Becoming Fully Human!

The human condition is never perfect. No one was born fully human. One needs auspicious or perfect conditions in life to become fully human. One also needs philosophy because philosophy is a discipline which helps in the process of becoming a fully human person. To be more practical, it takes freedom, decision, reflection, and death for one to become fully human.

First of all, one has to be free in order to become a fully human person. One must be free from external and internal restrictions. Otherwise, one cannot grow to his full potential. Thus, freedom is vital for someone to realize his potential. According to the viewpoint of philosophy, to be free is to be oneself. Therefore, if there is no freedom, there is no self. In fact, freedom helps one embrace limitations and develops the capacity to transcend at the same time.

Furthermore, freedom is basic to the identity of a human person. Freedom is the essence of being. The highest expression of freedom is self-consciousness. If one walks the path of life against one’s essence or self, that person is not free. After all, freedom is doing what one ought to do rather than doing what one wants to do in life. Another way of saying this is that one cannot do anything fully human unless or until one is free.

Secondly, one must make decisions in order to become a fully human person. One must decide for one’s own life. Life is full of choices and, therefore, one must know what to choose because all the decisions in life are calculated. One chooses to be the kind of person one wants to become. One chooses to be committed to certain things throughout one’s life. The truth is that destiny is not a matter of fate but rather of choice. Any choice made must be rigorously consistent with the goal of life. One must be in control of one’s life. One must have the good sense to harness what one has and become a better being. One must choose the environment which is conducive to growth.

Thirdly, one must know how to reflect in order to become a fully human person. To reflect is to philosophize. To philosophize is to encounter reality. The truth of the matter is that philosophy is an invitation fully to become a human person. Philosophy is also a well-spring of meaning and, therefore, one needs to reflect. Needless to say, philosophy is absolutely related to life. In other words, philosophy is related to human daily experiences. Through reflection, one learns, unlearns, and relearns.  

There are three levels of reflection, namely retrospective, resolute and introspective. In retrospective reflection, one takes a deeper look at one’s habits, mentality and attitudes. This provides insight and foresight because one tries to look at the unsettled and unresolved issues from the past and learn from this. In resolute reflection, one tries to look through all the experiences and decides to better oneself. This enables one to move from one state to another. It can bring one to a better existential condition. One attains self-realization because one looks into oneself in introspective reflection. It is in this reflection that one comes to know the truth about oneself because truth is a journey towards self or self-discovery.

Last of all, one must die in order to become fully human, because death is the ultimate possibility of being fully human. One is not completely human until one dies. One has to realize it. One has to anticipate one’s own death. Furthermore, death should give one positive and meaningful perspective about life. It reminds one on how to live one’s life. It also helps one reflect on what are the most important things in life. It is an overall authenticating process.

One must know how to break the unity of human experiences and recapture the broken unity. One has to be truly free for everything that is required of him to become the person he wants to be. All in all, one must make the necessary decisions to achieve or fully realize his overall potential. In most cases, if conditions are auspicious, a person will become fully human.

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