Name: Villacarlos, Richell Ann S.

Philosophy 101 8:30-9:30

BSMT- 1B 24 November 2019

Existing Rules in our Society that Contribute to the Development of Self:

1. Learn to respect others.
This rule acknowledges the reality that humans are social beings. Most of us were taught
to respect elders as well as other people regardless of their age and social status. A simple
example of this is when students practiced cleaning their classroom before going home.
During my elementary and high school days, we were taught that even though there is a
school janitor that would clean our classroom and even though we paid for it, students
still need to leave the classroom clean. Most of us do it because our teachers directed us
to do so. But as we get older, cleaning had become a habit. It is a form of respect as well
as a help for the school janitors. We helped them through lessening the burden of their
work but in the process of doing so we developed discipline in maintaining the
cleanliness and order in our surroundings. We learned to respect and value what other
people does for us. We realized the importance of their profession, their sacrifices and
struggles and we developed respect for them.

2. Remember to give back.

This is a famous Filipino traditional rule. People should learn to give back from all the
opportunities and blessings that they receive. Successful people or even ordinary ones
share as much as they can. It could be in the form of material things or in lending their
service to others. It is not necessary to use wealth to give back. For instance, people in
our island had acquired stable jobs to support their family because of the tourists that visit
it because of the beauty of our beaches. Though the income on working in the tourism
industry is not that much but it is a huge help for unemployed individuals in the island.
To give back, they maintain the cleanliness of the island. They take care of the sea and
clean the shore through picking up plastic wastes left by the visitors. People owe their job
to the environment and therefore to give back they make sure that it is well protected and
taken care of. Some people do it through sponsoring charities and foundations. Some
provide free education to students from poor families. There could be a lot of ways to
give back. But the importance and the real impact of this rule and practice is that it
teaches people to appreciate what they have; to learn to value things that are given to
them. Lastly, this develops their sense of gratitude towards others.

3. Abiding to the laws of the country. Following the law and respecting those who enforce
it.
As a citizen of a country, there are rules that one should abide. There are traffic laws and
laws to protect both the interest of the citizen and the country. Common example is
abiding to traffic rules, a pedestrian should never cross on red light and they could only
cross in pedestrian lanes. But most of the pedestrian neglect these laws. They cross
wherever and whenever they want. Rules are there to protect people in case of accidents
through the negligence of motorist however it is not the fault of the motorist if a
pedestrian get accident in roads because of failure to conform on traffic rules. The
relevance of this rule in self improvement is that it teaches people to be patient and
disciplined. People must wait for the traffic light to turn green for them to cross the street.
People would learn discipline through walking a bit more to cross in the right lane. This
would improve not just their sense of citizenship but also their way of living.

4. Be open and honest.

A common saying “Honesty is the best policy.” can be applied to any aspect of life. Our
religion and moral teachings taught us that honesty should always be practiced anywhere.
We should also be open to people’s ideas and learn to accept that we all have different
ways on how we perceive things. Example of this rule is having a contradictory view in
terms of religion. People always had the urge to speak what is in our mind. I attended a
Catholic School run by Augustinian nuns during my high school years and I had a
classmate who has a different religion. Theology is part of our subject in senior high
Name: Villacarlos, Richell Ann S. Philosophy 101 8:30-9:30
BSMT- 1B 24 November 2019

school and we often discuss about God. Given my Catholic upbringing I had different
opinions when it comes to what I consider God and in practices of religion, during
discussion we often argue on religious matter. But what I observed is that the more we
express our thoughts and the more we hear out what the other has to say, the more we
learn and understand. It is just a matter of acceptance that not all people has the same
view as yours. Being able to express yourself honestly and hearing people out would help
you widen your perspective and contribute to your learning in life. But we must always
remember that we must examine our thoughts before saying them out loud.

5. Arrive on school on time.

There is a class schedule for a reason. Students are expected to follow this schedule for
this classes to organize their learning as well as the academic institution. Students should
be in school before the first bell rang and they should come to school equipped with their
papers, pens, notebooks, books, assignments and activities. My first class starts at 7:30 in
the morning and for me not to be late I had to wake up at 4 in the morning. That seems
early for someone who lives three minutes from school. I could wake up at 6:30 or 7:00
in the morning and I could still arrived in school on time. The reason for that is that it
does not always happen that you lived a walking distance from school or work. So, I had
to discipline my body to wake up at that specific time for me to get used to it and not be
late even if I live kilometers from my school or workplace. Class schedule is also a way
to teach students on the value of time and improve their discipline. It is not only a way to
organize learning but also to impart another lesson for them to absorb.

Existing Rules in our Society that Constraints the Development of Self:

1. Women should submit themselves to the patriarchal paradigm.

Gender stereotyping is common even in these modern times. Women receive lower
salaries than men even if they work in the same industries. In terms of physical
capability, men are stronger than women however this should not be a reason to
discriminate women in the society. The most evident example is that women should
stay at home to tend on the needs of her family. Women, nowadays, are educated and
trained to develop and improve their skills. But they have to give up the years of hard
work and studies to conform to this social rule that women should provide care for
their husband and kids. Building a career on their own would hinder on their
responsibilities as a wife and a mother. This rule had been based on some traditional
rules and it deter the development and improvement of women as women, not as a
mother or a wife. Men are given more opportunities than women when in fact, if both
are given the same privilege women could be more than men.

2. Staying with your family.

Family is an important part of the life of every Filipino. But being with your family
could hinder your development as a person. Example is when people refuse to study
in a prestigious school in the city because it is far from the comforts of their home
and family. They would lose the opportunity to improve themselves and learn new
things. It, thus, deter the development of themselves. Although family is important
but sometimes we have to sacrifice being away from them to improve ourselves in
order to provide a better life for them. We, Filipinos, had always love the comfort of
home and the happiness that being with our family. We value family as much as we
value ourselves. But this must not stop us in developing our potentials and
discovering our self.
Name: Villacarlos, Richell Ann S. Philosophy 101 8:30-9:30
BSMT- 1B 24 November 2019

3. People should consider what other people think.

This is a common rule nowadays. People living up based on the standards set by the
society. It limits the possibility of growth in a person when he or she has to always
think of blending in and doing what others does because of the fear of discrimination.
People in the society has a toxic trait on discriminating people because they are
different and does not conform to the social standard of what is proper. Example is
when someone want to dress differently from others as a form of self-expression.
Being seen outside wearing peculiar clothes would cause people to disapprove you
given that your sense of fashion does not align to what they considered “normal”.
This limits our creativity and stops us from exploring things to know and discover our
true self. Societal expectation sometimes gives us the reason to give up what we truly
want just to live a mediocre life just like everyone else.

4. Taking the safe option.

Failure and mistakes always linger in people’s thoughts. It is what they often
remember despite the numerous achievement that a person has. This force people to
give up their dreams because of the risk of failing in pursuing it. A common situation
where this occurs is in choosing which career path that a student must take. Having a
passion on Science he or she may decide to take up a medical course. But the risk of
failing a subject because of the amount of academic commitment that the course
require is high. So, a student decided to take an easier course which he or she is sure
not to fail. A student may succeed in that easier career path, but he failed to uncover
his true potential and practice his passion.

5. Follow the guidelines of religion.

Different religions have different beliefs and norms. Being religious and having a
religion is not bad, but letting it stop you in doing practical choices and decisions and
greatly influencing your views on other people is not good either. Teachings in some
religion made us view other believers as enemies or opposite than us. Those from
other religion are seen as a threat to us. However, this is not entirely the truth.
People’s belief is not seen as black and white. People tend to discriminate Muslims in
a community where most of the residents are Catholics. Sometimes our religion
hinders our development as a person. It made us view those different from us as an
enemy or inferior to us. This stops us from hearing them out and understanding them
as human with different beliefs from us. Oftentimes, our religion limits our
understanding on what is acceptable and not. It narrows down the truths that we must
accept and the people that we have to consider.