Philo G7

HUMAN PERSON AS
ORIENTED TOWARDS
THEIR IMPENDING DEATH
Have you ever wondered about how nothing seems to last
forever?
Object get worn out until they can’t be used anymore, food and
drinks expire, and trends become out dated after some time.
Even more, what about the cycle of being born growing up, getting
sick, and dying?
These point to one very important reality about our human condition:
“we are temporal beings” or “ beings oriented towards death.”
HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO DIE?
We do not really think about the reality of our ownn death

beceause it is difficult to imagine when how we die. In fact,
scientists and philosophers still have many unanswered
questions about death. Howwever we cannot deny the fact that
death exist in our world
How does the reality of death define our lives?
• The reality of death means that our existence is
unique and that we will not always get another chance
to do things we want in this life.
• Therefore, we should not easily give up on the pursuit
of good things.
• We have the tendency to form bonds with others.
• This is in our nature as human persons.
Death
- is commonly understand as the end of bodily functions which
signals the end of a person’s life. It also refers to the separation of the
body and the spirit. The body, being material, is bound by the laws of
time and space and is subject to growth, death, and decay. The spirit,
being immaterial, will continue to exist even after the body has passed.
Everything that came to being in this universe will eventually come

to an end. We are born to a human life, we grow and age, and we
eventually die. This paradox defines the uniqueness of human.
It can be said that we are also beings who are moving towards
our impending death. This makes a person’s life limited and the
focus of this limit has led to several attitudes towards death.
There are people who deny the idea of human decline and death.
Some people rely on anti-aging treatments and products to make
them look, feel and think that they are younger. Others focus on
experiencing intense moments and feelings in order to feel alive
because no one really knows when life will end. (YOLO)
Additionally, people will also put great importance to speed
efficiency we are concerned about doing more things in shorter
span of time so we can do more in lifetime. We find means and
ways to travel faster and do things more efficiently by spending
less time and energy because we wish to experience more of the
These attitudes are not necessarily bad but they may prevent us
from reflecting on the reality of death. We must embrace the fact
that death is integral part of our life. Once we have come to terms
with that, we can focus not just on the quantifable aspects of life
(e.g, years lived, material things owned) but also on its qualities.
Ultimately, the acceptance of our temporality can bring about a
sense of freedom in us. It can also give us a clearer purpose and
focus on our activities. Since we cannot do everything in our
lifetime, we must be able to reflect on what we need to do and
identify the goals we need to achieve so we can say that we have
lived a meaningful existence.
How should I live my life before it finally
ends?
Understanding the person as a being-towards-death brings us back to
a very important topic: freedom. It has been discussed previously that
the essence of freedom is self-determination — the capacity to
choose and act for oneself. While there is no freedom in the
inevitability of death, a person can still exercise freedom in choosing
how to face the reality of death in their lives. For example, a person
cannot stop himself from growing old. However, he or she can
choose to embrace aging gracefully. You may have seen older people
who take pride in their gray hairs, wrinkles, and the fact that they
have grandchildren. Other people take a different path and use any
means to mask their physical aging such as getting cosmetic surgery
or availing of “age-defying” treatment.
As biologiical beings bound by natural laws and the invetiability of
death, we cannot stop aging, but we can definitely choose to spend
our lives doing good and reasonable things or even go against what is
good. The person, therefore, is the author and protaagonist who
determines the development and conclusion of his or her life story.
Acccepting the fact that we have a limited time in this world allows
us to determine the course of life; to paint a picture of how our life
will progress and how we envision it to end. Most people would
prefer to not have any sort of limit, it makes perfect sense to
appreciate the beauty of something as it is framed within certain
lines.
We all have the vocation to live life in the best possible way that we
can. Temporality challenges us to make choices that will be good for
us and the people around us. The person is always in the present
although his spiritual nature allows him to transcend to present.
whener we make a choice, we cannot undo that choice beacuse that
present moment has now gone into past, On the other hand, choices
we make in the present are not always confined to the here and now
as they also have an impact on the future. Past, Present, and Future
are not exclusive and isolated moments in time, but they are
experience together by the person because of the dynamism
provided by being an embodied spirit.
Given all the considerations, we may ask: what is the end of life?
The term end can be understood in two ways:

Terminus - means the full stop or end of line.
Telos - means goal, purpose, or fulfillment.
Some Philosophers view end as a terminus. for them life ends and
nothing follows. Others consider end as telos. Although we are
oriented towards our death, death is not the goal of life.
The human person is not born into this world just so he or she
could die. Man is put on this earth to live a meaningful life, to
be virtuous, and achieve excellence. with this in mind, we can
look at two experience which makes us reflect on the meaning
of life: Happiness and suffering.
What makes you happy?
Ancient Greek philosophy considers happiness as an achievement and
it must be gained by living a productive and moral life.
Religious Philosopers consider happiness as a union with God.
Other contemporary views define happiness as a “whole-life
satisfaction” based on our evaluation of our overall life experiences.
Ethics plays a significant role in defining the means to achieve

happiness. Various philosoto achieve phical views emphasize the
importance of setting worthwhile goals in life to achieve personal
hapiness. Happiness, but also the well-being of others.
How do I define true happiness
As we understand ourselves better, we also come to realize that

happiness is a state of being and not merely an emotional experiene
or a chosen mental attitude. We do not really choose happiness
beacuse we all have a tendency towards it, but that we choose the
means to achieve it.
What makes a happy person is that which fits his nature - we are
made truly happy by the things that are truely good. On the other
hand , what is false and evil does not make a person happy.
As an embodied spirit, we must also consider the goods or sources of
happiness which are proper to a person.
Noble Good- is one which is pursued for its own sake; it is good in
itself.
ex. Love and friendship
Useful Good- is considered good so long as it serves as a means to an
end; its goodness is found only from what it can provide.
ex. money is good as it can buy you something.
Pleasurable Good- is good so long as it provides some form of
pleasure, though it does not have to be physical. It must be understood
that a specific good cannot be categorized strictly under one kind.
ex. friendship may be a noble good because it is good to be a friend to
The kind of happiness that can be gained from a good is also closely
tied to its nature. For example, material things may satisfy bodily needs
and can somehow make a person happy, but they cannot provide
permanent happiness because what is material will fade over time. On
the other hand, friendship is a noble good and definitely provides a
more permanent kind of happiness. Happiness from a material thing
diminishes as soon as you own it, while happiness gained from
frienship only grows as it progresses. This brings us to a very important
lesson in life; real happiness can be found in more permanent and
meaningful things.
Why do we suffer?
suffering takes place when we patiently endure unpleasantness,
discomfort, and pain.
It can come in the form of:
physical suffering- when we experience sensations such as
discomfort, hunger, distress, pain. These are often caused by
injury, disease, and the lack of basic needs .
mental suffering- involves emotional and mental sates such as
depression, anxiety, fear, loneliness, and grief. These may be
caused by unexpected situations in life such as sudden changes in
lifestyle, loss of employment, stressful situations, and grief
caused by the death of a loved one.
What causes suffering?
We normally experience difficulties in life, and how we deal with
them is often determined by our mindset regarding suffering.
Generally, suffering is viewed as an undesirable condition, and
that we naturally seek pleasure and avoid pain. Those who adopt
this perspective often focus on the various means to avoid
suffering or eliminate it entirely from life. Another view considers
suffering as necessary because it helps existence.
How do happiness, suffering, and death give meaning to your life?
As we approach our death, we experience both happiness and

suffering . Although these are distinct experiences, the two are not
really meant to be completed opposites, for there may be instances
when they enrich one another. The pursuit of happiness requires that
we go through the effort to achieve it. Our efforts are often marked by
difficulties and discouragement.
If we are willing to suffer through adversities and maybe even suffer

cheerfully, it makes the pursuit of happiness even more worthwhile.
As a result, we not only attain the happiness that we want, bute we
also become better persons in the process.
The reality of death means that our existence is unique and
that we will not always get another chance to do things we
want in this life. Therefore, we should not easily give up on
the pursuit of good things. Reflecting on the reality of death
enables us to think of how we can best live a meaningful life.
• DEATH IS THE END OF BODILY FUNCTIONS WHICH SIGNALS THE END OF A
PERSONS LIFE. IT ALSO REFERS TO THE SEPARATION OF THE BODY AND SOUL.
• THE HUMAN PERSON IS AN EMBODIED SPIRIT OR THE UNITY OF A BODY AND
SPIRIT. THE BODY GROWS AND DIES, WHILE THE SOUL CONTINUES TO EXIST
EVEN AFTER THE BODY PASSED.
• WHILE THERE IS NO FREEDOM IN INEVITABILITY OD DEATH, WE HAVE THE
FREEDOM TO LIVE OUR LIVES WELL OR NOT. TEMPORALITY CHALLENGES US TO
MAKE CHOICES THAT WILL BE GOOD FOR US AND THE PEOPLE ARROUND US.
ALTHOUGH WEARE ORIENTED TOWARDS DEATH, DEATH IS NOT THE GOAL OF
LIFE . THE CHALLENGE IS TO LIVE A MEANINGFUL LIFE.

Philo G7

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Philo G7

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HUMAN PERSON AS

We do not really think about the reality of our ownn death

Everything that came to being in this universe will eventually come

The term end can be understood in two ways:

Ethics plays a significant role in defining the means to achieve

As we understand ourselves better, we also come to realize that

As we approach our death, we experience both happiness and

If we are willing to suffer through adversities and maybe even suffer

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