Pain Reaper

Chapter 18: Caprice 24

AURORA BLANCO

This week is very tiring. Wala rin si Raphael para maghanda ng almusal at gumawa ng mga gawaing bahay dahil umalis siya para hanapin ang taong tumawag sa akin dito sa mundo ng mga mortal. Ni presensya ni Kupido na siyang nagpapatigil ng oras at nagpapapula ng paligid ay wala rin. Maari kayang umalis na sila sa siyudad na ito?

Sana nga'y ganoon na lamang ang nangyari.

"One of the branches of Philosophy is..." nilipat ni Sir Philo ang slide at nag-flash sa TV Screen ang isang salita.

"Metaphysics," dugtong niya at tinignan kaming lahat. Ang mataas niyang hairline ang naging dahilan kung bakit tila nagliwanag ang kaniyang noo nang tumalbog ang ilaw ng bumbilya rito. Napatawa tuloy ang iba naming kaklase subalit itinigil din naman nila agad nang titigan sila nang masama ni Sir.

"Kayo, ha. Hinahangaan niyo na naman 'tong noo ko," pagbibiro ni Sir at tumawa nang bahagya. Itinuro niya ulit ang salitang naka-flash sa TV.

"As a branch of philosophy, it is an extension of a fundamental and necessary drive in every human being to know what is real. The question is how to account for this unreal thing in terms of what you can accept as real," paliwanag niya at inilipat muli ang slide.

"In order for us to know what is real, we should know the distinction between the real and the unreal. Do you have any ideas on how to differentiate them?" he asked. It took our class a couple of minutes for some people to raise their hands to give answers to the said question. Sir Philo smiled.

"Yes, Gov. Ramil," pagbibiro ni Sir sa kaklase naming mas mabilis pa mag-anunsyo na may bagyo kaysa kay Gov. Ramil. Napuno naman nang tawanan ang klase at nang matapos ito ay saka sumagot ang tinawag ni Sir Philo.

"I think one of the differences between the real and the unreal has something to do with our five senses. For example, I can say that this pencil..." he mumbled, gesturing the Mongo 2 he's holding. "Is real because I can detect it using my senses."

Tinignan ko si Sir Philo at may kumislap sa mga mata nito. His lips formed a smirk. "So, if that's how you differentiate them, how about the people who lack senses? For example, the blind, the deaf, or the person who has analgesia? Are they still capable of distinguishing reality from the unreal?" Sir Philo rebutted.

Napakurap ang estudyante sa tinuran ni Sir at tumawa na lang. Umiling siya. "I'm sorry, Sir. Next question, please?" pagbibiro na lang ng estudyante at umupo na.

Naglakad-lakad si Sir Philo sa harapan. Tumahimik bigla ang klase at pinagmasdan lamang ang bawat galaw niya. Sa tuwing nagiging ganito ang kilos ng gurong ito, lumalakas ang tensyon sa silid. Ito rin ang nagiging simula ng mga usapang hindi na ata pantao.

"According to Socrates' most famous student, Plato, 'Nothing we experience in the physical world with our five senses is real.' Reality is just the opposite. It is unchanging, eternal, immaterial, and can be detected only by the intellect. He called the mentioned realities as Ideas of Forms," litanya niya at isinulat sa board ang huling sinabi.

"These meanings are universal and they are also those things we are talking about when we discuss moral, mathematical, and scientific ideas. Ergo, your argument about using your senses in order to define reality is not accountable referencing Plato's statement," mahabang saad ni Sir Philo habang hinanap ulit sa klase ang estudyanteng sumagot sa tanong niya kanina. Ngumiti siya. "But I like your perspective and how you share your thoughts, okay? Keep it up."

Pumalumbaba na lang ako at pinagmasdan si Sir. The way he talks and the way he explains his subject are very detailed. Tila alam niya talaga ang pasikot-sikot ng Pilosopiya maging ang bibliya tuwing napupunta sa mga ganoong paksa ang usapan.