DAN CHRISTIAN SABAO

On the Philosophy of Jean Francois Lyotard

December 9, 2013

I am a product of the present generation. I am at todays world of

uncertainty and peculiarity. I dont see God and feel Him most of the time I
am awake and aware that almost all of my co-beings are definitely not into
him, at least they only believe in his existence, but not his omnipresence.
The churches today are just symbols of wealth and last resort
that leads to laziness and procrastination. The people act like zombies who
are waiting for the graces they want obscuring the true meaning of life and
morals.
Francois said that knowledge cannot survive unchanged all the
way from the start. I agree with him. The change of times and its symbols
are the manifestations of the present or at least the post modern condition of
the humankind.
He talks about meta-narratives that are very connected to what I
have thought about can be. The world is governed by histories of the past, its
products, writings, and beliefs: which are all narratives.
Narratives are just stories from other people who we, believe and
suggest that it was the truth.
Who is right? Which is right?

I am confused of the reality that we are governed by such mere

narratives that we ourselves dont understand.
Research continues its way and becomes new narratives that will
govern other people in the future which will lead, he says, to a possibility
that absolute freedom exists.
Christian ethics suggest that freedom is not doing everything
that you want but doing what is right and moral. It suggests that we must
not do anything that would contradict other freedoms. What if limiting my
own freedom I will say, against my freedom?
The post modern condition is all about being aware of the
mistakes of the past, the present and for the coming future. We, as post
modern citizens have become people who are alert of the differences, our
aspirations, beliefs and desires.
These Meta narratives that he was talking about he sometimes
called Grand narratives. This kind of narrative on the other hand is the
philosophies of the world and mainstream history that he says that we have
ceased to believe that would govern us all.
We dont accept that we are governed by these narratives and
ceased to believe in them. Even I am confused if I really believe them or not,
that they govern me.
Now, I realized that I am the slave of time.
We are governed by bible verses that we ourselves are not sure
where it came from. We are governed by a constitution we ourselves dont

know if it was made really for the sake of the common good. We are
governed by faiths we ourselves are not sure if it is right or merely
understand.
We are fond he says, of language games. We are not aware that
we are just persons who others used for their own exercise of freedom. If the
University says that we donate money for the people affected by the typhoon
or the church says that we can give or not, they are simply saying give us
money or give me your money if you want. The point is it is a Language
game. We donate, utter prayers for other people, buy candles and light
them; we are urged to be merciful.
These are mere utterances which these freedom fighters use to
exercise their freedom to take money from me, you and your family. A
euphemism we dont really understand.
Are you aware that you are studying and pay for it? Of course we
are, but the real question is: do we really have to pay for knowledge that is
free and the philosophers of the past gave to humankind for free? The
postmodern condition is all about capitalism, the death of God, Scientific
discoveries, new toys, new technology, new weapons, new alibis, and mere
awareness of useless things that render us, ignorant of the grand narrative.
I myself would understand that I would not allow that I will not be
paid of my profession as a teacher. I have to live! The reality is that we
ceased to believe the Meta narratives.

Ethics is impossible in a world that has ceased to believe the

Meta narratives. Universals are boring for us, we simply say, what is so
special about her? Him? That? They? What?!
The concept of Neo-colonialism starts here and we need our
freedom back, absolutely.
We dont even speak our own National tongue in official
occasions. We are fond of using the English Language and boast that we are
the most proficient speakers of this language. This is a very evident
testimony that we are colonized by these foreigners that is eating our
resources for the sake of profit and, wives.
We are helped by other countries not because of some pity. We
can observe that we are the kind of country who wants to export workers to
these powers of the world. Because they helped us, we think that life is
better in their land. They help us because they need more workers and it is
the job of the boss to feed his slaves.
We cannot improve as a nation because we are not truly capable
of independency. We have our own culture but are now dead. We have our
government but are just a copy of another government. We are not even
Asian in appearance because our culture is out of place and our pitiful
women want Uncle Sams.
Our nation is a chaos. We have no discipline, we depend on the
relief goods that other nations give us, we dont think of innovations so that
we can help ourselves, we are lazy to invent new things and even discover

something, we dont even discover our own crimes. We are a nation who is
not truly independent. We are still out of place and we just contribute to the
evil of the world.
We are fond of winning things. We think that winning these
things make us more superior. Our country is a hyper real one.
These victories are just like the toys and pacifiers that our slave
master gave us in times of crying like babies.
We

watch

boxing

games

that

are

rivaled

by

many

advertisements. I am often raged by this reality. 2 minutes of boxing and 15

minutes of commercials.
We are colonized by rich greedy people who are just our own
countrymen. They betray us by giving us to the hands of foreigners who give
them more money.
Bonifacio sold us for a profit. Some people dont know this. We
are uneducated people who dont how to think. There are many mongers
who speak of nationalism but are cowards to realize that they are wrong. The
people power of the 80s brought even more downfall.
It is very hard to think of a future Philippines if Francois is right.
Maybe 10 to 30 years from now, we are there, just survivors of the suicide
happening today.