CHAPTER 2 THE CHRISTIAN VIEW OF THE HUMAN PERSON The Human Person as a Moral Agent

It has been discussed in the course paradigm that a moral agent is called to become holy and loving person. But it is worth noting at this point that loving entails doing everything that is good for the person being loved. This means that as moral agents, our primary motive in performing an action is not to do everything that is pleasing to the person we loved but rather doing everything that is good for him/her even if such act means hurting him/her. A good example is a relationship of two opposing sex (male and female) who are in the stage of knowing each other. If along the way of their relationship a partner realizes that he/she is not anymore happy and is certain that such relationship would no longer work, then, he/she could honestly tell his/her partner about it even if it hurts. This life of love must be manifested in the fullness of life - with others in the community, at home, everywhere, before God and in imitation of Jesus Christ. This implies that as a moral agents, we must strives to perform habitual acts of love and make loving as our way of life for it is only in living the life of love that we can selflessly desire for the goodness of others. For a person who truly loves can never afford to inflict harm in another person in lieu of whatever self vested interests he/she has. The key to this life is therefore the human person, considered in the light of reason and Christian faith. Hence, in responding to the call of becoming a Christian lover, there is a need for us to endeavor to know ourselves better. This can never be done without journeying into our innermost beings and achieve a certain degree of intimacy with our very own selves. This journey inward is necessary because all human rights, moral responsibilities and duties, virtues and moral characters depend directly on our answers to the question: WHO AM I? as a person at home, in the community, and as a disciple of Jesus Christ in the Church and in the Philippines today. Here, the command of Jesus Christ to love one another as one loves himself/herself can be better understood. This

2 command requires knowledge of self for in order for us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, we must know ourselves first. How can we love others AS OURSELVES if we do not even know ourselves? The dignity of the human person as a moral agent and Christian lover who strives to live the life of holiness must be impressed in our consciousness as our inviolable dignity and as our most precious possession. Our value as moral agents comes not from what we have as much as what we are, entirely, body and soul, heart and conscience, mind and will, but just as what we are according to reason and Christian faith. In accordance to reason means awareness of our human nature the very reason why we are called to be human. For example, we must know if our ways of life is in accordance to the reason why we are called rational and moral beings. Thus, every time we are tempted to cheat, commit murder, etc., we need to ask ourselves if such acts are in accordance to the reason why we are called human (rational and moral). In accordance to Christian faith means living a life according to what God ought us to be. For example, we also ask if doing those acts used as examples above is in accordance to the teachings of Christ revealed to his apostles and disciples. By using our rational capabilities, we can grasp the meaning of being truly and fully human in accordance with what God ought us to be. Hence, as moral agents, we have to discern very well and be certain that our will is in accordance to the will of the Transcendental Lover the Triune God. It is only then that we would be able to live our human dignity as CHRISTIAN LOVERS striving to live a MORAL and HOLY life.

The Human Person as a Person in Christ

For Christians, the answer to the question: what is the human person according to Christian faith? can only be grounded on Jesus Christ himself. The official documents of the Catholic church say: In Christ and through Christ man has acquired full awareness of his dignity, of heights to which he is raised, of the surpassing worth of his own humanity and of the meaning of his existence (HR,II). For, by his incarnation, the son of God has united himself in some fashion with every man (GS,22). These quotations exemplify the importance of cultivating an intersubjective relationship with Jesus Christ for as Jesus and the Father are one, we too are one with them as we unite ourselves with Jesus and they too are one with us as Jesus unites himself with

3 us. In fact, it is Christ himself who reveals how the essential dignity of all persons is grounded directly on their origin, meaning and destiny. By origin, we mean being CREATED by God in His image and likeness (Gen. 1:26) through our lord Jesus Christ, through whom everything was made and through whom we live (Cor 8:6). Thus, it is in the triune God through the son Jesus Christ that we can trace our origin. This is the beginning of the human persons most precious dignity not only being created by God but being made by Him according to His image and likeness (this will be explained in the next chapter). By meaning, we mean firstly, being REDEEMED BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST (Eph 1:7; Col 1:14). This reality increases the value of our human dignity for it manifests the importance the human person for Christ who chose to become human in order to save us from our sins even if the consequence of such act is his death on the cross. Secondly, the meaningfulness of our existence is not only rooted on Christ act of dying for us, but also on being SANCTIFIED by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8: 14 16; 1 Cor 6: 19). This means that the triune God did not only create and save us and afterwards left us orphans as we go on in our lives. He continues to manifest His transcendental love throughout our lives through the presence of the Holy Spirit in us. Thirdly, He gives us right to be CALLED children of God (1John 3:1), showing His willingness to share His own beingness with us. By destiny, we mean being DESTINED for eternal life of blessed communion with the Father, His Risen Incarnate Son and their Holy Spirit. This eschatological reality will culminate the inviolability of our Christian dignity for despite our weaknesses and limitations, we remain assured that the Triune God would continue to love us and sustain us all throughout our lives until the fulfillment of His original will - our future glory in commune with Him in the life of eternal joy and happiness. Hence, our origin, meaning and destiny manifest the greatness of our dignity as persons in Christ created by the Father, saved by the Son, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, called as Children of the Triune God whom He destined to have communion with Him in eternal glory.

CHAPTER 3 THE ESSENTIAL NATURE OF THE HUMAN PERSON AS A MORAL AGENT 1. The Human Person as a Rational and Moral Being
Our intellect and will are the two important faculties in us that distinguish us from mere animals. Their sound interplay as interdependent faculties is the very reasons why we are called rational and moral beings. a. The Human Person is Created in the Image of the One God

created in the image of the one God and equally endowed with rational souls, all men (human persons) have the same nature and the same origin as well as the same destiny (CCC, 1434).
Being created in the image of God does not refer to our physicality. God does not look like us in our physical aspects and vice versa. In fact, John the evangelist said; we should worship God in spirit because God is a pure spirit (Jn 4:24). Our physicality is the very reason why unlike God, we can never be in two or more places at one time. Hence, God must be a pure spirit for He is not limited by space an omnipresent Being. As human persons, we are created in the image of God in the sense that among all His creatures, God chose to share His qualities and characteristics to us. The following are examples of some characteristics/qualities of God that are present in us and which make us His images: God is LOVE. It is not enough to say that God is loving for He himself is the source of love and because by Himself He is love. Since God had chosen to manifest Himself through us, He shared this characteristic to us so that by loving others, His love will concretely be experienced by the rest of humanity. This capacity to love is not the same with that of the animals which is governed by their instinctual drives for ours is a chosen and responsible love. God is PERFECT. He is the only Being who needs nothing in order to make Himself great. Being the source of every good thing, He can never be conceived

5 as someone lacking of something. This perfection of God is manifested in us through our excellences in many ways. This is why we are only images of God because in reality we can never be equal with Him. We may not be perfect, but at least through our excellences, we can mirror the perfection of God to others. Hence, whatever excellent talents and qualities we have must never be abused but instead be used for His glory. God is WISDOM. God is not only wise for He himself is wisdom. His wisdom is the spring from which flows all human knowledge, understanding, intelligences, etc. But what is wisdom? It is more than knowledge and intelligence. It is a holistic view of the world and life and at the same time a way of life. This definition implies that we need to purify first our perspectives in life and then, pattern our lives in accordance with such perspectives by making them our ways of life. Hence, in order to ensure that our world and lifes views are holistic, we need to attune them with Gods will for us and live in accordance to what we believe is willed by Him. By living our lives wisely (congruence of our enlightened beliefs and ways of life), we can image God to others He who endows us with the capacity to become wise like Him. God is FREEDOM. Being free is one of the important gifts that we received from God since the beginning of our existence. But He can never give us such gift unless He Himself has it first. Thus, God Himself is freedom for by sharing in His freedom, we become free. But when can we say that we are free? For Christians, freedom means our capacity to say no to our selfish desires and yes to Him (Freedom will be dealt thoroughly in the next chapter). As human persons, we can exercise our role as images of God in two ways: Firstly, as IMAGE OF THE DIVINE PATERNITY insofar as we ought to multiply and fill the earth; and secondly, as IMAGE OF THE DIVINE LORDSHIP insofar as we ought to subject the earth to our dominion. But Divine Paternity and Lordship must be understood correctly. The former does not give us the license to do sex anytime, anywhere we want and at any stage of our lives, but a vow for a responsible sexual relationship entered into by couples who commit to unite themselves in a marital love. The later does not give us the absolute power to control, abuse and destroy nature but to act as true care takers of Gods creations. Those who abused and destroy nature had misunderstood the real meaning of having dominion over all things for such privilege is enjoyed by us to enable us to act as co-creators of God.

6 b. All Human Persons are Equally Endowed with Rational Souls There are two basic faculties of the rational soul namely: the intellect and the will. The intellect as the highest faculty is responsible for intellectual and reasoning activity like: knowing the truth, good and evil. The will on the other hand, exercises the power of the soul to make a CHOICE which object is the truth and the good proposed by the intellect. From our intellect emanates our rationality which enables us to attain right thoughts or mindfulness. Our will guides us in making right and good decisions in life evidenced by right and good actions the indicator of our morality. The responsible use of our rationality and morality will enable us to engage in a right relationship, the foundation of a happy Christian life. Hence, only human persons are called as Gods masterpieces for even if it is true that we possess all the essential characteristics of an animal, we are not just pure animals because we are RATIONAL and MORAL. A rooster (an animal) for example, may just chase any hen in order to satisfy its desires for flesh. In human language, this is already rape. Likewise, if a male person is left within the level of his animal nature, like the rooster, he may also rape many beautiful ladies he likes. But he cannot just do it because his rational and moral nature would tell him ITS WRONG! ITS SINFUL! ITS IMMORAL! Thus, a rapist commits a heinous crime or immoral action because he allows his animality to overpower his rationality and morality. c. All Human Persons Have the Same Nature Every human person shares the same nature the HUMAN NATURE. This refers to our identity as CONSCIOUS and CONSCIENCIOUS beings, the qualities which proceed from our rationality and morality. As conscious beings, we are capable of deliberating, evaluating, choosing, and acting in the midst of challenging and trying environments. As consciencious beings, we are mindful of purifying our actions so that we would not end up hurting others but instead, becoming living examples of Gods loving mercy. As moral agents, we are both THINKERS and DOERS. These qualities enhance our capacity for self-formation and for effecting change in others and in our environment. Self-reformation means we are CAPABLE OF BECOMING

7 PERSONS OTHER THAN WHAT WE HAPPEN TO BE. This implies that in our moral endeavors, we strive to become better than what we are at present by becoming persons of what we are meant to be. We should therefore be opened to possibilities, opportunities and even to threats to our prevailing conditions for through them we can transcend our present beingness. We can also effect change in our environment because our consciousness and conscienciousness are our most potent instruments in actualizing our roles as Gods co-creators. Our responsible use of these qualities will enable us to influence others in reforming and effecting change in themselves and in their environments as well.

2. The Human Person as a Relational Being

Human persons are social beings capable of creating, sustaining and valuing relationships in varied types and degrees. We can never live alone for we need others in order to become truly and fully human. Our personalities (characteristics, values, attitudes, mentalities, etc.) are formed because of our interactive relationships with others in a group and society. Hence, as moral agents, we need to reflect on our social nature by looking at various types of relationships that we have. a. The Human Person in Relation to God God is the transcendental lover. His love surpasses all kinds of love and because He shares this love to us, we become lovable. Hence, God does not love us because we are lovable but we become lovable because God loves us. As the Transcendental Lover, God is the Lord of Creation insofar as He creates and sustains the universe. He is the Lord of Intersubjectivity insofar as He initiates/offers intimate friendship to mankind. He is the Lord of History insofar as He is present in the human persons life ever since. We, as human persons on the other hand, are Creatures of God because God made and continues to sustain us as His images. We are Children of God because God is our loving Father; and we are Collaborators with God because we help God in shaping and making the human society. Our relationship with God therefore, reminds us of our humble dignity that we are dependent on God and that without Him, we can do nothing. Thus, we must discern and obey Gods will for us instead of testing God to concede to what we will.

8 b. The Human Person in Relation to Himself b.1. The Human Person is Fallen and Redeemed Chapter three of the book of Genesis tells us that we have fallen from original justice of God because we sinned. The consequence of this sin was the distortion of our relationship with God and our fellow human beings. Hence, our being as images of God was also distorted because we abused Gods gift of freedom for them and willfully succumbed into the depth of sins. As a result, our life became the life of struggles between good and evil, light and darkness. Being fallen from Gods original justice, we realized our incapacity to save ourselves. So, we felt the need to have a redeemer and because God loves us so much, He gave His only begotten son Jesus Christ to become our savior and liberator. Consequently, we are redeemed and our image is restored. This tradition being handed down from generations to generations continues to remind us that we are so precious for God for no matter how sinful we are, He remains as our loving Father willing to take us back from the power of darkness because His love for us is unconditional and always greater than any of our sins. This implies that in relating to ourselves, we should not dwell in our sinfulness but instead, in our dignity as liberated liberators. b.2. The Human Person is an Embodied Spirit This nature stresses the unity of our body and soul. The body is an essential part of our being human, not merely an instrument we use according to our whims. Our Christian faith regards the body as good and honorable since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day (GS 14). Jesus Christ also dignified the body through his Incarnation the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (Jn 1:14). And St. Paul tells us that we must know that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is within the spirit we have received from God . . . so, we must glorify God in our body (1 Cor 6:19-20). Thus, every human relationships either with God or with others, is expressed through the body, which is the sacrament of the spiritual depth. Hence, the understanding of our nature as Embodied Spirit stresses the fact of their unity not of their dichotomy. We are one/unity - emdodied-soul or ensouled-body. We are embodied-souls insofar as we have ultimate source and

9 dignity; and ensouled-body insofar as we have material aspect. In short, anyone who does not have a body can never be called human, and likewise, any spiritless/lifeless body cannot also be called human. But where can we find the spirit/soul in our body? The answer is: not in one particular part, but rather, in every part. Just as the flour, yeast, and sugar are different entities, but once they are mixed and baked into bread, no one can find the flour, sugar, and yeast in it because it is not anymore flour, sugar, nor yeast, but BREAD. Likewise, the human being is not body only and soul only but their unity the HUMAN PERSON. We are neither pure bodies nor pure souls/spirits but embodied spirit. Without the soul the body is lifeless and without the body soul is senseless. Thus, without their unity there can never be human persons. This nature implies that we cannot do an activity exclusive for our souls or bodies, for whatever the body does involves the soul and whatever the soul does involves the body. For example, every time we celebrate the Holy Eucharist, we cannot tell our body to stay outside the church for the soul is going to take its foods inside. Likewise, whenever we do something for bodily pleasures that usually lead to sins, we cannot tell our soul to get out from our body for it might be stained with sins. b.3. The Human Person is a Historical Being As Human persons we are beings capable of BECOMING the pilgrims onthe-way, who gradually, through time, become what we are at our present state. WE ARE because of what WE WERE, and our future depends on how we decide and form ourselves today. We are therefore subjected to change and development. But these change and development depend on how we come up with sound decisions in every moment of our present life, as we try to react and pro-act with the stimuli within or beyond human and natural causes. The PAST is the road that mirrors our present ways; the PRESENT is the road that prepares our future ways; and the FUTURE is the road we envisioned that guides and inspires our present ways. But everything depends on our decision making as a moral agent.

10 This example may help us appreciate the essence of the human persons historicity. A first year seminarian decided to leave the seminary for the reason that he could not sustain living a life without any close and true friends. A life so much structured by daily scheduled routine. He was very unhappy because he discovered that a very simple joke from fellow seminarians could already cause his prolonged nursed resentment and anger and could not understand the reason behind his being too sensitive. The persons surrounding him must be very careful not to trigger his temper. When he confided his problem to his spiritual director with a decision to quit from seminary formation, he was not permitted but instead he was advised to journey into his past and discover the roots of his over sensitivity. It was then that he realized that this problem was founded on his past experiences because all throughout his life he had been an apple of everyones eyes - in the family, in school and in the community where he portrayed an image of being the good boy, bright boy and religious boy. Being the youngest of five siblings, he garnered a lot of affirmations and approvals to the point that he could hardly remember an experience of reprimand and whatsoever hurting experiences he was all the time the best. But in the seminary, he was not the best, the very reason why even for a simple joke he could not easily ride on but would suffer of being hurt instead. It was only after knowing his past, that he was able to understand, accept and begin to outgrow such negative trait. He then learned to adjust to his new life conditions and found himself happy all throughout his seminary life. b.4. The Human Person is Self-Transcendent Our self-transcendent capacity is another determinant factor of our superiority over animals. Together with our capacity to become better than what we are at present (by looking back at what we were, and by being inspired by our envisioned selves) is our ability to go beyond our limitations and weaknesses, and to cultivate or enhance our known strengths. By outgrowing our present limitations and cultivating/enhancing our identified strengths, we can move on to our quest for our true/authentic self the self that God meant us to be fully human. But this is only possible through the grace of the Holy Spirit. Hence, there is always a reason for us to become hopeful and be confident that we can become better than what we are at present. We must strive to live a dynamic life in order to learn new things and welcome new

11 possibilities. We must endeavor to outgrow every trying situation that may emerge as we journeys towards our desired goal. After all, both favorable and undesirable experiences are actually opportunities for us to grow and to become happy. c. The Human Person in Relation to Others As human persons, we are not only related to ourselves, and to God, but also to others. This is why we are called social animals/social beings. Our past, present and future are all made possible through, with and by others. That is why there is a famous saying that goes: No man is an island, no man lives alone. No one can become human unless he/she lives in human culture. c.1 The I and Thou Relationship This nature refers to the interpersonal and social dimensions of our relationship with others. The interpersonal dimension is characterized by I and It and I and thou relationships. The I and Thou is such relationship that occurs in a dialogue as against a monologue. An authentic dialogue happens when we go beyond the world of appearances and enter into genuine communication with the other by becoming aware of his/her totality. This is characterized by an atmosphere of openness, acceptance, trust, respect, concern, love, commitment, etc. The influence that one person exerts on the other person in a genuine dialogue is one of genuine unfolding. An I and It relationship or a monologue happens when one person stays in the world of appearances, or impressions, and views the other person as an object to be used and abused. In monologue, what occurs is imposition, a domestication, a dehumanization. Hence, as human persons we must not just dwell in an I and It relationship for like us the other is also a person with a dignity worthy to be respected. The social is not given once and for all to us. Society is not static but dynamic. It arises out of our historicity. In a given situation we carve a meaning. This meaning is from our past in view of some project in the future. The past, present and future are not ours alone but shared with fellow human beings. We speak of man as a culture of beings, as belonging to a particular way of thinking, of relating, of doing about the world in terms of natural and human resources,

12 economics, and politics due to common past, present and future. Man has facticity, a givenness, and a possibility. However, we do not only live in the society for the society also lives in us. The numerous experiences we carve as our lives in the society are stored in our consciousness are put together to form our whole human personality. What we are today is the product of our carved experiences with others in the society where we live. Hence, as we live in the society, the society also lives in us. c.2 The Human Person is Unique Yet Fundamentally Equal with Others Every human person is a unique individual. But despite the fact that we differ physically, intellectually and morally, the truth remains, that in some aspects, we are equal. Our Christian faith says: All men are endowed with a rational soul and are created in Gods image; they have the same nature and origin and, being redeemed by Christ, they enjoy the same divine calling and destiny; there is here a basic equality between all men (GS 29). Our Christian faith explains further: Since God the Father is the origin and purpose of all people, we are called to be brothers. Therefore, if we have been summoned by the same destiny, which is both human and divine, we can and should work together to build up the world in genuine peace (GS 92). Within this fundamental equality of all human persons, our individuals unique identity must be recognized. That is why each one of us is called to image God in our unique ways because no one can take the place of others as it were. Hence, there is no reason for us to become envious with others successes in life nor be boastful of our own because everyone of us is called to shine or prosper in the very own context of our unique life. Whatever state of life we have at present - a student, a teacher, a businessman, a politician or a public servant, we are all responsible to make the best of who we are and what we have in accordance to what God meant us to be. Therefore, our individuality or differences can be utilized by us in performing our unique ministries in establishing and sustaining the kingdom of God here and now and eventually attain our envisioned unity as redeemed people of God.

13 c.3 The Human Person is a Being Through Others Our individuality is in some ways, a gift from others. The sum total of our acquired characteristics are from the network of our social encounters, especially with those who significantly influenced our stages of growth. Thus, as human persons, we are dependent on some other human beings because our inter-actions with them make us what we are at present. This implies that we must be grateful to those who contributed positively in our growth and resolve that instead of blaming those who have influenced our negative traits, we would just find ways of learning from them and avoid following their footsteps as we in turn influence the life of the young. As matured individuals who are capable of influencing the life of others, we must become responsible role-models for the young. We must be refined in our ways for our manner of interacting with the young ones may create either an angel or a monster in them. This is our definite contribution in renewing the face of the earth to plant the seeds of righteousness and sustain them in those persons whom we can still actively influence. We can never change the world with our own limited capabilities, but we can form individuals who are directly under our influence to become potential initiators, creators, and designers of changes needed for the transformation of our society. This is our hope that as young persons grow, they may remember and treasure the contributions of those persons whom they owe their lives and who deserve their recognition and gratitude. c.4 The Human Person is a Being with Others Being with others connotes equality of existence. This means that we have to realize the fact that we co-exist with others. This aspect of existence entails an on-going adjustment with, willful acceptance of, and constant respect for the uniqueness of each others individuality. But this is only possible if we treat each other not as mere objects to be used and abused but as persons who share equal dignity and worth. Thus, a dialogue is indeed a must in this aspect of mutual relationship where we take the responsibility of ensuring love, justice, harmony and peace as we continue to co-exist with the others. Consequently, as moral agents living in the society where dehumanization, injustices, miseries prevail, we are constantly commissioned to propagate the

14 atmosphere of Godliness where everyone is embraced in the loving kindness and mercy of God. This mission, though difficult, is a must for all moral agents for wherever the atmosphere of Godliness prevails there also dwell the spirit and joy of partnership which eventually lead to productive co-existence. c.5 The Human Person is a Being for - Others The human person is not only a being through and with others, but also a being for others. This means that each one of us is called for humble service a free gift of oneself for another human person. This simply is our mission - to get out from the shell of self-centeredness/egocentrism and to become effective witnesses of the Gospel of Jesus Christ instead of becoming Being at the expense of others. Here, we have to realize that existence is always coupled with responsibility to carry out our lifes mission to save others as we save ourselves and to transform others as we transformed ourselves. As what has been said above, we may not be able to change and redirect the entire world into its ultimate destiny but at least we can positively influence the lives of those individuals whom God have entrusted under our care. Hence, we must not be liked those persons with inverted and greedy eyes who see only their personal needs. These persons are like those who love to allocate donations or budgets for poverty alleviation, but because they said they are poor, they have the right to store those donations and budgets under their own pockets which in reality are actually mansions of treasury. As moral agents, our eyes must be able to see the needs of others without necessarily neglecting our own. After all, the kingdom of God is not only our personal but also our communal destiny. Helping others attain this destiny is indeed the reason behind our nature as beings-for-others. d. The Human Person in Relation to Society d.1 The Human Person is an Intervener As rational human beings, we are capable of responding to stimuli that surround us. This human capacity enables us to make moral choices either to create/recreate a social structure, institution, and system that is humanizing or

15 to make them destructive and dehumanizing. In other words, we play a very significant role in making or shaping the human society. As interveners, we must actively participate in whatever activities that may open opportunities for us to actualize our moral stance. This shows that we are great contributors to societys social and moral development. Hence, we are hereby challenged to actualize our roles being interveners amidst socio-economic instabilities and moral degradations in our society. We need to assert our capacity to save the society from its ultimate destruction. d.2 The Human Person is a Peacemaker By virtue of our baptism, we share the function of Jesus Christ as PROPHET. This prophetic role is the foundation of our call to become peacemakers in the society. Peacemaking ministry is a call to announce the Good News/Gospels of Jesus, which in effect compels us to renounce social evils and sins. As moral agents therefore, we are commissioned not only to announce the Good News/Gospels, but also to stand by them. This means that we have to stand for the truth, love, justice, peace and other Gospel values. In doing such, we need to practice the virtue of fortitude by becoming patient but persevering in our endeavors to witness those Gospel values through ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE means. This peace-making ministry therefore, compels us to open our horizons to complex social conditions that call for active non-violent peace makers. We should neither allow injustices to rule over the societal conditions nor react violently with them. This means that we should not act as blind social participants by closing our eyes to unjust and dehumanizing environments in order to keep peace but instead, we should create peace by discovering and promoting effective, peaceful and proactive solutions. e. The Human Person in Relation to the World The Human Person is a Being-in-the-World. The world is our living place and we need it in order to survive. In this world there are different structures that become significant only after we defined or attributed meaning to them. Therefore, our experience in this world is dialectic of meaning and structure, which means the human person couldnt be alive without the world, but the world

16 wouldnt be meaningful without the human person. Hence, being conscious that we are at the world - the world, which God has bestowed on us for our dominion, we have to take moral responsibility to enrich it by becoming its true stewards or caretakers the Co-creators of God. It is only us, the human persons who are capable of responding consciously and morally to stimuli that are presented by the world every now and then because only us are given by God with such gift of intellectual capacity. Such intellectual capacity therefore, has to be used by us in accordance with its purpose to cooperate with God as His partners, in His continuous endeavors to recreate the world. Hence, our dominion over all things must be exercised in responsible manners. It is a fact today that the earth is already aging. A fact that shaken the conditions of those who are caught unaware, those who have been aware but done nothing and those who have done something but due to limited resources, they failed. The earth is reacting to our misunderstanding and irresponsible exercise of our power (dominion) over all things. Thus, as beings in the world, we must be one in counteracting, delaying the progress or curing the aging of world. May all the discussions presented above, enlighten us and ignite at least an interest in us to live in accordance to our nature as moral agents.