VALUES EDUCATION 4

Semester 1

STUDENT PACKET

Prepared by
Melissa Lopez Reyes
Alma Santiago Espartinez
Ma. Concha Bernardo de la Cruz

for the Philippine Science High School System

This material is intended for the use of the Philippine Science High
School and is not intended for commercial use or public dissemination.
Where there are tables and figures copied, lines quoted, videos cited, or
other contents adapted from public-domain websites, the sources are
aptly given attribution. The authors do not claim ownership of these
works.

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MODULE 1 BECOMING ...................................................................................... 7
Overview of Module 1 ............................................................................................................ 7
What You Should Be Thinking About ....................................................................................... 7
At A Glance ..................................................................................................................... 8

Lesson 1 Learning about a Happy Life ....................................................................................... 9

GETTING STARTED ................................................................................................................... 9
Overview .............................................................................................................................. 9
Objectives ............................................................................................................................ 9
DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES ................................................................................................. 10
Warm-Up ............................................................................................................................ 10
DISCUSSION 1: What is the Real Meaning of Happiness? .................................................... 10
ACTIVITY 1: What Makes Filipinos Happy? ............................................................... 14
DISCUSSION 2: What is the Connection between Mental Health and Well-Being? ......................... 15
ACTIVITY 2: What can I do? ................................................................................... 16
DISCUSSION 3: How Do I Cultivate Genuine Happiness? .................................................... 18
ACTIVITY 3: Happy Thoughts................................................................................. 22
Wrap-Up ............................................................................................................................. 22
MOVING FORWARD ................................................................................................................ 22
LEARNING RESOURCES ........................................................................................................... 23

Lesson 2 Learning about a Resolute Life ................................................................................. 25

GETTING STARTED ................................................................................................................. 25
Overview ............................................................................................................................ 25
Objectives .......................................................................................................................... 26
DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES ................................................................................................. 26
Warm-Up ............................................................................................................................ 26
DISCUSSION 1: The Place of Adversity in a Person’s Life ........................................................................................ 26
ACTIVITY 1: Faces of Adversity .............................................................................. 29
DISCUSSION 2: Self-Mastery for Conquering Adversity and Interior Struggle ............................... 30
ACTIVITY 2: Life Lessons ...................................................................................... 32
DISCUSSION 3: Rewards of Acquiring Self-Control ............................................................ 33
ACTIVITY 3: Self-Control Challenge ........................................................................ 35
Wrap-Up ............................................................................................................................. 37
MOVING FORWARD ................................................................................................................ 37
LEARNING RESOURCES ........................................................................................................... 37

Lesson 3 Learning about a Principled Life ............................................................................... 39

GETTING STARTED ................................................................................................................. 39
Overview ............................................................................................................................ 39
Objectives .......................................................................................................................... 39
DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES ................................................................................................. 40
Warm-Up ............................................................................................................................ 40
DISCUSSION 1: Integrity: Living by One’s Principles ................................................................................................ 40
ACTIVITY 1: Ethics and the Pandemic ...................................................................... 42
DISCUSSION 2: Resolving Daily Ethical Dilemmas.............................................................. 43
ACTIVITY 2: An Ethical Dilemma ............................................................................ 47
DISCUSSION 3: A Happy, Resolute, and Principled Life ....................................................... 47
ACTIVITY 3: My Personal Code of Ethics ................................................................... 49
Wrap-Up ............................................................................................................................. 50
MOVING FORWARD ................................................................................................................ 50
LEARNING RESOURCES ........................................................................................................... 50

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MODULE 2 HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES ....... 52
Overview of Module 2 .......................................................................................................... 52
What You Should be Thinking About ..................................................................................... 52
At A Glance ................................................................................................................... 53

Lesson 1 Magnanimity in Friendship: Loving You Without Losing Me ..................................... 54

GETTING STARTED ................................................................................................................. 54
Overview ............................................................................................................................ 54
Objectives .......................................................................................................................... 55
DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES ................................................................................................. 55
Warm-Up ............................................................................................................................ 55
DISCUSSION 1: What Does Your Friendship Mean To You? .................................................. 56
ACTIVITY 1: The Inspiring Story of Sandy and Arthur ................................................................ 58
DISCUSSION 2: Called to Greatness: Created for Magnanimity ................................................... 58
ACTIVITY 2: Infographic on My Magnanimous Friend: A Great-Souled Person ............................. 63
DISCUSSION 3: Giving and Serving Others Without Losing Oneself ...................................... 64
ACTIVITY 3: Am I Too Much or Too Less? The Disappearing Me Syndrome ................................. 66
Wrap-Up ............................................................................................................................. 66
MOVING FORWARD ................................................................................................................ 67
LEARNING RESOURCES ........................................................................................................... 67

Lesson 2 Compassion of the Z Generation: What They Can Offer Us in this Conflicted World ...... 69
GETTING STARTED ................................................................................................................. 69
Overview ............................................................................................................................ 69
Objectives .......................................................................................................................... 69
DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES ................................................................................................. 70
Warm-Up ............................................................................................................................ 70
DISCUSSION 1: Displaying Compassion For Others with Magnanimity ................................... 70
ACTIVITY 1: Supporting and Supported: A Writing Exercise To Foster Compassion ...................... 74
DISCUSSION 2: Feeling Sorry Isn’t Good Enough! Act On It! ....................................................... 76
ACTIVITY 2: A Story of Mark and Bill........................................................................ 78
DISCUSSION 3: What Now, Gen Z? .......................................................................... 79
ACTIVITY 3: Move Over, Millennials: Here Come the GenZers ................................................... 81
Wrap-Up ............................................................................................................................. 81
MOVING FORWARD ................................................................................................................ 82
LEARNING RESOURCES ........................................................................................................... 82

Lesson 3 Can’t Live With Them, Can’t Live Without Them ....................................................... 84
GETTING STARTED ................................................................................................................. 84
Overview ............................................................................................................................ 84
Objectives .......................................................................................................................... 85
DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES ................................................................................................. 85
Warm-Up ............................................................................................................................ 85
DISCUSSION 1: We Have Grown Estranged To Each Other ................................................. 85
ACTIVITY 1: Fault Family Lines, Fracture Family Lives .............................................................. 87
DISCUSSION 2: What Do We Mean To Each Other: Are We Friends or Enemies? .................... 88
ACTIVITY 2: We Don’t Talk Anymore: Connected Lives, Separate Destinies ................................. 91
DISCUSSION 3: Estrangement to Re-engagement: Healing of Human Relationships ..................... 92
ACTIVITY 3: Hindi Tayo Puede: May Pag-asa Pa Bang Maging Tayo Muli? .................................... 93
Wrap-Up ............................................................................................................................. 94
MOVING FORWARD ................................................................................................................ 95
LEARNING RESOURCES ........................................................................................................... 96

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MODULE 3 A TRUE, GOOD, AND STRONG LIFE ................................................ 98
Overview of Module 3 .......................................................................................................... 98
What You Should be Thinking About ..................................................................................... 99
At a Glance ......................................................................................................................... 99

LESSON 1 Being Different: Values and Standards for a Good Life ......................................... 100
GETTING STARTED ............................................................................................................... 100
Overview of Lesson 1 ......................................................................................................... 100
Objectives ........................................................................................................................ 100
DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES ............................................................................................... 101
Warm-Up .......................................................................................................................... 101
DISCUSSION 1: I Will Always Be Different: Being Countercultural Uplifts Me ............................... 101
ACTIVITY 1: The World is Still a Good Place .................................................................... 105
DISCUSSION 2: Apply Yourself, Love Life ................................................................. 105
ACTIVITY 2: Being Dragged Down, Lifting Myself Up, Bringing Cheer to Others .......................... 107
DISCUSSION 3: To the Depth and Breadth and Height ...................................................... 108
ACTIVITY 3: Endless Travails, Surprised at Life ........................................................................ 109
Wrap-Up ........................................................................................................................... 111
MOVING FORWARD .............................................................................................................. 112
LEARNING RESOURCES ......................................................................................................... 112

LESSON 2 One and the Same: The Thinking and Good Person ............................................... 113
GETTING STARTED ............................................................................................................... 113
Overview of Lesson 2 ......................................................................................................... 113
Objectives ........................................................................................................................ 114
DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES ............................................................................................... 114
Warm-Up .......................................................................................................................... 114
DISCUSSION 1: Becoming Authentic: The Discerning Person ............................................. 115
ACTIVITY 1: “Memoria”, the True-to-Being Memory ................................................................. 118
DISCUSSION 2: Becoming Wise: The Discerning Person Looks Back ................................... 120
ACTIVITY 2: Into the Woods and Becoming Good ............................................................ 122
DISCUSSION 3: Becoming Strong: The Person of Goodness .............................................. 123
ACTIVITY 3: Becoming Strong .............................................................................. 124
Wrap-Up ........................................................................................................................... 125
MOVING FORWARD .............................................................................................................. 125
LEARNING RESOURCES ......................................................................................................... 125

LESSON 3 The Profane: To Those Who Think of God and Not ................................................ 127
GETTING STARTED ............................................................................................................... 127
Overview of Lesson 3 ......................................................................................................... 127
Objectives ........................................................................................................................ 127
DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES ............................................................................................... 128
Warm-Up .......................................................................................................................... 128
DISCUSSION 1: The Freedom and Autonomy of the Believing Person .................................. 129
ACTIVITY 1: The Believing Person in the World of Work ............................................................ 131
DISCUSSION 2: Thinking and Believing: Prayer in Silence, Narratives in Prayer ........................... 132
ACTIVITY 2: The Greatness of a People’s Soul .......................................................................................................... 134
DISCUSSION 3: The Consequences of Faith .................................................................... 134
ACTIVITY 3: Earthly Struggles in Mars .................................................................... 136
Wrap-Up ........................................................................................................................... 137
MOVING FORWARD .............................................................................................................. 138
LEARNING RESOURCES ......................................................................................................... 138

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MODULE 4 DISCOVERING HUMAN REALITIES: AND HOW WE
(MIS)UNDERSTAND THE WORLD ...................................................................... 140
Overview of Module 4 ........................................................................................................ 140
What You Should Be Thinking About ................................................................................... 141
At A Glance ....................................................................................................................... 141

Lesson 1 Facing Truth Squarely: When Reality Hits You Hard ...................................................... 142
GETTING STARTED .....................................................................................................................142
Overview .......................................................................................................................... 142
Objectives ........................................................................................................................ 142
DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES ....................................................................................................143
Warm-Up .......................................................................................................................... 143
DISCUSSION 1: Truth And Nothing But the Truth ................................................................... 143
ACTIVITY 1: Should Science and Truth Quarrel? ................................................................... 147
DISCUSSION 2: Truth vs Belief: What’s the Fuss? ............................................................................................... 148
ACTIVITY 2: Once You’ve Tasted Truth, You Don’t Want to Be Ignorant Anymore! .............................. 151
DISCUSSION 3: Fact vs Opinion: How Different Are They? ...................................................... 152
ACTIVITY 3: Chismis Then, History Now: Fact or Opinion? ...................................................... 156
Wrap-up ........................................................................................................................... 157
MOVING FORWARD .............................................................................................................. 158
LEARNING RESOURCES ......................................................................................................... 158

Lesson 2 Epistemological Framework for Thinking Habits ............................................................ 159

GETTING STARTED .....................................................................................................................159
Overview .......................................................................................................................... 159
Objectives ........................................................................................................................ 160
DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES ....................................................................................................160
Warm-Up .......................................................................................................................... 160
Discussion 1: Free To Be Whatever! ............................................................................... 161
ACTIVITY 1: Which Side Are You On? ............................................................................ 164
DISCUSSION 2: The Privilege of Partial Perspective ................................................................ 168
ACTIVITY 2: The Pursuit of Truth: Biased and Elusive.............................................................. 170
DISCUSSION 3: Promoting Skepticism in the Pursuit of Truth .................................................. 172
ACTIVITY 3: Have You Been So Sure Lately?.......................................................................... 173
Wrap-Up ........................................................................................................................... 174
MOVING FORWARD .............................................................................................................. 174
LEARNING RESOURCES ......................................................................................................... 174

Lesson 3 Communicating Truth: Youth as Bearers of Truth ........................................................... 176

GETTING STARTED .....................................................................................................................176
Overview .......................................................................................................................... 176
Objectives ........................................................................................................................ 176
DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES ....................................................................................................177
Warm-Up .......................................................................................................................... 177
DISCUSSION 1: The Different Faces of Lies: Have You Been Duped? ....................................... 177
ACTIVITY 1: This Is How We Want Our World To Be ............................................................... 179
DISCUSSION 2: Youth As Agents of Truth ....................................................................... 180
ACTIVITY 2: The Two Faces of Events: Credible or Clickbait? .................................................. 183
DISCUSSION 3: Youth As Truth-Creators and Truth-Sharers .................................................... 184
ACTIVITY 3: Where Do We Go From Here? ..................................................................... 186
Wrap-Up ........................................................................................................................... 188
MOVING FORWARD .............................................................................................................. 188
LEARNING RESOURCES ......................................................................................................... 189

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 MODULE 1
Becoming

Overview of Module 1

Growing older and wiser means learning more about what life has
to offer. First, nothing is more worthwhile than living a happy life. Does
this mean that we just laugh our way through our daily existence? Not
necessarily. Genuine happiness is feeling joy and engaging in pleasant
experiences, but it is truly attained when we aim for what is good – a
virtuous life.

Second, life can be about happiness but is not without its fair share
of struggles and challenges. Adversities in life, like conflict in
relationships, are normal and natural. Instead of dwelling on the painful
experience of having problems, we focus on what we can learn about
ourselves and what we can develop in value and character.

Third, to be genuinely happy and resolute in trials, we must stand

by our principles and values. Just like a pliant bamboo, we may be
swayed by the challenges thrown our way, but we stay resilient as long as
we are rooted in our principles.

In this module, you will continue to engage in reflection exercises

and, more importantly, collaborate and share your thoughts and ideas
with your teachers and peers. May you discover that becoming the
person you ought to be will be a joyful and challenging but, ultimately,
meaningful journey ahead.

What You Should Be Thinking About

In this module, you will reflect on the following essential questions:

1. What is the real meaning of happiness?

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 2. How is my mental health connected to my happiness and well-
being?

3. Do I gain something from facing adversities and struggles?

4. How would developing self-mastery and self-control help me

manage the challenges in my life?

5. What does it mean to be a person of integrity?

6. How can I prudently decide on ethical dilemmas?

At A Glance

Lesson 1: Learning about a Happy Life

Lesson 2: Learning about a Resolute Life

Lesson 3: Learning about a Principled Life

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 LESSON 1
Learning about a Happy Life

GETTING STARTED

Overview

Did you know that a day has been dedicated to celebrating

happiness? In June 2012, the United Nations declared the International
Day of Happiness on March 20 of each year. This day is celebrated to
make people all over the world acknowledge the value of happiness in
our lives, especially with all the challenges we face day in and day out.

This first lesson in Module 1 tackles this simple yet profound topic:
happiness. Is there somebody on earth who does not wish to be happy? I
think not. We all desire to be happy. But what is this happiness that we all
want to experience? We may even define happiness in different ways. In
this lesson, we will dive deep into the various notions of happiness. What
is happiness, and what determines a person’s happiness? We will also
see the connection between fostering happiness and promoting our
mental health. Finally, we will also explore practical strategies to foster
this genuine sense of happiness. If the goal is to be happy, what can we
do daily to help us create happiness for ourselves and the people around
us?

If you want to be happy, be.

- Leo Tolstoy

Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Realize the essential meaning of happiness and well-being;

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 2. Discover practical strategies to cultivate one’s sense of happiness.

DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES

Warm-Up

This short clip on An Experiment in Gratitude shows us how a sense

of gratitude can impact a person’s happiness.

After watching the video, discuss your answers to these questions:

 What are your initial thoughts about this “experiment?”
 How do you think a sense of gratitude affects a person’s
happiness?

DISCUSSION 1: What is the Real Meaning of Happiness?

Answering the question of the real meaning of happiness is a

complex matter. Is it being joyful and jolly? Is it feeling good “inside” and
having absolutely no worries? Is it having all you want and satisfying all
your desires? Is it the achievement of all your goals? Is it being calm and
possessing quiet contentment? Is it finding meaning and purpose in life?
Scholars of philosophy, psychology and other fields of inquiry have
addressed this question using their corresponding lenses to make sense
of the human experience of happiness.

Haydon (2020)1 provides a comprehensive exploration of what

happiness is. As a subject matter, happiness can be viewed from two
contrasting lenses. Through a psychological lens, happiness refers to a
state of mind associated with a positive emotional disposition and life
satisfaction. On the other hand, happiness may also be viewed as having
“a life that goes well for the person leading it” (Haydon, 2020, para. 3). In

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this case, happiness is seen as something valuable to the person because
it is beneficial, desirable, or good for the individual. Happiness is
associated with well-being and flourishing.

Several theoretical perspectives have also been developed to

explain what happiness is. Affect-based views on happiness include the
hedonistic and emotional state perspectives. A hedonistic philosophy
explains happiness to be the presence of pleasurable experiences.
Happiness as an emotional state considers the emotional well-being of
the individual. Happiness, in this case, is contrasted with depression.
People are happy when they flourish, not just when they are in a good
mood. A life satisfaction perspective views happiness as having a positive
assessment of and attitude towards one’s life. In this view, you judge the
quality of the totality of your life, not just specific moments.

Author and positive psychology scholar Sonja Lyubomirsky

described happiness as “the experience of joy, contentment, or positive
well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful,
and worthwhile.” This definition captures the theoretical perspectives
mentioned above and positions happiness as having an emotional and a
value dimension. Being happy as an emotional state has internal (i.e.,
contentment) and external (i.e., joy) manifestations. That is why we
sometimes describe a person as “radiating happiness.” This implies not
only appearing or looking happy but acknowledging that aspects of
one’s life bring contentment and do not hinder the person from
functioning well. But beyond this emotional dimension, happiness is
ultimately having a sense of a “good life.” This good life does not only
benefit the individual but is also driven by purpose and meaning that
extends outward to others.

Aristotle and Happiness2

The Greek philosopher Aristotle has spoken extensively about the

concept of happiness, and his ideas have been widely studied. Below we

2
The excerpts from Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics included in this section are accessed through the
Internet Classics Archive here.

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visit select points from his writings to give us deeper insight into the real
essence of happiness.

Now such a thing happiness, above all else, is held to be; for this
we choose always for self and never for the sake of something else,
but honour, pleasure, reason, and every virtue we choose indeed for
themselves (for if nothing resulted from them we should still choose
each of them), but we choose them also for the sake of happiness,
judging that by means of them we shall be happy. Happiness, on
the other hand, no one chooses for the sake of these, nor, in
general, for anything other than itself.

Aristotle clarifies that happiness, with its intrinsic value, is sought for
its own sake. Unlike choosing material possessions or striving towards a
professional goal for the honor or comfort they bring, happiness is the
noble end. According to Aristotle, the ultimate desire of human beings is
eudaimonia, translated to “happiness” or “well-being.”

Happiness, therefore, does not lie in amusement; it would, indeed,

be strange if the end were amusement, and one were to take
trouble and suffer hardship all one's life in order to amuse oneself.
For, in a word, everything that we choose we choose for the sake of
something else-except happiness, which is an end.

The happy life is thought to be virtuous; now a virtuous life requires

exertion, and does not consist in amusement.

Another belief which harmonizes with our account is that the happy
man lives well and does well; for we have practically defined
happiness as a sort of good life and good action.

Aristotle defines a happy life as a virtuous life. Virtues are not just
characteristics but lived out in experience and behavior. To be happy,
therefore, a person must exercise virtues. Moreover, happiness is not
equated with amusement or what we may identify as entertainment. We
do not seek a life that is only enjoyable or purely comfortable as this will
not satisfy our desire for true happiness. Human life is naturally filled with

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hardship, but this does not mean happiness is lacking in the person. The
learning and exercise of virtue – which takes integrity and effort – is what
makes a happy life.

Happiness and Material Wealth

We shall close this discussion with a short commentary on a topic

often linked to happiness: wealth and material possessions. Hungarian-
American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1999) wrote an article on
this all-important question: “If we are so rich, why aren't we happy?” This
is in response to a common notion that many of our problems would be
solved if we only had more money. This is also based on the assumption
that a person’s pleasure and happiness depend on his ability to control
his material environment and achieve affluence. These beliefs, in simple
terms, claim that materialism – “prolongation of a healthy life, the
acquisition of wealth, the ownership of consumer goods” – is a key to
happiness (Csikszentmihalyi, 1999, p. 821).

Csikszentmihalyi (1999) provided sociocultural and psychological

reasons to explain why material rewards, in fact, will not give people
happiness. First, people aim for a certain level of wealth that they think
will make them happy but will eventually strive for a higher goal (i.e.,
bigger property or higher income). Therefore, it will seem like an
unending quest for what level of affluence will ultimately provide this
happiness. Second, due to the disparity in wealth distribution in societies,
people often compare their possessions with others. This phenomenon is
referred to as “relative deprivation.” Even those who are reasonably
wealthy will continue to feel unhappy because they still feel poor
compared to the extremely rich.

The third reason is that material rewards cannot fully define a

person’s happiness. There are many other factors and conditions that,
combined, will make people happy, like a rewarding family life and close
friendships. Lastly, “as more psychic energy is invested in material goals,
less of it is left to pursue other goals that are also necessary for a life in
which one aspires to happiness” (Csikszentmihalyi, 1999, p. 823). People
measure the time left from earning money as having opportunity costs.

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The author claimed that building wealth can be pretty addictive since it
initially provides better quality of life, so the person is conditioned that
“more must be better.” However, we know this may not always be the
case, as having more of a particular object may not always be good.
Csikszentmihalyi (1999) clarified that material rewards (i.e., wealth,
comfort, fame) by no means automatically undermine happiness. The
reality though is that, eventually, these material aspects would become
irrelevant after a person reaches a certain threshold.

Overall, given the different notions of happiness, the question

remains: what is the real meaning of happiness: good life, life well-lived,
or material wealth? Allow me to quote the words of Pedro Arrupe from
Fall In Love which captures what happiness is:

What you are in love with,

what seizes your imagination, will affect everything.
It will decide
what will get you out of bed in the morning,
what you do with your evenings,
how you spend your weekends,
what you read, whom you know,
what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Fall in Love, stay in love,
and it will decide everything.

ACTIVITY 1: What Makes Filipinos Happy?

This Manila Bulletin commentary, published on August 7, 2021,

talks about how Filipinos are a happy people. However, the author also
considers our positivity and easy-to-please attitude to be an (occasional)
liability.

What points from the article do you agree and disagree with? What
do you think are the real reasons behind Filipinos’ optimism? Compose a

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short reaction to the article, including your answers to the questions
above.

DISCUSSION 2: What is the Connection between Mental Health and

Well-Being?

The World Health Organization (WHO, 2022) defines mental health

as a “state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the
stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and
contribute to their community. It is an integral component of health and
well-being that underpins our individual and collective abilities to make
decisions, build relationships and shape the world we live in” (para. 1). As
a fundamental human right, mental health affects an individual’s growth
as well as a community’s socio-economic development.

It should be emphasized that mental health does not merely refer

to the absence of mental disorders or psychosocial disabilities. The WHO
explains that mental health “exists on a complex continuum, which is
experienced differently from one person to the next, with varying
degrees of difficulty and distress and potentially very different social and
clinical outcomes” (2022, para. 2).

Happiness is both an indicator and a consequence of mental

health. A section of a review of cross-sectional, longitudinal, and
experimental research sought to answer the question: are happier
people (mentally) healthier in general? (Lyubomirsky et al., 2005a). The
findings of the cross-sectional studies suggested that happy individuals
exhibit better mental health than their less optimistic peers, given that
positive affective experience is key to mental health. Results from the
various studies indicated that happy individuals (i.e., those with high
positive affect or dispositional optimism) had fewer psychopathological
symptoms (e.g., depression), were less likely to experience anxiety or
social phobia, and had higher self-reported vitality and mental health. In
terms of risky behavior, the studies also revealed that individuals with
positive moods are less likely to engage in drug and substance abuse
and delinquent activity (among adolescents).

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 The few longitudinal studies included in the review showed a
similar pattern. In one study, high subjective well-being (i.e., happier
individuals) has been linked to lesser depressive symptoms even when
unemployed. As an indicator of well-being, life satisfaction was
associated with a lower risk for suicide. The studies confirmed the
association between happiness and superior mental health, especially
when positive affect influences individuals’ relationships, stress coping,
and health-related behaviors.

Concerning happiness as a consequence of mental health, it would

be easier to imagine that a person with typical psychological functioning
and stable emotionality is likelier to exhibit an optimistic disposition.
Even with the presence of problems, a person can overcome the
negativity and stress with their psychological and mental health
resources (e.g., resilience) in place (we will talk about this more in Lesson
2).

Among adolescents, happiness (i.e., positive affect) can predict the

quality of life, psycho-emotional well-being, and later success and health
outcomes (Lukoševičiūtė et al., 2022). Given the impact of happiness on
young people’s current and future mental health status, adolescents and
their adult support must create opportunities for the experience of
happiness.

ACTIVITY 2: What can I do?

Here are some hypothetical scenarios involving young people and

their well-being-related concerns. Read through these situations and
think of what you can do to help the individuals resolve their problems.
Indicate your action plan in the third column (“What can I do?”).

What is happening? What can I do?

1 My classmate is under a lot of
pressure to do well in school. This
has made her very anxious about

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What is happening? What can I do?
every quiz, homework, group
activity, and report. Even just the
thought of going to school makes
her feel nervous and sometimes
even faint and out of breath.
2 My friend’s family is going through a
rough patch and everyone at home
is very stressed. She can’t find
comfort in her family and has a hard
time expressing her thoughts and
emotions when she’s with her
friends. She just keeps on saying “I’m
just so sad. I feel depressed. I don’t
think I can take it anymore.”
3 One day, my best friend just seemed
to distance himself and stopped
communicating and hanging out
with me. He has isolated himself
from me and from the other people
within our circle of friends. The
change in his demeanor has been so
stark and disturbing.
4 After an embarrassing incident in
school, my friend has taken on a very
angry and vengeful disposition. He is
irritable all the time and easily finds
fault in others. It has been quite
difficult to manage his volatility and
strong negative emotional reactions.
5 Over the years, my best friend has
seemed to have lost her confidence.
She is very gifted, but she frequently
downplays her talents and
capabilities. Often, she compares
herself to our other classmates.
When she works on a project or

17
 What is happening? What can I do?
requirement, she judges herself
quite harshly and holds herself at
such unreasonable standards.

DISCUSSION 3: How Do I Cultivate Genuine Happiness?

What determines a person’s happiness? Historical research on

happiness has revealed two theoretical approaches which can help
explain what drives people’s happiness: the bottom-up and top-down
theories. These two theories have been distinguished in Diener’s (1984)
work on subjective well-being.

The bottom-up theory claims that happiness is an accumulation of

the pleasurable moments a person experiences. This approach considers
external factors such as demographics (e.g., health, socioeconomic
status), circumstances, or events as influential on an individual’s
happiness (Diener et al., 1999). One can say that people who possess a
privileged status and have advantages over others are happier
(Lyubomirsky & Dickerhoof, 2010). The top-down approach considers
happiness as a trait or predisposition and postulates that a “global
propensity” (e.g., a sanguine personality) influences a person’s positive
view and interactions. Happiness is rooted in persons’ internal
characteristics (i.e., temperamental) that affect their thinking and
behavior (Diener et al., 1999). In this case, happiness is caused by
something inherent in the person.

Integrating these two models, Lyubomirsky and Dickerhoof (2010)

proposed a more comprehensive construal model of happiness. They
acknowledged that while “objective life circumstances” (e.g., educational
attainment) affect a person’s well-being, they cannot necessarily predict
happiness as it depends on how the person perceives or interprets these
circumstances. This model acknowledges that temperaments (top-down;
e.g., extroversion) and circumstances (bottom-up; e.g., being wealthy or
underprivileged) jointly affect how happy or unhappy a person can be
and this “effect is a property of the interaction between people's

18
objective social worlds and the way that they subjectively interpret them”
(Lyubomirsky & Dickerhoof, 2010, p. 231).

What do these perspectives on happiness mean for us? These

essentially point to the fact that how a person views his situation
significantly impacts his well-being. How you assess your situation,
construe the happenings in your daily life, and respond to your
environment (both to people and situations) can reinforce a sense of
happiness or unhappiness. Indeed, if you view life through an optimistic
“glass half full” lens, you will likely end up happier. The authors even
explained that optimism buffers against challenging circumstances; even
when life situations are not ideal, a person with an optimistic disposition
may not necessarily be very unhappy.

Mauss et al. (2011) acknowledged that happiness is generally valued

because of its beneficial outcomes on people’s well-being and health (as
we have seen in Discussion 2). However, they warned that valuing
happiness may also have self-defeating effects and decrease happiness.
In their article “Can Seeking Happiness Make People Happy? Paradoxical
Effects of Valuing Happiness,” the authors reported two studies
supporting this idea (Mauss et al., 2011). The first study reported that in
low-stress situations, the more value people placed on happiness, the
lower their psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and hedonic
balance (ratio between positive and negative affect) and the higher their
depressive symptoms. In the second study, where the causal effects of
happiness values were examined, inducing value happiness led
individuals to feel less happy in a favorable situation. The findings of
these studies suggest that promoting a mindset of maximizing happiness
and focusing on “increasing happiness” may be counterproductive. What
the authors recommend for valuing happiness that will result in greater
happiness is for individuals to (1) shift their focus from their happiness to
accept negative emotions; (2) acquire appropriate tools to pursue
happiness (i.e., emotional regulation); and (3) possess a broader
definition of happiness beyond understanding it as an emotional state.

Aside from practicing gratitude (as we saw in our warm-up activity),

how can you foster a more optimistic perspective and cultivate genuine

19
happiness? Here are some commonsensical and practical strategies that
involve individual effort and interactions with others.

Recognize the good in things. Because you can be so immersed in

your day-to-day activities, you may lose the opportunity to see the
positive aspects of your routines and engagements. This calls for a
deliberate action to acknowledge the benefits and advantages of
particular circumstances or even see the silver lining in a challenging
situation.

The Greater Good Science Center recommends the exercise Mental

Subtraction of Positive Events to help you appreciate what you currently
have. In this practice, you recall a positive life event (e.g., school
achievement) and consider what factors made this possible. Then,
imagine if this had not happened and how your life would look without
this experience. After, refocus on the benefits of this actual life event and
how it has positively impacted your life. Sometimes, it is a good wake-up
call to consider what your life would look like if these positive events had
not happened. This exercise will allow you to not take anything for
granted if you take the time to appreciate what you currently have.

Reflect on things that bring you happiness. To borrow a phrase

from Marie Kondo, we must embrace the things that “spark joy!” It may
seem logical to say that to be happy, we must do things or be with
people who make us happy. But why then do people continue to remain
friends with those who can be “toxic?” Why can people not remove
themselves from situations that put them under excessive stress, make
them question their values, or stunt their growth?

In the exercise Creating and Recalling Positive Events, you are asked
to deliberate on activities that you: (1) find pleasure doing alone (e.g.,
riding the bike); (2) enjoy doing with the company of other people (e.g.,
playing sports); and (3) consider important and meaningful (e.g.,
volunteering). Reflect on these activities, how they make you feel, and,
more importantly, what good they brought you and the people you did
them with. Furthermore, the intention is not only to take pleasure from
engaging in these enjoyable activities but also to try out new activities
that are not only fun to do but also meaningful.

20
 Form meaningful relationships. Connecting with others provides
us with social support during positive and negative experiences. In the
presence of persons we feel safe with, we find comfort and confidence
when sharing our problems and feel affirmed when we celebrate our
successes.

Diener and Seligman (2002) produced an intriguing report on “Very

Happy People” by measuring the happiness levels of undergraduate
students. The students were grouped into “very happy” and “unhappy”
people, and their characteristics were studied. The results revealed that,
compared to average people, very happy people spent less time alone
and maintained “rich and satisfying social relationships” (p. 83). They
were also extraverted and more agreeable. On the other hand, the
unhappy people had poor social relationships. An interesting finding in
the study suggested that very happy people rarely feel ecstatic all the
time; instead, they mostly maintain moderate, pleasant emotions.
Moreover, they also experience unhappiness but can react functionally
with negative moods when faced with unpleasant situations. The study
affirmed that very happy people possess a functioning emotional system
that allows them to respond appropriately to various life circumstances
and keep meaningful relationships.

Perform acts of kindness. Another strategy for increasing

happiness is performing acts of kindness. The challenge in the Random
Acts of Kindness exercise is to perform five acts of kindness in one day,
better still if these small or big acts are varied. It also does not need to be
done to the same person, and the person need not be aware of the kind
act. The recipients of these acts obviously benefit from the kindness
extended to them. However, these good deeds also have significant
effects on the doer. Research has shown that prosocial behavior and
committing acts of kindness and altruism can boost the doer’s happiness
in a variety of ways, such as uplifting mood; promoting long-term well-
being; encouraging collaboration in the community; making a person
aware of his good fortune; fostering confidence, control, and efficacy
about one’s capacity to help; and providing opportunities to satisfy
relatedness (Lyubomirsky et al., 2005b).

21
 You might have noticed that there were some exercises suggested in
this discussion. The reality is that cultivating happiness is not a moment-
by-moment experience but a consistent practice. This way, we can
acquire this optimistic disposition and internalize the value of happiness.

ACTIVITY 3: Happy Thoughts

As we have learned, happiness is a

matter of perspective and takes effort and
practice. If you were to prepare a short list of
tips for young people like you, what strategies
would you suggest to maintain well-being and
work towards a genuinely happy life?

Aside from those already mentioned in

Discussion 3, list five (5) tips you can share
with your peers.

Wrap-Up

In a series of comics, the Peanuts characters define happiness:

sharing, being home from the hospital, having your dog come home,
receiving a compliment, and many more. How would you complete this
sentence: “Happiness is….”?

MOVING FORWARD

This lesson explored the different notions of happiness. The

Aristotelian concept of happiness directs us to the idea of a virtuous life.
Happiness has also been empirically proven to be associated with our
mental health, so it is imperative to nurture an optimistic disposition and

22
a healthy mental state. More importantly, happiness can be cultivated by
individual reflective exercises and acts of gratitude and kindness.
The next lesson will uncover how a happy life will realistically
involve struggles and problems. However, we as human beings are
equipped to manage these difficulties and find meaning in them.

LEARNING RESOURCES

Arrupe, P. (n.d). Fall in love. Ignatian Spirituality (Loyola Press).

https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/prayers-by-st-
ignatius-and-others/fall-in-love/
Creating and recalling positive events. Greater Good Science Center.
https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/creating_and_recalling_positive_ev
ents
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1999). If we are so rich, why aren't we
happy? American Psychologist, 54(10), 821–
827. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.54.10.821
Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95(3),542–
575. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.95.3.542
Diener, E., Suh, E. M., Lucas, R. E., & Smith, H. L. (1999). Subjective well-
being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125(2), 276–
302. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.125.2.276
Diener, E., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2002). Very happy people. Psychological
Science, 13(1), 81–84. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.00415
Haybron, D. (2020, May 28). Happiness. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2020/entries/happiness/
Lukoševičiūtė, J., Argustaitė-Zailskienė, G., & Šmigelskas, K. (2022).
Measuring happiness in adolescent samples: A systematic
review. Children, 9(2), 227. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9020227
Lyubomirsky, S., & Dickerhoof, R. (2010). A construal approach to
increasing happiness. In J. E. Maddux & J. P. Tangney (Eds.), Social
psychological foundations of clinical psychology (pp. 229–244). The
Guilford Press.
Lyubomirsky, S., King, L., & Diener, E. (2005a). The benefits of frequent
positive affect: Does happiness lead to success? Psychological

23
 Bulletin, 131(6), 803–855. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-
2909.131.6.803
Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon, K. M., & Schkade, D. (2005b). Pursuing
happiness: The architecture of sustainable change. Review of General
Psychology, 9(2), 111–131. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.9.2.111
Mauss, I. B., Tamir, M., Anderson, C. L., & Savino, N. S. (2011). Can
seeking happiness make people unhappy? Paradoxical effects of
valuing happiness. Emotion, 11(4), 807–815.
https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022010
Mental subtraction of positive events. Greater Good Science Center.
https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/mental_subtraction_positive_event
s
Random acts of kindness. Greater Good Science Center.
https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/random_acts_of_kindness
Ross, W. D. (n.d.). Nicomachean ethics by Aristotle. The Internet Classics
Archive. http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.mb.txt
The GoComics Team. (2018). Happiness according to the Peanuts Gang.
https://www.gocomics.com/comics/lists/1721840/Happiness-Is
Vivas, J. (2021). What makes Filipinos happy. Manila Bulletin.
https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/07/what-makes-filipinos-happy/
What is happiness? Greater Good Science Center.
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/happiness/definition
World Health Organization. (2022). Mental health: Strengthening our
response. World Health Organization Factsheets.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-
strengthening-our-response

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 LESSON 2
Learning about a Resolute Life

GETTING STARTED

Overview

In Lesson 1, we surveyed the varied notions of happiness. As we

learned from Aristotle, it is not just a fleeting feeling of pleasure but a
process aimed toward the good. We know that fostering happiness and
protecting our well-being are worthwhile life pursuits not only for
ourselves but for those around us. We cannot set our sights only on
attaining material possessions or engaging in pleasurable activities.
Happiness is about enriching our lives.

However, understanding happiness does not mean that we are

naïve to the realities of life. Our experiences of accomplishment,
abundance, and joy are balanced out by challenging situations and
problems, big and small. In Lesson 2, we will explore the meaning and
value of adversity in our lives. We shift our focus from the suffering and
difficulty that problems bring to seeing the benefits we can gain from
experiencing and conquering adversity. We will also examine how self-
mastery and self-control can help us avoid unnecessary suffering and
empower us to face our difficulties squarely. The goal is to understand
that despite life’s hardships, we are resolute in living a meaningful life.

The gem cannot be polished without friction,

nor man perfected without trials.
- Chinese Proverb

25
Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Understand the meaning of adversity and the experience of interior

struggle;

2. Devise ways to acquire and practice self-control.

DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES

Warm-Up

In 2013, CNN broadcast journalist Anderson Cooper traveled to the

Philippines to cover the devastation brought by Typhoon Haiyan
(Yolanda) to the residents of Leyte. In this short clip Anderson Cooper
thanks Filipinos for ‘showing us how to live’ and features his story about
Filipino resilience in the aftermath of the typhoon.

After watching this video, briefly reflect on the following questions:

 What makes it possible for a person to conquer the challenges
he faces in his life?
 What do you think is the source of Filipino resilience?
 Do you think people gain anything from encountering trials?
Why do you say so?

DISCUSSION 1: The Place of Adversity in a Person’s Life

Part of the human experience is going through adversities and

difficulties. Nobody is immune to nor can be spared from problems, even
the most optimistic people (we explored this in Lesson 1). Luthar and
Cicchetti (2000) refer to adversity as a risk; they are “negative life
circumstances that are known to be statistically associated with
adjustment difficulties” (p. 858). Adverse experiences can potentially

26
disrupt the typical development of children and adolescents. They can
vary in source, intensity, and manifestation, whether these situations may
or may not be preventable (Noltemeyer & Bush, 2013).

Sometimes our adversities come in the form of single life events

(e.g., death of a loved one, job loss) or challenging circumstances
happening simultaneously or subsequently (e.g., poverty due to armed
conflict, homelessness due to being orphaned). We also experience
difficulties due to organic or natural causes (e.g., chronic illness, disasters
such as floods) and accidents or our own doing (e.g., failure in class due
to not studying, health complications due to poor eating habits). Some
are socially induced, like family disputes, abuse, and homelessness
(Noltemeyer & Bush, 2013). At different periods in our life, we may also
face specific challenges, such as dealing with biological and
socioemotional changes during adolescence, navigating through a
demanding career during adulthood, and adjusting to the physical
limitations of old age. Each person deals with a different challenge, and
no two persons are alike in experiencing and dealing with adversities.

Given the harmful nature of adverse experiences, you can assume

that some unfavorable life events can cause severe complications in the
functioning of a person. Research has shown how adversity and stress
can have deleterious physiological and psychological (health) outcomes
on individuals, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depressive
symptoms, and even substance abuse (Lines et al., 2020).

However, not every person suffering from an adverse experience will

be subjected to its problematic consequences. Theory and human
experience have revealed that a moderate amount of stress or adversity,
challenging enough that a person can manage it, will provide individuals
with opportunities to acquire resources to cope with subsequent
hardships (Lines et al., 2020). Exposure to and recovering from these
initial challenges toughens a person up, as suggested by Dienstbier’s
theory of psychophysiological toughness (Lines et al., 2020). Lines and
colleagues (2020) liken this toughness to physical fitness, where persons
build their physical capacity when they exert effort and recover (i.e.,
resilience). When you acquire this toughness, you assess future
challenges as more manageable, achieve emotional stability, and

27
psychologically and physiologically cope with stressors better (Seery et
al., 2010). You can also use this toughness in diverse types of stressors
and problems.

Aside from developing resilience to confidently and competently face

future challenges, what other ways can adversity benefit individuals?

First, challenges remind us of the reality and inevitability of

struggles. This reminder helps us gain acceptance that life will present us
with more obstacles in the future. Besides, we will not gain anything from
avoiding stress or sheltering ourselves from adversities to be spared from
distress. When you (temporarily) shelter from stress, you lose the
opportunity to acquire toughness and the resources to deal with the
stressors that will eventually surface (Seery et al., 2010). Acceptance
allows us to anticipate and prepare for the challenges that lie ahead.

Second, adversities reveal our true character. Hellen Keller once

said: “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through
experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition
inspired, and success achieved.” During hard times, we learn more and
more about ourselves: how much discomfort or pain (not just physically)
we can tolerate, how much fight we can put up, how much grit and
courage we can muster, how much humility we have for accepting defeat
or failure, and how much patience we have for bouncing back.
Sometimes, you might also discover your unhealthy coping mechanisms
when facing hardship. You may tend to complain unreasonably, depend
too much on others to resolve problems, or resign to failure without
trying other solutions. This can be a valuable learning experience for
character development.

Third, experiencing hardship points us in new directions. For

example, you do not get admitted to your top college program of choice.
Does this mean that life as you know it is over? Definitely not. This
temporary setback will allow you to review your options and steer
yourself in a new direction. And sometimes, this new direction might be a
more appropriate place for you to be in.

28
 Fourth, adversities provide opportunities for developing creativity in
problem-solving. Experiencing various challenges helps you build a
repertoire of strategies and skills to solve future problems. It makes you
gain mastery in choosing the most effective and efficient solution to
similar (or even different) issues that will come along the way. American
author Robert Collier said: “In every adversity there lies the seed of an
equivalent advantage. In every defeat is a lesson showing you how to win
the victory next time.”

Lastly, going through tough times teaches us to empathize with the

rest of humanity. Adversity provides a much-needed perspective
because sometimes you may feel like you are the only one with
problems, and life is too hard to deal with. When we have a hard time, we
are reminded that some other people may be in even worse situations. If
you think that all the schoolwork is too stressful to manage, you are
reminded that somewhere out there is a father who is thinking of how to
feed his family at the end of the day. If you feel that there is too much
drama in your family, you are reminded that another young person like
you may have no family to speak of. We are encouraged to extend our
understanding and appreciation for the life we have been given, even
with all its complications and complexities.

While it is easier to succumb to the negativity brought by

challenging circumstances, we have discovered that facing adversities
can also be advantageous to our character development.

ACTIVITY 1: Faces of Adversity

The documentary Mukha: Sagwan (Faces: Paddle) (21:36) tells the

story of thirteen-year-old “fisherman” John Lloyd Nacional and his quest
for a better life for himself and his family. Based on your understanding of
the video, answer these questions in two to three sentences.

1. How does John Lloyd view his plight in life?

2. What did John Lloyd gain from living this “hard life” at such a
young age?

29
 3. How will this kind of childhood affect John Lloyd as he grows
older?
4. What kind of support would John Lloyd and his family need?
5. What is your major takeaway from this documentary?

DISCUSSION 2: Self-Mastery for Conquering Adversity and Interior

Struggle

The functional response to adversity is resilience. It is a “dynamic

process wherein individuals display positive adaptation despite
experiences of significant adversity or trauma” (Luthar & Cicchetti, 2000,
p. 858). Resilience is not an individual attribute nor a personality trait;
instead, it is a process or phenomenon that can be developed (Luthar &
Zelazo, 2003). Furthermore, it is a “two-dimensional construct that
implies exposure to adversity and the manifestation of positive
adjustment outcomes” (Luthar & Cicchetti, 2000, p. 858).

Research on resilience and coping has identified protective factors

that can aid individuals in mitigating (and perhaps eliminating) the risks
and harmful effects of adversities. These factors include specific social
and psychological resources for individuals to acquire coping strategies
(Pearlin & Schooler, 1978). Inherent to the person, psychological
resources are personality traits used when managing environmental
threats and stressors (Pearlin & Schooler, 1978). Pearlin and Schooler
(1978) define mastery as the “extent to which one regards one’s life-
chances as being under one’s own control in contrast to being
fatalistically ruled” (p. 5). Along with fostering positive emotionality,
practicing good sleep and nutrition habits, engaging in prosocial
behaviors, and receiving social support, mastery over one’s environment
is an essential psychosocial factor in resilience-building (Malhi et al.,
2019). As an individual protective factor, self-mastery is a key “resilience
belief” that permits the person to reflect on and strategize how to
address current and future adversities. Rutenfrans-Stupar and colleagues
(2020) have expanded their conceptualization of self-mastery to include
three components: intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, and internal locus of
control.

30
 What does it mean to possess self-mastery to overcome adversities?

Intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is the “desire to act in a

certain way because it is interesting and satisfying in itself” (Deci & Ryan,
1985, as cited in Rutenfrans-Stupar et al., 2020, p. 492). Having intrinsic
motivation means conquering adversity because accepting that
challenge is in itself a reward. You do not even consider the possibility of
avoiding or escaping from your problems. We solve our problems not
because we do not want other people to see us as failures, we do not
want to be a disappointment to others, or we have a reputation to
uphold. We face our challenges squarely because it is the human thing to
do. There is no other reason for facing adversity except for the
satisfaction of doing it and consequentially the good that solving it brings
everyone involved.

Self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is the “belief in one’s ability to achieve

goals including the belief in one’s ability to cope with various stressful or
challenging demands” (Bandura, 1977; Luszczynska et al., 2005, as cited
in Rutenfrans-Stupar et al., 2020, p. 492). Self-efficacy belief, as a
component of self-mastery, is crucial in overcoming adversity.
Sometimes, we face a challenge that seems so insurmountable that
attempting to fix it already seems impossible. Imagine being orphaned
young and having even younger siblings to care for, without much
support from relatives and friends. At first glance, it may seem too much
to handle. If, from the very beginning, you either see a problem as
something that is unfixable or think that you are incapable or ill-equipped
to solve it, you are already defeated. Self-efficacy means having the
courage to take on a challenge and finding the means to resolve it,
whatever it takes.

Internal locus of control. Internal locus of control refers to the

“belief in one’s ability to control the outcomes of life events” (Rotter,
1966, as cited in Rutenfrans-Stupar et al., 2020, p. 492). Related to self-
efficacy, having a strong internal locus of control means believing that
you and you alone can define the outcome of your decisions. Even when
other factors come into play, you are still the key decision maker in how
problems are resolved. The opinions of others do not easily sway you;

31
you consider options and anticipate outcomes methodically and weigh
your decisions judiciously.

As we have discussed above, self-mastery is vital in managing

difficult situations that are socially induced or environmentally caused.
Self-mastery is likewise key in understanding and conquering our interior
struggles. We experience interior struggles when there is a conflict
between what we desire and what is the absolute good. Sometimes, what
we want is not exactly what is best for us. Furthermore, insisting on our
human desires may sometimes have problematic consequences. For
instance, it is easy to give in to comfort or be absorbed by things that
entertain you (e.g., mindless scrolling through the internet) instead of
attending to your responsibilities, like schoolwork. You know that school
takes priority (the good) but checking your social media accounts is just a
bit more fun (what you desire). Unfortunately, spending too much time
online can leave you with little time for schoolwork, compromising the
quality of your requirements.

A person with self-mastery will first and foremost recognize that “the
struggle is real.” You have a choice to make; sometimes, it can be not
easy to choose what is good over what is comfortable or convenient. You
will acknowledge that determining what is good is the right thing to do
not because you fear being reprimanded but because of its inherent
good (i.e., first things first). You recognize that despite the work to be
done, you will be able to do it. You know that the effort and decision will
come from you alone.

What other experiences of adversity and interior struggle do you see

yourself applying self-mastery?

ACTIVITY 2: Life Lessons

Think of an adult in your life whom you would like to dialogue with.
This short interview aims to discover what significant adversity they have
faced and what they have learned from navigating that challenging
experience.

32
 Here are some guide questions you can ask for the interview:

1. What do you consider to be a major adversity that you

overcame?
2. What were the causes and consequences of this challenging
experience?
3. How did you face this difficult situation?
a. What specific solutions or strategies did you employ?
b. Were these strategies effective?
c. Did you receive any support or assistance from other
people? How did having the support affect you?
d. If this situation were to happen to you again, would you be
doing anything differently?
4. What advice can you give to another person who may be going
through a similar situation?

After conducting the interview, compose a brief biographical sketch

of your interviewee or produce a short video (not more than four
minutes) that will capture the meaningful lessons they have shared
during your conversation.

DISCUSSION 3: Rewards of Acquiring Self-Control

Image 1 The Marshmallow Test | Source: Society of Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP)

33
 By now, you must have seen (or tried!) the famous marshmallow
experiment. Designed in the 1970s by Standford University professor
Walter Mischel and colleagues, the test was meant to measure a child’s
capacity for delayed gratification. It has been proven to be a reliable
measure for studies on self-control (Duckworth, 2013).

Self-control is defined as the “capacity for altering one’s own

responses, especially to bring them into line with standards such as
ideals, values, morals, and social expectations, and to support the pursuit
of long-term goals. Many writers use the terms self-control and self-
regulation interchangeably, but those who make a distinction typically
consider self-control to be the deliberate, conscious, effortful subset of
self-regulation” (Baumeister et al., 2007, p. 351).

In their meta-analysis of self-control literature, de Ridder and

colleagues (2012) found that high self-control is linked to healthy and
successful life indicators, including psychological well-being, academic
success, and interpersonal relations. Furthermore, self-regulation, and its
component of self-control, is beneficial to “controlling thoughts,
managing emotions, overcoming unwanted impulses, fixing attention,
guiding behavior, and making many choices” (Baumeister et al., 2007, p.
351). On the other hand, low self-control is associated with societal issues
such as eating disorders (e.g., obesity), risky and criminal behavior (e.g.,
substance abuse), impulsive behavior (e.g., impulse buying), and
procrastination (de Ridder et al., 2012).

How is self-control helpful in facing adversity? For one, practicing

self-control prepares an individual to experience some form of limitation
or constraint. A similar situation happens when encountering a problem:
an issue or restriction is present that one has to overcome or resolve. This
practice allows the individual to face a difficult situation with more
confidence and a greater chance of success. For example, being
economical and prudent in spending is always advisable whether or not
resources are substantial or limited.

Second, self-control lessens or eliminates the possibility of self-

created problems. Since self-control is geared towards self-regulation, it

34
assumes that the individual has developed some discipline to avoid
causing unnecessary problems for himself or others. For instance,
practicing self-control when it comes to maintaining a good diet and
active lifestyle avoids health complications that can be prevented in the
first place.

Third, self-control involves some element of problem-solving which

also applies to facing adversity. Self-control entails conforming to specific
standards, which requires strategizing how this goal can be achieved.
Solving problems also involves planning and managing many factors that
can diffuse a difficult situation effectively.

Finally, both self-control and resilience to adversity require

willpower. According to the self-regulatory strength model of self-
control, willpower or energy is needed to exercise self-control when
changing behavior or emotion (de Ridder et al., 2012). As a strength (not
a skill or cognitive schema), self-control relies on a person’s willpower to
pursue desirable behavior or resist succumbing to risky behavior (de
Ridder et al., 2012). Willpower is also essential when facing difficulties,
with the energy, persistence, and determination to overcome the present
obstacles.

Along with self-mastery, self-control is a valuable individual asset that

will help you avoid unnecessary complications and meet whatever
challenges come your way.

ACTIVITY 3: Self-Control Challenge

The short clip Self Control: Teaching Students About Their Greatest
Inner Strength with Nathan DeWall summarizes the concept of self-
control. What additional insights have you picked up from this video?

Now that you know more about self-control, you will undertake an
individual challenge. Propose one self-control task you will complete in
the next two weeks and justify why you chose to pursue this task.

35
Document your daily progress by keeping track of your experiences,
strategies, setbacks, and realizations. You may use the template below.

Sample Self-Control Task Monitoring Template

Self-Control Task What is your proposed self-control task?

Objective What is your goal for undertaking this
challenge?
Plan How do you propose to achieve your
objective? Indicate the detailed mechanics for
your task.

Did you What What new What new

achieve your specific strategy did realization or
plan for the difficulty did you use to insight did
day? you achieve your you gain
encounter goal? from doing
today? today’s task?
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14

At the end of the two weeks, submit your completed monitoring

form to your teacher. If possible, share your experiences with your
classmates and see how they did in their self-control challenge.

36
Wrap-Up

You have interviewed other individuals about their own

experiences of adversity. It’s your turn to reflect. What do you consider to
be a difficulty you recently overcame? Did you have specific incidents
when you had to practice self-control and self-mastery? How did this
work out for you?

MOVING FORWARD

This lesson tackles a reality of life: no one person is immune from

adversity. Facing difficulties in our family, academics, work, civic life, and
relationships is part of the human experience. We discovered how we
could take advantage of these trying moments to gain strength and
advance our character development. We also explored how the related
attributes of self-mastery and self-control can help us mitigate the
adverse effects of our present and future challenges.
In Lesson 3, we will tie everything together by learning about a
principled life. How can genuine happiness and a resolute spirit pave the
way for an individual to live ethically?

LEARNING RESOURCES

Adversity quotes. BrainyQuote.

https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/adversity-quotes
Baumeister, R. F., Vohs, K. D., & Tice, D. M. (2007). The strength model of
self-control. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16(6), 351–
355. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2007.00534.x
de Ridder, D. T. D., Lensvelt-Mulders, G., Finkenauer, C., Stok, F. M., &
Baumeister, R. F. (2012). Taking stock of self-control: A meta-analysis
of how trait self-control relates to a wide range of behaviors.
Personality and Social Psychology Review, 16(1), 76-99.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868311418749

37
Duckworth, A. (2013, November 10). Is it really self-control: A critical
analysis of the “Marshmallow Test.” Society of Personality and Social
Psychology: Connections.
https://spsptalks.wordpress.com/2013/11/10/is-it-really-self-control-a-
critical-analysis-of-the-marshmallow-test/
Lines, R., Crane, M., Ducker, K. J., Ntoumanis, N., Thøgersen-Ntoumani,
C., Fletcher, D., & Gucciardi, D. F. (2020). Profiles of adversity and
resilience resources: A latent class analysis of two samples. British
Journal of Psychology, 111(2), 174–199.
https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12397
Luthar, S. S., & Cicchetti, D. (2000). The construct of resilience:
Implications for interventions and social policies. Development and
Psychopathology, 12, 857–885.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579400004156
Luthar, S. S., & Zelazo, L. B. (2003). Research on resilience: An integrative
review. In S. S. Luthar (Ed.), Resilience and vulnerability: Adaptation in
the context of childhood adversities (pp. 510–549). Cambridge
University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511615788.023
Malhi, G. S., Das, P., Bell, E., Mattingly, G., & Mannie, Z. (2019). Modelling
resilience in adolescence and adversity: A novel framework to inform
research and practice. Translational Psychiatry 9, 316.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-019-0651-y
Noltemeyer, A. L., & Bush, K. R. (2013). Adversity and resilience: A
synthesis of international research. School Psychology
International, 34(5), 474-487.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034312472758
Pearlin, L. I., & Schooler, C. (1978). The structure of coping. Journal of
Health and Social Behavior, 19(1), 2–21.
https://doi.org/10.2307/2136319
Rutenfrans-Stupar, M., Hanique, N., Van Regenmortel, T., & Schalk, R.
(2020). The Importance of self-mastery in enhancing quality of life and
social participation of individuals experiencing homelessness: Results
of a mixed-method study. Social Indicators Research, 148, 491–515.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-019-02211-y
Seery, M. D., Holman, E. A., & Silver, R. C. (2010). Whatever does not kill
us: Cumulative lifetime adversity, vulnerability, and resilience. Journal
of Personality and Social Psychology, 99(6), 1025–
1041. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021344

38
 LESSON 3
Learning about a Principled Life

GETTING STARTED

Overview

Lesson 2 reminded us of the beauty behind life’s struggles and

pains. As much as we would hope that our lives be spared from
challenges, we know that realistically this is not to happen. Honing our
qualities and traits of self-mastery and self-control will allow us to manage
adversity with strength and serenity.

In this last lesson of the module, we will revisit the value of integrity:
how it is good for an individual to be a person of integrity and how
society benefits from the contributions of these persons. Why do people
need to live by sound and firm principles? One practical and crucial
benefit to a principled life is the ability to deliberate and act on ethical
and moral issues you face daily. As you grow in maturity and
responsibility, the decisions and experiences you encounter have
increasingly serious moral consequences. Having the means to deal with
these issues from an ethical perspective will help you face with clarity the
moral dilemmas that this world is not lacking.

Ethical living is the indispensable condition

of all that is most worthwhile in the world.
- Ernest Caldecott

Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Articulate the importance of ethical behavior on an individual and

societal level;

39
 2. Compose a personal ethics statement that can guide their
decision-making.

DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES

Warm-Up

Ethics is knowing the difference

between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.
– Potter Stewart

Can you name something that you have a right to do and is also a
right thing to do? Can you also identify something that you have a right
to do but may not necessarily be the right thing to do?

DISCUSSION 1: Integrity: Living by One’s Principles

A good organization is able to fulfill its function and deliver its

promise by being faithful to its vision and mission. Similarly, a person
needs a set of principles that can help him stay on course and live a
dignified human life. Principles are our answer to the question: What do
you stand for?

A person who lives firmly by sound moral and ethical principles is a

person of integrity. There are several ways to understand the concept of
integrity. Integrity may be viewed as a personal matter through the lens
of self-integration (i.e., various parts of personality integrated into a
whole) and identity (i.e., staying steadfast to one’s commitment, such as
in conviction and relationships) (Cox et al., 2021). It may also be
understood as a social virtue, as in a person standing for something and
having a moral purpose (Cox et al., 2021). In this discussion, we will
define integrity in terms of an individual possessing a moral purpose.
Halfon (as cited in Cox, 2021) characterizes persons of integrity as those
who are dedicated to the pursuit of a virtuous life and:

40
 …embrace a moral point of view that urges them to be conceptually
clear, logically consistent, apprised of relevant empirical evidence,
and careful about acknowledging as well as weighing relevant moral
considerations. Persons of integrity impose these restrictions on
themselves since they are concerned, not simply with taking any
moral position, but with pursuing a commitment to do what is best.
(para. 33)

In simpler terms, “having personal integrity implies acting in ways that fit
with one’s philosophy and one’s related values and principles” (Sharrock
et al., 2014, p. 67).

Why then are principles and integrity essential to the person?

Having a (moral) purpose. A principled person is motivated by a

higher purpose. You aim not only for a prosperous life or a
comfortable life. You are determined to live a virtuous life.

Taking a stand. Having a firm set of principles and living by them

gives you a compass when deciding on matters that concern your
well-being and the common good. You are not easily swayed by the
inputs of others nor by what is popular opinion, especially when they
are wrong. You are not afraid to have a different take on things – the
right one – even when you are against many. As Swiss moral
philosopher Henri Frédéric Amiel said: He who floats with the
current, who does not guide himself according to higher principles,
who has no ideal, no convictions-such a man is a mere article of the
world’s furniture – a thing moved, instead of a living and moving
being – an echo, not a voice.

We will talk more about ethical decision-making in the subsequent

discussion.

Our community and society likewise benefit when its citizens are
people of integrity. Integrity should be practiced in personal
circumstances and in professional work and civic life. As you slowly
integrate yourself into the world of work, there are additional standards
and ethical considerations that you need to align yourself with. A specific

41
Code of Ethics governs each profession (i.e., physicians, lawyers,
teachers). Violating these standards will not only have moral and ethical
consequences (i.e., wrongdoing) but will also have grave legal
implications. When you practice your profession, you are now not only
challenged to practice personal integrity but also professional integrity.

As persons of integrity, citizens must participate actively in civic life

guided by sound morals and principles. This means we obey laws and
regulations even without being monitored or not just out of fear of
punishment. We also do not fall into temptations of corruption and
bribery. We take responsibility for our actions as Filipinos and also hold
our political and civic leaders accountable for their behavior as they
render service and duty. The people are disciplined to manage their
behavior and contribute as they can. The leaders do not put themselves
above the law and serve meritoriously. When its citizens are driven by a
moral purpose and guided by ethical principles, society reaps the
benefits of peace, order, and unity.

Integrity is not just a quality or trait a person can be described as.

Instead, it is manifested in our beliefs, judgments, and behavior. Would
you say that you are a person of integrity? Who can you look to as
models of integrity?

ACTIVITY 1: Ethics and the Pandemic

This audio podcast Facing Moral & Ethical Dilemmas During COVID-
19 (11:54) features an interview with chief nurse Dr. Anne Dabrow Woods
on the ethical dilemmas faced by healthcare professionals during the
pandemic.

In less than five sentences, answer each of the following reflection

questions:
1. Why do ethical issues abound in the science and healthcare
professions?
2. What competencies and characteristics should science and
healthcare professionals possess to exhibit integrity and resolve
ethical issues?

42
 3. What can you say about how the nurses and healthcare
professionals dealt with the ethical issues they faced during the
pandemic?

DISCUSSION 2: Resolving Daily Ethical Dilemmas

Ethical (moral)3 dilemmas are “situations in which the decision-maker

must consider two or more moral values or duties but can only honor one
of them; thus, the individual will violate at least one important moral
concern, regardless of the decision” (Kvalnes, 2019, p. 11). An example
of a dilemma can be found in Plato’s work:

In Book I of Plato’s Republic, Cephalus defines ‘justice’ as

speaking the truth and paying one’s debts. Socrates quickly
refutes this account by suggesting that it would be wrong to repay
certain debts — for example, to return a borrowed weapon to a
friend who is not in his right mind. Socrates’ point is not that
repaying debts is without moral import; rather, he wants to show
that it is not always right to repay one’s debts, at least not exactly
when the one to whom the debt is owed demands repayment.
What we have here is a conflict between two moral norms:
repaying one’s debts and protecting others from harm. And in this
case, Socrates maintains that protecting others from harm is the
norm that takes priority. (McConnell, 2018, para. 1)

Ethical dilemmas may be classified as genuine (real) or false

dilemmas. In a false dilemma, the choice is essentially between right and
wrong (Kvalnes, 2019); it is not an actual dilemma because one of the
values or duties overrides the other (McConnell, 2018). The Platonic case
cited above may not be a genuine moral dilemma since it is evident that
the choice to protect others from harm takes precedence over
repayment of debt (i.e., returning the borrowed gun) (McConnell (2018).

On the other hand, in a real moral dilemma, the two conflicting

moral duties have more or less equal footing (Kvalnes, 2019); neither of

43
the conflicting duties overrides the other (Sinnott-Armstrong, 1988, as
cited in McConnell, 2018). Let us look at an example4:

On vacation with your family and friends, you head to the beach
with your sister and a family friend. Despite the water looking a
little rough, they decided to go for a quick swim while you stayed
by the shore to read. After a few moments, they were suddenly
caught up in a big wave and were in danger of being swept out to
sea. You are a strong swimmer but must decide between saving
your family friend, who is a poor swimmer and might not hold on
for very long, or saving your sister, who is a good swimmer, but
you do not want to risk getting seriously harmed.

In the case above, it is apparent that the agent is dealing with a genuine
moral dilemma given that the two choices are identical: they involve
saving the life of either of the two young people. What a tough choice!

Having to choose right-versus-right is indeed considered a real

dilemma because both sides are rooted in people’s core values (Kidder,
1995). Kidder (1995) has summarized the right-versus-right choices that
we commonly face and identify them as four dilemma paradigms:

Paradigm Explanation5
Truth versus loyalty Personal honesty or truthfulness in
conflict with responsibility to
relationships, promise keeping, fidelity.
Individual versus Fairness, equality in conflict with
community empathy, understanding, compassion.
Short-term versus long-term The immediate needs of the present in
conflict with responsibility to the future.
Justice versus mercy Fairness, equality in conflict with
empathy, understanding, compassion.

The reality is that we would not frequently face grave moral

dilemmas that may involve a life-or-death situation as critical as the

44
example above. However, the more “ordinary” ethical dilemmas we face
daily still require us to apply a systematic ethical decision-making
process. Like any problem-solving endeavor, ethical decision-making
requires careful consideration to resolve the moral dilemmas
appropriately, considering all the individuals and factors involved.

Here is a general framework6 which can guide your ethical decision-

making:

Determine the real issue. It is essential to deliberate if the issue is a

genuine moral dilemma. In this first step, you dissect the problem
and identify the conflict. Is it a right-versus-right issue? Is it a false
dilemma? Or is it a question of facts? If indeed it is a moral dilemma,
what are the conflicting values?

Recognize the individuals involved. In this next step, you identify

the different individuals and groups who may be affected by your
decision, especially if some might potentially be harmed.

Collect the necessary information. All the facts and details of the
conflict must be gathered and assessed. Knowing all the available
data will facilitate the decision-making process.

Identify decision-making options and assess them. This is the

more crucial phase in the process. This step is what differentiates
ethical decision-making from regular problem-solving. Here, you
apply ethical principles and criteria when attempting to arrive at a
resolution. At this point, you may have several options in mind. You
can ask the following questions as you deliberate on which might be
the most appropriate answer to the dilemma:

 Which action will produce the most good and do the least
harm? (The Utilitarian Approach)
 Which action respects the rights of all who have a stake in the
decision? (The Rights Approach)

45
  Which action treats people equally or proportionately? (The
Justice Approach)
 Which action serves the community as a whole, not just some
members? (The Common Good Approach)
 Which action leads me to act as the sort of person I should
be? (The Virtue Approach) (Bonde & Firenze, 2013, p. 10).

Edgar (2002) also suggested using the following “tests:”

 The legal test: Does the choice or action violate any laws?
 The front-page test: How will the actor feel if the choice or
action becomes common knowledge in the community?
 The gut feeling test: Does the choice or action intuitively feel
“wrong?”
 The role model test: Would a respected mentor approve of
the choice or action?
 The professional standards test: Does the choice or action
violate any part of the Professional Code of Ethics? (pp. 42-43)

Decide. After assessing the merits of the various decision-making

options, you make a final deliberation and decide promptly on one
course of action.

Reflect on the decision. The process does not end with making the
decision. After the best option has been chosen, you reflect on your
decision’s intended and unintended outcomes. Edgar (2002)
proposed some possible questions you can ask yourself during
reflection:

 If presented with the same set of circumstances, would I make

the same decision again?
 Can I live with the decision I made?
 Was my decision made based on facts and analyzed using the
appropriate dilemma paradigm and resolution principle? (p. 43)

Reflecting on your decision is helpful preparation for making a

similar assessment in the future. Moreover, “regular reflection on

46
 personal core values is essential to maintain ethical fitness” (Edgar,
2002, p. 43).

How do you apply these steps in the example presented above?

Ethical decision-making relies on your understanding and firm conviction

of your moral principles. Without being clear about your principles, you
will be unable to apply the process systematically and arrive at a
resolution that upholds your values.

ACTIVITY 2: An Ethical Dilemma

What moral dilemmas do young people like you face at home and
school? Name a specific case and identify the individuals involved, the
issues surrounding the dilemma, and how you think it should be
resolved.

Present your chosen dilemma in the form of a comic strip. This

activity can be done in pairs or small groups.

DISCUSSION 3: A Happy, Resolute, and Principled Life

As we bring this lesson and module to a close, let us reflect on some

quotes that show us how being happy, resolute, and principled are all
connected.

Our principles are the springs of our actions;

our actions, the springs of our happiness or misery.
Too much care, therefore, cannot be taken in forming our principles.
– Philip Skelton

As we explored in the previous discussions, living by sound

principles and values steers our lives in the right direction. For reasons
we have cited and many more, it is vital to operate in life guided by our
values and principles. Most of our life’s principles reflect our religious

47
and cultural upbringing. Nowadays, with technology and complex
human relationships, it is dangerous to exist without these guideposts. As
the quote above suggests, our actions – the manifestations of our
principles – are key to our happiness or unhappiness. If you wish to live a
life of joy, you must first ensure that you have carefully and prudently
formed your principles.

The principles we live by, in business and in social life, are the most
important part of happiness. We need to be careful, upon achieving
happiness, not to lose the virtues which have produced it.
- Harry Harrison

People often use the “shiny” aspects of life – money, fame, power,
success – as indicators of happiness. (We know, from Lesson 1, that real
happiness is more than just these aspects.) Sometimes, when you
experience the pleasure that comes with these comforts, it is easy to be
impressed and aim only for these things. This is not to say that gaining
wealth, fame, success, or power is wrong. Only when they become the
end-all and be all of our human existence – unhealthy obsessions – that
they become problematic. When you become blinded by the goal of
being more affluent, more powerful, and more famous, you will do
anything to reach the top. Some people even sacrifice their principles for
these quests. This is what Harry Harrison warns us against. A principled
man will not sacrifice his values to achieve the fleeting things in life.

Adversity is the trial of principle.

Without it, a man hardly knows whether he is honest or not.
- Henry Fielding

Genuine morality is preserved only in the school of adversity;

a state of continuous prosperity may easily prove a quicksand to virtue.
- Johann Friedrich Von Schiller

Moments of challenge are a time for us to be tested on our values

and principles. In a time of great poverty, will you resort to stealing, or

48
would you continue to persevere at work? When you have not prepared
well for your exams, will you dare to cheat or face the consequences of
not studying? If influenced to do something risky by your friends, will you
be brave to say no or allow yourself to be bullied? If no one is watching,
will you choose to do whatever you want or behave as if in the presence
of others and do what is right?

It would not be surprising to find these three adjectives – happy,

resolute, principled – to describe a good person. We hear stories of
Filipinos who honestly return the money they find while driving a taxi or
cleaning the bathroom at the airport. Despite living humble, ordinary
lives, they proved that honesty is rewarding in itself. Having the money
would have been a significant help to minimize their struggles. They
stuck to their principles and did the right thing. We can imagine they are
happy to be recognized for their good deeds and, more importantly, for
doing what is good.

ACTIVITY 3: My Personal Code of Ethics

A Code of Ethics is a set of principles or guidelines that governs an

organization’s decision-making, policies, and behavior of its people. Here
are some examples of a code of ethics:

 World Health Organization Code of Ethics and Professional

Conduct
 Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers (Philippines)
 Code of Ethics of the Philippine Medical Association

Your task is to compose your personal code of ethics to guide your

behavior and decision-making as a science scholar and Filipino youth.
What values and principles will you include? How will you define good
behavior? What will you prioritize?

49
Wrap-Up

This short animated clip features a simple moral dilemma. What do

you think about the outcome of the story? What are the rewards of living
an ethical life?

MOVING FORWARD

In this lesson, we revisited the idea of being ethical and living by

good values and principles. We realized that living a life of integrity is
beneficial to the person and advantageous to society. Being principled
will help us decide on ethical dilemmas more prudently and deliberately.

This module reminded us that a happy, resolute, and principled life

is worthwhile aiming for. A genuinely human experience is not lacking in
pain and struggle, but we can be genuinely happy when we continue to
live by our principles despite adversities and challenges.

In the next module, you will discover how being upright (i.e., ethical)
can help you sustain and foster magnanimous and compassionate
human relationships.

LEARNING RESOURCES

Bonde, S, & Firenze, P. (2013). A framework for making ethical decisions.

Brown University. https://www.brown.edu/academics/science-and-
technology-studies/framework-making-ethical-decisions
Cox, D., La Caze, M., & Levine, M. (2021, July 26). Integrity. In E. N. Zalta
(Ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2021/entries/integrity/.
Edgar, P. H. (2002). Resolving ethical dilemmas: Applying the Institute for
Global Ethics’ Ethical FitnessTM Model to occupational and
environmental health practice Issues. AAOHN Journal, 50(1), 40–
47. https://doi.org/10.1177/216507990205000110

50
Facing moral & ethical dilemmas during COVID-19. (2020, March 26).
[Audio podcast episode]. Nursing Podcast Library. Lippincott
Nursing Center. https://www.nursingcenter.com/journals-
articles/podcast-library/facing-moral-ethical-dilemmas-during-covid-
19
Kail, R. V., & Cavanaugh, J. C. (2019). Human development: A life-span
view. Boston, MA: Cengage.
Kidder, R. M. (1995). How good people make tough choices: Resolving
the dilemmas of ethical living. New York: Fireside.
Kvalnes, Ø. (2019). Moral dilemmas. In Ø. Kvalnes (Ed.), Moral reasoning
at work: Rethinking ethics in organizations (pp. 11-20). Palgrave
Pivot. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15191-1_2
Mann, S. B. (2020, May 20). 28 top moral dilemma questions [+ scenarios
& examples]. Icebreaker ideas. https://icebreakerideas.com/moral-
dilemma-questions/
McConnell, T. (2018, June 16). Moral dilemmas. In E. Zalta (Ed.), The
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2018/entries/moral-
dilemmas/
Sharrock, J., Begg, A., & Mandinach, E. (2014). Professional and personal
Integrity. In S. Rodrigues, (Ed.), Handbook for Teacher Educators (pp.
67-77). Sense Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6209-695-
0_5
Thoughts on the business of life. (n.d.). Forbes Quotes.
https://www.forbes.com/quotes/

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 MODULE 2
Human Relationships:
Challenges and Opportunities

Overview of Module 2

The preceding module discussed charting your life’s direction by

appreciating the gift of happiness to maintain your well-being. Amid life’s
adversities, you can become either bitter or better, depending on how
you view life’s challenges. And so, Module 1 urges you to have a clear
sense of what is true and good that will guide you in making sound
decisions based on sound moral principles. Only when we appreciate the
real meaning of happiness can we build better relationships with others.

Module 2 invites you to continue being upright and just in human

relationships, being magnanimous and true in friendships, and giving
and serving without losing your autonomy and sense of self. A careful
study of the complexity of human conditions leads our youth to relate
with others with compassion, as a human would to a fellow human.
However, we encounter life’s challenges in human relationships that are
intergenerational, social, or gendered in nature. The changing families
and relationships in the world generate new and unique tensions in
human relationships, which need exploration and attention.

The ball is in our GenZers’ court. It’s now in their hands to build a
home and campus culture where true compassion lives. In an age when
so many people are at a loss to give life meaning and direction, this
module is essential reading. One message this module gives us is this:
the key to genuine happiness is relationships, relationships, and
relationships.

What You Should be Thinking About

In this module, you will reflect on the following essential questions:

52
 1. How can I have a better relationship with others in friendship?

2. How can I be magnanimous in friendship without resorting to

vanity and pusillanimity?

3. What challenges do I encounter that sever human relationships,

and how do I confront those challenges to keep me on course?

At A Glance

Lesson 1: Magnanimity in Friendship: Loving You Without Losing Me

Lesson 2: Compassion of the Z Generation: What They Can Offer Us in

this Conflicted World

Lesson 3: Can’t Live With Them, Can’t Live Without Them

53
 LESSON 1
Magnanimity in Friendship:
Loving You Without Losing Me

GETTING STARTED

Overview

Young people have never known life without cell phones, yet they
continue to live life without real friends. Sad. Very.

So, how do we help the youth find a more meaningful existence?

Lesson 1 enables you to navigate your life’s goal or purpose. One
“coordinate” is to engage in an upright and magnanimous human
friendship. To be upright is to stand by your moral principles, which serve
as your guideposts in life. When you are upright, you don’t bend the
rules in your favor. A magnanimous person is someone who aims for the
greatness of one’s soul; he is other-oriented and not self-centered.

Lesson 2 explores the meaning of compassion vis-à-vis empathy

and invites the students to be more compassionate than empathetic. This
lesson also examines the challenges GenZers face for being so loving
and caring to the point of over-giving, thereby losing themselves in the
said relationship. Finding the relationship unhealthy and stressful, they
become resentful and depressed. So, what really matters to our
GenZers? What are their priorities? Where is life leading them to? How
can they better live life to the fullest by living a healthy relationship with
others? We will answer all these questions in this lesson.

Lesson 3 investigates the challenges of human relations and the

conflicted world it creates in the intergenerational, social and gendered
aspects. How to heal broken relationships matters a lot because while we
cannot live without it, we cannot live with it either.

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Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Discover the beauty of shared meaning in upright and just

friendship;

2. Recognize magnanimity in friendship by giving oneself without

losing it. Do you have someone who
loves you with all your
moods?

DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES

Warm-Up

Read this:

We’re Not Always Lovable

Shada Gamal

We’re not always lovable.

Sometimes we’re too stressed that we tend to
Shout, get uncontrollably angry,
Shut people out or disappear until we cool down.

So appreciate the ones who love you

even when you aren’t that lovable.
They’re not forced to accept you in such a state,
yet they do, and they stay.

May we all have someone who loves us

with all our moods.
And if you do, you’re lucky.

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 Trigger Questions:

1. What images do you see in this short poem?

2. What kind of friendship is displayed here: friendship of utility,
pleasure, or virtue? (Remember our discussion on Friendship in
VE 3 Semester 2). Explain your choice.

DISCUSSION 1: What Does Your Friendship Mean To You?

Uniqueness of friendships: get to
When you find a friend, you find a treasure. choose unlike family

You don’t get to choose your family of origin or where you grow up.
But you get to pick your friends. Friendships are unique because, unlike
family relationships, we are free to get involved in them. And unlike other
voluntary ties, such as marriages and romantic relationships, they don’t
have prescribed rules. The voluntary nature of friendship allows more
freedom in a way that more formal relationships don’t. In good and
healthy friendships, I can choose to get in, and I can choose to get out.
No obligation attached.

On the other hand, sustaining a mutually satisfying friendship

requires special care and many subtle negotiations – both spoken and
unspoken. Friends need to establish how close the friendship will
become. How much time will you spend together? Will you share true
feelings? What happens when other commitments, such as family and
hobbies, get in the way? How will your friends find a harmonious
balance? Will one person always lead? Will you be delighted in a
supporting role? So, what does friendship mean to you?

Despite the demands of genuine friendships, we still need to have

someone you can share meaning with, be magnanimous, be
compassionate, and make some difference (Module 2); only then will you
find your authentic self which, in turn, will you make your life happy.
(Module 1).

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The Role of Upright and Just Friendship

While there are no strict rules in entering into a friendship, friends

should possess these characteristics to make it last: upright and just.

To be an upright friend is to have strict regard for what makes one

noble, just and moral. When the situation calls for honesty and
conscientiousness, an upright person responds well to a given situation,
free from vanity. Upright persons live by their deepest values and display
the highest moral standards with integrity. We refer you to biblical
biographies for examples of people considered upright during their
time. We invite you to approach and read the text not as a religious
reading but as a good representation of what history and tradition have
viewed and still view as an upright character.

 Job, a well-off man living in Uz with a large family and huge flocks
tested by God, was an upright person. (Job 1:1-22)

 Joseph of Arimathea, the man responsible for burying Jesus after

his crucifixion, was an upright man. (Luke 23: 50-54)

 Joseph, the stepfather of Jesus, was an upright man. (Matthew

1:19)

A just friend doesn’t bend the rules; they remain fair even if the
situation doesn’t work in their favor. And much as we want to have
upright and just friends, we also need to be upright and just as well. Who
would want to have a tricky double-crosser and a hypocrite for a friend,
one who doesn’t know the minimum requirement for decency? And we
would all not want to be regarded as such!

After reading these materials, we invite you to ask yourself, “Am I an

upright and just friend?”

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ACTIVITY 1: The Inspiring Story of Sandy and Arthur

Read the moving friendship story of Sandy and Arthur that inspired
the song, Sound of Silence: Hello Darkness, My Old Friend. Then, reflect
on the two questions below. Write your thoughts down in your journal
and find someone with whom you can share your thoughts.

1. Give one name of someone who loves and stays with you despite
your sometimes irritable mood? Why do you think they do?

2. Give one name of a person you love and stay with despite their
sometimes grumpy mood? Why do you think you do?

3. Tell us the story of the last person you became friends with and how
you transitioned from acquaintance to friend.

DISCUSSION 2: Called to Greatness: Created for Magnanimity

Who is a Magnanimous Person?

Today, we introduce you to one great characteristic of an upright

friend: magnanimous. Magnanimity literally means having a great soul,”
from the combination of two Latin terms magna, which means “great,”

58
and anima, which means “soul.” A magnanimous person is someone who
does great things for others, one who excels and aims for greatness.

And who is a magnanimous person?

 someone who is ardent, passionate, and capable of boundless

enthusiasm for an idea or sentiment;

 someone who has worth, and dignity to do something noble with a

sense of mission, and a sense of vocation in life;

 someone who can be generous in overlooking injury and insult;

 someone who extends a hand when we would rather leave, speaks

gently even when we are frustrated, and speaks the truth when
denial would be so much easier.

Aristotle referred to ‘magnanimity,’ as the golden mean between

‘vanity’ and ‘pusillanimity.’ One way to strive for magnanimity is to avoid
its extreme (vice), which is pusillanimity (kahinaan ng loob). Pusillanimity
is the direct opposite of magnanimity; it is to avoid harnessing your gifts
out of timidity (pagka-mahiyain). Pusillanimity is different from humility
because when humility acknowledges that your gifts are not yours,
pusillanimity is refusing to use these gifts. It is shying away from things
that displace you from your comfort zone — either because you fear
failure or you avoid anything tough and challenging. When we
acknowledge the gifts we have – say, the gift of singing, speaking,
writing, and coming up with original ideas for a science project, to name
some – we are magnanimous!

Magnanimity is related to the virtue of humility. St. Thomas Aquinas

discussed humility in connection with magnanimity. His discussion is a
departure from Aristotle’s concept of humility. For Aristotle, humility is a
virtue only for small-minded people because “a high-minded person is
justified in looking down upon others” (Nicomachean Ethics, 1124.b5).
Aristotle’s magnanimous man can apply his magnanimity only to his
friends, not to a non-friend, for Aristotle would consider such application

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as “slavish.” If we go by Aristotle’s definition of magnanimity, it would lack
fairness and justice as it discriminates against a non-friend, thereby
failing, in reality, to qualify as magnanimous.

Further, Aristotle’s magnanimity requires an amount of inordinate

pride in one’s capabilities and accomplishments. The expectation of
honor present in Aristotle’s magnanimity is absent in St. Thomas’. St.
Thomas, on the other hand, insists that we serve all not for personal
glory. He views humility and magnanimity not as opposed to each other
as Aristotle does but as complementary. We should understand, St.
Thomas explains, that the abilities that make possible our doing great
things for others are actually gifts from God, and it is sheer arrogance to
arrogate unto ourselves those abilities. If your goals are truly well-
intentioned and you view yourself with sincere humility, this isn’t pride;
this is magnanimity.

From our discussion, magnanimity requires that we always remain

humble amid our achievements because we understand that we, too,
have our human fragilities and know that nothing great is ever
accomplished solely through our own efforts. St. Thomas warns us,
however, that humility does not include humiliating ourselves or refusing
to accept praise for those things which are genuinely praiseworthy. It also
does not mean that one should seek flattery and honor by proclaiming
our great deeds to others (which Aristotle encourages).

Where do we draw the line between magnanimity and pride? The

answer also comes from St. Thomas Aquinas: “magnanimity by its very
name denotes stretching forth of the mind to great things.” (St. Thomas
Aquinas, Summa Theologica II-II, Question 129, 1). On the other hand, pride is
an inordinate desire for one’s own excellence; it is self-centeredness. The
then-President Duterte commissioned one professor to be a part of the
consultative committee. The professor considered the appointment his
highest professional honor, and he never missed mentioning it every few
lectures in a self-glorifying way that disappointed his listeners. His self-
effacement masquerades as humility. He missed that great chance to
inspire! It could have been his singular greatness! Here, we need to
rescue magnanimity from pride. Remember, true greatness places itself

60
at the service of others, never arrogating to oneself the honor conferred
on them.

Magnanimity is often practiced — in quiet, humble ways away from

the judgmental eyes of the world. The person who daily endeavors to be
a better student, teacher, leader, parent, or friend is truly seeking
“greatness of soul.” At times, being magnanimous is viewed as being
crazy for nothing, wasting time for others for nothing, and achieving
nothing in the end. Don’t agonize over this nonsense. Don’t be afraid
when people think of you as crazy for doing great things for others. This
doesn’t discount the fact that you are called for greatness – not to
timidity, not to pusillanimity, not to playing small, only for greatness.

Here are examples of magnanimous persons and their

magnanimous acts. We hope that you find inspiration from their well-
intentioned and noble acts.

Nelson Mandela

A freedom fighter, Nelson Mandela became the first president of

South Africa to be elected from 1994 to 1999. Originally against violence,
Mandela began supporting acts of rebellion against the government
after a group of unarmed black South Africans were massacred in 1962.
He was then arrested, detained and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Following his release on February 11, 1990, Mandela suddenly became a
symbol of freedom for South Africans.

Three years after his release, Mandela ran for the presidency and
won as the nation’s first black president. He led his party in negotiations
leading to multiracial democracy in 1994. He was one of our time’s great
moral and political leaders: an international hero. His lifelong
commitment to the fight against racial oppression was pivotal in
transforming the nation into a multiracial government and majority rule.
Mandela is admired everywhere as a vital force in fighting for human
rights and racial equality. South Africa’s first black president and anti-
apartheid activist, Mandela died in Johannesburg at the age of 95 on
December 5, 2013. (Read more of Mandela’s life here: Nelson Mandela.)

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Chen Shu-chu

On August 5, 2012, Randy David wrote in his column about Chen

Shu-chu, one of the 2012 Ramon Magsaysay Awardees. In the article,
David mentioned that in the last 20 years, Chen has secretly given away
more than NT$10 million (Php14M) of her own earnings from selling
vegetables in a market stall in Taiwan. Giving away money to the poor
runs so natural in Chen’s blood.

Chen finished only Grade 6 when her mother fell ill. She witnessed
how her parents struggled to make ends meet all their lives, and health
emergencies always left them drained financially. She saw her father
begging for help to pay for hospital treatment and the medical expenses
of her mother. When her mother died, Chen, the eldest daughter in a
brood of eight, took over her mother’s responsibility in selling goods at
their market stall. Years later, her brother contracted a chronic illness and
eventually died. The school she attended raised the amount to pay for
their hospital bills.

When her father died, Chen stood as her siblings’ parent. With
simplicity in life, Chen managed to earn enough from their tiny vegetable
stall to send all her siblings to school. She remained frugal and humble
despite earning money through hard work. She still sleeps on the floor
and wakes up early to work in the market stall for 18 hours daily. Asked
how a mere vegetable vendor can have so much money to give away,
Chen said, “Spend only what you need and you’ll be able to save up a lot
of money.” People wondered why she would give away her hard-earned
money, she replied, “I accumulate virtue instead of wealth. Life is short,
and you don’t know when you will die.” (Read more of Chen Shu-Chu’s
life here: Chen Shu-Chu.)

Oseola McCarty

In the same article, Randy David wrote about 87-year-old Oseola

McCarty of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, who donated her lifetime savings of
$150,000 (Php8M) to the University of Southern Mississippi to send black
students to school. A black woman, Oseola did not attend school. To

62
support herself, she did laundry for other people. What she saved for
washing clothes was the money she saved over 60 years working as a
laundrywoman. She said that if young black girls today could get an
education, which she didn’t enjoy, they would stand a better chance at
life than her own generation. (Read more of Oseola McCarty’s life here:
Oseola McCarty.)

Now, what is common among all these people? Short answer:

magnanimity.

Mandela, Chen and Oseola’s lives are an antidote to our time’s

avarice and insatiable consumerism. The will to give, so strong in them, is
what makes them magnanimous persons! This reminds us of a widow’s
mite; what they have given is so much less than what rich people have
donated. But Mandela, Chen and Oseola are not rich; they are actually
poor! Yet, they are willing to give even their very lives – thru their meager
income – to change the lives of other people. This, I know, puts us all to
shame!

In all their simplicity and ordinariness, these magnanimous people

live a meaningful life of service to others without wanting anything for
themselves. What makes them admiringly magnanimous? They know
compassion, charity, and care.

ACTIVITY 2: Infographic on My Magnanimous Friend: A Great-

Souled Person

Reading success stories of magnanimous people like Mandela,

Chen and McCarty ignites within us the flame of compassion, charity and
care, and we all wish to emulate them on our path to authentic
happiness.

You will now view this short clip on What Is Magnanimity? After
viewing, you will do the following:

63
 Interview one magnanimous person you know. Try to discover what
makes the person magnanimous, their achievements, heroic acts,
and the adversities they surpass in life. Then, create an Infographic
about this great-souled person. The Infographic will be uploaded to
your dedicated dropbox.

DISCUSSION 3: Giving and Serving Others Without Losing Oneself

In his Doctrine of the Mean, Aristotle argues that virtue is the mean
between too much and too less. It should be moderation in everything.
Not too much food for it will lead to gluttony; not too less for it will lead to
starvation. Not too much or too less of sleep. Not too much or too less of
helping either. Sometimes helping others goes too far or too less. Over-
giving and codependency are extremes of genuine giving.

Over-giving

Real giving is done with true generosity and because we have an

excess of something to offer (time, support, energy), giving tends to be
an impulse we don’t have to overthink. And the giving leaves us
energized and filled to the brim.

On the other hand, over-giving tends to come not from generosity

but from hidden needs. It is a peppy deal where we expect a return, even
if that is just approval, gratitude, or praise; this giving is depleting,
draining, and exhausting. So, when we over-give, we generally give
because we expect something in return, wanting to be appreciated or
loved, needing to feel good about ourselves, and expecting to be seen
as a kinder, other-oriented person. A classic example is an over-giving
mother who still does everything for a grown-up child. This often results
in the spoiled child being unambitious and deeply indebted to the
mother. In fact, to make someone depend on you is to take control of
their life.

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 People who over-give are sometimes compelled to give because
they think they should or have to, not because they want to. Essentially,
we do something we really don’t want to do. Then, you end up feeling
resentful, uncomfortable, upset with yourself, unnecessarily tired, and –
when you get bashed after over-giving – angry even. When our self-
esteem gets bashed and we lose sight of our needs, the result, over time,
can be depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and repressed anger.

Codependency

One red flag of over-giving is a sign of codependency. When you

are codependent, you take your self-worth from pleasing others. So you
give too much to receive praise and get the attention that measures your
sense of worth. This is self-esteem that does not come from within but
from without. Codependency can mean we are so wrapped up in being
what others want of us that we lose our self-identity.

Codependency includes the following symptoms:

 difficulty deciding for oneself

 difficulty in being attuned with one’s emotions
 difficulty communicating oneself a relationship
 seeking the approval of others more than her own self-valuing
 losing trust in oneself
 having poor self-esteem

Being codependent is, in effect, losing oneself in the

relationship. You no longer know who you are. In loving others, you
lose you. Hey, you have your own life. Continue living your own
dreams! You will only see your value in others when you see your
own value. Only in this way can you contribute to the relationship
dynamic because you have interests, you’re engaging, and you’re
confident.

65
ACTIVITY 3: Am I Too Much or Too Less? The Disappearing Me
Syndrome

Answer the following questions with a YES/NO as honestly as you

can. Give yourself time and space to get still, and then write your answers
in your journal.

Questions to identify how much of your over-giving

stems from codependency:
(Source: Terri Cole’s Real Love Revolution)

1. Are you immediately attracted to people who are hurt,

damaged or suffering in some way?

2. Do you do things for other people that they don’t ask you to
do?

3. Do you do more than you are asked?

4. Was one of your parents (or both) an extreme over-giver or

identified by self-sacrifice?

5. Did you grow up in a chaotic family system? (abuse,

addiction, neglect)

Your answers here might help you determine why may be over-
giving or if you have codependency syndrome. To know more about this,
please view Teri Cole’s video on Codependency and Over-functioning. It
will help you assess yourself if you’re giving too much because of your
growing codependency. You’ll learn a lot from this video.

Wrap-Up

In her book, A Gentle Reminder, Bianca Sparacino (2020) poignantly

writes:

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 The kindest people are not born that way; they are made. They are
the souls that have experienced so much at the hands of life; they
are the ones who have dug themselves out of the dark, who have
fought to turn every loss into a lesson. The kindest people do not
just exist - they choose to soften where circumstance has tried to
harden them; they choose to believe in goodness, because they
have seen firsthand why compassion is so necessary. They have
seen firsthand why tenderness is so important in this world.

Let this sink in.

MOVING FORWARD

This lesson shows what it means to enter into a meaningful

relationship with others. In friendship, Godly values such as justice,
uprightness, the greatness of soul, and real giving should be displayed to
enrich the relationship. The next lesson will explore human compassion
as another life’s coordinate. With magnanimity and integrity, we are
asked to be compassionate with others and we show self-compassion.

LEARNING RESOURCES

Aquinas, S. T. (2014). The summa theologica: Complete edition. Catholic

Way Publishing.
Beaumont, E., & Welford, M. (2020). The Kindness Workbook: creative
and compassionate ways to boost your well-being. Hachette UK.
Hansen, H. (2019). The elegant warrior: How to win life’s trials without
losing yourself. Page Two Books.
Milbank, J. (1999). The ethics of self-sacrifice. First Things: A Monthly
Journal of Religion and Public Life, 33-34.

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Robinson, P. (2007). Magnanimity and integrity as military virtues. Journal
of Military Ethics, 6(4), 259–269.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15027570701755364
Sherman, N. (1987). Aristotle on friendship and the shared life.
Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 47(4), 589.
https://doi.org/10.2307/2107230
Vaughan, G. M. (2008). Hobbes on magnanimity and statesmanship:
Replacing virtue with science. Magnanimity and Statesmanship, 67–
82.

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 LESSON 2
Compassion of the Z Generation:
What They Can Offer
in This Conflicted World

GETTING STARTED

Overview

In Lesson 1, we discussed how we could have deep friendship: be

upright, just and magnanimous without losing ourselves in self-giving. To
deepen our appreciation of what true friendship means, we attempt to
establish the link between friendship and compassion.

In this lesson, we explore adolescents’ narratives of compassion

they felt for someone. It studies the different kinds of compassion: self-
compassion, other-centered compassion, and global compassion. It will
also examine the effect of non-compassion-oriented behavior in the lives
of the youth and explain why compassion-oriented youth are more pro-
social than non-compassion-oriented ones. Then, we present the
pathways and possibilities of GenZ compassion. This lesson includes
enlisting students to talk about how their personal passions can lead to
meaningful activities inside and outside academe, calling out
connections between the skills students learn in their courses and what
they need in the workplace, and ensuring that all students can take part
in experiences like internships and mentoring. We hope these projects
will help high school students shift seamlessly into their careers after
graduation.

Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Discover the friendship-compassion-link in human relationships;

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 2. Find ways to be compassion-oriented youth in the most innovative
ways possible.

DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES

Warm-Up

The Suffering Victimizer (Peplak & Malti, 2021): Imagine two

students in school bully you. You were deeply hurt and you cried. A few
days later, you see one of the two students who picked on you being
bullied by two other students. What will you do?

Here, we want to assess your level of concern and desire to help an

out-group person who had previously harmed you (i.e., a victimizer).
Because victimizers cause harm, they are often disliked and considered
part of one’s out-group. Would you still help a suffering victimizer?

DISCUSSION 1: Displaying Compassion For Others with

Magnanimity

What Compassion Means

Compassion is a value that is both innate and learnable. You are

born with it, which can be enhanced with practice. The display of
compassion involves three things: knowledge, intention and action.
Knowledge is awareness of what is going on around you. Intention is
opening your heart to others, and action is when you are spurred to do
something about it. When you see (knowledge) someone in trouble, you
want to know how to help (intention) and do what you can to support the
person (action).

Strauss et al., (2016) state that compassion falls within the “other-
oriented emotion” family along with empathy and sympathy. It is an inter-
personal character of human existence and reveals a multi-component

70
affective response that involves (a) knowledge of other’s pain; (b) a desire
to alleviate the pain of the sufferer (Strauss et al., 2016); and (c) concrete
action to ease the suffering. Let us discuss each component briefly:

a. Knowledge of people’s suffering (cognition). The compassionate

person is aware of what the suffering person is going through.
Most likely, he/she suffered the same way and would want to do
something to ease their pain.

b. Desire to alleviate the pain of the suffering other (similar to

sympathy). The compassionate person feels sorrow for and tries to
dispel the distress of the other as if it were one’s own.

c. Concrete action to help these people. The need for compassion is

concrete; therefore, the response must likewise be concrete.

Clearly, compassion has a dual, sequential movement: from the self

(subjective) and to others (intersubjective).

Types of Compassion: Familial vs. Global

When compassion is displayed to a limited extent – particularly only

to the people familiar to us and less to those strangers, this is considered
partial compassion (Frakes, 2010). Ekman and Ekman (2017), in their
work, “Is Global Compassion Achievable?” presented two types of
compassion: familial and global.

Familial compassion is the feeling expressed toward people closer

to us, such as our family members and the next of kin, as a response to
their suffering. This is also the kind of compassion children feel, who
readily respond to familiar members like the circle of friends and
immediate relatives.

Global compassion, on the other hand, is more inclusive than

familial. It extends its compassion to anyone and goes beyond relation,
level of familiarity, age, country, and other aspects. This type of
compassion involves extending compassion beyond family and friends to

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random strangers and even foes (Peplak & Malti, 2021). To exhibit global
compassion is to recognize our common humanity rooted in
appreciating other human beings as real people who also suffer and
need care from others.

Our capacity to care for others is rooted in our childhood. As we

are shown compassion by those who care for us, we pass this on to
others familiar to us. The kind of concern we give others translates into
pro-social responses towards those in need, especially our friends. The
bond of friendship grows stronger the more profound the manifestation
of concern with some people whose values and perspectives we share.

Compassion and Empathy: How Much the Difference Matters

Can you have empathy without compassion? Can you be

compassionate without being empathetic? While compassion and
empathy stem from the same desire to better understand the other
person’s experiences to yield positive emotions, some nuances may
help clarify what it means to be empathetic vs. compassionate.
Here’s the chart that shows the difference between empathy and
compassion.

Basis for
Empathy Compassion
Comparison
Nature Ability to take the other’s Includes the desire to help
perspective and actually to do it
Sequence Empathy precedes There is no compassion
compassion without empathy.
Voluntariness Visceral, automatic action is Conscious action one has
often involuntary control over.
Bias Subject to cognitive bias; Bias is minimized.
Self-other no self-other distinction is the self-other distinction is
distinction blurred; feeling with the highlighted; feeling for the
other; other
Feasibility Unfeasible in the long term, True compassion goes
one may experience empathy beyond space and time by
fatigue. remaining kind regardless.

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Basis for
Empathy Compassion
Comparison
Feeling of sameness; we Feeling of compassion is
empathize with people whose neutral; we are
Source of emotion
experience mirrors us. compassionate regardless of
emotional attachment.

With empathy, we foster an understanding of the suffering of others

but fall short of actually reaching out. With compassion, we’re one
step more toward caring as we ask the suffering others, “how can I
help?” Genuine compassion goes beyond emotion and
rationalization and remains kind regardless. Empathy is compulsive
because the action is visceral and automatic. Compassion is
deliberate and reflective.

Empathy comes from a feeling of sameness; we sympathize with

people whose experience mirrors ours. Empathetic persons find it
challenging to have self-other distinction. Their response is not really
about the other’s feelings but more about their own. Compassion
requires being completely aware that you and your own experience
are distinct from the other person and their own experience.
Compassionate people are better able to make this self-other
distinction than empathetic ones.

Self-Compassion

When we display compassion, one thing missed out on is our

compassion for ourselves. Self-compassion is caring for yourself as
you would care for a friend, with kindness rather than self-judgment,
amid our own faults. Self-compassion is remembering we’re all
wounded beings in need of understanding and not beating. Often,
we are harder and more unforgiving of ourselves than we are of
anyone else. Compassion is what incites us to do something about
the suffering of others, but when we do too much (over-giving), we
forget to take care of ourselves.

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 Research findings reveal that people could improve their ability
to respond compassionately to others by getting to know themselves
better. Be gentle with yourself. Be self-compassionate. Sometimes,
you, too, need it – more than anyone else.

ACTIVITY 1: Supporting and Supported: A Writing Exercise To Foster

Compassion

One Compassion Story

This is a story of compassion posted on the Lessons Taught by Life

Facebook page:

“One day in the middle of a Target

store in Wilmington, Massachusetts, a
little girl started going into a full
tantrum. It was Brianna Lelos’ little
girl, Bella, who went into the fit. And it
was bad. Instead of just walking by
and trying to ignore it, a Target
employee named Liliana decided she
would try to help out. So, she sat
down on the floor next to Bella and
spoke softly to her. And after a few
seconds, the toddler calmed down
and everything went fine.”

“Mom Brianna was extremely impressed by Liliana’s way with her

saying: “To Liliana of the Wilmington, MA Target store: Thank you. I think
every parent knows the feeling of their toddler/any age child having a
tantrum in the middle of the store……” Let’s make Liliana famous so
Target knows they have such an outstanding, compassionate staff
member. (From Lessons Taught by Life/Photo courtesy:
Twitter/@brianna_lelos)

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 Feeling comforted and supported by others can make us more
compassionate. Get your journal and answer the following questions:
This activity is patterned after How Would You Treat A Friend?

1. First, think about times when a close friend feels bad about him or
herself or is struggling in some way. How would you respond to
your friend in this situation (especially when you’re at your best)?
Please write down what you typically do and say, and note the tone
in which you usually talk to your friends.

2. Now think about times when you feel bad about yourself or are
struggling. How do you typically respond to yourself in these
situations? Please write down what you usually do, and what you
say, and note the tone in which you talk to yourself.

3. Did you notice a difference? If so, ask yourself why. What factors or
fears come into play that led you to treat yourself and others so
differently?

4. Please write down how you think things might change if you
responded to yourself like you typically respond to a close friend
when you’re suffering.

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DISCUSSION 2: Feeling Sorry Isn’t Good Enough! Act On It!

Compassion Needs Action

The Power of Compassion

Sympathy looks in and says, “I’m sorry.”

Compassion goes in and says, “I’m with you.“

Sympathy looks in and says, “I would like to help.”

Compassion goes in and says, “I am here to help.”

Sympathy says, “I wish I could carry your burden.”

Compassion says, “Cast your burden on me.”

Sympathy often irritates with many words.

Compassion helps and hears in quietness and understanding.

-Author Unknown

The “Ang Probinsyano” Appeal

Do you watch Coco Martin’s Ang Probinsyano? I do!

We give three reasons why “Ang Probinsyano” remained the most

publicly viewed TV series, running for more than six years now: relatable
(for audiences psychologically scarred by drug-related extra-judicial
killings), relevant (tackling the nation’s most discussed issues and topics
that happen on the street affecting all Filipinos) and public-spirited. It is a
story of the heroic feats of the upright protagonist cop, Cardo Dalisay,

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who, despite the odds that come his way, never cease to help the
oppressed to fight for justice, freedom and peace.

Cardo’s reaching out to the vulnerable members of society inspires

us to restore our faith in humanity. The thought that there are still
defenders of justice willing to save us from the snares of corrupt people
is truly awe-inspiring. There are four ways Cardo made us believe in the
uprightness and magnanimity of others that make the TV series
profoundly captivating:

1. We have a Big Brother who will defend us against the thugs.

2. People have genuine compassion for others.
3. We feel safe in the presence of these selfless individuals.
4. We, too, would want to be compassionate like them.

Cardo walks the talk. Exposed to people’s suffering (cognition), he

commiserates with them (affective) and takes concrete compassionate
steps to try to remedy it (volitional). Sincere compassion involves
awareness of somebody else’s misery, the desire to do something about
it, and the actual choice to alleviate the misery – whatever it takes.
Compassionate entails going to great lengths to find a solution to the
problem. For example, a person might have sympathy for a friend’s bouts
of anxiety but may not care to find ways to address such feelings. A
distinct lack of disposition to offer any help is hypocritical. Without doing
something, the feeling is simply pity.

Falling into the Pity Trap

Pity is the feeling of sorrow triggered by the grief and misfortunes

of others. It is a condescending emotion that makes you feel like you are
better than someone going through a tough time. The person feeling
pity feels something, but it is sorrow, not a shared emotional
understanding of the other person’s feelings. Called a pity trap, this
display of pity is sometimes viewed as insulting and causes distance in
your friendship. This behavior does not sit well with most people. If your
friend has low self-esteem or frequently beats herself up for vulnerable

77
emotions, be especially careful with how you come across. She might
mistake your genuine empathy for pity.

You can feel pity without sympathy. In fact, pity carries with it a
connotation that you explicitly aren’t in the same emotional position as
another person. Instead, your position is higher than theirs. Our friends,
in their misery, do not need pity. Thanks for the pity, but no thanks. They
need genuine concern from someone who will stand up for them when
they need their help the most.

ACTIVITY 2: A Story of Mark and Bill

Here’s a poignant story of Mark and Bill from The Power of

Compassion. Read their story and answer the activity following it.

A young man named Mark was walking home from school one day
when he noticed that a boy ahead of him had tripped and dropped
all of the books he was carrying, along with two sweaters, a baseball
bat, a glove, and a small tape recorder. Mark knelt and helped the
boy pick up the scattered articles. Since they were going the same
way, he helped the boy carry part of the burden. As they walked, he
discovered the boy’s name was Bill, that he loved video games,
baseball, history, and that he was having lots of trouble with his other
subjects. They arrived at Bill’s home first, and Mark was invited in for
a Coke and watched some television. The afternoon passed
pleasantly with a few laughs and some shared small talk; then Mark
went home.

They continued to see each other around school, had lunch together
once in a while, then both graduated from junior high school. They
ended up in the same high school where they had brief contacts
over the years. Finally, the long-awaited senior year came, and three
weeks before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk. Bill
reminded Mark of the day years ago when they had first met. “Did
you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?”
asked Bill. “You see, I cleaned out my locker because I didn’t want to

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 leave a mess for anyone else. I had stored away some of my mother’s
sleeping pills, and I was going home to commit suicide.”

Bill told Mark that he realized that he didn’t want to die after
spending time together talking and laughing. “I would have missed
that time with you and many other good times in my life that
followed. I am trying to say, Mark, that you did a lot more when you
picked up those books that day. You saved my life.”

Share with us your own compassion stories, like the story of Bill and
Mark. Recall the last time you felt so compassionate to someone or you
felt being shown compassion by someone. Explain how it changed your
perspective in life and how it enhanced your relationship with people.
Give as many details as possible. Write your answer (300 -500 words) in
your journal.

DISCUSSION 3: What Now, Gen Z?

Are GenZers More Compassionate?

GenZers, also known as the iGeneration, iGenners, GenZ, and

generation Now, are generally born between 1997 and 2012. They grew
up experiencing firsthand the devastating effects of climate change
globally, from the havoc made by Super Typhoon Haiyan in the
Philippines in 2013, the deadly wildfires in Australia in 2019, and the
extreme heat waves that hit the United States in 2021 to the Ukraine-
Russia war. Unique experiences such as technological advances
(Smartphones, social media), calamities (Taal Volcano eruption and
floods), and the COVID-19 pandemic have influenced Generation Z’s
compassionate behavior. Living through these events and seeing their
impact change how they understand and take the perspective of others.

Here’s The GenZ world:

We’re not prepared. We’re not prepared for the sacrifices, for the
compromises, for the unconditional love. We’re not ready to invest

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 all that it takes to make a relationship work. We want everything
easy.

We look for instant gratification in everything we do – the things we

post online, the relationships we choose, and the people we fall in
love with. We believe more in meeting people than getting to know
them. We’re greedy. We want to have everything. We get into
relationships at the slightest attraction and step out at the slightest
provocation. Seemingly, nothing’s worth our time and patience – not
even love.

We are a generation of ‘wanderers’ who wouldn’t stay in one place

for too long. We cannot imagine being with one person for the rest
of our lives. We walk away. We despise permanence like it’s some
kind of social evil. We like to believe we’re ‘different’ than the rest.
We like to believe we don’t conform to social norms.

We are the hook-up-break-up generation. We have sex first and then

decide if we want to love someone. Sex comes easy; loyalty doesn’t.
There are open relationships, friends with benefits, causal flings,
one-night stands, no strings attached – they have left very little
exclusivity for love in our lives.

We don’t know how to love deeply anymore.

GenZ, while regarded as a risk-taker, is a scared generation – scared

to commit, scared to make mistakes, scared to get hurt, scared to get
busted. They don’t allow anyone in, nor do they step out and love anyone
unconditionally. They lurk from behind walls they have created
themselves, looking for love and running away the moment they really
find it. They suddenly ‘cannot handle it.” They don’t want to be helpless.
They don’t want to bare their soul to anyone. They are too shielded. They
are too hot to handle.

But remember this: some of these GenZers never found time to

deeply care because they were too busy trying to be strong.

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ACTIVITY 3: Move Over, Millennials: Here Come the GenZers

Older generations think that GenZers who are exposed to

technology would produce an increasingly self-seeking and isolationist
cohort. Yet, we are witnessing an unswerving growth in compassion and
social consciousness in our younger generation. Gen Z already makes up
16 percent of the Philippine population and believes there is power in
their collective voices and choices. They need to be heard.

So, here: the students are asked to think of an in-depth, fun and
engaging program aligned to their curriculum and learning outcomes of
VE 4. The program should challenge teenage teams to co-create and
implement an innovative solution to issues they care about involving
magnanimous behavior and compassion, helping the person in need at
your doorstep and your global neighbor who you’ve never met. Let the
title of this program be: Do What You Thought You Can’t. Think of a
project where you think you can generate more effective and just
solutions to solve complex social problems (Beckman, Painter, and
Rosen, 2020) that provides an alternative to traditional problem-solving
approaches. Watch this to get inspired: 4 Lenses of Innovation.

Wrap-Up

The book, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, which is an
erudite book with a powerful yet simple story on the surface, of a lonely
boy meeting a mole, a fox, and a horse, is a story of the boy full of
questions about life. The simple sketched illustrations and narrative belie
this story’s depth of meaning and wisdom.

“What is the bravest thing you’ve ever said?” asked the boy.

“Help,” said the horse.

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 MOVING FORWARD

This lesson shows both self-love and love for others. Godly values
are exhibited, such as justice, uprightness, the greatness of soul,
trustworthiness, faithfulness, and integrity. True compassion is not shown
in merely encouraging concern for others; more than concern is the
actual doing to remedy what afflicts others. In this light, some school-
based programs targeting pro-social behavior must be implemented.
This will foster more pro-social behavior that defines what is true and
good. The next lesson discusses the challenges of human relations and
how we can transcend all these challenges.

LEARNING RESOURCES

Anand, A., Vessal, S. R., Rathi, K., & Ameen, N. (2021). Show me your
mobile and I will tell you who you are: Forecasting consumer
compassion and altruism behaviour through smartphone type and
usage. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 63, 102657.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102657
Beaumont, E., Durkin, M., Martin, C. J. H., & Carson, J. (2016).
Compassion for others, self-compassion, quality of life and mental
well-being measures and their association with compassion fatigue
and burnout in student midwives: A quantitative survey. Midwifery,
34, 239-244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2015.11.002
Davies, O. (2016). A theology of compassion: Metaphysics of difference
and the renewal of tradition. Wipf and Stock Publishers.
Ekman, P., & Ekman, E. (2017). Is global compassion achievable? In
Seppälä, E. M., Simon-Thomas, E., Brown, S. L., Worline, M. C.,
Cameron, C. D., Doty, J. R. (Eds.), The oxford handbook of
compassion science (pp. 41–49). Oxford University Press.
Flores, G., Goeke, M. L., & Perez, R. (2014). The power of youth in
improving community conditions for health. NAM Perspectives.
https://doi.org/10.31478/201409b
Mackesy, C. (2019). The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse. Random
House.

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Peplak, J., & Malti, T. (2021). Toward generalized concern: The
development of compassion and links to kind orientations. Journal
of Adolescent Research, 1-29.
https://doi.org/10.1177/07435584211007840
Sparacino, B. (2020). A gentle reminder. Thought Catalog Books.
Stellar, J. E., Anderson, C. L., & Gatchpazian, A. (2020). Profiles in
empathy: Different empathic responses to emotional and physical
suffering. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 149(7), 1398-
1416. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000718
Strauss, C., Taylor, B. L., Gu, J., Kuyken, W., Baer, R., Jones, F., &
Cavanagh, K. (2016). What is compassion and how can we measure
it? A review of definitions and measures. Clinical Psychology
Review, 47, 15-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2016.05.004

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 LESSON 3
Can’t Live With Them,
Can’t Live Without Them
GETTING STARTED

Overview

The previous two lessons taught us how to be upright,

magnanimous and compassionate people. But life isn’t always tidy, no
matter how much we want it to be. Some people will challenge our
patience, run us dry in generosity and test our limits.

Lesson 3 explores the unique challenge of finding tolerable ways to

blend the lives, experiences, and expectations of all involved in these
complex, intergenerational and gendered relations. Socially-entrenched
gender norms cause frictions between husband and wife. Friendships fail
at communication sometimes. Misunderstanding. Conflicts across
generations. Gendered struggles.

Here we see that families, couples and friends are in a constant

conversation: the back-and-forth dialogue between what the world
needs of us and what we need of it, what we can do and what we cannot
do, who we know we are, and who we know we are not. We negotiate
between what we can offer life and what life can offer them. They are
capable of constantly surprising and dislodging themselves by their
challenges but also by how they reconstruct themselves and how much
grit, fortitude and maturity these human relations offer them.

This lesson invites us to normalize compassionate conversations in

a continuous, non-threatening manner, letting human relationships and
life seesaw between fits of delight and impetuousness. Here, we advise
you that instead of silencing our hurt voices, we allow the surfacing of the
discourse of compassionate narratives by inviting you to narrate our own
stories of guilt, grief and grit.

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Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Recognize the challenges of modern-day relationships in the

contemporary period;

2. Present ways to develop harmonious relationships amid gendered,

intergenerational, and relational issues.

DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES

Warm-Up

Do we listen to each other? Nakikinig ka ba sa akin?

How do you find the situation of the family here? Is it relatable to

your current situation? It is indeed painful to find yourself in a position
where a relationship with close family members is untenable. Let’s
discuss this more deeply and see what we can do here.

DISCUSSION 1: We Have Grown Estranged To Each Other

Family Estrangement

Do you see your parents (or grandparents who may be living with
you) as your enemies rather than as friends? Do your parents or
grandparents see you as an irritable, stress-giving child instead of their
lovely, joy-giving baby? Being cut off by family, or deciding to leave, can
be one of the most intergenerational traumas in a person’s life. Do you
need to bridge the gap in your multi-generational household? If multi-
generational family members range from 10-year-olds up through their
90-year-old, you may have noticed a few challenges:

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  family members have a hard time relating to each other in
conversation
 family members have clashing processes and preferences for
getting things done at home
 their differences harmed their ability to generate complementary
ideas and collaborate on any family plans

Blood is thicker than water, as the saying goes. As loyal family

members, we put up with things with family members we wouldn’t
tolerate from friends. Others endure toxic relationships because they
think family is supposed to stand by each other, hoping people will
change for the better. Family is family: we can’t survive without them, but
we can’t survive with them, either. There are situations when we cut off
family ties. Estrangements between parents and children, husband and
wife, and siblings are painfully cruel. Loren Legarda is estranged from his
son Lorenzo due to some political differences. Several popular couples
we know are estranged from each other. The half-brothers and politicians
Jinggoy Estrada and JV Ejercito have not been on speaking terms for
years. Julia Roberts is estranged from her brother Eric. A lot more of this
kind exist as a matter of routine.

So, what is family estrangement? Agllias (2016) views it as a process

where at least one family member intentionally distances oneself from
another because of a damaging relationship. “When rejection, exclusion,
and ostracism occur between family members,” says Agllias (2013), that
is family estrangement. She mentioned that family estrangement exhibits

lack of trust and emotional intimacy, disparate values, and a belief

that resolution is highly unlikely, unnecessary or impossible. It
involves some level of dissatisfaction by at least one party. However,
it is important to note that dissatisfaction does not necessarily mean
that the dissatisfied party wants to reconcile. Rather dissatisfaction
usually relates to unmet relational expectations that elicit some level
of negative emotion. (Agllias, 2016, pp. 4–5)

Family estrangement is a family disruption intricately connected with

issues of finances, separation, child custody, poverty, addiction, disabled

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members, and end-of-life decision-making (Agllias, 2013). It may be
physical where no or little physical closeness exists between two or more
family members, or emotional, where one or more family members have
awkward, uncomfortable and emotionally strained contact. Estrangement
is also voluntary, intentional and based on enduring issues (Agllias, 2016).

 Estrangement is voluntary. It is a choice made, not imposed on

someone as opposed to court intervention, for example, applied
like the foster care system or criminal justice system.

 Estrangement is intentional. The decision to be estranged is not a

matter of chance but a matter of choice.

 Estrangement is often based on ongoing issues. It is less likely that

family members, out of nowhere, decide they want distance.
Rather, long series of hurts that led to its “last straw that broke the
camel’s back.” Enough is enough.

Here we see that families are not spared from estrangement. A

minimum of three generations are in the household, bringing a whole
new challenge to the clash of the titans, so to speak. When they meet,
they will surely clash! Their beliefs, ideals, and aspirations are worlds far
apart. What should we do?

ACTIVITY 1: Fault Family Lines, Fracture Family Lives

Directions: After knowing the intricacies of family estrangement, you are

asked to write a one-paragraph essay on each of the following questions:

Question #1

While estrangement hurts, some estranged family members think that

being estranged is the only avenue to healing and growth. It is a healthy
solution to an unhealthy relationship. Instead of viewing estrangement as
defeating, it can be framed as actually a transformative process. What
can you say to this perspective? Can estrangement be healing?

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Question #2

Motherhood is both central and natural to women’s life narratives. It is,

therefore, unthinkable for a mother and her child to be estranged. The
social stigma associated with maternal estrangement adds more to the
mother’s personal shame, forcing them to keep from speaking out about
the subject to avoid public scorn. The perceived stigma associated with
having an estranged child contributed to a ‘‘social silence’’ and the
mother’s reluctance to reveal their loss (Agllias, 2013). The social
construction of ‘‘motherhood as natural’’ (Agllias, 2013) makes
estrangement so unnatural.

What can you say about this gendered dimension of estrangement?

DISCUSSION 2: What Do We Mean To Each Other: Are We Friends

or Enemies?

In the previous discussion, we discussed inner conflicts in an inter-

generational relationship. Family difficulties bring members to a position
where they can no longer communicate. Sometimes the wounds are so
deep they refuse to heal. The same can happen to some married couples
turning into bitter partners or friends turning into fiends.

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Husband and Wife: Blending Personalities in Sickness and In Health

Throughout the years, family roles have changed radically. What was
once the norm in terms of family roles no longer applies today.

The traditional relationship has more clearly defined roles for the
couple. For example, the man could be the sole provider or primary
breadwinner. The man would also take care of home repairs, trash, and
vehicle maintenance. For the woman, she would take care of the cooking,
the cleaning, and be the primary caretaker of any children. Although this
type of relationship may seem old-fashioned and would not work for
some, it works for many, and the relationships tend to last longer.

The demands on working mothers, pre-pandemic, were already

demanding and overwhelming – and the heavy load on mothers tends to
worsen amid the pandemic. Due to lockdown, mothers carry the added
housework and childcare burden in the work-from-home arrangement.
The deciding factor: whoever has lower income and flexibility stays home
and takes care of the domicile duties (Bonacini et al., 2021). The impact
of the current pandemic on mothers is huge and unequal within and
across countries. Unlike most mothers, husbands usually prioritize their
careers over domestic responsibilities and child care; they know that
their female partners will take on the tasks of doing household activities
(Del Boca et al., 2020).

In a family-oriented Philippines, the primary role of taking care of the

home has been ascribed to women, and to men the duty to provide
financially for the family. But when women are breadwinning, they also
have to do the caring at home. The narrative stories of these mothers
need hearing, now more than ever, as their burdens become complex,
ignored, and under-appreciated, especially during the pandemic. Their
narrative accounts are highlighted as they engage with fleshy, embodied
experiences of motherhood, sustaining the disembodied experiences of
professional work. These mothers try to come to terms with, and make
sense of, the startling changes in their personal and professional lives.

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 Care work (e. g., childcare and adult care) is a task assigned to
women and it is usually non-monetized, unseen, and broadly viewed as
not “real work.” The consequence of women doing men’s role is the
motherhood penalty (Benard & Correll, 2010). Increased participation by
mothers in the workplace yields a heavy burden on working mothers
themselves (Veletsianos & Houlden, 2020). Professional women
remained conflicted, then and more now, in combining career and
motherhood. Given this pandemic scenario, how do mothers balance
career, childcare, and chores?

These mothers are collectively exhausted – maddened even –

because of the challenge of holding two demanding needs together
more cohesively. The voice inside them to trim off the excesses of
burdens bothers them no end. I am worried that as these women survive
and thrive amidst the pandemic challenges, their capacity for resilience
becomes more of an act of subconscious protest.

Frenemies: My BFF Turns into my Worst Enemy

It was so easy to build friendships when we were children: you could

give me a piece of sandwich and we would be friends. You defend me
from my enemy, you’d be my bff! As children, we become friends for the
shallowest of reasons. Friendships based on shared meaning are
probably the richest friendships of all. How satisfying it is to know that
you and your friends have interests and values in common, that you
understand one another’s aspirations and dreams.

Not all friendships last, though. Some do not stand the test of time.
One day we’re closer than sisters; the next, we hate each other like hell.
Our BFF turns into our worst enemy! Friendships, just like romantic
relationships, can be toxic, damaging, or just irritating. And sometimes
they need to end.

Frenemy, a portmanteau of “friend” and “enemy,” is usually used in

teen friendships. Friends turn into enemies because of differences that
may be based on various factors: diverse emotional histories, or
conflicting beliefs. But just because they have these differences doesn’t

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necessarily indicate that the relationship is screwed up. Dissimilarities
may simply indicate that they’re trying to live according to what they find
meaningful.

ACTIVITY 2: We Don’t Talk Anymore: Connected Lives, Separate

Destinies

Given the stories of estrangement, we ask:

What happened to human relationships now?
Where has pain and anger and deep
resentment brought them? How can we bridge
these anguishing inner divides among people
who used to care for one another? What do you
propose to heal family wounds?

Let’s try this: If we are hurting, what if we tell them what we want? In
the table below, write down the rules you would like the other person to
follow to have a more harmonious relationship. Write as many rules as
possible and discuss them with your parents and friends. You may invite
your parents to do the same and to answer, if they are willing, the items
under “husband and wife.”

What you
What is What you What you
Rules to What is What you always
not must not should
Live By allowed should do need to
allowed do never do
do

Parents
&
Children

Siblings

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 What you
What is What you What you
Rules to What is What you always
not must not should
Live By allowed should do need to
allowed do never do
do

Husband
& Wife

Friends

DISCUSSION 3: Estrangement to Re-engagement: Healing of Human

Relationships

Let’s brighten the mood, though.

How then can intergenerational, gendered and relational

understanding be promoted to bridge the gap and enhance re-
engagement among families, couples and friends?

The truth is there’s more that unites us than divides us. We have
shared meaning and values core as human beings. Let our love bring
together people by shifting away from negative, toxic, and divisive
narratives and by normalizing compassionate narratives. We’re all
wounded species; let’s stop hurting further.

One solution for re-engagement is viewing things through the

other’s eyes. The American psychologist, Joshua Coleman, author of the
book, Rules of Estrangement, mentioned that what made him write the
book was his painful, disorienting estrangement with his own daughter,
who was then in her early 20s. After a series of attempts to reconcile with

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her, Coleman finally devised this game plan: he would see everything
from his daughter’s point of view and take responsibility for her pains. It
took some time before they reconciled, but the plan worked, and his
daughter took him back. They are back in each other’s arms.

This may be a good strategy for both teens and their parents,
husband and wife, siblings and friends to work through the issues that
divide them and, in the process, rediscover the love that initially defined
their relationship. In finding common ground and, even more essential,
common respect for each other, people can destroy the walls, unlearn
hatred, forgive offenses, and welcome each other back into one
another’s lives again.

In truth and in fact, what happens in real life is stranger than fiction.
The fights and slights are all present in human relations. Their truth is
hard and harsh. Relationships seesaw between fits of impetuousness and
rigidity, sometimes fighting but often growing. While pain exists in most
stories, hope still looms, and healing is still possible. Not everything is
negative, though.

ACTIVITY 3: Hindi Tayo Puede: May Pag-asa Pa Bang Maging Tayo

Muli?

After studying human relations challenges, you are invited to listen

to the song of The Juans’ “Hindi Tayo Puede.” Then, they will change the
lyrics (but with the same tune), making it “Puede Pa Rin Tayo,” a song
about living with someone we can’t live without. We may still stand a
chance.

Hindi Tayo Puede (by The Juans)

Pilit nating iniwasan dapat no'ng una pa lamang

Ganitong mga tanungan 'Di na umasa, 'di naniwala
At kahit 'di sigurado Hindi tayo pwede
Tinuloy natin ang ating ugnayan Pinagtagpo pero 'di tinadhana

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 Ngayo'y naubos na'ng kwentuhan Hindi na posible
Nagsimula nang magsisihan Ang mga puso'y huwag nating
Lahat ay parang lumabo pahirapan
'Di alam kung sa'n tutungo Suko na sa laban
Sabi ko na nga ba, Hindi tayo pwede
dapat no'ng una pa lamang Hindi tayo pwede dahil una pa lang
'Di na umasa, 'di naniwala Alam naman nating mayroong
Hindi tayo pwede hangganan
Pinagtagpo pero 'di tinadhana At kahit ipilit, hanggang dito na lang
Hindi na posible Dito na lang
Ang mga puso'y huwag nating Hindi tayo pwede
pahirapan Pinagtagpo pero 'di tinadhana
Suko na sa laban Hindi na posible
Hindi tayo pwede Ang mga puso'y huwag nating
Kay bigat na ng damdamin pahirapan
Bakit 'di pa natin aminin Suko na sa laban
Dahil sa una pa lamang Hindi tayo pwede
Alam nating wala tayong laban Hindi tayo pwede
Sabi ko na nga ba,

Wrap-Up

“I miss us. The happy us. The lovely us. The great us. The sweet us.
The gone us.”

Sometimes, we just need to fix something rather than abandon it

together. We are all scarred, but there is beauty in mending. A
relationship worth repairing is a testimony to its essential value.

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 And finally, this:

Image 1 From the book The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse.

MOVING FORWARD

This lesson discusses the values of living in a diverse and inclusive

society, displaying connectedness grounded in magnanimity,
compassion, equity and understanding. To communicate and negotiate
with others in human relationships, with the eyes of openness to dialogue
and to resist any harsh judgment that can obstruct our view. It tells us
these: Live magnanimously. Do compassionate acts. Forgive lovingly.

Moving forward, Module 3 further explores the beauty of living a

magnanimous, compassionate and empathetic life by leading good life.
What does it mean to be good, amid the modern-day notion of
goodness? And how does living a good life lead us to the divine? These
concepts we explore in the next module.

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 LEARNING RESOURCES

Agllias, K. (2013). The gendered experience of family estrangement in

later life. Affilia, 28(3), 309-321.
Agllias, K. (2016). Family estrangement: A matter of perspective. London:
Routledge.
Benard, S., & Correll, S. J. (2010). Normative discrimination and the
motherhood penalty. Gender & Society, 24(5), 616–646.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243210383142
Bonacini, L., Gallo, G., & Scicchitano, S. (2021). Working from home and
income inequality: Risks of a ‘new normal’ with COVID-19. Journal of
Population Economics, 34(1), 303–360.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-020-00800-7
Coleman, J. (2021). Rules of estrangement: Why adult children cut ties
and how to heal the conflict. Hachette UK.
Del Boca, D., Oggero, N., Profeta, P., & Rossi, M. (2020). Women’s and
men’s work, housework and childcare, before and during COVID-19.
Review of Economics of the Household, 18(4), 1001–1017.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11150-020-09502-1
Dhar, D., Jain, T., & Jayachandran, S. (2019). Intergenerational
transmission of gender attitudes: Evidence from India. The Journal of
Development Studies, 55(12), 2572–2592.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2018.1520214
Flores, G., Goeke, M. L., & Perez, R. (2014). The power of youth in
improving community conditions for health. NAM Perspectives.
https://doi.org/10.31478/201409b
Kachel, S., Steffens, M. C., & Niedlich, C. (2016). Traditional masculinity
and femininity: Validation of a new scale assessing gender roles.
Frontiers in Psychology, 7.
https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00956
Mackesy, C. (2019). The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse. Random
House.
Maina, A. a R., & Kitainge, K. (2018). A review of the effects of mother-
father relationship on academic performance of students. Arts and
Social Sciences Journal, 09(02). https://doi.org/10.4172/2151-
6200.1000339

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Rowlingson, K., Joseph, R., & Overton, L. (2017). Inter-generational
financial giving and inequality. Palgrave Macmillan UK.
https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95047-8
Updegraff, K. A., Delgado, M. Y., & Wheeler, L. A. (2009). Exploring
mothers’ and fathers’ relationships with sons versus daughters: Links
to adolescent adjustment in mexican immigrant families. Sex Roles,
60(7–8), 559–574. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9527-y
Veletsianos, G., & Houlden, S. (2020a, March 12). Coronavirus pushes
universities to switch to online classes—But are they ready? The
Conversation. http://theconversation.com/coronavirus-pushes-
universities-to-switch-to-online-classes-but-are-they-ready-132728

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 MODULE 3
A True, Good, and Strong Life

Overview of Module 3

Module 3 considers a person’s values and standards for a good life

vis-à-vis modern society’s notions of success and prestige. How does a
person remain strong, true, and good throughout life? This module also
considers a life of spirituality can be coherent with today’s complicated
human realities.

In Lesson 1 we consider that, in modern times, the hallmarks of a

good life are professional success, material bounty, and social prestige.
How hard do you wish to work toward these goals, or do your really have
to? Many people’s standards for a good life contradict with what the
world regards as important. These people turn countercultural and
pursue what matters most not to the world but to them.

In Lesson 2 we consider that goodness does not always take the

same form in all circumstances, even to persons who have already known
and articulated their standards of goodness. Each time there is a call to
goodness, an appraisal of what it means to be good, as well as
deliberation on how to be good, precedes the action of goodness. We
thus consider the interface of thinking and behavior. Ethical acts arise
from a thoughtful consideration of context and circumstance. The
foundation of values is not so much in action but in thought.

In Lesson 3 we consider that the “profane” is already complete and

actualized in itself and by itself. Nevertheless, the thinking person can be
open to spirituality. Lesson 3 offers the believing person a
transcendental view of the profane through the path of prayer in silent
times and places.

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What You Should be Thinking About

In this module, you will reflect on the following essential questions:

1. How important are success and prestige to me and what am I willing

to give up to attain them?

2. In my heart of hearts, what do I desire in life?

3. How well have I thought about what makes my life worth living?

4. How do I make my life worth living?

5. What does being human mean?

6. Where lies the greatness of the human spirit?

At a Glance

Lesson 1: Being Different: Values and Standards for a Good Life

Lesson 2: One and the Same: The Thinking and Good Person

Lesson 3: The Profane: To Those Who Think of God and Not

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 LESSON 1
Being Different:
Values and Standards for a Good Life

GETTING STARTED

Overview of Lesson 1

In this lesson, we consider the world’s standards of prestige and

success as encapsulated in grades and how we can succumb to these
standards by doing whatever it takes to get high grades. Then, we
project the grades in the present to the (senseless) working hard in the
future, all for the sake of achievement, our life snuffed out of us.

In this lesson, we will put success and prestige in a proper and

healthier perspective. We will give premium to learning and growing.
Still we remind ourselves that working is part of life and that we do not
shirk from our responsibilities. We consider that quaint expression
“applying oneself”, that focused and concerted effort to do things. Yet,
we do not take ourselves seriously and have the time and room for
others, for leisure and rest, for life and laughter. When we avoid the
trappings of life, we become more capable of being whole and of
creating warm places for us and for others.

Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Examine and articulate what you think of as a good life;

2. Evaluate your valuing of a good life against today’s prevailing

notions of a good life.

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 DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES

Warm-Up

Consider a person thinking to oneself or saying the following quips.

Think of a possible situation where each line must have been said.

1. Anong masama kung paulit-ulit ang suot ko?

2. Wala akong barkada, pero maraming kaibigan.

3. Bakit ang galing niya? Ano ang mayroon siya na wala ako?

There may be times when you feel that your peers are better
regarded by others than you, when you compare yourself to your peers
and see how much better they seem to be than you.

Stand back. What standards do many people use to gauge the

worth of a person? Success and prestige? Attractiveness, popularity,
achievement? Are these your standards for valuing persons? For valuing
you?

Do you sometimes find yourself thinking, “Hindi ako ganyan.”

DISCUSSION 1: I Will Always Be Different: Being Countercultural

Uplifts Me

What others say matters to us. To many of us, it is important to be

liked and esteemed. We see ourselves from the standards of others and
we present ourselves the way others want us to be. A number of us end
up becoming that image we present to others, an imitation of a well-liked
person living an enviable life, like a colorful two-dimensional instagram
photo.

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Academic Grades Representing the World’s Standards

Grades serve the important function of informing you and your

teacher how far you have learned and how or what else you need to
learn. With this information, you can set appropriate goals and apply
yourself to a plan for achieving these goals. Your teacher is a valuable
partner in your goal-setting and planning.

Grades also are the yardstick of success. There are diverse platforms
on which to succeed, but for students in a top competitive school,
academic success is the gold standard. The grades you get are one
piece of information others use to gauge your worth as a person (and
some people may gauge your worth solely on the basis of your grades).

Do you gauge your worth from the grades you get? Don’t. Just
don’t. Rather, use your grades to know how to improve your work in
school. Realize, too, that grades do not fully capture the hard work that
you’ve exerted and the things you know or are good at. Grades are not
all about you but are determined by many other things besides. For
example, you studied for an essay exam, but the exam was multiple
choice; or what you know well just did not get asked in the exam; or
everyone gets the same high grades that it is hard tell whose work is
indeed exemplary.

Have a balanced perspective of academic success. Work hard, but

not for the primary purpose of getting high grades. Do not always take
grades seriously. Are grades to you a matter of life or death? Twenty
years from now that failing grade, yes, even that high grade would not
matter anymore.

It can happen in some school cultures that students haggle with their
teacher over grades as though grades are a commodity that can be
bought at a bargain. It is not only those who fail who would plea and
beg. Some students who get a 1.25 in a subject would negotiate for a
1.0 without due and fair cause, but only with the reason that they have
already gotten 1.0s in the rest of their subjects.

Who would want to get high grades underhandedly and not on

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merit? Tell yourself not to be a fierce cheater or haggler. Academic
excellence is worth aiming at; it goes hand in hand with the desire to
learn, to outdo oneself, and to get accepted in a good university and
major, but do not get it at the expense of your honor.

Will Adult Life be Always and Only about Grades?

You stand in front of this mirror that others have built. You see
yourself; others see you. Do you like what you see? Do others like what
they see? You and your image look the same but are not the same.
What of you is not reflected by that image?

Your grades in school are a mirror of success that others have you
face. This mirror is a precursor of all sorts of mirrors (mounted, full-
length, lighted - you name it) from which in the future you will look at
yourself. How you choose to face the mirror of the present foretells how
you will choose to face the mirrors of your future. The premium you
place on academic grades now shapes the way you study and how you
think and feel about studying. Likewise, the premium you place on
success and prestige will shape the way you work and how you think and
feel about working. Academics and grades are a microcosm of the adult
workplace and its blueprint of success.

Negotiating for higher grades is worrisome because it is a claim for

entitlement that one has not worked for and does not possess. There are
similar other dubious schemes: baka puedeng pakiusapan, may kakilala
ako, i-under the table mo na lang, palakasan, nag-dunung-dunungan eh
hindi naman siya ang trumabaho. These schemes can be blatant or sleek,
are done in both low and high places. They tell the young person that
the competitive world is not always merit-based, that there are short-cuts
to the top.

Think whether you would like to desire success this way: zealously
and at all costs, illicit ways included. This brand of success is a devious
god that will consume your spirits and squander your life. School,
university, or workplace cultures that breed this brand of success are like
a mob or a jungle. They are not warm and safe places, they are not

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home. In your adult life, you will find yourself trapped in a mob or a
jungle: in government, in industry, in the cities, in society at large. In
these places look for havens where you can experience meaningful
learning and wholesome living, where there are caring mentors and true
friends. There are many such places. Search hard for them, work hard to
build them.

Building Welcoming Places

Some of us have our family as our first haven. Some of us have been
blessed with parents who have brazenly placed all their bets on one
marriage, given fragile beings in the womb a chance to live and love,
built a welcoming place so that their children, every day and through the
years, would love to come home to.

But we all have different life stories, some sadder and some more
tragic than others. Yet many young people in such circumstances have
managed to build a solid blueprint of a happy home and family. These
lives are a testament to the acuity and hope of youth and to the
generosity and commitment of the adults who looked out for them and
saw them through.

Now that you are becoming young adults, think of how you can build
a home for yourself. When you are grown up, all of you, will have to have
a home. It’s different this time. It’s not a home you just happen to have
been borne into and grew up in; it’s a home you will build and keep so
some fortunate souls can come together to live and work and rest.

Success and prestige are by-products of education, work, and

service. If you live more for things that matter and not for their by-
products, you will be living your adult life with surety and confidence.
Likely, you will be different and will always be different from many of your
contemporaries, but you will find like-minded beings to be with and work
with. You and your companions will find your purpose and build your
standards. You will create your own world where you and others can be
accepted as persons and strive to grow.

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ACTIVITY 1: The World is Still a Good Place

The Korean drama series “Misaeng: Incomplete Life” is peopled by

bright and hardworking newbies and their bosses who either frustrate or
inspire them. In Episode 17, the unconventional boss Mr. Oh tells the
yuppies, “The people you meet can change your life. If you follow a fly,
you’ll end up near a toilet. If you follow a honeybee, you’ll end up in a
flower bed.”

Think of two persons who are influencing you most at present,

whether for good or for ill. They may be your age or older than you.
Provide brief, thoughtful answers to the following questions about their
influence on you. You do not have to name or describe these persons
unless you want to.

1. How are each of these persons influencing you?

2. Do you also influence these persons and how?

3. By their influencing you, are you still your own person? Briefly
explain your answer.

4. In general (beyond these two persons), are you in the midst of

flies or honeybees? Briefly explain you answer.

DISCUSSION 2: Apply Yourself, Love Life

These times present to us compounded difficulties and challenges.

How can we make the most and the best out of them?

Apply Yourself

There’s a quaint expression: “apply” yourself. “If I would just apply

myself to the task at hand.” “I’ve always admired how you apply yourself

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to helping others.” “We do what we have to and apply ourselves to what
we are doing.”

We try not to dodge. Things are not always easy, but we keep
trying. Indeed, the expression “applying oneself” implies the effort
needed in worthwhile tasks. The opposite of focused effort is idleness or
mediocrity. The more we remain idling, the more we experience anxiety
and tension. The moment we start and resolve to apply ourselves is
when we experience calmness and peace. Anxiety and tension
complicate life, calmness and peace simplify it.

Don’t write yourself off easily. Don’t call yourself a failure when you
have barely begun. Don’t run away even before you have arrived.

Love Life and Laugh

As we have said, life brings with it difficulties and challenges. It is

natural to first be sad over them. We can be sad over them for a long
time even. We are sad when we think we have failed despite our efforts.
We are sad by how often we are confronted by our defects; either we see
and feel them more and more each day, or people just keep pointing
these out to us.

Granted. Nonetheless, try to come out of yourself. Seek laughter

and humor in daily life and share them with others. Get to know
individually the people in your circles; be interested in them. Pursue
leisure, recreation, and rest with your friends. When things get
overwhelming, seek within yourself that calming solitude. Try not to take
yourself and life seriously.

Happiness is not so much the thrill and excitement of a privileged life

where all things can be had, including annual trips abroad and a car of
one’s own. Of course, you don’t have to pass up on material affordances,
but they are not what’s important. A simple, modest life can be just as
thrilling and exciting, or even more so. A good reminder to oneself is
that although happiness may originate from external or material events, it

106
can only be sustained by what’s inside you. Loving life and laughing
spring from within.

ACTIVITY 2: Being Dragged Down, Lifting Myself Up, Bringing Cheer

to Others

How much things have changed when the COVID-19 pandemic set
in. The lockdown seemed to have dwarfed our lives. During the first year
of the pandemic, you moved about the house all day and always with the
same persons. It has not always been easy.

Described below are some unpleasant or difficult situations that many

of us may have experienced. Propose a way by which one can use the
situation in order to better oneself, or to help others, or to find joy and
humor in it. How do you turn something unpleasant and difficult into
something joyful and light?

1. I share living spaces with family members but we hardly

communicate with each other and mostly avoid each other.

2. I am tired of synchronous online learning. It’s a joke.

3. Why am I the only one among us siblings who care to clean up and
do housework?

4. I hate it when someone in the house just decides to throw a

tantrum. Soon enough, everyone’s temper is flaring.

When dealing with situations like the above (and specially with
graver situations), remember that you do not have to immediately go to
the root of the problem and solve it. Sometimes it takes time, sometimes
solving a problem is everybody’s concerted efforts. But you can try to
provide rest and relief to others in the house by some kind words and
deeds, many of which will not cost you. Make others feel better, then you
end up feeling better, too. Help build a warm home, where family
members feel they belong. Build it with one kind word after another, one
kind deed after another.

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 There is no denying that family situations can take a turn for the
worse. Prime, Wade, and Browne (2020) describe the risks to family well-
being brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors describe the
dynamics of relations among spouses, parents and children, and siblings,
the perspectives of both sides, the nature and possible root of the
presenting problem. The stress that we feel gets transferred to other
family members. When our capacity to function is impeded, the
capacities of other family members get impeded as well. Conflicts that
exist even before the pandemic escalate.

Some problems can be deep and complicated that one would think
that no comforting word or kind deed can bring hope. But have faith, a
comforting word or kind deed is a real, good start. When there is no
help to be found within the family, know that there will always be sound,
solid support out there.

DISCUSSION 3: To the Depth and Breadth and Height

In Sonnet 43, Elizabeth Barrett Browning writes of loving “to the

depth and breadth and height“ one’s soul can reach. Although this
profession of love is for the poet’s husband, we can apply these qualities
of depth, breadth, and height, to the love of a young person for life.

The life of a young person in the late 80s is not as exciting as it is

now. One difference that stands out is how many of you have personal
laptops and mobile phones that brings you information and knowledge –
in fact, the world – at your fingertips. How exciting it would have been for
older generations to have then what you have now. In your life is
breadth.

After reaching the peak or the fulfilling end of a career, many

professionals have spoken of their longing to still be starting out: “It
would have been promising to be a fresh college graduate now”. By
saying this, are they amazed by how vastly richer the young person’s
world is now than during their time? Are they thinking of the
opportunities that were not available to them then but came with the

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advances in technology? Or, could it be that what they really mean is, “If
I were as wise when I was young as I am now, I would have known better
what to choose and what to forego, when to leave and when to stay. I
would have been more sure of myself, more trusting of life. Young as I
was, I would have had depth.”

There is enough in the news that tells us that the world is

continuously retrogressing. Still, there’s enough hope and delight in life
that makes us regard the world as a wondrous place. As you move on
with your life, you may find setbacks increasingly weighing on you, the
freshness of youth slowly waning. Would that after you have gained
breadth and depth, would you have lost the sense of awe, the want of
meaning, the reaching out to greater heights?

To be young and have breadth, to be wise and have depth, to be in

awe and have height. To embrace life to the breadth and depth and
height. These are good goals. Please do not settle for anything less.

ACTIVITY 3: Endless Travails, Surprised at Life

As we near this lesson’s end, let us acknowledge the hope and the
promise that youth bring. Listen to the song “It’s Time” by Imagine
Dragons. The lyrics are also shown here:

It’s Time

So this is what you meant when you said that you were spent?
And now it's time to build from the bottom of the pit
Right to the top, don't hold back
Packing my bags and giving the academy a rain-check
I don't ever wanna let you down
I don't ever wanna leave this town
'Cause after all
This city never sleeps at night
It's time to begin, isn't it?
I get a little bit bigger, but then I'll admit

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 I'm just the same as I was
Now, don't you understand that I'm never changing who I am?
So this is where you fell, and I am left to sell?
The path to heaven runs through miles of clouded hell
Right to the top, don't look back
Turning to rags and giving the commodities a rain-check
I don't ever wanna let you down
I don't ever wanna leave this town
'Cause after all
This city never sleeps at night
It's time to begin, isn't it?
I get a little bit bigger, but then I'll admit
I'm just the same as I was
Now, don't you understand that I'm never changing who I am?
It's time to begin, isn't it?
I get a little bit bigger, but then I'll admit
I'm just the same as I was
Now, don't you understand that I'm never changing who I am?
This road never looked so lonely
This house doesn't burn down slowly
To ashes
To ashes
It's time to begin, isn't it?
I get a little bit bigger, but then I'll admit
I'm just the same as I was
Now, don't you understand that I'm never changing who I am?
It's time to begin, isn't it?
I get a little bit bigger, but then I'll admit
I'm just the same as I was
Don't you understand that I'm never changing who I am?

By the way, the song was released in 2011 so it’s kind of dated, but
the message of beginning again remains new, “It’s time to begin, isn’t it”,
“I get a little bigger but then…”, “I’m never changing who I am.”

Difficulties in life are unavoidable, beginnings are inevitable. One

grows amidst adversities. The consoling thing is you can and will always

110
be the same. No matter what you experience and how badly you have
been, the inherent goodness in you is worth keeping.

Desire to always be a beginner and discover many wondrous,

delightful firsts.

Well, at least, this is our take on the song. Now it’s your turn. Your
personal insights are valuable. Copy a line, or two or three, from the song
that personally appeals to you. Write, sing, or draw about it as you wish.
Let your output reflect you.

Wrap-Up

People have different orientations in life. Meaning and happiness

present two contrasting orientations. Some people may be oriented
toward the meaning they see in life, pursue their purpose in life and
goodness wholeheartedly and even at a cost, value peace and joy. Some
other people would seek happiness in the world, making the most of
positive things, are concerned with avoiding hardship and discomfort,
and feeling happy most of the time. A good life is either a meaningful life
or a happy life.

The article “Positive Psychology 2.0: Towards a Balanced Interactive

Model of the Good Life” differentiates between the meaning and
happiness orientation. You can access the article here. The differences
between these orientations are summarized in Tables 3 and 4. This is not
required reading, but it’s worth a peek.

It’s obvious that this lesson presents the merits of a life oriented
toward meaning and purpose, but the lesson earnestly tells, too, of the
richness and joy of living. Believe that you can have both meaning and
happiness.

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 MOVING FORWARD

In Lesson 1, we pit the standards for a meaningful life against the

world’s standards of success and prestige. Seeing the disparity between
these two kinds of standards may make us downtrodden. The human
heart longs for lightness and happiness, but would eventually be tired of
a nonchalant or bourgeoise kind of existence. It is important to keep the
balance between wanting more and wanting right and there should be a
method to it. In Lesson 2, we propose that thinking is at the center of this
method. By thinking things through, we will not lose sight of the
meaning in life that we hold dear even as the practicalities and realities of
living seem to absorb all our energies.

LEARNING RESOURCES

Barrett, E. B (n.d.). How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43). Retrieved from

https://poets.org/poem/how-do-i-love-thee-sonnet-43
The Cantabile Life (2015, July 12). Misaeng’s quotes (K-drama, 2014).
Retrieved from
https://thecantabilelife.tumblr.com/post/123849882188/misaengs-
quotes-k-drama-2014
Imagine Dragons. It’s time to begin [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOatp-OCw3E
McKee, B. A., Reynolds, D. C., Sermon, D. W. (n. d.). It’s time lyrics.
Retrieved from
https://www.google.com/search?q=imagine+dragons+it%27s+time
+lyrics&rlz=1C1ONGR_enPH1008PH1008&oq=imagine+dragons+it
%27s+time+lyrics&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i512l2j0i22i30l3j0i15i22i30j
69i61.6637j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Prime, H., Wade, M., & Browne, D. T. (2020, May 21). Risk and resilience
in family well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. American
Psychologist. Advance online publication.
https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/amp0000660
Wong, P. T. P. (2011). Positive psychology 2.0: Towards a balanced
interactive model of the good life. Canadian Psychology, 52(2). 69-
81. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022511

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 LESSON 2
One and the Same:
The Thinking and Good Person
GETTING STARTED

Overview of Lesson 2

Values Education courses are typically organized around a list of

selected values. Values Education 4, however (as is Values Education 3),
is not structured around values, but is centered on the valuing person.
This lesson presents the valuing person as one who finds meaning in life.

Once a person gets a sense of one’s purpose in life, the person

decides to commit one’s life to this purpose and acts in accord with this
purpose. Thus does the person live life through a series of decisions and
actions embodying the found meaning in life, meaning lived out in
thought and in deed.

The thinker and actor are one and the same. Authenticity in a person
is rooted in the unity of thinking and acting. I do as I think. But acting is
difficult and one needs to muster strength from within. If one is pressed
to name a standard or two on which the valuing person should be
measured, we opine that it is to be true to one’s meaning in life and to be
steadfast in truth.

An implicit but critical assumption we make in values education

courses is that meaning in life possesses the noble quality of goodness,
but this may not always be the case. One can love passionately or hate
passionately, fulfill oneself by edifying persons or by destroying them.
Meaning in life can be darkness; but in this course, meaning in life is
goodness.

In this lesson, we consider the qualities of an authentic and good

person. Finding meaning in life is largely a cognitive process; it entails
some thinking through. Thus, we start out by examining the cognitive

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process of ascertaining with objectivity the persons and goings-on in
one’s world, as well as one’s will and intentions. Then, we examine how
willing and intending transform to good actions and how good actions
are sustained through strength and patience. These considerations are
built on the 1966 classic treatise on virtues by the German philosopher
Josef Pieper.

Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Examine the role of thinking in appraising how you can do the

good in the various circumstance of your life;

2. Examine the role of inner strength in pursuing the good.

DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES

Warm-Up

Values are principles and standards that people use to guide their
judgments, choices, decisions, and actions. Values characterize
goodness in a person. Several values are regarded as important in
diverse cultures and are applicable in a wide range of situations. Let us
take a look at some of these:

Appreciation Attentiveness CHEERFULNESS Commitment Compassion

Contentment Cooperation Cordiality Courage Delay of gratification
Determination Emphathy Enthusiasm Fairness Filial piety
FORGIVENESS Fortitude Freedom Friendliness Good will
Gratitude Grit HARMONY Honesty HONOR
Humility INDUSTRY Inner strength Integrity Justice
Leadership Loyalty Openness Order Patience
Peace Perseverance Professionalism Prosociality RESPECT
Responsibility Self-Discipline Selflessness Self-reliance Service
Sincerity Spirituality Teamwork Toughness Trustworthiness

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 Will you be able to remember all these values? Which of these
values can you define or explain? Can you name other values that are
not included here? Which values are important to you? Can you imagine
a good person consciously living all these values? Will you like yourself
more, will you see yourself as a better person, if you live all these values?

Values are worth knowing and, of course, are worth practicing. But
values are not the person. Values do not have a heart and a mind.
Values do not breathe and do not feel pain. Values do not hope and do
not love.

No one value is sovereign, complete in itself; but each person is or

can be. While many peoples, the Scriptures indeed, would say that love
is the greatest of all values, still it is the person who loves freely,
committedly, passionately. A person loves; love does not love.

DISCUSSION 1: Becoming Authentic: The Discerning Person

Life Worthily Lived

What makes life worth living? To address this question, Wong (2013)
builds a model from Frankl’s (1946; 1985) classic book “Man’s Search for
Meaning”. According to Frankl, each person would have to discover for
oneself the meaning of one’s life. It is this meaning that propels the
person to want to live and to want to live worthily. Thus, for Wong,
meaning in life provides the motivation and structure for worthwhile
living.

Wong then uses contemporary thought and empirical findings from

philosophy and psychology to describe in detail how meaning in life is
lived out. In gist, the cognitive component sets in when a person makes
sense of oneself, other persons, and situations and then decides on how
to act. The behavioral component follows from the cognitive
component; hopefully, the person’s actions are fitting to what the person
has earlier thought of and concluded.

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 Finally, there is the evaluative component out of which the person
derives satisfaction and happiness for having acted on what one has
thought right. The evaluative component, however, is not only for
ascertaining satisfaction and happiness, it is also for determining what
one needs to do for the better. We use various words to refer to ways by
which people continue to improve after having appraised their situation:
refinements, fine-tuning, realignments, recalibration, fast-tracking,
retreating, resolutions. These words show how nuanced the process is of
being even more true to one’s meaning in life.

Before Intention and Action, Refined Thinking

Doing good is not always instinctive or automatic, but is many times

preceded by thinking about the good. For even though one has learned
and accepted some general principles of goodness, no single formula or
recipe for doing good will work in the varied and multifaceted
circumstances that people face. Values and standards of goodness are
not like displays in a cafeteria for you to pick, point, and purchase; rather,
they come from within you, a product of thinking and deliberating.

One needs to think through goodness. This is an important

exhortation that many of us often disregard. We have rash and mindless
decisions, thoughtless and foolish actions. Some of us are wont to
embrace ideas and philosophies (good or ill) and move with a crowd of
like-minded individuals but without knowing what or why. Some of us
simply follow our first impressions, choosing the option first presented to
us.

There, too, are protective human instincts, sound intuition, spiritual

promptings; these have a place in directing the person toward doing
good. Still others may have passed on to you, by their word or example,
what is good or how to do good. These words and lives edify and attract
you, they are logical, they make sense and you make their underlying
goodness your standard for living.

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Reality: The Context of One’s Actions

Wong’s (2013) model of making life worth living acknowledges that

the positive and negative qualities of a human condition often coexist.
For example, while a job promotion is cause for celebration, it also makes
one worry and anxious. As people make sense of the positives and
negatives and try to understand contradictions between them, they
engage in both approach (e.g., striving toward one’s goals) and
avoidance (e.g., protecting oneself from threats). The outcomes of
approach and avoidance can also be a combination of positives and
negatives (although it is possible to have a mostly positive or negative
outcome).

The model’s balanced view of the positive and negative aspects of a

human condition underscores the condition’s complexity and, thus, the
need to carefully appraise what and when to approach or avoid.
Relatedly, Pieper (1966, p. 17) remarks that, “realization of the good
presupposes that our actions are appropriate to the real situation, that is,
to the concrete realities which form the ‘environment’ of a concrete
human action; and that we therefore take this concrete reality seriously,
with clear-eyed objectivity.”

Thinking does not happen in a vacuum; it must reckon with what is

outside of the mind. Thinking has no sovereign rule; it is accountable to
objective reality. Foremost to appreciate this view of thinking are
scientists whose empirical investigations are observations and analysis of
physical phenomena. Admittedly, science and values examine different
objects. Still, let’s not dismiss the possibility that scientific training is
useful in values education, for the analytical understanding of reality, in
some sense, is akin to the motions of the mind toward objectively arriving
at decisions that second one’s purpose for living.

Each time there is an occasion or need to manifest goodness, a

person must recollect one’s inner resources for appraising reality and for
acting as befits the reality. Thinking is not a one-time definitive process.
When reality presents itself anew, thinking once again grasps it (ideally,
this happens) and acting follows. The series of decisions and actions that

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a person does in one’s lifetime builds the person’s identity and character.
So thus Polo (2008, p. 3) speaks of the person forging oneself, “Man is a
complex and unitary being, open towards the outside and from within,
who turns back to his inmost depths and transcends himself: in this
coming and going, he forms himself, he forges himself (Polo, 2008, p. 3).”

There is a Method to Doing Good

Good intentions can only get you so far. If there’s anything that this
lesson’s first discussion tells us, it is that pursuing one’s purpose in life
entails a process. There is a method to doing good. Goodness is not
always natural to us, but if you weigh matters carefully, you will see
various fitting ways and means of doing good that you would not see on
the outset. You can regard good intentions as raw material ready to be
transformed through action by thought.

Some decisions or actions are consequential that you give them

much thought: getting married, resolving a conflict, defying a parent’s
command out of principle, donating hard-earned money to a cause,
taking on a leadership position in civil society. Yet your daily, ordinary
decisions or actions also are cause for stopping to think: doing someone
a favor that would disrupt your schedule, hiding your irritation with the
incessant talking of a relative, not furthering loose, gossipy talks, visiting
a sick relative. First enveloped by your thinking through, ordinary
goodness will eventually take on warmth and charm that beam and shine.
Kindness, gentleness, humility, patience, there are many such ordinary
goodnesses.

ACTIVITY 1: “Memoria”, the True-to-Being Memory

In this activity, you will be answering the Authenticity Scale by Wood

et al. (2007).

Do the following tasks in the order presented. Do not read or do a later

task without having finished an earlier task.

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 1. https://bit.ly/memoriaworksheet leads to an excel workbook. Save
the file on your device. The file contains two work sheets (see the
tabs on the lower left of the worksheet).

2. Go to the first worksheet “Where you will answer”, read the

instructions, and type your answers where asked to.

3. Formulas are embedded in the first worksheet so your subscale

scores are automatically computed as you answer the items. Copy
in the table below your scores in the three subscales. For now,
leave the last two columns of the table blank.)

An item in the An insight about

Your
Subscale subscale that strikes myself regarding the
score
me most subscale

Authentic
Living

Accepting
External
Influence

Self-
Alienation

A word about your scores. You’ll need more information to better

interpret these scores, such as the mean score in a batch of
respondents and the variations in these scores. Without this
information, what what you can do – roughly, crudely – is to situate
your score on the 1-to-5 scale and see if it’s somewhat low or high.
You can also compare your three scores and see which is higher or
lower; the assumption here is that the subscales have about the

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 same mean and standard deviation in a batch of respondents’
scores (technical information that we’re skipping). So in this
activity don’t focus on the scores.

4. Instead, focus on the meanings behind the subscales. Go to the

second worksheet “Read after answering”, which shows which
items are for which subscale. By examining the items that
constitute a subscale, you’ll know what the subscale is about.
Complete the third and fourth columns of the table.

There is what is called “memoria”. Memoria is more than

remembering or memorizing and entails the “thinking through” that we
have earlier discussed. Memoria is what Pieper (1966) calls a “true-to-
being” memory wherein contained the “truth of real things (p. 21)”.
Memoria ‘contains’ in itself “real things and events as they really are and
were (p. 21)”. It is through memoria that an authentic personality
emerges.

DISCUSSION 2: Becoming Wise: The Discerning Person Looks Back

Look Back and Think

It is good to look back and see how well you have decided and
acted. You learn as much of yourself, or even more, by looking back as
by laying out your course of action. Looking back to think of how you
have thought, decided, acted during the day, the past year, or in the
course of some undertaking is to “grow in the experience of life as it has
been lived (Pieper, 1966, p. 237)”. To learn the hard way is to learn the
best way.

Looking back engages our memory of events and of our and

others’ reactions and feelings about these events. While many of our
memories are vivid and trustworthy, still many others are faulty and
biased. A memory of a past event can be driven by the strong emotions
we feel when it happened and can be colored by subsequent events.
There are memories we regret over, memories we remember hazily and

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we wish we could remember more, memories that make us think we wish
we knew more then. Try your best not to cling to these memories.

As you live your years, you will have many more experiences and
many more memories. If you hold on to memories of regret, you will be
anxious. Accept how things came out to be. Acknowledge that your
efforts have only gone so far. Own up to your faults and transgressions.
Yet know how an event turned out to be or what happens after is not
solely determined by you and your actions. Others are involved, some
things are beyond your control. Goodness and evil reside in a complex
ecosystem of humans and their circumstances.

When you look back and think, remember that what is important is
to take that essential insight or learning, then walk away. Just say to
yourself: next time, it will be different; next time, I will do better; next
time, I will love more. Some persons are creatures of the past. Let you
not be that creature; live in the present moment.

Letting go of the past and yet learning from it takes humility.

Humility is not about shaming yourself and hanging your head and losing
your self-esteem. Part of humility is the sincere effort to know yourself by
looking back to think, minus the hubris and scruples. Humility is the
proper attitude of the honest thinker.

Prudence is Misunderstood

What we have been considering in this lesson is a standard of action

that is sometimes misunderstood: this standard is prudence. A word
analyzer website ranks it low in “audience familiarity”. Often, the word
prudence is used only in its negative sense, which is to be overly
cautious, somewhat like being a coward. Prudence is not much thought
of as the care and refinement in thinking. In its true sense, prudence is
“the studied seriousness and, as it were, the filter of deliberation, and at
the same time the brave boldness to make final decisions. It means
purity, straightforwardness, candor, and simplicity of character… (Pieper,
1966, p. 28)”. Prudence is needed in thinking through and looking back.

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 Through your years and experiences of thinking through and looking
back, you will find yourself with ever greater desire to be true to your
principles and thus to be true to yourself. Your mind and your heart will
remain unspoiled, you will never grow weary, you will never feel wasted.

ACTIVITY 2: Into the Woods and Becoming Good

Spoilers ahead! But, perhaps, it’s okay, since Stephen Sondheim’s

Into the Woods has had many productions from its 1986 premier to the
present (including a Disney film and a Sara Bareilles-led 2022 Broadway
production).

Learn more about the latest 2022 revival in ‘Into the Woods’ returns
to Broadway (a 7-minute audio). The audio picks out these lines from the
song “No More”: “How do you ignore all the wolves, all the lies, the false
hopes, the goodbyes, the reverses, all the wondering what even worse is
still in store…” Check out the “No More” performance in the original
Broadway production. Here are the lyrics of “No More”.

And there’s the song, “Children Will Listen”. Listen to Lea Salonga’s
2021 rendition of “Children Will Listen”. Here are the lyrics of “Children
Will Listen”.

We think that “No More” and “Children Will Listen” capture some
points considered in the preceding discussion. Choose one of these
songs and in a short paragraph describe a point that the song captures
and how the song captures the point.

For your additional viewing and reading pleasure, here are the
lyrics of the “Into the Woods” songs, plus there are various soundtracks
on YouTube.

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DISCUSSION 3: Becoming Strong: The Person of Goodness

Becoming Strong

Yes and no are words of consequence; they are words of conviction

and commitment. Commitment, like good intentions, is a promising
starting point. While commitment bolsters one’s strivings toward the
object of commitment, there is no guarantee that one will possess the
object. There are things we have little or no control of. We also have
vulnerabilities and weaknesses that constrain our strivings. Hence, just
because you have seen clearly what to say yes or no to, there is no
guarantee that you will always pull through. You need to muster your
inner strength.

Inner strength goes by many names: fortitude, stoutheartedness,

grit, perseverance. It is associated with the qualities of being constant,
untiring, unwavering, headstrong. A person who is strong from the
inside is not easily cowed by the uncertain or the unknown, nor broken
by failure or loss. An impressive kind of inner strength is that possessed
by street-smart souls who know the dangers that lurk out there, but have
figured out how to attack, and brace themselves for the attack.

Think of what the good street-smart youth can do if they apply their
spirit and skill to worthy causes. Think of the good that you can do if you
be that person.

Patience Completes Strength

A strong person acts but also waits depending on the situation. That
is why patience is part of inner strength. Patience does not mean to
retreat and never to attack again; it is not to say all is lost. Because the
patient person hopes for and anticipates the desired, good outcome, the
patient person does not despair but, on the contrary, can raise up one’s –
and others’ – spirits. “To be patient means to preserve cheerfulness and
serenity of mind in spite of injuries that result from the realization of the
good. Patience does not imply the exclusion of energetic, forceful

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activity, but simply, explicitly and solely the exclusion of sadness and
confusion of heart (Pieper, 1966, p. 130).”

With strength and patience, you will bring to fruition the good that
you have thought through.

ACTIVITY 3: Becoming Strong

Inner strength is needed in facing major live events. It is also

needed in everyday things: studying when you do not feel like it,
understanding others even when they don’t give you that understanding,
smiling and not losing hope, retreating for a while but not for good,
stopping what you’re focused on to accompany a friend.

Consider the following lines each of which suggests an everyday

thing that’s, well, not quite ordinary for the strong feelings or reactions
that it evokes.

1. Minsan ako’y minahal niya.

2. Hindi ako ang paboritong anak.

3. ‘Di ba sabi ko naman sa iyo’…Parati na lang sila ang tama.

4. Tiyakang mangyayari: Gustuhin ko man ay gugustuhin ko talaga.

Choose one of these lines and answer the following questions:

1. Copy the line that you have chosen.

2. Write a short scenario where a young person may have thought

about or uttered this line. Describe the particular meaning of the
line in this scenario.

3. Write an ending to the scenario with a thought, decision, or action of

yours that shows your inner strength.

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Wrap-Up

In cooking and baking, a base recipe contains only what is essential

to put and do to create the product. It is simple but complete. With a
base recipe, you can add ingredients as you please to enrich or vary the
flavor. You can innovate and customize, yet the product is not essentially
changed. A burger is a burger; it’s not burritos. You can also just do the
base recipes, no trimmings, and you still have the essential.

This lesson provides a base recipe for living with the three
ingredients of thinking, reality, and strength. Reflect on what makes life
worth living; size up the circumstances to see how you can actualize your
plan; be strong and be patient. Then, add as you please. Goodness?
Empathy? Adventure? Awe? So long as you maintain the base recipe,
you can be free to do as you like. You will never run out of freedom and
creativity.

MOVING FORWARD

In Lesson 1, we use Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s line, “to love thee

to the depth and breadth and height” in describing a person’s desire for
the richness of life. In Lesson 2, we become less poetic and more
pragmatic in describing the method to achieving richness in life. In
Lesson 3, we turn poetic again and consider that the poet’s line continues
to “my soul can reach, when feeling out of sight; for the ends of being
and ideal grace”. Yet, as we discover the reach and expanse of the soul,
we remain pragmatic and consider things of God without leaving the
world.

LEARNING RESOURCES

Broadway Production (28 August 2021). Sondheim’s Into the Woods – No

More [Video]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpFvTmrpDyU

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Frankl, V. (1985). Man’s search for meaning. Beacon Press (Originally
published 1946).
Into the Woods lyrics. Retrieved from
https://www.mit.edu/people/nocturne/sipb/randomtext/woods.html
Lunden, J. (2022, July 22). ‘Into the woods’ returns to Broadway [Audio].
Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2022/07/22/1112105706/into-
the-woods-broadway
Pieper, J. (1966). The four cardinal virtues. Human agency, intellectual
traditions, and responsible knowledge. The University of Notre
Dame Press. Kindle Edition.
Polo, L. (2008). Ethics: A modern version of its classic themes. Paul A.
Dumol (Translator). Sinag-Tala.
Salonga, L. (2021, February 7). Children Will Listen from Into the Woods
[Audio]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQPl686DAM0
Wong, T. P. (2013). Toward a dual-systems model of what makes life
worth living. In Paul T. P. Wong (Ed.), The human quest for meaning
(pp. 49-68). Routledge.
Wood, A. L., Linley, P. A., Maltby, J., Baliousis, M., & Joseph, S. (2008).
The authentic personality: A theoretical and empirical
conceptualization and the development of the authenticity scale.
Journal of Counseling Psychology, 55, 385 – 399.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.55.3.385

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 LESSON 3
The Profane:
To Those Who Think of God and Not
GETTING STARTED

Overview of Lesson 3

In itself, the world of the profane is complete and actualized. It has

its own way of seeing things and doing things. There we find the human
spirit and intelligence ably at helm. The believer and the non-believer
stand in the world, shoulder-to-shoulder and working together, no one
better than the other, nor more knowledgeable of the world than the
other.

But there lies the transcendence of spirituality. The believer,

entering this realm, does not lose sight of practical realities and will not
be taken away from the world. The believer is open to the things of God,
sees things of the world more vividly, one’s mind and heart entranced.

This lesson is both about the world and the spirit and is addressed
to both believing and non-believing persons.

Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Know what is meant by the “profane” and examine its inherent

value and goodness;

2. Examine the things of God in quiet, in prayer and, in the course of

doing so, put order and unity in the various aspects and relations of
one’s life.

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 DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES

Warm-Up

The adjective “profane” can mean being irreverent or disrespectful

of the sacred; it can also mean that which is apart from, or not meant for,
the sacred. The latter meaning does not carry the negative or spiteful
connotation of the former. Harry Potter, the game of chess, Asian
cuisine, molecular biology, archaeological excavations are not in
themselves sacred, they are profane. But obviously there is no ill in them.
In the same vein, the “worldly” is not evil, although this word can and has
been used to mean that.

Majority of people, perhaps, do not give a divine meaning to their

earthly existence, to their material and temporal realities. For one reason
or another, they have not imbibed or do not subscribe to godly things.
Certainly, many of them are honorable, and decent, engaging their
intellect, affections, and freedom for the good. Goodness can be
profane.

If these people can contribute so much goodness to humanity, can

the values and standards they manifest be profane? Values education
can be taught as profane and can be learned as profane. Values can be
lived as profane.

As you well can see, VE 3 and VE 4 do not take the sacred, the
divine, the godly as starting point nor use these as foundation.
Consistent with previous lessons of VE 3 and VE 4, we will not start this
lesson about God with God. We will start it with where you are: where
you hang around, where you have learned to be hardworking and good,
to be honest and sincere. In a word, we will start with the profane. As
with previous lessons of VE 3 and VE 4, we will think through and reason
out things. Why, the godly has as much right to thought and reason as
the profane. Besides, in this world where diverse concepts and
perspectives have several layers of meaning and overlap in substance
and nuance, the godly and the profane are found in the same or similar
niches.

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 This is not the place to proselytize. We will not use thinking
through and reasoning out in an underhanded way so as to lure you. We
have too much respect for you and your freedom to be doing that.

DISCUSSION 1: The Freedom and Autonomy of the Believing Person

The Autonomy of the Profane from the Godly

In this discussion we draw from Burkhart and López’s (2018) treatise

on ordinary life, specially in the considerations below about the
autonomy of the profane from the godly.

Ordinary life is the day-to-day life that is the same for all people,
shared by students in the same school and by colleagues in the same
profession or workplace. Ordinary life is the same for the person who
lives the profane and the person who lives the godly. There’s no
discounting that a person can live both the profane and the godly, but
some people live only or mostly one of these; and, on a number of
occasions, the profane or the godly is at the forefront of people’s
activities and consciousness more than the other.

This lesson is for the student who lives the godly as it is for the
student who lives the profane. Both students have the same world of
work and play, carry the same responsibilities and concerns, can be
resolute about their lives one time and undecided another time.
Believing does not give the believer social and material entitlements that
cannot be had by the non-believer; nor does the believer has less for the
believer has as much right to and possession of the world as the non-
believer. In the vernacular, patas lang tayo.

Consider considering this: in the seat of profession and work, the

believing person is not beholden to one’s seat of religion and worship.
Certainly, by this we do not mean that the believing person does not
have to commit to an honest and ethical professional life consistent with
the morals of one’s faith. Rather, what we mean is that the believing
person has the professional freedom to do as one thinks one should with

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one’s expertise and the tools of the trade. Thus, beliefs place no
impositions nor constraints on how professionals engage in their craft.
The same goes with other profane engagements, such as in the social,
civic, cultural, and political dimensions. In the vernacular, pare-pareho
tayong malaya.

What we are suggesting here to scholars and professionals is that in

their seat of study and work, the believing person should have the utmost
respect toward the differentness of the profane from the sacred. In
profane matters, faith is an indifferent and disinterested master. We do
not think it irreverent nor ungodly to say that the profane, in the
reckoning of the temporal and material world, is complete and fulfilled in
itself. If you are a believer and you think you are not being a good
student or professional if you do not publicly preach about God in the
classroom and in the workplace, you may not be giving your faith enough
credit for its respect of your profession.

The Same World, a Different Way of Seeing

For both believer and non-believer, day-to-day life and major life
events are not finished outcomes, but present the positions or situations
with which to make life meaningful and to carry out one’s purpose. You
and all your peers have all you need to strive toward a good, decent, and
honorable life.

If you believe in God, or at least admits considerations of God, the

profane provides solid building blocks for a godly edifice. It’s not your
circumstances that would change (remember these are the same for
everyone) but with your faith, you will see things differently. You will be
surprised by things of God that you haven’t seen before. Divine succor
reaches the profane and, having received it, the believer responds with
gratitude, acknowledging there is more to the here and now. Believers,
with belief, add colors to their world, the way professional colorists color
films, giving them vibrancy and vividness. But it’s the same world, the
same nature, function, and operations.

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 Even as you believe in God, or at least admits considerations of
God, you retain the freedom (in fact, you must celebrate it) to think,
decide, and act. Without losing your freedom (freedom bears
repeating), you will claim for yourself a fitting lifestyle, you will find and
give reason for your choices and convictions. Believing in God will not
take you away from the loved and beautiful things of the world; you will
not lose yourself. On the contrary, doing so will open to you vistas that
will move you to live and love in a new and different way.

ACTIVITY 1: The Believing Person in the World of Work

We see so much of what is human in the profane, so much

goodness in believers and non-believers alike. There are values and
standards in living that we all agree on. Watch this Ted lecture on The
Extraordinary Power of Ordinary People (12 minutes).

Some of what Sherwin Nuland says, are: "The world will not be saved
by the Internet. It's wonderful. Do you know what the world will be saved
by? I'll tell you. It'll be saved by the human spirit. And by the human spirit, I
don't mean anything divine, I don't mean anything supernatural -- certainly not
coming from this skeptic. What I mean is this ability that each of us has to be
something greater than herself or himself; to arise out of our ordinary selves
and achieve something that at the beginning we thought perhaps we were not
capable of. On an elemental level, we have all felt that spirituality at the time of
childbirth. Some of you have felt it in laboratories; some of you have felt it at
the workbench. We feel it at concerts. I've felt it in the operating room, at the
bedside. It is an elevation of us beyond ourselves”.

Sherwin Nuland also quotes Hippocrates of 2,400 years ago “Where

there is love of human kind, there is love of healing.” The speaker is both a
writer and a surgeon so we can understand his metaphor of healing. The love
of human kind, which he explains is the original meaning of philanthropy, is the
love of healing.

Your turn. In a brief paragraph, describe what to you represents the

greatness of the human spirit?

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DISCUSSION 2: Thinking and Believing: Prayer in Silence, Narratives
in Prayer

On the Contexts of Life and the Narratives of the Self

In 1996 when “selfies” were not yet in vogue, McAdams had used the
term “selfing” to refer to the person narrating one’s experiences. Selfing
brings the self to what McAdams regards as the third level of the
personality. The first level is the self’s general dispositions and traits; the
second level is the self’s goals, values, motivations, and “strategic
concerns” (p. 295) situated in the context of the self’s “life in time, place,
and role” (p. 295). And the third level is the “selfing”, defined by life
stories or narratives of the self’s past, present, and the future.

Stories are fascinating. They are the “keeping” of one’s self as one
walks through times and places. Stories reflect the self’s attempts at
making sense of and remembering experiences in these times and
places. Many of these stories are archived in personal journals, shared in
conversations, kept for posterity in public repositories, many of them
forgotten or abandoned. Stories often invoke strong emotions of all
sorts. If we could but grasp and keep life for good, it would be in stories.

Stories, according to McAdams (1996), captures the self in ordinary

life. Stories show how the self is transformed over time; thus, McAdams
(1996) calls stories a “developmental rhetoric (p. 297)”, showing how self
is transformed over time. Such rhetoric is invaluable in the self-finding
coherence and continuity in life’s changes.

On Quiet Times and Places

Quiet times and places will tend to slow down your pace, enabling
you to craft your stories. After you have paused to consider things, they
surprisingly just fall into place and it is easier to set out anew. There are
many time wasters: grudges, hurting sentiments, heaviness of heart,
entangled thoughts. In contrast, quiet times and places are time savers;
curiously they are so even as you slow down your pace. You will discover
many other time savers in your life: simple joys and cheerfulness, honesty

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and sincerity, openness to life and hope. Time wasters waste you; time
savers save you.

Slowing down to go to a quiet time and place, oddly so, is a way of

running. It is going in haste and with resolve to what you desire to know
and have; it is fleeing from whatever will make you not know and not
have. That’s why quiet times and places are time savers: for having
known and having had, you are more sure of yourself and of your actions,
you go straight to what is essential, you don’t waste time coasting along.

You will find yourself in places defined by a culture of noise and

speed. You will feel and may give in to pressure (from within and
without) to be who you are not. In these places, running means straining
toward the finish line of success, fame, and material possessions; and
only the person who cuts the tape wins. Let not this be your kind of
running. Run in quiet times and places.

Praying in Quiet Times and Places

To the believing person who prays, praying can happen anytime and
anywhere, but specially in quiet times and places. The aim and ways of
praying are akin to those of crafting stories. While McAdams (1996)
points out that there is no need to have a special relationship with God to
be able to convey in one’s stories found and fulfilled meanings in life (to
which we agree in keeping with the idea of the profane), he also refers to
deep connections with others. Indeed, many times the stories we craft
are about these deep connections. Also, we write stories with them,
share stories with them. We need to acknowledge that those who relate
to or are intimate with God have a deep connection with him.

To you who believe in God, prayer is yours as are God’s

companionship and intimacy. The thinking and believing person
entrenched in the world of the profane will find in prayer a powerful way
of running to and slowing down, movements that will end up entrenched
in one’s storied self.

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 As in all things that are done thoughtfully and slowly, prayer will
bring to the thinking and believing person the finer and nuanced side of
living. You will not miss the details of love enveloped in calm and
brightness, not lose the harmony and unity of life bestowed on you by
faith. Prayer is both intellectual and spiritual. Train yourself in the prayer
of quiet times and places.

In ending this discussion, we cannot help but quote the Roman

apostle, erudite from youth in the doctrine of his faith, caught unawares
by a loving encounter and, after that, grown wise and strong. So he
declares before the Areopagus, “That they should seek God, if haply they
may feel after him or find him, although he be not far from every one of
us. For in him we live and move and are…” (Acts 17:27-28)

ACTIVITY 2: The Greatness of a People’s Soul

Listen to Candy Gourlay’s reading of “Jewels of the Pauper” by

Horacio de la Costa (3 minutes). You can read the text here. The author
sees in music and prayer the human spirit and God as one. We can see
this short piece as a “selfing” of the spirit of the Filipino people and of
what unites them. It is a narrative of the greatness of a People’s soul.

In a brief paragraph, write about where you think the greatness of

the human spirit lies? Write about it as though you are “selfing” it. (You
share that human spirit, so the term “selfing” is apt.)

DISCUSSION 3: The Consequences of Faith

A Well-Tempered Self

In Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, the keyboard’s wide-ranging 24

major and minor keys come together to produce delightful music. A
person can be a well-tempered clavier who puts together a wide range of
affairs and concerns by sensing and seeing meaning in them. Order is
not inherent in affairs and concerns (chaos, more likely) but the ordering

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from within simplifies and unifies the complexities of living. With a
unified and well-ordered life, the person becomes as well-tempered as
Bach’s clavier.

Ordering presupposes the discarding of what is in excess and,

often, care is needed in knowing the essentials to keep. Excess in life
leaves you satiated, always at its mercy, easily swayed by the whims of
others. Sometimes, you become reckless and fickle-minded. While you
feel full and keep getting more, you are never satisfied. You will know
how jarring life is when others’ disorder and excess bring you to near
destruction. In things of little consequence and, sadly, in things of
immense consequence, we drag each other down.

Or we can lift each other up. An outcome of unity and order is a

serene and gentle spirit, capable of seeing and affirming the positive and
the good in life. A well-tempered personality is friendly and pleasant, not
easily given to excessive negative emotions, is restrained and refined in
bearing and ways. These attributes all come from unifying and ordering
life’s loose threads.

There are many ways to play a well-tempered clavier. Prayer in

quiet times and places is one of these. To you who think of God, prayer
is the true way.

Deep Connections

To you who believe in God or at least admits considerations of

God, through the path of prayer in quiet times and places, you will be
more open to and appreciative of deep connections with the persons
around you. You will not feel it a burden or obligation to relate with
others. Relating with others is more than putting up with them. You seek
out others and relate with them because you want to. You engage with
people. Even as you are absorbed in people’s concerns, you are not
dissipated. You find yourself becoming become deaf to the clamor and
complaints of your ego. You forget yourself.

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 To you who believe in God or at least admits considerations of
God, relating with others take on a transcendent meaning when you
reference and distill your relations in your prayer in quiet times and
places. Bringing others to prayer enlarges your heart. You will not
confine yourself to people who think like you, but will be comfortable
even with those who think differently and whose views are markedly
opposed to yours.

You will contribute much, but you will also learn much. Don’t
discount how your more profanely predisposed peers can teach you the
most godly of values. The godly is found in the profane, in deep
connections with humanity, in friendships and joys, in kindness and
liberality. You who enrich others will yourself be enriched.

ACTIVITY 3: Earthly Struggles in Mars

Watch the fascinating comic illustrations COMIC: How living on Mars

time taught me to slow down. This link also includes an 11-minute
reading that parallels the comic illustrations. Both the comic by Anuj
Shrestha and the reading of the words by the NASA scientist Nagin Cox
describe the life change that she and her colleagues have experienced,
originating from what seems to be a simple difference between the
Earth, where they live, and Mars, where they work (you can say
“virtually”). This difference is that the length of a day in Mars is 40 Earth-
minutes longer than in Earth. Read the comic and then listen to the
audio.

The preceding discussion describes the qualities of being well-

tempered and having order, while this piece on working in Mars speaks
of a certain rhythm or tempo that the NASA scientists find themselves
getting used to. They discovered fascinating insights about the world
and about themselves.

A well-tempered clavier puts order in what could be disharmonious

chords; a perceptive scientist finds order in what could be a discordant
rhythm.

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 We’d love to hear from you. Please briefly answer the three questions
below.

1. What are the disharmonious or discordant things in your life?

Name and describe them. Note: We use the generic word “things”
here, which can be anything or anyone or any aspect in your life.

2. How do you put order in these disharmonious or discordant

things? Explain your answer.

3. Is there beauty in disharmony or discord? Explain you answer.

Wrap-Up

Listen to this 2-minute reading of “A Prayer in Spring” by Robert

Frost. The text is shown below:

A Prayer in Spring

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;

And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.
Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.
And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.
For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfil.

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 We need not look so far away from the profane. The beauty and
fulness of life is there. But added dimensions of love and God and my
openness to these can make all the difference.

MOVING FORWARD

We end this semester with the recognition that everything is

interconnected: our inner selves, the external world, our interpersonal
relations. In this rich network of yours, always find the greatness of spirit
and of heart. Be open and magnanimous. Give yourself to what is
worthwhile. Focus. Take risks. Retreat when needed. Stay the course.
Don’t be wrapped up in the difficulties of life. Do not lose you joy and
peace. Be optimistic and pleasant.

LEARNING RESOURCES

Burkhart, E. López, J. (2018). Ordinary life and holiness in the teaching

of St. Josemaria. A study in spiritual theology. Volume 1. Scepter.
De la Costa, H. (n.d.). Jewels of the pauper.
https://dokumen.tips/documents/jewels-of-the-pauper.html
The Douay-Rheims Bible. Acts of the apostles. Halcyon Press Ltd.. Kindle
Edition.
Frost, R. A prayer in spring. Retrieved from
https://poets.org/poem/prayer-spring
Gourlay, C. Q. (2013). The jewels of the pauper by Horacio de la Costa
[Reading]. Soundcloud. Retrieved from
https://soundcloud.com/candy-gourlay/the-jewels-of-the-pauper-
by#:~:text=The%20Jewels%20of%20the%20Pauper%20was%20writ
ten%20by%20the%20Filipino,of%20the%20Second%20World%20W
ar.%20%E2%80%A6
Ishizaka, K. (2015, December). Well-Tempered Clavier (J. S. Bach), Book
1 [Piano Performance]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPHIZw7HZq4

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McAdams, D. P. (1996). Personality, modernity, and the storied self: A
contemporary framework for studying persons. Psychological
Inquiry 7(4), 295-321.
Rainey, Jay (2020, April 8). A prayer in spring by Robert Force [Reading].
Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School [YouTube].
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bON7fspJGLw
Shrestha, A. (2022, July 22). COMIC: How living on Mars time taught me
to slow down. TED radio hour comics. Retrieved from
https://www.npr.org/2022/07/22/1112484935/nasa-engineer-nagin-
cox-mars-rover

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 MODULE 4
Discovering Human Realities:
And How We (Mis)Understand the World
Overview of Module 4

We are all driven by the intense desire to discover the truth of our
very existence. The previous Module explored the meaning of truth and
good and how it affects our decision. In this Module, we continue with
discovering the nature of truth (Lesson 1), distinguishing the varied forms
by which truth has been presented through the years and the
manipulative ways of distorting it.

Lesson 2 serves as the framework for examining which habits of

thinking and understanding make it easy or difficult to distinguish facts
from opinions, substantiated conclusions from quick impressions, and
truth from lies.

Lesson 3 considers how information and communication

transmitted through various communications platforms (e.g., social
media, blogs, websites, video conferencing, messaging apps, etc.) form
persons’ thinking, emotions, and actions for good or for ill. The social
media our youth are exposed to are replete with manipulative ways of
attacking truth. Hence, this lesson ends with posing the challenge to our
students as free and responsible “actors” of truth-sharers who need to
document their generation’s shared histories in a truthful manner.

While our educational system is working very well, producing

students well able to catchphrase, but no capacity for critical thinking.
They lack a coherent view of the world and reality, believing that the
world and themselves are the results of blind, deterministic cosmic
forces, but also think that human rights and freedom are worth
defending. This Module invites us to consider why students cannot
reconcile the contradictory beliefs that students hold about the world,
suggesting that the remedy for this is a closer attention to the

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development of critical habits of thought that a study of philosophy and
theology entails.

The objectives of this Module are to study three questions: (1) to

examine the nature of truth; (2) to show how truth is disregarded and
misrepresented, as evidenced through fake news, alternative truths, and
the deliberate misrepresentation of data and outright lying; (3) to
consider how a love of truth is to be reclaimed and to examine what
resources are available that might assist in this task.

What You Should Be Thinking About

In this module, you will reflect on the following essential questions:

1. Why should we stand by the truth?

2. How can we reclaim truth despite the ubiquitous fallacies

assailing us?

3. How can our youth communicate truth in this age and time?

At A Glance

Lesson 1: Facing Truth Squarely: When Reality Hits You Hard

Lesson 2: Epistemological Framework for Thinking Habits

Lesson 3: Communicating Truth: Youth as Bearers of Truth

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 LESSON 1
Facing Truth Squarely:
When Reality Hits You Hard

GETTING STARTED

Overview

How well do we know the truth? Is the truth that I know my truth,
your truth, or the truth?

Truth has been most elusive these days, especially during the
advent of technology when it is so easy to receive and share information –
both truthful and deceptive. The need, therefore, to study the nature of
truth has never been more urgent. We sometimes mistake truth for an
opinion, truth for fact and truth for beliefs. We insist on the truth of
something because we’ve believed it for a long time, and to give up our
grip on it hurts and dislodges us, making us feel uncomfortable. But like
in Platos’ Allegory of the Cave, the light outside the cave, though
blinding, will rescue us from the ignorance of shadow we worshipped for
years. It’s time to remove our shackles from the crippling grip of illusion.

Lesson 1 talks about the nature of truth, the need for truth and why
we must defend truth at all costs. We must face the truth squarely,
especially when reality hits us hard.

Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Examine the nature of truth: what it is and what it is not, its

importance in daily life and the challenges in defending it;

2. Differentiate truth from belief and fact from opinion.

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 DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES

Warm-Up

During a discussion with someone (say with a friend, teacher, parent

or sibling), when your argument is criticized, you sometimes say, “Well, at
least as far as I am concerned, it’s true.” What do you exactly mean when
you say this? Consider the options we listed here and tell us which comes
closest to your mind.

a. When I say it, I am saying that what I said is true and I believe it
is true.
b. When I believe it is true, I consider the possibility that it may be
false.
c. When I believe it is true, I do not only believe it is true. I know it
is true.

Then, answer this question: are you willing to be proven wrong when
you thought you were right? Supposing you don’t believe in ghosts, and
somebody gave you convincing proof that ghosts exist, would you be
willing to abandon your current opinion about ghosts?

DISCUSSION 1: Truth And Nothing But the Truth

Our world, as we all know too well, runs on standards – aesthetic,

moral, legal, and educational. Beauty pageantry sets beauty standards to
determine “who’s is the prettiest of them all.” Architects follow some
building codes to ensure building safety and integrity. Universities follow
student admission standards to guarantee that only qualified students
can enroll. Accountants must comply with accounting rules to establish
transparency and honesty. We find no problem in conforming to all these
standards and accepting them as a universal concept; yet we wonder
why some people rebel against having a moral standard in their lives.

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 Why do some people find it so hard to conform to moral standards?
Are they bad words? Our discussion here focuses on what truth is and
what it is not.

Truth is absolute, not relative.

Let’s talk about the hard truth today. What is truth?

Truth is absolute, inflexible reality: fixed, uncompromising,

unchangeable and necessary. For example, it is absolutely true that no
square circle can exist, the square root of 16 is four, a bachelor is an
unmarried man, and it is impossible for you to exist and not to exist at the
same time.

While absolute truth is a logical necessity, some religious

orientations (atheistic humanists, for example) argue against the
existence of absolute truth. The exclusion of God by the humanist spells
moral relativism. With dogma and creed omitted, immutable truth is also
buried. Nothing is fixed; everything is relative.

No one can logically argue against the necessary existence of

absolute truth without falling into a trap. When one argues against
something, they actually establish that truth exists. You cannot argue
against the necessity of absolute truth unless an absolute truth is the
basis of your argument.

Consider this statement, “Truth is relative.” When one defends this

statement, it follows that this very statement is absolute, i. e., that truth is
absolutely relative. There is at least one absolute statement: that truth is
relative. The statement, therefore, that truth is relative is self-defeating.

Further, relativists often assert, “You don’t impose your moral

principles on me; that is wrong!” By maintaining something is wrong, the
relativists contradict themselves by imposing their morals upon you. They
insist, “There is no right, no wrong!” Well, is that very statement right or
wrong? Another self-defeating argument by the relativists. Suppose a
relativist commits something wrong, and you tell them for doing

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something wrong, they would retort, “Truth is relative, you know!
Nothing’s right, nothing’s wrong! Feel free to do whatever you want! And
don’t tell us what to do! If this is the case, what is their basis for saying
what they have just said? Isn’t it something absolute we need to follow,
say: feel free to do whatever you want? Isn’t that imposing on you their
own morals? In fact, the more they argue for the non-existence of
absolute truth, the more they defend it!

Truth is wholly true – not partly true nor partly false.

Truth cannot be partly true and partly false. It is wholly true. A

statement is either true or false. Examples:

No mother would abandon their child.

One might say, “It is partly true, partly false.” Or, it has some truth to
it. One would be persuaded to agree that it is partly true and partly false
as we witness some mothers abandoning their children. Some critical
thinkers are taking exception to the statement as it stands and
suggesting that it would be true if it were revised a bit to be more
specific:

Many, many years ago, no mother would abandon their children

except for the gravest reason.

Motherhood isn’t easy, and the responsibilities are overwhelming

then and now. Some parents these days, amid the COVID-19 pandemic,
are overwhelmed with the enormity of their mothering a child. As it
stands, this statement is true – not partly true, not partly false. Truth is not
a democracy; it doesn’t need our vote for it to be considered true.
Whether we agree or not, truth is truth.

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Truth is tenseless – not true then or in the future. It is always true.

A statement about the future can be true now because truth is

tenseless. If someone said in 2000 that the COVID-19 pandemic would
plague the world in 2020, the speaker wouldn’t really know. It would, at
best, be a shot in the dark. But still, if anyone had said it, it would be true
(and it is true) even without the speaker knowing it was true.

Similarly, you may not be in the position to know that next week
there will be an earthquake, but if you say that there will be, and the
quake occurs as predicted, then the statement is true from the start, even
if no one predicted it. Question: Is it true when you made the prediction
(before you knew it would happen?) Answer: YES, because the truth of
the proposition is tenseless. It was, is, and always will be. The proposition
is not true at a certain time, but true, PERIOD.

What changes when the future becomes present, and the present
becomes past is NOT the truth of the sentence but our knowledge of it. It
is discovered to be true regardless of when the statement is uttered.
Truth is tenseless.

Truth is narrow and exclusive, not all-inclusive and all-accepting.

Truth is narrow and exclusive (private) since it excludes all other

ideas that contradict it because they are false. The Principle of Non-
Contradiction states that two contradictory sentences cannot be true
simultaneously under the same circumstances. For example, Christianity
claims murder is wrong; the Abu Sayyaf group believes murder is right.
Christianity teaches something entirely different from what Abu Sayyaf
believes. Philosophically, both Christianity and Abu Sayyaf may be
wrong, but it is impossible that they are both right. If Christianity is right,
then Abu Sayyaf is wrong. If Abu Sayyaf is right, Christianity is wrong.
Both may even be wrong, but both cannot be right.

Narrow and exclusive, truth is viewed as oppressive, arrogant, and

limiting. But, if truth isn’t narrow and exclusive, it would be all-inclusive
and welcoming of just anything. Life then would be chaotic for anyone’s

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claim is right; nothing is rendered false. Everything is permitted. The loss
of a logic of objective truth in the world is dangerous. Who would want a
world like that!

ACTIVITY 1: Should Science and Truth Quarrel?

Given the nature of truth as absolute, tenseless, narrow and

exclusive, can science and truth be considered allies in making a case for
the social and intellectual value of the open-ended exploration of the
physical world? In answering this, give us your thoughts about the
following issues:

1. How does science relate to objective reality? Does science

approach a singular, true conception of the world, or does it
accept an open-ended exploration of the world?

2. What role does science play in defending the truth? How do

scientists regard subjective truths?

3. How does scientific truth relate to our understanding of reality?

Does it regard truth as absolute or relative to who we are?

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DISCUSSION 2: Truth vs Belief: What’s the Fuss?

There is an essential connection between truth and belief. People

can believe something with varying degrees of conviction, but believing
something does not make it true, no matter how firm your belief is. Also,
the truth (or falsity) of a statement is not determined by the number of
people who support it. For sure, there are intrinsically true and false
statements independent of our knowing them to be true or false. Let’s
take a look at the relationship that exists between belief and truth:

Point #1. The degree of one’s belief concerning a proposition has nothing
to do with truth.

Abraham Lincoln once asked: How many legs does a dog have if you
call the tail a leg? Answer: Four. Calling the tail a leg will not make it a
leg. Truth does not rely on belief. Your insisting that it is true will not
make the sentence true. If you believe that you’re ugly when, in fact,
people say you are beautiful, it will not change the fact that you are
beautiful, even if you don’t think you are. Here are other examples:

a. King Herod believes he is the most powerful king during the time
of Jesus.
b. Apollo Quiboloy believes he is divine.

King Herod might have continued to believe in his lifetime that there
was no other king more powerful than he was or that Quiboloy thinks he
is the chosen son of God, but the truth remains that they are not. No
matter how intense these people’s beliefs are, if they are not what reality
is, then they are not. Period.

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Point #2. Truths are not relative to individuals.

To me, it is true; to you, it is false. As far as I am concerned, it is true.

If I say, “P is true,” and you say, “P is not true,” then we contradict each
other. If I say “I believe that P is true” and you say that “I believe that P is
not true,” we are not contradicting each other, and both of us may be
true.
You say, “It is cold,” and I say, “It is warm.” The truth is, “It is cold.”
(You check the temperature, which is 200C). This seems to be a case of
the same proposition being both true and false). Now, who is speaking
the truth? We cannot say who is speaking the truth, but we can say that
both cannot be speaking the truth objectively. We can say this because
the Principle of Non-Contradiction states that two contradictory
propositions cannot be true at the same time under the same
circumstances.

Clearly, something can have one effect on one person and a very
different effect on another, and their perceptions do not contradict each
other. But this does not mean that truth is relative this way. If the room
temperature is cold, then it is cold – period; not cold to you, nor warm to
me. Anyone who says it is warm is mistaken because, objectively
speaking, it is cold. A certain standard has to be the basis of our claim.

The propositions “Life is bearable” and “Life is unbearable” may both

be true (because we have two propositions here, not one.) Suppose you
find life unbearable and I find it bearable: is the statement, “Life is
bearable” true for me but not true for you? Not at all! Two propositions
are true: that I find life bearable and that you find life unbearable. It is not
true merely for you that you find life unbearable; it is simply TRUE -
PERIOD (although not to anyone else). The sentence, “Life is bearable,”
expresses a different proposition when you utter it than it does when I
utter it since each person is referring to oneself only and not to anyone
else.

Relativism, sometimes called multiplism (we will discuss this later), the
claim that the truth or falsity of something depends on someone’s beliefs,
doesn’t hold for two reasons: it is logically incorrect (we cannot create our
own truth), and it violates the Principle of Non-Contradiction (that two

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things cannot be both true and false at the same time). The six blind men
in our previous story cannot insist on what they think an elephant is. At
best, they can only say what they believe it is.

Point #3. A proposition can be true at one place or time but not at another
place or time, depending on when it was spoken.

a. It’s 11 a.m. on January 15, 2023.

Supposing it is 11 a.m. today, January 15, 2023 (Philippine Time).

But one from another part of the world would register a different
time zone. So, what is the point of reference? And this is not the
case of one proposition being relative because it is true in one
place but not in another. This is an example of local truth, not a
universal truth.

b. The principal is in the office.

If the principal is not in the office, this is not a case of the same
proposition being both true and false. One has to make clear the
time it is spoken. The sentence does not tell you when it is said: it is
the utterance of the sentence in a particular spatial and temporal
context that determines the truth or falsity of the proposition. What
if the principal leaves the office after an hour?

c. Leni Robredo will not run for President in 2022.

Is the sentence true if someone said it several years back but false if
someone said it today? One could say this, and it probably would
not be misleading to say this, but wouldn’t it be more accurate to
say there are two propositions and not one? The given sentence
does not tell us when the proposition is uttered, so its meaning is
incompletely specified. If it was said in 2016, it is true; if it is said
now, then it is false because, in October 2022, she declared she
was running for the presidency.

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 Once the meaning of the sentence is completely specified as to time,
the so-called relativity disappears. To know when or where that is, you
must go beyond the sentence and examine its utterance conditions. The
sentence itself will not tell you. However, if you describe time and place,
then the sentence will provide sufficient information and will, once again,
be true or false – PERIOD.

ACTIVITY 2: Once You’ve Tasted Truth, You Don’t Want to Be

Ignorant Anymore!

In this activity, you will watch Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. You may
also read Allegory of the Cave here. Then, answer the following
questions:

A. On Allegory of the Cave:

How are truth and belief related to the Allegory of the Cave?

In this Allegory of the Cave, we can all agree that the real world
(truth) is better than the illusory world in the cave (belief). What if
the real world is viewed as worse (maybe due to the blinding light)
than what the life inside the cave (belief) offers? Would it then be
better to introduce others to the real world or to leave them in the
dark?

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 When the truth is discovered, do you feel betrayed by those who
kept you ignorant?

B. On Truth and Belief

Most of the beliefs you hold dear are precious to you, not because
they are true but because you wish they were true. Some truths
threaten your beliefs; they unsettle you. That’s why you desperately
hold on to your belief. Now, can you give a short comment on this:

Niloloko ka na; kinikilig ka pa. Dahil mas madaling umasa na

mahal ka pa rin niya kaysa tanggaping may iba na siya.

DISCUSSION 3: Fact vs Opinion: How Different Are They?

Fact or Opinion

We sometimes mistake a fact for an opinion. Are they the same? No.
Facts are empirical or are present in reality. Hence, they can actually be
verified. If I say, “Cotton is soft,” then it is something that cannot be
logically disputed. But if I say, “Cotton is better than any other fabric,” this
can be disputed by those who do not hold the same judgment I made.
Facts, therefore, are objective statements; opinions are subjective.

Take a look at the comparison between fact and opinion.

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 Basis for
Fact Opinion
Comparison
Nature objective; based on reality subjective; based on
personal view
Meaning something verifiable or can belief or value claim
be proven true
Basis of Information observation, empirical data assumption, personal
judgment
Verification can be true or false cannot be true or false
Representation actual events Perception
Application universal; it applies to all particular; differs from
person to person
Permanence permanent changing
Use of Words unbiased, impartial words biased, partial words
cannot be contested; can be contested; disputable
Contestability
indisputable

Fact is verifiable. Its truth can be checked and backed up with

evidence. It can be objectively proven to have occurred as an actual
event and, therefore, should be acceptable by all as either true or false.
As it stands, fact is uncontestable and undebatable because its basis is
reality. Example: Bongbong Marcos, Jr. is the 17th Philippine President.
Check your Philippine history if, in fact, Bongbong is the 17th President.

An opinion is a subjective judgment or viewpoint based on some

interpretation of facts. Beliefs are considered opinions. “Everyone is
entitled to their own opinion,” it is often said. This is true, but the question
here is not whether one has the right to express an opinion; it is a
question of which opinions deserve our acceptance. If an opinion is
unsupported by claims, then it doesn’t merit our attention, much less our
approval. An opinion is not based on evidence that can be checked. “I
think students should not have dyed hair.” By itself, it has little power to
convince. You should present evidence(s) that will lead you to your
opinion.

Consider the following list of statements:

 All men are created equal.

 Men are born polygamous.
 It is wrong for people not to take care of their old parents.

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  Sleeping with the window open is good for you.
 Cheating is wrong.

In each case, these are mere opinions, NOT facts. Anything good,
right or wrong claim, is not a fact. It’s a personal judgment. A statement
based on an opinion can never have the same kind of conclusiveness as a
statement based on fact, for an opinion cannot be contested. Consider
the following list of sentences:

 Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world.

 One foot is twelve inches.
 My friend is an orphan.
 Mona Lisa is a painting by da Vinci.
 Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck remarried in 2022.

These are all facts. If you doubt their validity, go check and verify.
Now, consider the following sentences:

 A dozen is a group of 13
 Two times seven is fifteen.
 Manila is in Region 7.
 A day has 25 hours on earth.
 Tolkien writes The Little Prince.

While the sentences are incorrect, they are still considered a fact,
even though they are not true. So, when students define a fact as any
statement that can be proven to be true or false, they will concern
themselves less with whether the statement is true or false; rather, they
focus more on whether each statement can be proven true or false.
Hence, they will be better able to distinguish facts from opinions.

Now, let’s look at this picture of a man. If we are asked to give opinions
or facts about him, here are the words we may use to describe him.

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 Fact Opinion
man funny
no undershirt weird look
hand outstretched poor
smiling happy
skinhead cute

A fact is something someone thinks is true, but others may or may

not think is true. This is due to people’s lack of knowledge about the fact.
They may think, “I know it’s a fact, but some people don’t know about this.
Other people may not have this knowledge of the discipline, so even
though I think it’s a fact, they might disagree with it.” Or, “I think it’s true
and I expect other people to think it’s true also.” Further, some people
choose different items as facts and others as opinions, even though they
use the same rules to define them.

Now, some people have wide-ranging opinions about a particular

situation. If someone we know walked past you without greeting you, you
would probably think, “she snubbed me,” “is she upset with me?” she’s
really rude and snobbish as people say she is,” and so on. This might
make you feel upset and react in hurtful ways. The only fact you have is
that the person walked past you; anything else is your opinion – your
personal interpretation of the incident. The reality is that she just didn’t
see you. Realizing that many thoughts are opinions rather than facts

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makes it less likely that we’ll be upset by them and more able to make
prudent decisions about the incident.

Distinguishing fact from opinion is one of the essential skills students

can learn in school. In making an informed argument, they need to
determine if what they have is fact or simply an opinion. They must be
critical in accepting what they read or hear. For example, when you
present a report, you must balance your presentation of facts. Offering
arguments for only one side is a biased presentation.

Is it not good to be opinionated then? Well, you can be opinionated

and state that it’s your own opinion. It’s your perfect right to have your
opinion on some debatable issues. However, being opinionated is a thin
line to walk in this time and age. Being opinionated certainly has its
downside risks. You may come off as snooty or aggressive. Don’t come
on too strong. Feel the situation and gauge your audience. We still need
a culture where people are tactfully accepting of people’s ideas.

But also, don’t play safe. To play safe is just to be neutral. Stand by
your opinion. Better yet, equip yourself with facts. Well, that’s just my
opinion!

ACTIVITY 3: Chismis Then, History Now: Fact or Opinion?

1. What can you say about those who claim that “history is like chismis
(gossip)?” This claim came recently from actress Ella Cruz who made
headlines on social media after her “history is like chismis” comment.

2. James Banner, the founder of the National History Center of the

American Historical Association, claimed in his book, The Ever-
Changing Past: Why All History Is Revisionist History, that all good

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 history is ‘revisionist history’ and explained why old historical
certainties may now be contentious. What do you think about this
claim of Banner? Does history really change? Explain your position.
(You may refer to his book or other insightful commentaries about
his book for further information.)

Wrap-up

Are you tolerant of other people’s beliefs? To wrap up this lesson,

watch this: Are You Tolerant? I tell you, this makes a whole lot of sense.
Well, that’s my belief.

And to end this chapter, I leave you with the words of Socrates as
recorded by Plato in his Republic:

Most people, including ourselves, live in a world of relative

ignorance. We are even comfortable with that ignorance,
because it is all we know. When we first start facing truth, the
process may be frightening, and many people run back to their
old lives. But if you continue to seek truth, you will eventually be
able to handle it better. In fact, you want more! It’s true that many
people around you now may think you are weird or even a
danger to society, but you don’t care. Once you’ve tasted the
truth, you won’t ever want to go back to being ignorant. –
Socrates (Plato, Book VII of The Republic, The Allegory of the
Cave)

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 MOVING FORWARD

Truth is under siege as it is being attacked from all sides. We’ve got
to stand by it, defend it, and promote it – or we will lose our very
humanity. For emphasis, let me quote Socrates again: Once you have
tasted truth, you won’t even want to go back to being ignorant again.
While there is comfort in what we get used to doing, it would still be
better to know what should be rather than live in the comfort of what is.
We’d rather live in the pain of truth rather than the comfort of a lie.
Moving forward, we will discuss in the next lesson how, as GenZers, you
can be the truth-creator of your generation. Claim it.

LEARNING RESOURCES

Kuhn, D. (1999). A developmental model of critical thinking. Educational

Researcher, 28(2), 16-46.
Lindsley, A. (2004). True truth: Defending absolute truth in a relativistic
world. InterVarsity Press.
O’Keeffe, M. E., & Munk, P. L. (2017). Defending the truth in a post-truth
era. Canadian Association of Radiologists’ Journal, 68(3), 231-231.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carj.2017.06.001
Soames, S. (1999). Understanding truth. Oxford University Press on
Demand.
Wright, C. (2008). Relativism about truth itself: Haphazard thoughts about
the very idea. Relative Truth, 157-186.
https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199234950.003.0007
McCandless, D. (2021, July 27). 51 favorite facts you’ve always believed
that are actually false. Reader’s Digest.
Plato, The Republic, Book VII.

Internet Links:
The Parable of the Six Blind Men
https://famvin.org/en/2020/11/06/elections-and-the-parable-of-the-
blind-men/
Are You Tolerant?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt8bJyiUAhY&t=82s

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 LESSON 2
Epistemological Framework
for Thinking Habits

GETTING STARTED

Overview

This lesson discusses levels of understanding – absolutism,

multiplism, and evaluativism – in appreciating truth and the attitude of
fact-checking stories in an attempt to destroy truth.

Absolutism declares that only one view is correct, making

knowledge as facts; fundamentalism is absolutism. Multiplism claims that
both are equally correct, making knowledge as opinions, similar to
relativism. Evaluativism states that one view is more correct than the
other, making knowledge as judgment. Science is essentially an
evaluativist position.

It has never been easier now to effortlessly obtain information of all

kinds through smartphones, tablets, and computers. The problem is that
not all information is knowledge. The advent of various social media
platforms provides a surge of information, much of which is replete with
trolls whose aim is to weaken, vilify, or shame those whose views are
opposed to them to silence them. The troll society might be highly
organized at the behest of some political organizations seeking to
disparage the character of someone or advance a particular view. Never
has it been more vital than now that an attitude of opposition that
counteracts the dissemination of fake news is necessary if we are to
uphold the truth. In the end, we propose not an offer for a final solution
but only an invitation to continue searching for truth.

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Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Examine the different levels of epistemological understanding:

absolutism, multiplism, and evaluativism;

2. Promote the values of humanistic inquiry, including intellectual

curiosity, a skepticism towards received views, and an openness to
new ideas.

DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES

Warm-Up

Source: https://9gag.com/gag/a51VYDL

Tell me, what does this image tell you?

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Discussion 1: Free To Be Whatever!

Levels of Epistemological Understanding

Kuhn, et. al (2000) proposed stages of human understanding as an

interplay of the subjective and objective dimensions of knowing that lead
to the mature level of understanding truth. The three levels of
epistemological understanding are absolutism, multiplism and
evaluativism. What level of understanding are you in right now?

Let’s discuss each epistemological level.

Absolutism

Absolutism claims that knowledge is absolute, certain, non-

negotiable, either right or wrong, good or bad, and requires no
justification because it is its own justification (Mason & Scirica, 2006).
Only one explanation can be right, nothing more, nothing less.
Proponents of absolutism believe that reality can be directly known,
available to us, and observed with absolute certainty.

For example, a triangle is a three-sided polygon, a bachelor in an

unmarried man, and truth is certain. These are absolute truths. The world
is black and white, devoid of any shades of grey; there is no middle
ground. This position is against moral relativism that permits various
conflicting viewpoints that multiplism champions.

Multiplism

Followers of multiplism believe that knowledge is vague and

eccentric, and each individual carries their own views of truth. Unlike
absolutism which adheres to the certainty of knowledge, multiplism
claims that reality is uncertain and complex; it is not directly knowable
due to our fallible perception of the world. Knowledge is therefore
constructed by the mind and is subject to doubt as it renders no

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commitment to any view other than one’s own. The false is now as good
as true. The more you fight head-on, the more you lose.

This second level of understanding grants the validity of multiple

viewpoints. Doubt and skepticism are essential if you want to tackle the
world with a scientific outlook. And the multiplist stance may encourage
us to regard other people and their differing views with more tolerance.
To each his own. Since we can never be certain of anything, there is no
objective basis for choosing one explanation over another. All assertions
are merely opinions. All claims hold equal weight – no one is more right
than the other. It rejects any claim that views are not equal, that we can
weigh and evaluate competing claims and judge some to be more
probably correct than others.

Evaluativism

Evaluativism is the belief that “there are shared norms of inquiry

and knowing. Some positions are reasonably more justified and
sustainable than others” (Mason & Scirica, 2006). We might lack
certainty, but we can make distinctions. Some explanations have more
merit because they are “better supported by argument and evidence”
(Kuhn, et. al., 2000). Kuhn calls this last level of understanding evaluativist
and – needless to say – it is the only approach to knowledge consistent
with scientific thinking.

The progressive and balanced assimilation and harmonization of

the objective and subjective aspects of knowing is needed, which is
satisfied at the evaluativist level. At the evaluativist level, the two
dimensions are well-integrated, without one dominating the other,
without one overshadowing the other.

Here is the chart that shows the difference among the three levels
of understanding based on the nine epistemological belief dimensions.

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 Profiles of the nine epistemological belief dimensions for each developmental
stage (Klopp & Stark, 2022) as conceptualized initially by Kuhn (2000)7
Dimension Absolutism Multiplism Evaluativism
Source of Perceived from Constructed by the Constructed by the
knowledge outside reality human mind human mind based
on standards of
knowledge
construction
Nature of Facts Personal opinions Theories and
knowledge arguments
Structure of Simple facts that are Equally right Multiple accounts
knowledge true personal opinions that can be judged
about their degree
of truth
Role of multiple Multiple Multiple Considering
perspectives perspectives are an perspectives are multiple
obstacle to not an obstacle to perspectives can
knowledge knowledge improve knowledge
generation. generation.
Justification of Draws on reality Draws on personal Coordination of
knowing preferences and theory and
judgments evidence, drawing
on shared
norms and
standards
Reliable Based on facts Based on personal Based on theory
explanation knowledge and and the available
experience information
Certainty of Knowledge is Knowledge is Knowledge is
knowledge certain, and fundamentally fundamentally
certainty is an uncertain uncertain but can
achievable goal improve the degree
of certainty.
Attainability of truth Truth is attainable. Truth is Approximation of
unattainable truth is attainable
by argumentation
Expertise Expert knowledge Experts can differ in Expert opinions are
is certain their opinion evaluated.

7
The table is adapted from the work of Klopp, E., & Stark, R. (2022). Scientific controversies and epistemological
sensitization—Effects of an intervention on psychology students’ epistemological beliefs and argumentation skills.
Frontiers in Education, 6, 785241. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.785241

163
 Given this framework of steps for mature epistemological
understanding, Kuhn suggests that students continue to evaluate the
information they receive and employ critical thinking that promotes
sifting what they see to find the truth that fights against fake news.

Further, students should engage in argumentative debate,

cooperative learning, practical research assignments, and meaningful
reflection to attain a level of maturity in their understanding of human
realities.

ACTIVITY 1: Which Side Are You On?

Directions: You are asked to evaluate three cases by applying the

epistemological frameworks in resolving the issues –
absolutism, multiplism or evaluativism. This activity aims to
show that the students’ responses reflect their personal
epistemology and the level of their epistemological
understanding.

1. Rules are Rules!

The school has been the champion in the inter-school volleyball

competition from 2016-2022. After six years, the varsity volleyball
team has finally reached the semi-final round. Everyone is excited in
anticipation of the “big event” and hopeful that the team will
ultimately make it again this time. Mika, the varsity coach, is
optimistic and confident because the team has the necessary skills
and attitude essential in the game – teamwork, speed, presence of
mind, and balance.

Since they had one week left, Mika told her team that they needed to
practice every day. No one should be late, and definitely, attendance
is mandatory. Anyone who violates will be suspended for one week.
Rina and Chary are two of the best players. In fact, they were both
vying for the Most Valuable Player recognition. From their
perspective, they are indispensable because they will bring victory to
the team.

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 One day, before proceeding to their practice, they first went to a
friend’s party. As a result, they were one hour late for practice. Mika
was furious because Rina and Chary deliberately violated a direct
order. If Mika follows her rules, Rina and Chary will be suspended.
Obviously, they cannot play in the semi-finals.

What is your evaluation of the situation? Present the arguments for

each level of understanding to differentiate one position from the
other.

Given your arguments for the different perspectives, which side are
you on? And why do you choose this side? If you were the team
coach, what would dictate your decision?

Absolutism:

Multiplism:

Evaluativism:

Which side are you on? And why?

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 2. The Ethics of Ghosting

P1: You’re still interested in a person and continue communicating

with them.
P2: The other party suddenly stops communicating without notice
or explanation.
P3: The other party is no longer interested.
C: You just got ghosted.

Ghosting is the sudden unexplained disappearance of someone on

another’s communication radar or when one person suddenly stops
texting or communicating with the other with no explanation (at all!)
or excuse. It happens all the time, with friends you’ve met or people
you connect with on dating apps. And it hurts too much.

Raffy has dated online for a while now, and he constantly ghosts girls
because he’s overwhelmed or busy; sometimes it’s because he feels
there’s no connection anymore, and sometimes he is just interested
in another match more than the other.

Questions: Are there times it is permissible to ghost? Can ghosting

be justified? What do you do when you are ghosted?

Given your arguments for the different perspectives, which side are
you on? And why do you choose this side? If you were the one
ghosted, what would dictate your decision?

Absolutism:

Multiplism:

Evaluativism:

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Which side are you on? And why?

3. Transgender Inclusion in Single-Sex Competition

Over the years, the idea of beauty is changing in some countries and
some parts of the USA, and it’s getting more inclusive. Beauty queen
Anita Noelle Green competed in the Miss Universe pageant and was
the first transgender contestant for Miss Montana USA and title
holder for Miss Elite Earth Oregon 2019. Only one pageant has
excluded her on the basis that she’s not a “natural born female” —
Miss United States of America. When Kataluna Enriquez, an Indian
beauty, became the first openly transgender woman to compete in
the Miss USA pageant in 2021, she paid tribute to the LGBTQ+
community after celebrating her win. However, Enriquez was banned
from the beauty pageant because she is a transgender woman.
Green declared to the court that she has “always been a woman.” “I
never altered my gender or sex,” Green said. “I simply affirmed my
underlying gender identity as female based on realizing who I
deeply am.”

Questions: Should beauty pageant organizers include transgender

in single-sex competitions? Should beauty pageants be limited to
only “natural born females? Would it be a form of discrimination if
the non-biological females get excluded from a beauty pageant?

Given your arguments for the different perspectives, which side are
you on? And why do you choose this side? If you were the LGBTQ+
contestant/beauty pageant organizer, what would dictate your
decision?

Absolutism:

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Multiplism:

Evaluativism:

Which side are you on? And why?

DISCUSSION 2: The Privilege of Partial Perspective

Holistic and Partial Perspective

For the start of this discussion, go over the examples of things we

thought were true for a long time, and see how many of them you still
believed to be true. Here’s the link: False Facts Everyone Believes
(McCandless, 2021). The question we can ask now is this: Is truth
changing? Is the multiplist position true after all?

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 Limited as human beings are, we can view the
world only from a partial, limited perspective. A
holistic understanding of the world is impossible
because we cannot have access to all
perspectives, given our finite nature. Our
inadequate sense perception may give us
deceiving misinterpretations. How can a person
with a limited hint of truth declare that their
perception is the only version of all reality?

While having an incomplete view of a

situation may seem limited initially, having a
partial perspective may be the only path to “true” objectivity. Gathering
multiple viewpoints to get a holistic perspective may be the only way to
grasp the truth. This also shows that truth is co-determined from different
standpoints, each view contributing something to a discussion. This is
what is called the privilege of partial perspective. Haraway (2020) claims
that “only partial perspective promises objective vision” because it is
based on “limited location and situated knowledge” p. 583).

Let’s consider this story of the Parable of the Blind Men and the
Elephant:

The Blind Men and the Elephant is a well-known Indian fable

narrating the story of six blind men that trace the different parts of an
elephant. Each blind man makes their own perception of the elephant
from what their perspectives allow them to do.

Once upon a time, there lived six blind men in a village. One day the
villagers told them, “Hey, there is an elephant in the village today.”
They had no idea what an elephant was. They decided, “Even
though we would not be able to see it, let us go and feel it anyway.”
All of them went where the elephant was. Every one of them touched
the elephant.

“Hey, the elephant is a pillar,” said the first man who touched his leg.
“Oh, no! it is like a rope,” said the second man who touched the tail.
“Oh, no! it is like a thick branch of a tree,” said the third man who

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 touched the elephant’s trunk. “It is like a big hand fan,” said the
fourth man who touched the ear of the elephant. “It is like a huge
wall,” said the fifth man who touched the belly of the elephant. “It is
like a solid pipe,” Said the sixth man who touched the elephant’s
tusk.

They began arguing about the elephant, and all insisted they were
right. It looked like they were getting agitated. A wise man was
passing by, and he saw this. He stopped and asked them, “What is
the matter?” They said, “We cannot agree on what the elephant is
like.” Each one of them told what they thought the elephant was like.
The wise man calmly explained, “All of you are right. Everyone is
telling it differently because each of you touched a different part of
the elephant. So, actually, the elephant has all those features that you
all said.”

“Oh!” everyone said. There was no more fight. They felt happy that
they were all right, after all. (Adapted from Parable of the Blind Men)

We’re all like these six blind men, having different viewpoints about
the world, sometimes unaware of how partial our perspectives are and
insisting that we hold the truth! To a scientist, the universe keeps on
expanding. To a religious person, the universe is God’s creation. To an
artist, it is what my eyes behold. Who is to say, which is more “correct,”
and how does one define truth?

ACTIVITY 2: The Pursuit of Truth: Biased and Elusive

Directions: Read this poem written by Alya Omran. Take time to read it
and see traces of partiality or biased perception. Then, tell us
what we need to do to elicit the truth behind those who
always try to play victim.

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 Playing Victim

The truth is,

Everyone wants to be the victim.
No one wants to be mistaken.
Everyone on social media,
Is sharing that their problem is that they’re too kind,
Too flexible,
Too nice.
No one speaks about how rude they can be sometimes,
Or how inconsiderate we can get.
Everyone speaks of the friend who didn’t live up to our expectations,
Or the relationship that destroyed us,
But no one speaks of how many times we disappointed the ones who
loved us,
Abandoned them,
Chose us over and over.
We’re all a lot more self-centered than we claim to be,
And we’re blind to our mirrors.
Everyone finds it easier to throw blames everywhere,
Instead of coming to terms with the fact,
That sometimes,
We’re horrible too.

- Alya Omran
(from Selcouth FaceBook post dated March 31, 2020)

When one always plays victim, how can we elicit who the true victim is?

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DISCUSSION 3: Promoting Skepticism in the Pursuit of Truth

Search For Truth

While the path to gaining objectivity may

be hard to follow, and the answers to what
constitutes “truth” may be vague, great thinkers
belabor themselves to know what truth really is.
Richard Rorty (1990) seems to capture it, stating
that “the best way to find out what to believe is
to listen to as many suggestions and arguments
as you can” (p. 46). The acceptance of the
finitude of the human mind leads to humility.

One realizes that holistic perception may not

be readily available or the end-all of human
goals, given our human contingency. The longing for the truth is itself a
limitation. The words of Rainer Maria Kilke are most fitting:

Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the
questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now
written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers,
which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live
them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now.
Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some
distant day into the answer. - Rainer Maria Kilke’s Letters to A Young
Poet

After all, the most meaningful and potent questions in life are those
with no answers. It shows that our belief is an endless revision of reality,
seesawing between belief and unbelief, stressing the provisional
character of our belief allowing itself to the irritation of doubt and inquiry;
seeking truth should be both an affirmation and a commitment. The
disquieting doubt allows for the improvement of thought.

This is life’s greatest challenge for a human being for a holistic

perception of reality: embrace uncertainty and let this disquieting doubt

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irritate us. It will then leave an opening for the unexpected, the unknown
and the unseen.

The search for truth, which is a multi-functional existential project, is

inseparable from our finitude. Our grasp of reality is co-determined by
our perspectives. One standpoint is different from another. This does not
mean, however, that we cannot agree on some matters of importance. In
fact, most of the time, convergences outweigh divergences in our
standpoints. We just need to co-exist and live happily.

From our discussion, it becomes crucial that we display a healthy

skeptical attitude, that is, the importance of promoting a skepticism born
of a cognitive perspective that is genuinely humble and restlessly vigilant.
The nature of truth is that of never becoming ultimately final; rather, it
must remain unceasingly open to the plurality of viewpoints and the
emergence of surprising novelty. This is the only way to befriend truth in
our beautiful yet conflicted world.

ACTIVITY 3: Have You Been So Sure Lately?

Read the article The Multiple Meanings of Tentative Science. Then

discuss the meaning of the statement, “scientific knowledge is tentative.”
Establish the arguments presented by the author for the tentative nature
of scientific knowledge and its connection with skepticism. Finally, build
an argument contradicting the tentativeness of scientific knowledge as
this leads to universal doubt. What then can we consider as knowledge?

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Wrap-Up

Unlike perception, truth lacks immediacy. History is a tentative

interpretation of facts. It is this tentativeness of ideas that makes life
exciting. Certainty is the greatest obstacle to discovery.

Can one still be wrong when he thinks it is already right? Only when
one admits he can still be wrong will he ever be right; when one can’t, he
will never be. Kung aaminin nating maaari tayong magkamali, doon lang
tayo nagiging tama; at kung sasabihin natin na hindi tayo maaaring
magkamali, sa umpisa pa lamang ay nagkamali na tayo. Our belief is an
endless revision of reality, stressing its provisional character allowing
itself to the irritation of doubt and scrutiny.

MOVING FORWARD

Truth is not an undisturbed belief. It is a continuous struggle for

something that continues to hide itself from us. Yet, it is precisely this
struggle to seek truth that enflames our soul for something nobler and
holier. The process of questioning is unsettling, disorienting, and
frightening even but it is also exciting, empowering and freeing.

In the next lesson, students are invited to seek, speak, stand by and
stay with truth.

LEARNING RESOURCES

Allcott, H., & Gentzkow, M. (2017). Social media and fake news in the
2016 election. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 31(2), 211–235.
Haraway, D. (2020). Situated knowledges: The science question in
feminism and the privilege of partial perspective. In Feminist Theory
Reader (5th ed.). Routledge.
Klopp, E., & Stark, R. (2022). Scientific controversies and epistemological
sensitization—Effects of an intervention on psychology students’

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 epistemological beliefs and argumentation skills. Frontiers in
Education, 6, 785241. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.785241
Kuhn, D. (1999). A developmental model of critical thinking. Educational
Researcher, 28(2), 16-46.
Kuhn, D., Cheney, R., & Weinstock, M. (2000). The development of
epistemological understanding. Cognitive Development, 15(3), 309–
328. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0885-2014(00)00030-7
Lindsley, A. (2004). True truth: Defending absolute truth in a relativistic
world. InterVarsity Press.
Mason, L., & Scirica, F. (2006). Prediction of students’ argumentation skills
about controversial topics by epistemological understanding.
Learning and Instruction, 16(5), 492–509.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2006.09.007
McCandless, D. (2021, July 27). 51 favorite facts you’ve always believed
that are actually false. Reader’s Digest.
O’Keeffe, M. E., & Munk, P. L. (2017). Defending the truth in a post-truth
era. Canadian Association of Radiologists’ Journal, 68(3), 231-231.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carj.2017.06.001
Rorty, R. (1990). Objectivity, relativism, and truth: Volume 1: Philosophical
Papers. Cambridge University Press.
Soames, S. (1999). Understanding truth. Oxford University Press on
Demand.

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 LESSON 3
Communicating Truth:
Youth as Bearers of Truth

GETTING STARTED

Overview

In the past two lessons, we studied the non-negotiable nature of

truth and the differences between truth and belief, facts and opinions
(Lesson 1). We also presented Kuhn’s levels of epistemological
understanding, the highest of which blends both the objective and
subjective dimensions of knowing (Lesson 2). The level of our
epistemological understanding depends on our capacity to integrate
what is so personal to us with what the objective world offers us.

In Lesson 3, we attempt to provide you with the problem of truth

and how truth is continually challenged. Most of the time, you find
yourself in this conflicted world. We offer you, in this lesson, how your
education can equip you with tools to survive in the age of lies and fake
news. And just remember, no matter how great the forces are that
conspire to assault truth on a soaring scale, it is not large enough to
cover the immensity of truth. We end with the role the youth can play as
truth-creators and truth-sharers.

Objectives

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

1. Discuss various arguments that contribute to the problem of truth in

a postmodern world, sometimes referred to as a post-truth world;

2. Discover the role of the youth in protecting, preserving and

promoting truth amidst the ubiquity of alternative truth.

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 DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES

Warm-Up

Fact or Fake?

Here are examples of issues (moral, political, social, etc.), and you
will determine if they are fact or fake:

1. Fortune cookies were invented in 6. Shinzo Abe was assassinated on July

China. 8, 2022.
2. Lightning never hits the same place 7. The capital of the Philippines is
twice. Quezon City.
3. Only male mosquitoes bite. 8. Bats are blind.
4. Salt water boils quicker than fresh 8. An average person can’t survive
water. without food for two months.
5. People can catch warts from toads 10. Dogs can think.

DISCUSSION 1: The Different Faces of Lies: Have You Been Duped?

Social media and technology have made it easier for us to get

borderless communication and engagement, conquering both time and
place. While this innovation is incredibly impressive for many reasons, it
has also created the perfect breeding ground for lies, deceit and deep
fakes that spread like wildfire in an online community. Let’s study the
different faces of lies: misinformation, disinformation and trolling.

Misinformation and Disinformation

Misinformation is incorrect or misleading information that people

spread without intent to mislead. Some people who share misinformation
online do not know it’s misinformation, and they’re not sharing it with
malicious or dubious intent. However, this act of sharing misinformation
is still distressing. Why will you share a piece of information you haven’t

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verified yet? This is still irresponsibility. If newspapers or news reporters
share misinformation without fact-checking it first, misinformation can
become fake news. Don’t fall into this trap! At its worst, fake news harms
our public democratic goods.

Disinformation, in contrast, refers to incorrect and misleading

information that people spread to mislead or deceive people. This is
equivalent to a large-scale deception such as outright lying by trolls,
fakers and scammers. Fake news is “news articles that are intentionally
and verifiably false” (Allcott & Gentzkow, 2017) intended to manipulate
people’s perceptions of actual facts, events, and reports. To know more
about disinformation, you may read To Believe or Not To Believe and A
Marketplace of Fake News. And whose fault is it when fake news gets
shared? Fake News: it’s your fault.

Shake, Rattle and Troll

An example of disinformation is the one spread by trolls. They hit us

with their annoying, brutal and malicious comments. Unprovoked, they
shake our benign comments, rattle our world with their irritating replies,
and troll our posts with obnoxious remarks to manipulate public opinion.
They are the digital rogues that incite outrage in the online community.
They don’t die; they just live forever to harass us no end. This indifference
to truth and decency is alarming.

As Maria Popova captures the malicious intent of a liar:

The liar is defeated by reality, for which there is no substitute; no

matter how large the tissue of falsehood that an experienced liar has
to offer, it will never be large enough, even if he enlists the help of
computers, to cover the immensity of factuality. (Popova, 2016)

And why are lies more alluring than truth?

Sometimes, lies appeal more to reasons than truth because truth is

more demanding and less comforting. It is demanding of reason,
confronting us with arguments that elude our mind. Why do trolls, fakers

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and scammers work on even the most reasonable of us? Hannah Arendt,
one of the greatest original thinkers of the 20th century, explained, in her
topical essay, Lying in Politics, why facts are so fragile and why we are
drawn to lies:

It is this fragility that makes deception so very easy up to a point, and

so tempting. It never comes into a conflict with reason, because
things could indeed have been as the liar maintains they were. Lies
are often much more plausible, more appealing to reason, than
reality, since the liar has the great advantage of knowing beforehand
what the audience wishes or expects to hear. He has prepared his
story for public consumption with a careful eye to making it credible,
whereas reality has the disconcerting (disturbing) habit of confronting
us with the unexpected, for which we were not prepared. (Arendt,
1972)

Lying is a form of violence and a liar is one of the unhappiest

people on earth, unashamedly seeking shelter in distorted, flawed and
cheapened truth. Such a truth is like a travesty that pretends to be
undisputable. Underneath are the hidden atrocities it wishes to
perpetuate. But no matter how huge the untruth is, truth is its own
imperative. The presence of truth will be taken as personally threatening
to one desperately holding on to a lie. We are all made for truth, which is
the basis of our human actions and moral decision. Truth is that which
gives life meaning. Nothing less.

ACTIVITY 1: This Is How We Want Our World To Be

A. Students will narrate in an essay form their lived experiences in a

conflicted world and how they intend to change it for better human
conditions. Let the essay title be, This is How We Want Our World
To Be. Then, they will send this to the newspaper editor, that can
feature their article. Comments from the readers will be solicited.
Here, they will be able to gather some thoughts about what they
are going through.

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 B. Read this article: On the Moral Responsibility to be an Informed
Citizen.

In this article, the author talks about ways by which we can combat
misinformation that is so pervasive in the media these days. As a
science student, how would you take a stronger personal and civic
responsibility to be informed and to be a responsible truth-sharer?
Write an essay (three paragraphs) on your moral responsibility as a
truth-sharer.

DISCUSSION 2: Youth As Agents of Truth

The vast majority of online information cannot be critically

examined, so false information, conspiracy theories, and outright lies can
spread unchecked. With its massive number of users, social media can
spread fake news with one irresponsible click.

Helping Students Identify Fake News

Despite diligent fact-checking of online news and stories, fake news

still penetrates the crevices of unsuspecting readers, failing to overcome
the inherent trickery of some fake news. Therefore, we must accept the
limits to our epistemological attitudes concerning online fake news.

Here are some questions you may consider in fact-checking and

evaluating news resources:

 Is the claim believable?

o The claim should be transparent, specific, and laden with

evidence to show proof of truth. Confirm the claim by
checking other sources of the news. Does the site have a
repute for journalistic integrity? Does the author cite credible
sources? Is the source of the news included on a list of fake

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 news sites? Or is it just an advertisement posturing as a real
news story?

 Is this a well-known news organization or website?

o The site should be trustworthy, and the organization or

website should be impartial.

 Do they include sources for their information?

o Check the sources and ask if the sources are trustworthy or

merely hearsay. The strength of the information depends on
unsullied evidence.

 Is the information available from other trusted news outlets?

o Get off the page and check what other reputable sources say
about the news or the site. This is called lateral reading. Don’t
stick to only one source. Verify the information obtained with
other trustworthy news sources. Make sure it’s not the only
site making a claim. If it is, most likely, it isn’t true. Compare it
to other news sources to get different perspectives. Find
credible sources from other areas of the sociopolitical
spectrum to provide nuance and get a bigger picture of
what’s happening.

 Is the author real and reliable?

o Analyze the author’s qualifications; the author might be

fictional or hiding in a pen name. Do their words command
respect, and is their character reputable??

 Did it happen recently?

o When is the date of publication? Have the events changed

since its publication date? Is there any new information added
to give the news a fresh look? It might be just a rehash of past

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 events pretending to be recent to catch the attention of a
gullible reader.

 Does it elicit strong emotions like anger, joy, pain or despair?

o If the news is inciting, anxious infuriating, or exhilarating, calm

down. Guard your emotions and don’t react too easily. For all
you know, it’s just clickbait. And you got duped.

 Is confirmation bias clouding your judgment?

o You might easily agree with the news because it confirms your
bias. Analyze the construction of the article. Are the words
loaded? Is the news simply a propaganda? Can you
distinguish, from the site, which are fact and which are merely
opinions of the writer (we already studied their difference)?
Or is it simply all speculation? Withhold your judgment until
you can make an informed decision.

Students should learn how to consume information critically. The

proliferation of misinformation (fake news) can be halted if we all fact-
check claims and refuse to share fake news. If an item is suspect, don’t
share it. If you care, you don’t immediately share. Find out whether the
information you shared online is factually correct, or wait until some news
media or agencies verify the facts as they have the resources to fact-
check information that gets on their table.

GenZers have grown up in a technology-filled world with virtually

unlimited internet and social media access. They are well-prepared for
public service because they know the issues and are not afraid of
activism. They may better understand how to evaluate sources and
identify fake news than other generations. The world is banking on
GenZ’s ability to scrutinize the integrity of the information they share.

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ACTIVITY 2: The Two Faces of Events: Credible or Clickbait?

A. Evaluating News Sites

Study the two sources of news

below – Source A and Source B, both
of which report the same incident.
Answer the questions based on your
reading of the two sites.

Source A: History and Gossip Source B: History and Gossip

Source A: Source B:
Duterte’s Excellent Drug War The Disappeared in Drug War

Where was the article published? Who is the author? What is the
date?

Source A Source B
Publication Publication
Author Author
Date Date

These articles are talking about the same issue. Summarize in two
sentences what happened.

Source A Source B

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Did the reporter remain impartial or did they try to persuade the
reader in a certain direction? How can you tell?

Source A Source B

Which sources did the reporter use when writing this article?

Source A Source B

Which source do you think is more credible? Explain your reasons for
choosing one over the other.

Source A Source B

DISCUSSION 3: Youth As Truth-Creators and Truth-Sharers

Tell me, did you share a story you didn’t even read?
If yes, why did you share it without having read it?
If no, why didn’t you share even when it was tempting to?

What is the students’ relationship with truth? How important is truth

to them? The student’s relationship to the truth may tell us a lot about
their character and the value they hold dear.

It would be good to talk with the students about how they know
that they read, the internet information they obtain from media sources,

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and things they believe about other people and about relationships are
true and that they are not tricked or duped by them.

GenZers are the most active social media users. They have the
power to influence other people with the information they so readily
share with their friends. Here we present four truth-actions we want our
students to do to become informed citizens and responsible social media
influencers:

 Seek the Truth. Some trolls, fakers and scammers are out there to
ruin us. And rob us of the truth. Don’t let them win. Find ways to
know what truth it is. Fact-check the information. If you have doubts,
continue to seek. And when truth is found, befriend it. Even be
ready to die for it.

 Speak the truth. You may be the lone voice that speaks the truth;
speak it anyway. Once you take possession of the truth, you just
can’t keep it to yourself. You have to communicate it clearly, simply
and truthfully.

 Stand by truth. Be bold and daring enough to stand by the truth, no

matter who gets hurt. Know how to defend your point of view.
Avoid peer pressure. Don’t worry about how people will view you
and what they say when your ideas contradict theirs. Take courage.

 Share the truth. If you think something is true, share it bravely. Truth
is not meant to be kept. Just remember that a speaker of truth has
no friends, and it’s lonely. You would be talked about, shunned,
and maligned. But again, take courage. Only the fools believe in
their own lies. Never allow cowardice to destroy the common fiber
of our humanity – the truth.

Conversations on truth with our students will make them feel the
urgency of defending the truth. Talking to our students about truth
can help build their values and, most of all, their sense of integrity.
It will also allow them to veer away from the danger of impressions
and quick conclusions without fact-checking. Truth in history, for
example, may be interpreted differently depending on one’s horizons.

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But this should not stop us from having a collective understanding of
what really happened in the past. To regain your love for truth, you may
couple your knowledge with this reading, Education in an Age of Lies and
Fake News

Fact-Check: Think Before You Click

Fact-checking is important because misinformation can influence

your opinion, and your opinion can largely inform your decisions. If you
base your decisions on misinformation, you can fall into its trap, make the
wrong decisions and cause others to make the same. If you share fake
news on social media and it turns out to be fake, your credibility
becomes questionable, and you become a party to the disinformation.
Better yet, do your own research, evaluate sources of information, find
reputable information, and look for fact-checking tools. As they say, think
before you click.

ACTIVITY 3: Where Do We Go From Here?

A. VP LENI ROBREDO’s Speech to the Philippine Science High School

2022 Graduates. Here is the link: Pagtatapos 2022 - PSHS Main
Campus

"Sa mga pagkakataong ganito, tandaan na tungkulin ninyong

ipaglaban ang makatuwiran, dahil sinanay kayo sa mataas na antas
ng pagkamulat. Tungkulin ninyong tumindig, tumawid sa kapwa, at
ipadama sa kanilang may iisang katotohanan tayong pinagsasaluhan"

"Kung may mali, kung may di makatuwiran, kayo ang inaasahang

makakakita at mangunguna sa pagtutuwid nito."

"Ito ang panawagan: Na ang kakayahan, itutok sa kapakanan ng

kapwa, lalo na ng kapwa Pilipino"

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 "Maraming mahuhusay at matatalinong tao ang tumutugon kapag
tinawag na maglingkod; ang hamon sa inyo, huwag nang hintayin
pang matawag. Kayo na mismo ang maghanap ng landas, tumukoy
ng mga puwang na dapat punan, tumungo sa laylayan, at doon
maglingkod"

- VP Leni Gerona Robredo

Question: Anong mahalagang gampanin ang maaari mong gawin

upang mapangalagaan ang katotohanan. Bilang isang mag-aaral sa
Mataas na Paaralan ng Pilipinas sa Agham, sa panahon ngayon na puno
ng kasinungalingan, paano mo mapapanaig ang katotohanan? Anong
mga hakbangin ang maaari mong isagawa upang bantayan ang
nilalapastangang katotohanan?

B. Restoring Truth in the Tower of Babel: Nandito na Tayo Sa Exciting

Part

As depicted in the Bible, The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11: 1-9) is a

story of how the Lord destroyed the tower that reached the heavens built
by people by sowing confusion and scattering the people. It is a story of
rebellion against God that creates its own site of power, The Tower of
Babel. If only people would be faithful to only one truth, and stop
creating other truth (fake news) that seeks to confuse the people, truth
would be reclaimed, restored, and respected.

In this activity, students are asked to create an engaging

YouTube/TikTok video discussing their concept of youth as free “actors”
in communicating and restoring the truth. The title of the video will be:
Galit ako sa mga sinungaling dahil mahal ko and totoo. The sample video
can be viewed here: Youth For Truth.

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Wrap-Up

This is the localized version of broadway-hit Les Miserables’ final

song, Do You Hear The People Sing? You might find inspiration here in
defending our cherished truth.

Di Niyo Ba Naririnig?
Vincent de Jesus

Di niyo ba naririnig? Ikaw ba ay dadaing nalang

Tinig ng bayan na galit kimi’t magmumukmok
Himig ito ng Pilipinong Habang nagpapakasasa
Di muli palulupig ang mga trapong bulok
Dudurugin ang dilim, Gisingin ang puso,
ang araw ay mag-aalab galitin hanggang pumutok
At mga pusong nagtimpi ay
magliliyab Di niyo ba naririnig?
Tinig ng bayan na galit
Ikaw ba'y makikibaka at di Himig ito ng Pilipinong
maduduwag Di muli palulupig
Na gisingin ang mga Dudurugin ang dilim,
panatikong bingi't bulag ang araw ay mag-aalab
Kasinungalingan labanan At mga pusong nagtimpi ay
hanggang mabuwag magliliyab

Congratulations! You reached the end of the Module! Tell me,

what’s the first semester’s most exciting part?

MOVING FORWARD

This lesson challenges Gen Z to be creative and innovative in

defending the truth by communicating it in their digital-mediated life.
Love for truth is the highlight of this lesson. The spread of fake news, like
the Tower of Babel, confuses and separates us from one another. The

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disregard for truth and the honoring only of what pleases us destroys the
very fabric of our humanity. We can’t forever live in a whatever world!

This lesson teaches the student the value of truth, transparency, and
courage to stand by truth amid falsity and lies. No matter how dark the
world is because of lies, deceit and falsehoods, we need to stand by the
truth. The entire semester dealt with navigating the world of human
relationship with meaningful friendship, compassion, truth, goodness
and happiness. We have traveled so far and we hope that you followed
your True North in making a meaningful decision in life.

For now, we end the first semester here. In the next semester, we
will come back with a more profound notion of truth. This will be
followed by a discussion on excellence and service. So, there we have it
next – truth, excellence and service. Onward, our future scientists!

LEARNING RESOURCES

Arendt, H. (1972). Lying in politics. Crises of the Republic, 1-48.

Elias, M. (2015, February 23). Guiding students in finding their truth.
Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/guiding-students-finding-
their-truth-maurice-elias
Fangen, K., & Holter, C. R. (2020). The battle for truth: How online
newspaper commenters defend their censored expressions. Poetics,
80, 101423. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2019.101423
Flores, G., Goeke, M. L., & Perez, R. (2014). The power of youth in
improving community conditions for health. NAM Perspectives.
https://doi.org/10.31478/201409b
Nycyk, M. (2017). Trolls and trolling: An exploration of those that live
under the internet bridge.
https://www.academia.edu/35415567/Trolls_and_Trolling_An_Explo
ration_of_Those_That_Live_Under_The_Internet_Bridge
O’Keeffe, M. E., & Munk, P. L. (2017). Defending the truth in a post-truth
era. Canadian Association of Radiologists’ Journal, 68(3), 231-231.
Pathak-Shelat, M. (2018). Social media and youth: Implications for global
citizenship education (pp. 539–555).

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Pennycook, G., & Rand, D. G. (2021). The psychology of fake news.
Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 25(5), 388-402.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2021.02.007
Popova, M. (2016, June 15). Lying in politics: Hannah Arendt on
deception, self-deception, and the psychology of defactualization.
The Marginalian. https://www.themarginalian.org/2016/06/15/lying-
in-politics-hannah-arendt/
Rose, J. (2020). To believe or not to believe: An epistemic exploration of
fake news, truth, and the limits of knowing. Postdigital Science and
Education, 2(1), 202-216. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-019-
00068-5

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 COPYRIGHT NOTICE

All Rights Reserved.

The PSHS Values Education IV Student Packet is published every semester by the Philippine Science
High School (PSHS) System. This instructional material is to be used for the implementation of remote
learning/blended learning in the 16 campuses of the PSHS System; and is meant to be used solely
for educational purposes. This is not for sale and not for commercial purposes

No part of this Student Packet may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any
means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the
prior permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews
and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law (on works of the government). For
permission requests write to the publisher c/o Research, Policy and Academics Division (RPAD) with
postal and email address written below.

Writers/Editors Melissa Lopez Reyes

Alma Santiago Espartinez
Ma. Concha Bernardo de la Cruz
Postal Address Research, Policy and Academics Division
Office of the Executive Director
Philippine Science High School System
1101 Agham Road, Diliman, Quezon City
Email Address [email protected]

ISBN 978 621 453 504 0

Published by: Philippine Science High School System

Department of Science and Technology

Printed by:

First Semester, SY 2022-2023 Volume I, August 2022

191