second meeting.

Our professor asked us to read, Primary and Secondary Reflection: An Existential

Fulcrum by Gabriel Marcel, who is an existentialist but still believes in God. An existentialist is the one
who looks for a reason in his existence. He really wrote a very deep analysis of what he thinks of a
person’s reflection. He also divided it into different levels so as to explain each and every detail and gave
an example for each.

Based from what my professor discussed, I have learned that reflection is when you give attention to
something because it is important or worth thinking about. There are two kinds of reflection, the
primary and the secondary reflection. The primary reflection is defined as a break or pause from the
ordinary routine that a person does. Which in effect the person dislocates his/herself, feels uneasy and
could even lead to a loss of sanity. The secondary reflection is when you realize something from that
experience in the primary reflection.

For example I am used to hanging out with a special someone almost everyday of the week. Then
suddenly we broke up and are not able to see each other again in the coming days. My primary
reflection is that we were not able to see each other again like we used to. My secondary reflection is
that I have realized that I miss that person so much and that we will not be able to talk to each other
again, hang out most of the time and things will not be the same again as the way it used to be. This
reflection is in the external level in which I did not realize that person’s importance until the person was
gone.

Another example is when I used to think that I could never really act in front of a crowd and I hated role-
plays in my class. But one time we had this project and it is a role-play to be presented to our class and a
few from the other sections. I was able to play three different main characters for each scene and I was
able to make them laugh so our professor even asked our group to perform again to a larger crowd and
we did so. The primary reflection is when I participated in a role-play in which I hated at first and the
secondary reflection is when I realized that I could do such a thing. This is the inner level in which it tells
us that we don’t fully know ourselves that much and we could do things that we were not really
expecting that we could do.

The third example is when I have a very close friend who has a strong personality and that she is the
kind of person who does not smoke and drink and cannot be easily influenced by bad company. Then
one day I saw her with the company of her bad influence friends and told me that she is already smoking
and drinking. The primary reflection is that she is already smoking and drinking. The secondary reflection
is that I am not used to see her that way but still she is my friend. This level is the philosophical level in
which we should not judge others and we have to look at our own faults first before finding the fault in
others.

We also discussed the difference between existing and living. That a person could say he exists for the
purpose that he is breathing. But a person could say he lives when he finds meaning in his life and a
reason for him to exist. Like when I say I do exist because I am born, considered a citizen of this country
and people could see me. But when I say I am living, I could say that I live for my family since they are
the reason why I am able to face all the trials that come my way.