An Essay on Science and Technology

For these past few decades, it is noticeable that the Philippines has been experiencing immense changes in its several aspects. The most obvious aspect that changed the country and the world’s perspective on it is perhaps the advancement of science and technology.  If one would compare the country’s scientific and technological conditions during the years between 1990’s and 2000’s and during these recent years, it is to be expected of him to say that there is indeed a growing progress in one way or another with the knowledge of science and products of technology.

Among other countries of Southeast Asia, the Philippines is considered to be one of the most sophisticated in terms of science and technology. But in comparison with the rest of the globe, it is a fact not to be neglected that the country belongs to the group of nations still coping with the stresses of globalization which include science and technology. The country is both old and young—that is, it still is on its way towards the verge of its development despite being one of the few countries that have long been developing in the past. And this makes the Philippines a country quite easily influenced and manipulated by whatever new and overwhelming improvements science and technology may have.

The Philippines, yes, is a scientifically and technologically advanced nation; as intellectual beings, Filipinos use science and technology quite well in their everyday lives. Nevertheless with this advancement, it is distressing to note that there is little responsibility that follows suit. Just take into consideration the improper disposal of waste materials that is clearly rampant in our country today. Or the use and abuse of prohibited drugs and substances. Or the escalating number of video and photographic scandals that are widespread in the internet and cellular phones. These are just some of the common yet alarming things that greet us everyday as we traverse the ocean of life with science and technology as our vessel. If this situation continues, it is possible that we will get loaded with all these things in life that we finally sink into the abyss of deterioration of science and technology.

With this situation coming into mind, the country is therefore in need of effective and appropriate information dissemination as to the impact of science and technology in the lives of people, as well as the ways on how to use science and technology more responsibly and efficiently. Of all the professions I can take toward the advancement of science and technology in our country, teaching probably would be the most effective. This, for my part, is a sort of mission to be able to help my fellow Filipinos, especially the youth who will build the future of the country, in making use of their God-given intelligence and sharing their scientific knowledge to others through the aid of their skills and abilities applied in the field of technology. There really is more that the Filipinos can do if only we weren’t too hesitant to look at and understand the ways science and technology affect our everyday lives. And this needs to be changed by helping Filipinos understand the role of science and technology in the development of our nation.

The impact science and technology have on the lives of Filipinos is very indispensable that it seems that Filipinos cannot live a proper life without it. From the very basic necessities to the most complex accessories we have, science and technology act as the principal means of obtaining these products with ease and efficacy. It is science and technology that make our everyday lives more suitable to live by providing the basic needs of man in the most convenient way possible. Having these needs being fostered, man can grow well into a mentally and socially capable being and thus is able to accomplish more than what is expected of him in his own function in the society and country, ultimately leading to the nation’s development as a whole.

One of the most basic commodities of human is food. In agriculture, it is very clear to regard that in these past few years there is indeed a major change in terms of the cultivation and production of food and the improvement of nutrition. Newer and more efficient ways of farming and food processing are being discovered and carried out today. With food as our fundamental energy source, this change has very much affected the lives of every Filipino citizen in that every thought he thinks and every action he does are all results of the food he takes into his body. Hence, the mental and physical development of every individual Filipino is in the hands of the farming industries and food development establishments. The same approach applies to the development of the country: national development lies in the hands of every Filipino which makes actions that sustain the country’s performance to the globe.

In the science of engineering, science and technology also take part in the fast improvement of the manner buildings, bridges, roads and machines are designed and constructed. More innovative ideas and concepts are kept track and implemented so as to arrive to more efficient products of technology.

Communications technology is an area of development in the country that is presently very much affected by science and technology. All forms of media allow us to muster ourselves with the realities of the fast-changing world, especially in the scenarios of our country today. More and more devices and means of telecommunication and transportation are being generated which facilitate us in the smoothness in doing our efforts of making a better nation for tomorrow.

These are just some of the many branches of learning in which science and technology have influenced for the development of the country. Just imagine what the country would be without our efforts of applying our knowledge in science and skills in technology to areas important for the growth of the nation. Surely we must be something we cannot imagine.

HOSEA (A Reflection)

            “Long have I waited for your coming home to Me…”

The lyrics of the song Hosea written above keep repeating inside my head. It is what guides reminds me of His longing for me. I, too, longed for Him. I’ve been waiting to attend in any recollection or seminar on spirituality for about ten long months. Now that I’ve finally been through it, I can say it’s all worth the wait. And now, I’ve decided to start my life anew. Thanks be to God.

          The questions during the first session of the recollection startled me, especially that one which made me ponder: What is my id quid volo? Something stirred in my heart when the facilitator, Kuya Jhong, wrote down the meaning of those words: that which I desire. Desire? What do I truly desire? I asked myself. I paused, just like everyone else, and recollected all that had happened to me, especially those recent ones. I remember mostly the negative memories—my failures, my doubts, my mistakes, etc. A picture of the Red Mass flashed on my mind, and I remembered Fr. Jett’s message on returning. That’s it, I thought, I need to return to the One where I came from. And from then on, my tears never stopped falling until it was my turn to share my answers to the group. The sharing wasn’t that explicit, but I felt relieved afterwards.

          Even though I had shared a part of me to the group, I still felt that there was something missing. And thanks to the recollection and Kuya Jhong who facilitated it for us, we had been given the opportunity to pray in silence to the Lord.  During the 27-minute prayer, I couldn’t hold back my tears for I clearly heard the Lord speaking to me through the scripture. It was as if I was reading a love letter from a very passionate and obsessed lover: God. And this was what he told me: You are still beautiful in my eyes. After all the mistakes that I have done (and He knows all of them), why do I still hear those loving words from Him? Why does He still accept my being me? Doesn’t He get tired of hearing my repetitive “sorry’s”? I felt His embrace around me, but I felt I can’t receive it all because I felt ashamed of myself. I felt undeserving. I knew He made it all clear to me—that He loves me still and for always—but I found it hard to accept that reality because of the mistakes I have done in the past. As a Catholic, I felt I need a confession. He heard my plea and gave it to me.

          Finally, after the confession, I felt I can fully welcome Him into my life. I never felt ashamed anymore, and all the bad memories I had were erased in my mind just as quickly as when He gave that assuring smile and warm embrace after the confession. Long have I waited for my coming home to Him, and longer has He waited for me to return to Him. May He continue to inspire me to live on with my life with Him in prayer, faith and love, as I also continue to do my part in His plan for me. AmDg.

Man as a Biopsychosocial Being (A Reflection)

            All throughout my college years, I have encountered and asked several questions, either to myself or to another person. One of these questions involved the mind-boggling sentence: Who am I?

            Well I never asked myself further on that. Maybe I tried, but I knew then that I would just create chaos in my mind if I ever attempt to answer that question completely. I never dared, until recently. And I changed the question (so as not to erase my sanity again) into: What influence(s) me into becoming who I am?

            Is it encoded already in my DNA that I will become the person I am now? Is it because of how my family treated and lived up with me as I grow? Is it because of the culture and beliefs they nurtured in me? Are they the choices that I make? The feelings that I evoke? The thoughts that I consider? How about my church, my schools, my friends? Yes, my friends, as the cliché goes: “Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are.” Are they indeed the people around me?

            Man is complex. So I say that all of these things/factors do influence me in my becoming of a person. And I suggest even more that the one with the greatest impact on me is the surrounding people around me—my parents who united to create me, my family, church and schools who guided my thoughts, behavior and emotions through the years, and my friends in whose company I can find my self at liberty. Yes, I am a biopsychosocial being. And my history proves me that it’s true.

            So how does it connect with medicine?

Clearly, technology has changed the way we live in all aspects, even in the way we think and articulate our thoughts. And maybe we are very well overwhelmed by this fast change that we have forgotten out roots. In medicine, for example, the usual (or observable) approach is that a patient feels something and goes into a hospital for a check-up, then the doctor identifies the problem and gives the solution, and the patient goes out to test the solution. Whatever happens afterward, I don’t know because another batch of patients comes in and I’m busy brainstorming on where I can get my lunch in an instant. And I’m outta here.

But, wait! As I go out of the hospital, I see the same person who went in earlier this day. He was a sidewalk vendor, cooking and selling barbecues. I remember him telling the doctor he’s been coughing hardly the whole week. Hasn’t the doctor told him he might get a lung cancer on continuing to inhale the smoke of charred meat? Well, I hope he has.

You see, this is what bothers me ever since I got into this medical school: How do I see myself as a full-pledged physician? Will I work for money, or for service? Will I tend to bury myself with work and forget the purpose of becoming a medical doctor? Will I overlook the patient as a subject and see him as an object instead? Will it be possible that I may someday forget what man is as a biopsychosocial being?

I don’t know about that, it’s much uncertain. But what I know now is this basic knowledge that everything I do creates a change in the universe. I influence other people like others influence me too. And having this basic notion in mind, may I never forget that I am with the people, I am for the people, and I am who I am because of the people.

Intelligent Design: Solution to the Mystery?

              While watching the movie-documentary “Unlocking the Mystery of Life” in class, I was a bit skeptic as to whether in the end the filmmakers would give us the idea that evolution is once again the highlight of the show for the class. They were saying something about natural selection and Darwin’s infamous On the Origin of Species so I thought that the movie was another fact-filled medium for us students to easily grasp the concepts and principles of evolution, one of our chosen elective subjects for this semester.

              And so, there I was, listening to that film and occasionally glancing my notes on Philosophy (we were going to have an exam after the class), never really giving much attention on the words the scientists on the film say. But when my ears caught something about “Intelligent Design” and “Supreme Intelligence”, my face turned towards the television set and my eyes fixed on the words being typed on the screen. And I said to myself, “This is interesting.”

              I never really imagined that Biology and Philosophy can be joined as one. Seeing one of those philosophers in Biology on T.V. sure made my mind wonder as to how they can incorporate Philosophy in Biology, or is it the other way around? Whatever way it is, one thing is certain: that man is continually in search for knowledge and, whatever field that knowledge may be, he goes on searching for it in order for him to find answers to that never-ending array of questions his wonderful mind contains.

              Philosophers of long ago, including St. Thomas Aquinas, have proposed on ways on explaining the mystery of life. But, since life is in itself a mystery, there is no concrete explanation for it. Aquinas, however, explained life and all its mysteries (e.g. complexity) through another mystery he called the Absolute Perfect Being or God. So the notion of an Intelligent Design is no longer new to us. Of course, most believers would consider the idea of an Absolute Perfect Being rational enough to be accepted by the majority of human beings. But scientists, atheists, skeptics and most nonbelievers would not accept the idea without further proving it by means of science. To prove something as factual and real, humans have adapted not only the philosophical way of proving things, but also the way of scientific reasoning and experimentation. The existence of such being has been proven philosophically by Aquinas. But, the issue being raised here is whether to consider this idea as scientific and not merely religious. That is why scientists of today strive to find ways to solve the mystery scientifically, and at the same time, philosophically.

              How then did they (the proponents of Intelligent Design) come up to the idea that there is indeed no way of solving the mystery of life except through an Intelligent Design? This takes us back to Darwin’s principle of natural selection. It has been explained that natural selection accounts for the complexity of life at the organism level, down to the organ level, up to the cellular level. But how can we decide whether Darwinian natural selection is the reason behind the amazing complexity of life at the molecular level?  Darwin himself set the standard when he acknowledged, “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.” And this “complex organ” he had mentioned about is today represented by a tiny machine we call bacterial flagellum. Michael Behe, one of Intelligent Design’s proponents, discovered that some systems, such as the bacterial flagellum, seem very difficult to form by such successive modifications, and he calls them irreducibly complex systems.

From the emergence of this discovery, the world of evolution is utterly shaken. More and more irreducibly complex systems, such as the central dogma of Biology, are being realized. Indeed, there is no way that such unique arrangement of molecules can come up just by chance alone. There is a way, that is, a sort of Supreme Intelligence that can arrange molecules into a pattern that will lead to the existence of life. Whatever this Intelligent Being may be (God for Christians and other believers), we ultimately must be very thankful that such being exists, for without it, we would surely not be here.

              Many ideas may come up. More and more questions may arise. Even the acceptance of this Intelligent Being cannot stop us from wondering, asking and finding answers. That is what we are, humans. And as a human having a vast imagination and an ocean of thoughts, I consider myself as an irreducibly complex system. I think everything is. ^C

A Reaction Paper For History 08 YA on 18 Nov 2008

Prayer Rally to Stop the Reproductive Health Bill (HB 5043)

The prayer rally to stop the Reproductive Health Bill (HB 5043) last November 13 (Thursday) at the Xavier University Covered Courts was an event spearheaded by the university and the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro to inform of the updates, pros and cons regarding the HB 5043. The rally calls for us our individual and communal awareness and exercise of rights as citizens of this democratic country and as human beings created with free will.

As beings, therefore, we are expected to choose between yes or no, life or death, good or evil. But there are always exceptions with regards to this. There is also gray between the colors black and white, and oftentimes this is where we lead to when we usually find both sides rationally correct or right. Yes, the HB 5043 has its advantages, that’s why it is formulated as a bill. Also, there are reasons that must be considered why it must not be passed on and approved as a bill, as what the prayer rally was talking about. There must only be one answer for this: either yes (to approve this bill) or no (not to approve this bill). By intense deliberation, one can have its view on whether to say yes or no with regards to this. The university and the church’s viewpoint is no, that is, we Ateneans and Catholics opt to reject the passage of the bill as it now stands. I too believe so. This is not because I am influenced by outside forces (the church I am in or the university’s statement on HB 5043), but because I choose to say yes than no, I choose life over death, I choose goodness over evil. The bill may have its advantages, yes, but I see that we, the citizens of this country, will have more advantages if we are to reject the passage of this bill. And I pray that the people involved in this passage will somehow be enlightened for them to see the reality of what the Filipinos truly need, and that is freedom.

              Not to choose is also a choice. But I chose to choose. Why? Because I am part of this republic we are in. I am a human being, I cannot just live with all the pressures going on around me and not minding them. I cannot live in the world of apathy. I have to exercise my right. I have a role to play. I am an Atenean amDg.

DOMINE, QUO VADIS?

The pilgrim's staff fell from Peter's hands to the earth; his eyes wee looking forward, motionless; his mouth was open; on his face were depicted astonishment, delight, rapture.

            Then he threw himself on his knees, his arms stretched forward; and this cry left his lips,—

            "O Christ! O Christ!"

            He fell with his face to the earth, as if kissing someone's feet.

            The silence continued long; then were heard the words of the aged man, broken by sobs,—

            "Quo vadis, Domine?"

(An excerpt from Ch. LXIX, Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz)

            This world-famous question has struck thousands of people, published several books, and even made known adapted plays and films. As for me, it has pulled my understanding out from its very core. Just what does this question mean?

            The first three things that I can associate with this question are uncertainty, hope and obedience.

On Peter's Uncertainty

            Planning to flee from Rome to the Campania, Peter eventually had questions already set on his mind. Perhaps, he was asking himself what he was to do upon arriving there. He might have planned a few things for himself and for his companion, Nazarius. However, the unexpected rendezvous with the Lord changed everything. The question he uttered obviously showed his uncertainness with his journey. He recognized God's interruption with his plans. He knew that God had a better plan for him which he knew not. And this uncertainty led him searching for answers to his doubt and hesitations.

Hope Never Fails

            The question implies faith —a faith that questions would be answered, doubts would be set aside, and hope would come at last. Peter never asked the question to be answered only; he expected far greater things—that despite their fears and doubts, God would still provide His people hope and answers to their prayers; that by His answer, Peter's trust in God would be revived; and that having had faith in God, Peter would follow Him whatever the consequences would be, trusting that God had a better plan for him than he (Peter) think he knew.

            "If thou desert my people, I am going to Rome to be crucified a second time."

Obedience

            Jesus answered Peter with those words above. Peter, with deep contemplation, understood this statement as some kind of a command: Do not abandon my beloved people; take your cross as I have taken mine. Peter, without any hesitation, returned immediately. Through the grace of God, Peter willingly offered his self to God and served both the believers and non-believers in the name of Jesus. In the end, Peter surrendered himself to God even by the pains of dying on the cross upside down. Peter died a martyr's death, defending his faith in God and doing whatever it is that God wanted him to do.

Now We Ask

            What is it for us, then, to understand what such question mean?

          It is for us a new way of deepening more our faith in God. It is for us to understand and trust God's ways more. It is for us to follow His will for us, setting our lives in His own hands. In sum, it is for us to love Him more than we always do. So that whenever we ask Him, "Lord, whither goest thou?" we can expect His answer to be: " To Rome, to be crucified again." And we shall turn back and return to where Christ's heart lies—to His people.

            May God bless us always.

AD MAJOREM DEI GLORIAM