ALIPING, ROCKY

BALLESTEROS, VAL
ENRIQUE, SIMOUN
GULLON, FRANZE
MARIANO, PAOLO

REACTION PAPER
(AFRICAN BODY MODIFICATION aka BEAUTY)

The video clip entitled African Body Modification aka Beauty features the culture
of the African tribes wherein they intentionally alter one’s physical appearance. Most
people know someone with body piercings or tattoos. In modern Western culture, these
are common forms of body modification. In the West, the process of body modification is
generally a matter of personal preference, but there are other cultures in which body
modification is expected or required to be part of society.
Upon watching the clip, we have seen a lot of expressions. The video showed how
the idea of beauty is different from culture to culture. The different body modifications
practiced by the tribes in Africa are not represented recreationally. They all have
meanings and a purpose behind them. It brings a sense of community in people’s lives.
These markings have historical meanings such as; what family a person belongs to,
adulthood, beauty, spiritual protection and many more. Symbolism is a key factor in
history when looking at body modification and those traits carry through today. A marking
may be made on an African child to tell the world they are a man and an athlete may
decide to get a tattoo of the Olympic symbol to show the world that they have taken part
in the event or won a medal. Some people wear tattoos in order to show off their
“manness”. This is the case in certain cultures where people especially men, build up
their bodies (muscles) or mark themselves with certain tattoos to show off their
masculinity.
Some Africans today may not know the actual ‘ritual’ of a certain body marking but
will choose to have their body marked to embrace culture. Patterns and formations have
been shown in African body modification. Every patterns and formations engraved in their
body has something to do with their life, community and the way they live. It has
something to offer and that is to see and accept the uniqueness and creativity within their
place. No matter how painful it is, for them, it's their joy and willingness to do that
transpires them to be as one in nature.
There are a wide variety of reasons that people choose to alter their appearance,
either temporarily or permanently. These reasons are generally culturally specific, which
means that what might seem extreme to you could be totally understandable in another
culture. As the saying goes “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, meaning that everything
is beautiful in its own way through the different perspectives of individuals. Self-
expression has been the source of strength of body modification to be able to showcase
how beautiful it is. Since body modifications have been indebted in their culture
throughout their history it has been a normal thing for them. What makes it beautiful is not
the body modifications itself but the uniqueness, their love for their culture and
togetherness in their belief, that made these traditions still alive until today.

People have been modifying their bodies for a variety of reasons for thousands of
years--reasons like aesthetic enhancement, spiritual enlightenment, signifying social
status, and marking major life milestones. In many ways although trends are altering and
the meanings of what we do are changing what may seem ‘new’ is actually not new it is
in fact something that has always been around it is just that we do not know of it to be
around anymore because either we cannot be bothered to educate ourselves and merely
society does not care.

So, when body modification is spoken of, we know it to be the altering of the human
body. Something strange and fascinating. We think of the man who is tattooed from head
to toe that maybe can’t get a job. A tyrant of society that wants attention. A person like
this could be considered outside of the norm. But most of us have being modified anything
from an ear piercing to dental braces and even circumcision is body modification.

Body mods are fabulous for so many reasons, but your reasons for getting
modified should be sound. You're more likely to end up with modifications you'll treasure
for life rather than regretting your choices or feeling worse about yourself later if you take
the time to plan out the body mods you get, get them for good reasons, and have
professional artists perform them.

From the video clip it is clear that whether you like it or not, it's in our blood. Our
ancestors immortalized it. And we see them on their children today. And so, we pay our
respects, preserve the culture and keep it extreme! Keep it real and keep loving,
everyone.

As a citizen of a certain nation, we are responsible to make actions to revive

vanished tradition native to our homeland. Knowledge and awareness about this tradition
is highly needed for us to be able to educate the future generations and encourage them
to continue this tradition for it is a part of our rich culture. It is about being enriched with
the knowledge of our diverse Filipino or other countries culture.
ALIPING, ROCKY
BALLESTEROS, VAL
ENRIQUE, SIMOUN
GULLON, FRANZE
MARIANO, PAOLO

REACTION PAPER

The video clip entitled “The Nature of Creativity and the Courage to Create”
showed the nature of the creative process, and explored the ideas on how to stimulate
creativity in order to live a more fulfilling life. People are being expressive in exploring
their thoughts and ideas in many ways. It can be expressed through composition of songs,
drawing, painting, dancing, singing, writing literary works and many others. Doing these
activities make them comfortable and at ease. Deeper than that, creative thinking is being
used when we think critically and imaginatively. It is a need, and not a necessity.
“Creativity is more than just being different. Anybody can plan weird; that's easy. What's
hard is to be as simple as Bach. Making the simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity”
– Charles Mingus
Creativity is something that many look beyond and don't even think of as
something of importance in the world of business, or in the nature of the success you
build for yourself. Creativity is one of the greatest qualities any of us can be blessed with,
yet many never allow their true creativity to be expressed. Being creative, you are able to
impart new things, new figures, new patterns and new outcomes to other people that
makes them believe that creating a simple thing can change the whole world. being
creative, you are able to surpassed trials and problems in life. Having a creative thinking
helps you fight dilemma in decision making and allows you to see certain situations that
can enhanced your integrity and formative action regarding case to case scenario. Lastly,
being creative you are capable of creating an image to other people. this should be done
according to our own perspective in life. We should show mercy and compassion as a
creative action to other people.in that way, we are creating an image full of passion,
dedication, and willingness to fight and to do what is best among us.
While deterring the majority of individuals from cultivating their creativeness,
creative individuals are those with the courage to proceed and the strength to overcome
resistance, in spite of their self-doubt. Being creative individuals also display a remarkable
ability to not only tolerate ambiguity and anxiety, but to accept and even embrace it. One
of the foremost authorities on the psychology of creativity in the 20th century, Frank
Barron, designed an experiment which displayed the extraordinary ability of creative
individuals to embrace uncertainty, chaos, and anxiety. The conclusion of this experiment,
that creative individuals prefer ambiguity and chaos to order and symmetry, validates an
age-old idea. When things are too stable and rigid, there is no room for creativity.
For many today cultivating one’s creativity is seen as a luxury, or a hobby one
engages in during one’s spare time. This is unfortunate for two reasons. Firstly, as
Abraham Maslow believed, developing a deep creative capacity is necessary to achieve
genuine psychological health. And secondly, as noted by Robert Greene, engaging in
creative work is one of the most pleasurable and satisfying endeavors possible for human
beings.
Without creativity there would be no innovation. We would continue to be cavemen.
You are blessed with creativity. It can be in any industry, so go out there and don't be
afraid to show it to the world. The saddest thing in the world is a wasted talent. Don't be
just that. Live up to your potential.
Let’s create a creation story that can be creative in the eyes of others and upholds
creativity all throughout our life. As Robert Green said, “We are all in search of feeling
more connected to reality…We indulge in drugs or alcohol, or engage in dangerous sports
or risky behavior, just to wake ourselves up from the sleep of our daily existence and feel
a heightened sense of connection to reality. In the end, however, the most satisfying and
powerful way to feel this connection is through creative activity. Engaged in the creative
process we feel more alive than ever, because we are making something and not merely
consuming, masters of the small reality we create.”