Chapter 5

TOWARDS
BEING
HUMAN
INTRODUCTION TO VALUES
EDUCATION
 LYKA MARCELO

What Does it Mean to Be a Man?

After discussing the philosophy of man,
one may still insist on asking: “What does it
mean to be a man?” “What is really the
nature of man?” “What does it mean to be a
person?”
As the saying goes, “Madali ang
maging tao; mahirap magpakatao.”
In what sense does our being a man
consist of? How does man unfold himself into
the world?
 LYKA MARCELO

Ramon Tagle, Jr., beautifully describes

this in his book Towards Becoming a Man for
Others. He describes a man to be a:
1. Being-in-the-world;
2. Being-at-the-world;
3. Being-through-others;
4. Being-with-others;
5. Being-for-others;
6. Self-project;
7. Being-unto-death; and
8. Being-unto-god;
 LYKA MARCELO

By nature, man is a worldly being:

he cannot be conceived and be born;
he cannot live and die, except in the
world he lives in. His existence is
attuned to the world. His whole body is
so designed so he can exist in this
world. Every part of his body has a
purpose in the world. His body is
subject to the laws of the world. He
needs sleep since there is a night. And
he needs to be awake since there is
daytime.
 LYKA MARCELO

Man has to relate himself to his

body. As implied by Gabriel Marcel,
there is some distance between him
and his body. However, there is also
some kind of intimacy or identity
between him and his body.
 LYKA MARCELO

Man is not merely his body for he is spirit

as well. He is more than his body. If man is not
his body and if he does not strictly have his
body, how is the relationship possible?

According to Marcel, the relationship is

somewhere “in between”, i.e., having his
body, and being his body; the mysterious
relationship that he refers to.

From this, we can say: Man is not his

body. He is somebody. Man is not a thing; he
is someone.
 CAROLYN SERNA

Man as a Being-at-the-World
Man’s existence is not a passive
existence in the world. He is being at the
world. He does not only live in the world. He is
an actor, adding his labors to the world. There
is an essential dialogue between him and the
world. He leaves his accomplishments
(footprints) in the world. He has the ability: (a)
to appreciate; (b) to work over the world; (c)
to transcend it; (d) to break through it.
 CAROLYN SERNA

Man exists as a being at work in the

world. And the world becomes the fruit of his
labors.
Man’s most basic tool as a being-at-
the-world is his inner self: his conscious mind,
his subconscious mind, his inmost thoughts
and his inmost feelings. His consciousness
enables him to rise above the world and
transcends it. His consciousness comprises his
consciousness of the outer world and of his
inner self.
 CAROLYN SERNA

Man’s brain reveals the working of his

inner self. The human brain is made up of
three parts: the right brain, the left brain, and
the forebrain.
 CAROLYN SERNA

1. The left brain is the logical brain in man. It

controls the right side of the body. It is the seat
of consciousness about his external
environment.
2. The right brain of man controls the left part of
his body. It is responsible for man’s intuitive
powers of perception of things in the external
world and of matters relative to his inner self.
Through it, man is able to perform extra-
sensory perceptions. It is responsible for
insights.
3. The man’s forebrain. It sets the brain through
which man’s conscious power decides which
brain to use. Here is the power of man to run
his own life consciously.
 GENNETH CATALAN

Man as a Being-Through-Others
Man is a being-through-others. It is
“these others” that brought him into existence
and maintains his early existence as a being-
in-the-world.
It is a fact that man has to live nine
months in the womb of his mother, before he
is “thrown” into the outside world. Outside, he
needs the continuous loving care, attention
and perfection of his mother and father. He
seems to be the most helpless being.
 GENNETH CATALAN

The first few years of man’s life are very

important. This is the period when he
assimilates many things, summed up in what is
called culture.
Man is a being through others. He
cannot grow up; he cannot work completely
and efficiently except through others. His
sickness, his recovery, his work, and even his
death will become meaningful only when
considered in reference to others like him.
 LEOVELYN TOLENADA

Man as a Being-With-Others
Man’s being through others point to
another attribute — his sociability. His being a
being-with-others. This is what is referred to
also as the gregariousness of man. No man
can ever be regarded as an island. He has to
live with others.
 LEOVELYN TOLENADA

The various needs of man point to his

social nature. Psychologists emphasize man’s
three A’s as his major needs:

o Attention,
o Affection, and
o Acceptance.

However, every individual has a

hierarchy of needs, as given by Abraham
Maslow, which should be met through and
with others if he is to develop humanly.
 LEOVELYN TOLENADA

1. Physiological or physical needs.

These are the primary needs of

individuals such as hunger, thirst, and sex.
They consist the basic needs of man. The
more an individual feels his physical needs as
satisfied, the less important they become as
sources of motivation. The needs only
motivate people when they are found
lacking to some degree.
 LEOVELYN TOLENADA

2. Safety needs.

These needs include freedom from

threat, protection from physical harm, and
security of surroundings. They refer to the
drive of an individual to protect himself from
a variety of dangers or risks.
 LEOVELYN TOLENADA

3. Social needs.

These refer to the needs to love and

belong. They refer to the way individuals act
or behave with the other members of their
group.
 LEOVELYN TOLENADA

4. Esteem needs.

These needs include self-respect,

respect for others, recognition, self-
confidence, and prestige. People generally
like to feel important. These needs refer to
people’s drive towards proving value, both to
themselves and to the rest of the group.
Esteem needs may be identified into two:
 LEOVELYN TOLENADA

a) Self-esteem – a person’s feelings of his/her

own worth based on knowing one’s
importance, abilities, knowledge, and
achievements. High self esteem provides
an individual with a great amount of self-
respect and self-confidence, and
desirable qualities for a productive
employee;
 LEOVELYN TOLENADA

b) The esteem of others – being recognized

and appreciated as a person, respected
and considered important by others.
Once a position of status or prestige is
achieved, an individual is normally
motivated to work hard in order to
remain there.
 LEOVELYN TOLENADA

5. Self-actualization.

This is also known as the need for self-

fulfillment and self-realization. It involves
maximizing one’s abilities, skills and potentials
to fulfill one’s goal. According to Maslow, the
highest level of needs concerns a person’s
attempt to be totally satisfied with oneself.
This would mean that he individual
adequately satisfied the physical safety,
social, and esteem needs could fulfill any
needs that still remain unsatisfied.
 LEOVELYN TOLENADA

Man as a Being-for-Himself
Love for oneself is a prerequisite to
loving others. As the saying goes “Charity
begins at home;” however it should not stop
there. It must extend to others since man is
also a being for others.
As described by philosophers, man is
just “thrown” into the realities of the world. He
is “inserted” into time and space, because
certain things have been determined for
man. This leaves him free to determine other
things for himself.
 LEOVELYN TOLENADA

It is in this sense that the “looking glass

theory” applies. According to Charles
Cooley, every man learns to identify from and
through the eyes of others, starting with the
members of the family in which he was born.
Through his parents’ affirmation, one learns his
identity as a son. Due to this siblings’
affirmation, he learns his identity within the
brotherhood of mankind. And through his
own family — togetherness. He learns that his
family is different from other families although
they belong to the same culture. Man learns
his ”I” through the “You” of others around
him. It is through the affirmation of others that
man develops into a wholesome person.
 LEOVELYN TOLENADA

In this sense, man takes the different

institutions as a human other. To man, there is
whole network of relationships; the
neighborhood, peer or play group,
educational institution, the church or religious
organizations, work group, etc. These
institutions also play the role of the affirming
man.
Though man’s development depends
on the affirmation of others, he is also a self-
project. Man is an immensity of possibilities
waiting to be realized. He has to develop his
SELF-IMAGE.
 SOPHIA TRANSFIGURACION

Man as Being-for-Others
One of the basic needs of man is the
need to love and be loved. However, the
common orientation at present is not to be
for others, but for oneself.
How, then, can man become a man for
others? And not merely a man for himself?
Man is considered a being with others, he
enjoys equality with others, and vice versa.
Every human being is, therefore, equally
“love-able.” They are equally an end, not
means.
 SOPHIA TRANSFIGURACION

The first and ultimate expression of

man’s being for others is LOVE. When
God in the person of Jesus gave the
greatest commandments, he said: “Love
God above all things and love your
neighbor as you love yourself.” Although
charity really begins at home, it should
not stop there; it must be extended to
others.
 SOPHIA TRANSFIGURACION

Love is, therefore, the call of the hour.

Robert H. Schuller, in his book Be Happy You
are Loved, outlines a series of reminders to
people. He says:
1. Even if you have lost everything —
someone, somewhere needs your love.
2. Even if you have failed in love —
someone, somewhere, can give you the
courage to try again.
3. Even if you have failed in life — someone,
somewhere, cares.
4. Even if you are ridiculed and rejected —
someone, somewhere, accepts you.
 SOPHIA TRANSFIGURACION

5. Even if life has been unfair to you —

someone, somewhere, needs you the
way you are.
6. Even if you are poor — someone,
somewhere, will treasure you.
7. Even if you are trapped — someone,
somewhere, can liberate you with love.
8. Even if you are grief-stricken — someone,
somewhere, can fill the void.
9. Even if you are dying — someone,
somewhere, loves you forever.
 SOPHIA TRANSFIGURACION

Let us consider the following as the

elements of love:

1. Knowledge of the person. It is

impossible for anyone to love someone
he does not know. What is needed is
not so much the external qualities that
the person possesses. It is more of the
other qualities of the person, e.g., his
strengths and weaknesses of
character, his INNER self.
 SOPHIA TRANSFIGURACION

2. Faith or trust in the person. Trust in the

other person is needed. And this is
what is referred to as the “risk” in the
process of living. Any person who is in
love is willing to take this “risk,” or what
others describe to be a “reasonable
risk.”
 SOPHIA TRANSFIGURACION

3. Hope. This element is needed although

one knows the possibility of his love being
betrayed or disappointed. There must be
hope that this would never happen. In
addition, while the principal motive in
loving should be the good or welfare of
the person loved, genuine love cannot
be completely selfless.
 SOPHIA TRANSFIGURACION

4. Care/concern for the good of the other.

While it is true that a man is not capable
of completely showing selfless love, he is,
however, capable of making the person
of the beloved the motive for his love.
Genuine love cannot be otherwise. In
other words, the true love says:
“I love you because you are you, and
not because of what you can give me.” or “I
need you because I love you.” or “ I love you
because I need you.”
 SOPHIA TRANSFIGURACION

5. And this bring us to the fifth requisite for

genuine love — respect. It is because of
respect that a person who loves is able to
be truly responsive to the person loved.

6. Responsibility. This should not be equated

with duties but should be more correlated
with maturity which requires the giving of
the proper responses to persons, things,
and situations.
 SOPHIA TRANSFIGURACION

Love means co-existence. As the

song goes, “Love is a many
splendored thing.” The first phase of
physical attraction may be easy, but
the inner core of love is harder to
reach.
 SOPHIA TRANSFIGURACION

The second aspect of man’s being for

others is justice and law. Justice is a mode of
being-for-others.
As discussed earlier, human existence is
co-existence. And justice brings it about and
sustains it. Justice compels a man not to take
away from another what belongs to the
latter. Love, on the other hand, invites him to
give to the other what belongs to him (the
lover).
 SOPHIA TRANSFIGURACION

Love demands that he (the lover) must

not be one to devour the other (the
beloved). If a man cannot truly promote the
welfare of another, he must at least not
impede his growth.
This simply means that justice is really
the minimum requirements of love. Although
love (or charity) is, objectively speaking, a
greater virtue than justice, it must be stressed
that there can be no genuine love and
charity where there is no justice. Love without
justice is fake.
 GENNETH CATALAN

Man as a Being-Unto-God
Man has different beliefs and
convictions about his existence. To any
Christian, man is a being-unto-God. The
following are some of the convictions any
Christian possesses along this.
 GENNETH CATALAN

The dream of the Father in man is

beautiful. When Paul writes that “even
before man was born, man has been
destined to be in union with the Father
through Christ Jesus,” he was expressing the
greatest love that man has to experience.
However, man, given the freedom of choice,
can make choices based on what he thinks
is appropriate for him.
 GENNETH CATALAN

Man can grow in his faith in God

through various ways: through fellowship with
fellow Christians and believers, prayer, Bible
study, small prayer cell, retreats, etc.
including personal covenant with the Lord,
family encounter, community immersion,
evangelization, etc.
 GENNETH CATALAN

Man has been created with a

wonderful purpose. His Creator has a
meaningful plan for him. He is the dream of
the Father. As Paul writes:

“Even before the world was made, God

had already chosen us to be His through our
union with Christ; so that we would be holy
and without fault before him.”
Eph. 1:4.
 GENNETH CATALAN

And because of God’s love for man,

He has become man suffered and died, and
rose again. As John writes:

“For God so loved the world that He

gave His Only begotten Son that whosoever
believeth in Him shall not perish but have an
everlasting life.”
John 3:16.
 GENNETH CATALAN

Man has four-fold relationships in his life:

(1) to the things in this world; (2) to family,
group and country and to the structures of
these groups; (3) to others, his fellowmen
(kapwa); and (4) to God which was made
possible through Jesus Christ, who says: “I am
the way, the truth, and the life, no one goes
to the Father except by Me.” (John 14:6.)
 GENNETH CATALAN

The coming of the Holy Spirit will make

the process of transformation possible in
man. It is said:

“And when the Holy Spirit shall come

upon you, you will be filled with power…”
Acts 1:8.
 LYKA MARCELO

Man as a Being-for-Others,
and a Being-for-God

Philosophers say that “man was

thrown” into this world. Psychologists claim
that man is born in a state of insecurity.
Sociologists argue that people tend to bind
together because of the insecurity in their
environment. Theologians say that man lives
in a fallen state, but has been redeemed.
 LYKA MARCELO

Because of this, there is a certain

insecurity which leads to self-centeredness in
man. However, man learns to live with others
and recognize their presence in the
environment. He also has learned to relate to
the world of things, and to the world of
persons. And to him, this is truly an enriching
experience, a beautiful encounter.
 LYKA MARCELO

Man learns that he is on earth — on a

pilgrimage. His end is to go back home to the
Father through Jesus Christ. And he learns
that the only way to go back home to Father
is by first experiencing becoming a man-for-
others as Jesus Christ exemplified.