constant amazement. Definitely, our minds can only take so much yet it always has enough continuums to accommodate further information. There is always room for one to learn, grow and gain wisdom. This makes us more alive and it makes life good and interesting to live.

Language for one is a very interesting topic to me. I am always fascinated by the diversity of human language. By language I meant not only a certain nation's language. I also mean the language one used as a result of one's orientation and interests in life. The diversity brings with it diversification of meanings. Interpretation is therefore impacted. However, this diversity is often the source of miscommunication or if not misinterpretation. In fact, even among those who speak the same language, agreement as to what is being communicated by the communicator with what is understood by the recipient and their interpretations as representations of both ends of the communication is often desirable. Nonetheless, as long as there is dialogue in whatever form, be it spoken or unspoken, verbal or written, visual or non-visual, there is always the possibility of communal convergence as assumptions are eroded paving for the crystallization of communal meaning.

Despite my absence in the academe “Philosophy” remains an exceptional interest. I always feel the pleasure in having a philosophical exchange not for the sake of it but for the challenge that goes with it and the eternal realization that I do not know much; that persons know not much. Yet this vacuum in us is filled by the presence in others. This is the joy of learning and gaining wisdom from what one learns brought about by the exchange. It is here that one world-view meets another and in so doing builds a community that triggers a personality transformation and consequently the world-view evolves. This personality is again thrown into this realm of communal interaction and the whole process goes on. This process simply initiates development to a person's self whose self development initiates another self and so on. This movement may return to one's self but since the self has had its development, it re-encounters itself in this movement in a new and different platform.

The usually un-openness to “philosophy” of disinterested persons is extremely a puzzlement to me. Philosophy is usually stigmatized by certain individuals from boring, non-pragmatic life's tool to an exceedingly uncomfortable and mentally excruciating, which is, too intellectualized to understand and live a life. A more mundane and conventional option is considered by the disinterested as a more relaxed approach and enormously acceptable in a “normally ordinary” lived life. Philosophizing an ordinary human activity is normally looked at as “bloating the whole situation and is mentally unpalatable even to a hungry mind”. Mental metabolism is often considered more injurious than an actual physical work out. It is often looked at as having a cathartic effect consequently human comfort zones are disgruntled. Yet the very means of taking a choice of action among the many possibilities is in itself a philosophy. Philosophy indeed is a tool in life that allowed everyone to take a certain course of action.

The “pragmatism” of philosophy – I do not mean Pragmatism as a school of thought - in life is a very rich resource of dialogue. Oftentimes, the dialogue appears in an academic setting where the so-called “learned” expresses their intellectual dispensation to bring about a creative and erudite expository of a “demystified” idea. This evocation is oftentimes published in scholarly journals, either in a printed material or electronically posted in a website yet unless one belongs to the same clique, speak the same language, among those who are interested or just one of the “passersby” who for whatever reason chance upon the publication, the “philosophical interlocution in most instances floats within the bounds of its own confines. The seemingly disconnectedness of philosophy to the human life, despite its universal openness to life itself is an absolute fascination.

Another general wonder to me are the realities of human activities. The lessons learned in human encounters, my own encounters in particular, have always stirred my appetite to understand why things are, why men act the way they do, why I personally choose to act the way I did and a host of other issues brought about by these encounters. These encounters also allow me to make sure that both my feet are still on ground zero. It acts as a gravitational pull into the center of reality as I journey through this life.

“Seeing through…” would serve as an existential platform for these interests with the intent of encountering readers' interests. These encounters will be an opportunity to build communal convergence where consensus more than agreement is its living thread. The format would be more anecdotal sometimes immersed with fictional narratives (ensuring though that the concept is based on real-life events) being introduced from time to time. The emergence of open source information should also allow us to open up avenues where classical and post modern thoughts could converge and traverse boundaries. The encounters need not be in the realms of the strictly intellectualized discipline. It will NOT be a travesty of philosophical tradition. The platform will simply be an encounter where, perhaps, philosophy could play with a modest use of intuition and common sense. There will be no distinct theme as life itself could not be contained in one container. Nonetheless, the writings will itself take its own direction to forming a “web of thoughts” where a certain thread could be visible but remaining part and parcel of the whole.

The things that are shared in the encounters, infinitesimal it may be, are still immensely more than nothing.

Peter V. Garalde obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy at the University of Santo Tomas. He was previously the Secretary of the Philosophical Association of Philippines (PAP), Inc. (1995-2000) and remains a member to date.

Currently, he works in Saudi Arabia as a technical writer and a workshop facilitator. He is also one of the trained wellness instructors in the company where he works. Prior to this, he taught philosophy at Centro Escolar University, FEU-FERN College, St. Scholastica's College and Colegio De San Lorenzo all in the Philippines. His paradigm shift to the corporate world though did not prevent him from practicing his love for philosophy and teaching by doing catechetical service in the parish on weekends. He has a natural interest in active learning and proactive sharing of learned life experiences. This yearning for shared life experiences has been communicated when he was invited to do presentations and lectures on varied topics to diverse audience. He has started to blog his ideas and this column is a gear shift to the next level. He could be reached at pgaralde@yahoo.com.