This reflection paper discusses the importance of cultivating one's soul through ethical living and empathy. It also discusses the need for a balanced approach to national development that considers more than just economic metrics like GNP. Specifically, it criticizes the transformation of agricultural land into buildings for personal gain, arguing this harms farmers and the economy. The paper supports giving more budget and support to the agricultural sector in order to revive the economy and treat farmers with dignity as important food producers.
This reflection paper discusses the importance of cultivating one's soul through ethical living and empathy. It also discusses the need for a balanced approach to national development that considers more than just economic metrics like GNP. Specifically, it criticizes the transformation of agricultural land into buildings for personal gain, arguing this harms farmers and the economy. The paper supports giving more budget and support to the agricultural sector in order to revive the economy and treat farmers with dignity as important food producers.
This reflection paper discusses the importance of cultivating one's soul through ethical living and empathy. It also discusses the need for a balanced approach to national development that considers more than just economic metrics like GNP. Specifically, it criticizes the transformation of agricultural land into buildings for personal gain, arguing this harms farmers and the economy. The paper supports giving more budget and support to the agricultural sector in order to revive the economy and treat farmers with dignity as important food producers.
This reflection paper discusses the importance of cultivating one's soul through ethical living and empathy. It also discusses the need for a balanced approach to national development that considers more than just economic metrics like GNP. Specifically, it criticizes the transformation of agricultural land into buildings for personal gain, arguing this harms farmers and the economy. The paper supports giving more budget and support to the agricultural sector in order to revive the economy and treat farmers with dignity as important food producers.
Socrates’ philosophies which I could correlate on some parts in the book Not for Profit. To take care of one’s soul means to make oneself an ethical human being. When you live with your own virtue, moral, and principle, empathy and sympathy would naturally come out from you and these are one of the best things you could offer to others. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve gotten episodes of insecurities about my intellectual ability specifically in the Mathematics and Science subjects. My knowledge for these subjects can only reach their surface and since then, I labelled myself as an “average student”. In Nussbaum’s Not for Profit, in the old paradigm about nation’s advancement, the GNP was the primary standard for a nation’s development and neglecting other ingredients that are also as important as the said standard. It lacks balance and for me it cannot be granted as a fully and well- developed nation. As for myself, living in a modernized world, I try to adjust and engage myself in activities that I know would be helpful in my goal of becoming a healthy and developed being. In every camps, preaching, readings, seminars I have injected in myself, even tried meditation, I came to a realization that a well-balanced being must feed its soul, too. It deserves to be cultivated and nourished where the consciousness, will, and emotions dwell. Possessing skills in numeracy, technical, and scientific would definitely help you to be globally competent and has advantage in engagement to the economic growth they are thirsting of, but through analysing the situation, accompanying such skills with such activities that make our souls nurtured, that we tend to often forget, it will give birth to a citizen that aims for economic growth and as well as empathetically joining in giving solutions to any problems that affect our fellow countrymen. Whenever I have time to contemplate, I suddenly want the time to pass quickly so the current leaders would be replaced and the Philippines would have been better on that time. Let us also try our best to practice what we preach while criticizing responsibly. Recently, a news came out that caused enormous outrage from the Filipinos especially those who is greatly affected by the sudden report about construction of houses and factories once again in farmlands. Agriculture plays a significant role in the Philippine economy. Involving about 40% of Filipino workers, it contributes an average of 20% to the Gross Domestic Product. This output comes mainly from agribusiness, which in turn accounts for about 70% of the total agricultural output (CIDA-LGSP, 2003). The low government support to the sector, uneven distribution of resources, and transformation of farmlands into buildings for personal gain just worsened the poverty situation in rural areas. As a citizen who has a massive support and empathy to the farmers, it pains me knowing other people are so selfish to those who have a great role in carrying the economy of the country. This is what happens when a business elite is blinded by money— continually creates for, produces for, and satisfies herself until it became a habit of living for oneself. This is associated in one of Nussbaum’s statement:”This was always the first and most basic problem with the GNP per capita paradigm of development. It neglects distribution, and can give high marks to nations or states that contain alarming inequalities.” Nussbaum might ride the same boat as me because of the evident inequality happening here and the seemingly lost in track of handling this country for they do not give attention compassionately to what is extremely important. I can say that on one particular decision, Senator Risa Hontiveros could be the Martha Nussbaum of the Philippines because quickly after the said news, she would lobby for a higher annual budget for the Department of Agriculture (DA) for 2021 to bring immediate relief to the producers of the staple to provide more interventions to palay farmers. This is a one-step progress to the goal of our nation to the development and improvement of agricultural sector which will absolutely revive our dying economy. I will bet everything I have to the side of “we cannot live and survive with foods”, which the farmers are the primary producers. I certainly hope that we should treat them not only as our food provider, but also human beings who deserve high salary and vast support from us. We do not only live for ourselves and we should always remember that.