#caslib

DISCLAIMER: This note and all the notes I will be posting in the future are all based on fiction and imagination. Any resemblance to real persons or things is purely coincidental. Enjoy!

“We started calling each other best friends.” – Letters to my Dream ni Addie Paraso

I believe fate had played its role into my life when I took Philo 10. I think me and Philo 10 were destined to each other. We were really meant to be. Why so?  Let me tell you my pre-Philo10 experience.

When I was about to pre-enlist my desired classes for the second semester, Philo 10 wasn’t actually one of the many courses I was planning to take. I didn’t even put it in my first run of enlistment, because I was afraid of Philosophy. I don’t really know why. Perhaps I was afraid to think about life, and rethink my whole existence and then have regrets after, the usual scaredy-cat alibis.

The results came, and a sudden horror struck me. I only got 12 units granted and as a freshie, I panicked. I wasn’t prepared to wait in long lines during prerogs, to be in a Hunger Games battle with people who also had the same fate as me, and to get a subject I don’t really have interest in. Fortunately, at the second shot of getting subjects, I saw an opportunity in this specific class, there were two slots remaining, and I thought ‘Hey, maybe I could get this one. And besides, I heard a few good feedbacks about the prof.’ I admit, I did choose the subject just to fill my remaining subjects, avoiding being ‘underload’ for the sem. Luckily, I found myself enlisted into a 4 to 5:30 PM class. Unfortunately, the class was Philosophy. The class I feared the most.

I, as a curious freshie who’s afraid of everything, researched about the professor, the subject and how was it handled. I also interviewed people who had taken the course. I also asked a close friend of mine about the subject. She said it was worth taking. I asked about the prof. She paused, thought about it for quite a long time, which got me worrying. What did that pause mean? Was she speechless about how good the prof was? Or was she having a hard time trying to find nice things to say about the prof, which I hoped was not the case. Then she looked at me in the eyes and said “At first he seems strict, but once you get to him, he’s fun.” What relief! This got my excitement heightened exponentially. “But I only got 3 in his exam.” And it died down immediately.

In the first day of class, I gave my attention to the prof straightaway. He seems nice. He’s cute, I mean, he’s not repulsive to look at and he seems chill. I felt comfortable with him at the first sight. When he started talking, I felt welcomed in the class. When he explained about what to expect however, I felt like, I wanted to escape. I thought to myself, what have I gotten myself into? The readings were almost 4 inches thick and I was deeply horrified. I’m not one who enjoys reading at all, though I still have hope with myself.

Despite having doubts, I found myself starting to read the required texts given to us. After I finished, I placed my first reading down and stared at nothing for quite a while. It then struck me. My whole life was a lie. I heard the universe laughing at me. I felt more stupid than I ever thought I already was. I felt too naive about the things going on around me. I was clueless. I was truly just a child. And that gave way to my whole devotion into learning new things in life through Philosophy. I know it would help me become a changed person, a better one. As expected, not that I’m too sure of myself, I did.

Learning about the philosophers and their works was just one of the things I got from Philo 10. The other things were new experiences and a new outlook in life, and a stronger faith in ideas I believed are true. It doesn't only end there.  I was also able to apply the most important thing Philosophy has taught me, to become happy with the company of friends. I learned how to value friendship so much, and I was also able to build new relationships with people I barely even know. My classmates, most especially, showed me the importance of having someone to turn to when problems come. It grew in our field trip. Yes, there’s a field trip in this Philosophy class! (It’s one of the best things in it too!) We learned teamwork, humility, and how to have fun. Furthermore, learning the aspects of Philosophy changed me as a person. I was able to open my eyes and see the world in a bigger picture. I evaluated my whole being, and started improving myself, through following the knowledge our professor and other classmates partook to the whole class. I finally learned how to let go of my insecurities, and accept myself as who I am, and not who others want me to be. I felt better as person. I became happy like I've never been happy in my whole life. I tried to teach myself how to love more and treasure every moment I spend with people I care most about.

Love, as what Aristotle and Plato had agreed about despite their differences in their Philosophies in life, was the ultimate something that would give us happiness throughout our whole existence. If we start living by it, and become satisfied with what it has given us, everything else would follow. We will find the meaning of life and why we should pursue keeping it whatever the cost. We will find ourselves living peacefully and harmoniously despite the challenges life is bound to offer us.

My whole Philo 10 experience was truly life changing. I learned a lot of things, including the acceptance of who I am, and the purpose I was given in my existence. I know I might sound cliche and cheesy, but that’s the whole truth. Philo 10 brought me a lot of new ideas and clarifications to the questions I’ve had in mind. It provided me the right kind of knowledge and ways to live life to the fullest. Also, it helped me understand the world I’m living in more, and the hows and whys of all the things I see around. It inspired me to think logically, and not to stay in my naive thinking which probably would get me lost forever.  

To end my experience, I would like to share a quote that inspired me:

“People must learn how to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” – Nelson Mandela

As I remember it, I enlisted in Philosophy 10 under Sir Caslib’s name due to a recommendation that I got from various internet websites. I was supposed to take Philosophy 11, thinking that logic would be an interesting topic but then, at the last day of pre-enlistment in the CRS, I changed it to Philosophy 10 because I read that, “it was one of the best.” And so, I got Philosophy 10 under Sir Caslib.

This experience taught me philosophy for the first time and dare I say, it truly exercised my capacity to think critically and to understand, speculate and philosophize on the different readings that were required in this course. It gave me a whole new set of knowledge on a different area of study. It was not something that you can get anywhere but rather, it is in the uniqueness of Sir Caslib. It taught me to think outside of my senses. It taught me to think logically and to find the truth, of what exists or if it really does. It taught me to look on a grander perspective of how I see the things that surround me, whether they are objects or imitations of the forms. I learned how to doubt the impressions that my senses transmit to my brain. This course also improved my patriotism as a Filipino with how we studied Filipino Philosophy and was even accompanied with an excursion in Antipolo, Laguna and Quezon. It was even an overnight field trip! I’m glad that I took this course because I think that it has provided me with the foundation needed in learning philosophy. It has given me the knowledge of different philosophers, ranging from Thrasymachus, to Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and down to Thomas Aquinas. I also learned about empiricism, utilitarianism, methodic doubt, imperatives, etc. These concepts made me think of how humans act based on whether they are utilizing or they have good will. These concepts may seem intimidating at first, but when learned, it wasn’t so hard after all. My brain was also exercised by how I thought of the meaning of my life. And lastly, I was amazed of how love was tackled in this course because it changed the way I define love. It was my first time reading chapters entitled, “Philosophy on Flirting” and “Hitting the Bars with Aristotle.” It was really a new set of information that I think I will never get anywhere else. I am truly amazed because I was even able to apply outside of class the things I learned. It affected the way I observe things that happen around. I think that this course made me a think like a philosopher, though not in a high degree as compared to the real philosophers but compared to how I think before I took Philosophy 10.

Also, it wasn’t only the knowledge that I got from this course but also the experiences and the friendships that I gained from my classmates. The field trip and the charity was a one of a kind experience that I think I won’t experience in any other classes of the university. If I will compare this class to the other classes that I took, I believe that the fun I had was best in this section. Sometimes, it seems as if I am more attached to my Philosophy 10 class than my block mates and it is probably because of the “nights” and days I had spent more with my WFU classmates. The way Sir Caslib teaches, speaks and cracks jokes is also one of the reasons why this course, even though mind blowing at first, is the most exciting experience so far in my university life. Sir Caslib stirred the creativity in our minds through the different presentations he required from us. The first thing that he tasked us to do was to dance a song that interpreted a topic on Philosophy. The next thing was to sing with songs from the Magic Sing that Sir Caslib brought. And then came the skits and other presentations. Those were also one of the reasons why the attachment with my Philosophy classmates were deeper than a usual GE class would have.

This experience makes me think of how lucky and blessed I am to receive such kind of course. Mid-semester, I was already recommending this class to my block mates and friends who are also in UP Diliman. And now that the semester is ending, I’ve thought that it would’ve also been better if my friends from the other universities would also have this kind of class. I wondered if in UST they are taught about Thomas Aquinas’ philosophy, maybe they are. Also, I felt lucky because my friends from DLSU doesn’t get to experience a class like this. It was a unique kind of feeling that I get in learning from this class and it really makes me want to encourage the people I know to take this kind of class.

Altogether, it was both the class, Sir Caslib himself and the teachings that he taught us which made my Philosophy 10 experience the best GE class experience. I am so thankful that I enlisted in this course. All the hard work in reading, highlighting and taking notes of the readings were worth it. All that I got from this course, the knowledge, experience, friendships, are all worth it. I will surely miss this kind of atmosphere that can exist only in Sir Caslib’s class. Thank you, Sir Caslib, for the philosophy journey that you triggered in me. 

Summer A.Y. 2012-2013 would have not been like this if not for a failing grade a year ago in Transport Phenomena. I probably would be having my on-the-job training in one of the pioneering companies in the field of Chemical Engineering. Even so, I probably would not be taking my summer classes if I did felt like staying at home and be bum from watching movies and television series. Instead, I chose to have summer classes and patiently waited at the Philosophy Department for that desired slot in the class of Sir Bernard Caslib. I planned to have the earlier class so I can go home early during Fridays. However, there were some who cut the line when they opened additional five slots. When I got the sign-up sheet, all the slots for the earlier class was taken so I just chose the 3p.m. class. I was still hoping that someone would cancel his/her slot in the earlier class and I will be accepted in that class.After hours of waiting in the corridor, I did get in the 3pm class. However, I did not regret that I belonged to the X5 class. I will tell you why.

In Philo 10, I got the chance to go beyond my comfort zone. Who would have thought that I would be able to sing and dance in front of many people I only knew for a very short time. Of course at first I was really shy especially during the first and second activities. But eventually, I got to sing Bohemian Rhapsody at the top of my lungs while they are watching. I danced with them in Dance Central after the Charity Event even though I am really bad at dancing and my moves are ridiculous.I got to break the barrier that keeps me from showing the real me to people I have just only met.Who would have thought that we would be able to pull off a play in class? Sir Caslib even commended how good we are in making the stories for the play and even the acting of my classmates. He saw how much we have improved. We were all the same shy people who are strangers to each other at first but eventually we got to go out of our own shells and became close that we even share even personal stories.

Philo 10 is one of the most demanding GE that I have taken. I was thankful that I took it on summer and also not with my major subjects. During the second or third meeting, the readings were distributed. It was a thick set of photocopied readings, which we are required to study, highlight and take notes. At first it was overwhelming because of the number of pages we are required to read on the first day. But as the days passed, I was surprised at how much we have already covered. This was probably the only subject where I have finished my set of readings. Philo 10 is supposed to be dialectical and I did not want to be left behind so I did study every night. But there would be times that I still could not answer the questions. However, my classmates made the course easier for me to handle. We journeyed together through the requirements of the class at the same time we get to know each other. We would study our reading requirements together in the lobby of Palma Hall and of course we would have chitchats sometimes forgetting that we still have to read. Every night my Facebook account would be flooded by notifications from our group, as there would always be lots of topics. It is as if we would never run out of things to say even in our message thread.  Topics would range from our academic requirements to the topics about sex.

It is really amusing how Sir Caslib brought a bunch of strangers with different personalities together. It might probably because it is a summer class and we see each other everyday. It might also be because of the field trip that we became close. But I think one of the main reasons why we became friends is because of Sir Caslib. If not because of the course design of his class, we might not be who we are now. He is more than just our teacher.