Why Do I Exist?

For me, to merely exist is as simple as the process of inhaling oxygen, and throwing back carbon dioxide. You see, to exist is like living each day in a routine of scheduled activities. To exist is just struggling to survive without really knowing the reason why.
But to live is not just struggling to survive but also hoping until finding a definite purpose of existence. When people stops hoping, the exact reason why they are here for will vanish and will let them become ordinary animals.
Life is all about living, not existence. Life is not just about working until you die, but it is working for you to grow and to find the real meaning of your life. To live allows you to grow while to exist allows you to maintain your present state without any changes whatsoever. Life therefore is an unending growth of man to fulfill his ultimate desire- his mission, his contribution to humanity, his purpose. Life is quest of searching and hoping to find the absolute reason of existence.
I remember back when I was in Grade V. I watched a movie entitled Simon Birch. Simon Birch is a film about a very small person; who has a lot of faith and self-confidence in spite of the fact that he is physically "different", he has little family support and he has health problems. What I liked most about the film is that it has many charming features and the quality is so impressive because it has delicate balance between comedy and tragedy. Strolling ahead on a tight rope, with abyss on either side - that of despair and that of burlesque - and never falling.
Simon is a boy with such a severe physical handicap, and with terrible parents. Even though he is really as close to being a dwarf, he never loses hope that God has a reason for everything. He believes that God has allotted him something and that is why He made him different from any other normal beings. Simon suffered being degraded by his friends yet he never pitied himself because of his belief. That belief was fulfilled at the end of the story when his height has led him to save a lot of people who are inside a bus sinking in the water. If we would analyze carefully, he has achieved his purpose and that purpose is to save people. God therefore made him small because he is the only one who could fit inside the small window in the bus.
Just like Simon, each one of us is here for something. We are here not just to add to the growing population of the Philippines. We are here for something big, something that is hidden within ourselves, something that has a positive impact on other people's lives and something that may be a part of our destiny.
We are all here to fulfill a purpose. We continuously exist because we are about to make an act in the future that will create our identity. Probably, we are about to make a heroic act of saving planet earth from alien invasion. Or maybe, we will be a known leader bound to create new changes in the welfare of mankind. Or perhaps, we are about to invent an antidote against any kind of human disease. All these things may happen sooner or later. But, no matter how big, or small such act may be, for as long as it was able to move other people, then it can be considered an act worth recognition. That may even be your purpose. Thus, your purpose may even lead you to fame and honor, just like Louise Braille, Leonardo DaVinci, and Albert Einstein.
What exactly is the reason why I exist? They are as follows:
I exist because I choose to exist.
I exist because I want to exist. Life is full of ups and downs, of hard and easy obstacles, and of an unending meeting of friends. These things make life worth living. The happiness and sad moments in life are the things that make it enjoyable to live.
To exist is a choice. Some may choose to live, and others may choose to kill themselves. In my 18 years of living here on earth, I never thought of committing suicide. No matter how hard a problem may be, I still find time to enjoy life and to live it with smile on my face. I always think positive and no matter how dark things may seem, I am still able to look for a little light that would cheer me up. Perhaps this is the reason why most people envy me. They are so emotional most of the times. They easily react on their problems. They even seem to empathize and sympathize with the problems of other people. I am not saying that I am tougher than them. Feeling sad, crying, and feeling weak clearly doesn't serve as a standard for identifying a person to be weak or not. I am saying that there is more to life than just being sad. Everyone should enjoy life. The only thing that they should have is a positive outlook. Things may seem hard and severe but for as long as you have that certain belief that things will be okay sooner or later, then you are on your way towards living a joyful life.
I exist because I need to exist.
Several persons are counting on me. They may not explicitly tell me, but I can see in them that they need me. My family wants me to live for my dreams and also for their dreams for me. They want me to succeed in life and to ensure a financially stable lifestyle in the future. That is why they are continuously reminding me to study and work for my future. I can feel their love with their acts of motivating me. And in return, I want to prove to them that their support, both emotionally and financially, is worth doing. I need to exist to live that dream and to become a successful individual.
I also need to exist because I am valuing my friends. They are special to me and I don't want them to lose such a wonderful friend like me. Probably, if I would die at this very moment, then, my tropa would no longer find hilarious person like me as a replacement. I am a unique individual and I wanted to show the world how unique I am.
I also value the fulfillment of promises and obligations. I need to exist because I sill have to settle obligations that I have committed. I am still under a contract with Ateneo de Naga University to be an Honor's Program Student. The program has challenged me to be a person I am right now. And I don't want to end it by just committing suicide. I want to graduate cum laude and to prove to the world especially to some people who doubted my capabilities that I am worth the scholarship.
I exist because of my belief that there is something meant for me.
Just like Simon, I believe that there is something ahead of me that is specially meant for me. I see myself as a really successful businessman. I wanted to live because I wanted to see if that dream is tenable. It's exciting to think of the future because it's always positive. I wanted to test whether my actual future is also positive. Some say that when you dream, aim high because as of now, the only thing free in this world is dreaming.
God has given each one of us gifts to fulfill something we are bound to fulfill. We should always accept that gift/s and use it to fulfill our destiny. Let us all accept it with all our heart just like Simon Birch who was able to accept his physical incapacities even if his friends are teasing him. It is because just like Simon we might be flabbergasted to see that our abnormalities that have lead us to save those who treated us bad.
I exist because of my loved ones.
I exist because I want to be with my loved ones. I wanted to share my happiness with them. I wanted to bring back the love they have brought me. I wanted to tell them how much I love them over and over again. I wanted to let them feel my love through proving to them that their sacrifices for me are not waste of time.
I can say that I have done a lot of considerable things in the past and I am still about to do more in the future. Let me first assess myself in as far as my experiences and beliefs are concerned.
Past
I have done so many things in the past. Some may be considered good, and some are absolutely bad. But, those things that I have done marked my identity and my identity is my proof that I was able to make something in my 18 years of stay here on earth.
If I die right now (probably because this computer explodes in front of me) and in heaven, San Pedro asks me, What have you done in your life?, I would answer him with conviction that I was able to share my love to others, learn the meaning of being loved, and influence others towards good.
If I did not exist, there won't be Mike in this world. No one had helped my friends in their problems, my sister in her assignments, my city, Naga City, in some of its pro-poor programs (I was a City youth official), some beggars whom I have given some of my coins with, the people not believing in God who I have persuaded to go back to the church, and even the askal dog I have kept, saving him from hunger and cruelty of some resident tambays in Brgy. Conception Pequena.. If I did not exist, the biggest impact to the world is that its population might even been reduced by one. I am not a person able to make a really large thing. I wasn't able to resolve the problem of poverty in the world, AIDS in Africa, and corruption in the Philippines. But I was able to implement a little change. Probably not even a single percent done by Einstein, but that small change was able to touch persons I knew. That for me is an accomplishment.
Present
As of now, I am in a state where I face a lot of obstacles. But in every obstacle that I face for me is a challenge, a challenge for me to grow and an opportunity for me to help others.
In growing, I will be able to stretch myself to my limits and I am able to learn new things. I am still hoping that someday I will contribute something in the field of science that will bring me fame and honor. My biggest dream is to be famous, and even though there comes a time that I am already dead, people would still know the name Mike Arevalo as one of the persons in history who was able to implement changes. I want to be recognized in the history, for my life to be published on books, and for me to be retained in the hearts of a lot of people.
I remember when I was in first year high school. I had a dream of inventing a new device that will help me transport faster from different places. I liked to call it the rocket shoes. It came from a wild idea, though until now, I still believe its possible. I'd say it's not as crazy as some of my classmates' work, solar-powered street lights and vibrating briefs. My dream is to innovate shoes and adding to it a mini-high powered, rechargeable engine. At the age of 12, I was preparing blue print of its design including its internal setup. I even researched on the piston of a car, considering it to be a pattern on how it works. My dream was to see people travel using their rocket shoes, and then they would just manipulate the remote to control it. I wanted to see people up in the sky flying, not with wings but with a fire blowing under their shoes. I really don't know why I want to invent such thing, but probably, unconsciously, I want people to fly rather than use their bikes. (Trivia: I don't know how to ride a bike)
Someday, I may fulfill my childhood dream. Or maybe, I will invent or discover another thing. Who knows? I may even be more famous than Harry Potter.
I believe that God wants his creation to do things that he wants them to do. His gifts should be nurtured. By nurturing his skills, one is preparing for his biggest act- his ultimate purpose.
I am blessed with the skill in painting and drawing. I have won a lot of poster making, painting and sketching contests. I cultivate my skill by practicing, attending workshops, and by using it to help others. I believe that there's always a reason for everything. I am blessed with such skill because I'll be using it in the future to do something big and that would be my purpose. Probably, I can draw because I'm about to draw the real picture of poverty in the Philippines and thus, it will awaken the politicians and government officials in the country to focus on the severe case of poverty. Probably, it will be a reason for the country to prosper and develop together with its neighboring countries.
Future
As I was telling, every individual's future remains uncertain. It's not good to rely on the fate or destiny because achieving a nice future requires hard work, patience, practicality and love or passion for what you are doing.
Just like an ordinary human being my future is never fixed. One false move and I might unintentionally ruin everything. I might lose everything that I have done for the fulfillment of my dream of having a desirable future. Perhaps, one day a supernatural force may come along the way and be the reason for the breakdown of the foundation of a better future. No one really knows. But the only thing that remains certain is that people should never stop hoping. Once the hoping stops, people would then work under an everyday routine of working. Its like his life has already ended. No one can therefore say that he is fulfilled because human beings are naturally creatures with unending desires.
For instance, a man who has worked for 70 years and was able to finance the education of his 8 children until they all finish college, really couldn't say that he is all satisfied. There would always be a part of his heart that craves and that pushes him to want more. Satisfaction for human beings cannot be achieved. Just as ultimate happiness remains hard to attain for mankind. Give a teenager a new cellular phone and he'll be happy for a week. But for the succeeding weeks, his happiness would then fade and he may even want a new one, a new iPod, a portable vcd player, etc.
My beliefs¦
1. Everything happens for a reason. Our existence is because of a reason. There would always be a connection with every act that we make and the effects it brings. With this, the occurrence of thing and of a situation is explainable.
I was named Michael because of certain reason. Dad was telling me that his life was once endangered after he touched an electric wire. Most people say its fatal for anyone wet to be electrified. Dad survived the electric shock because of his belief that his amulet of St. Michael has saved him. From then on, he would always pray for the saint and named me after St. Michael.
Maybe it's my fate to be named by such. Perhaps I was able to acquire some traits of St. Michael, which I will use to help others. No one really knows.
2. I am bound to do something. In my parents first 3 years as husband and wife, they never had a baby. For three long years, they kept on praying for God to let them have even just one healthy, and good-looking baby. Then, after series of novenas, and dancing in for a certain saint for them to have a baby, a miracle happened. There was I.
I believe that God gave me to my parents because I am somehow a completely wrapped gift for my very religious parents. I may have even inherited their religiousness. And thus, I am about to use that religiousness to bring back to God those who no longer believe in Him. I am not saying that I am hearing God's calling and I am soon becoming a priest. It's just that as Gods gift to my parents, I am about to make good things for my parents to be happy. For after all, touching other people's lives doesn't really hinder you or encloses you for that certain act. There are still a lot of responsibilities that you have to take.
Answering why do I exist is perhaps one of the most difficult questions I ever answered. It takes a lot of philosophical reflection and sharing out of experiences. The task of providing this paper may be really hard. Though, I would like to say that I truly enjoyed doing this.

The Truth about Shampoos

Popular shampoos contain toxic chemicals linked to nerve damage
Overview
The article actually depicts a criticism about the major manufacturing companies in America . The article is informing the consumers about the danger brought about by the products available in the market. The products identified are ideally meant for health and hygienic purposes but it actually causes a moral issue on the part of consumers especially because these products are dangerous to their health.
Brief Summary
The main products identified in the article are shampoos like Head and Shoulders, Suave, Clairol and Pantene Hair Conditioner. The article was saying that these products contain an ingredient called methylisothiazoline, or MIT, which actually causes neurological damage. This data was gathered by the National Institutes of Health through experimentations with the brain cells of rats.
Researchers are concerned that exposure to this chemical by pregnant women could put their fetus at risk for abnormal brain development. In other people, exposure could also be a factor in the development of Alzheimer's disease and other nervous system disorders.
The chemical causes these effects by preventing communication between neurons. Essentially, it slows the networking of neurons, and since the nervous system and brain function on a system of neural networks, the slowing of this network will suppress and impair the normal function of the brain and nervous system.
The manufacturers of such products know the danger of the products they are producing. Yet, through advertising, they are concealing these facts and therefore they are not preserving the rights of the consumers to acquire adequate information about the dangers of the product they are purchasing.
Statement of the Central Moral Problem or Ethical Issue
The central moral problem in the case is the abuse of rights of the manufacturers. It is frequently called the Due Care Theory wherein the consumers and sellers do not meet as equals because sellers have the knowledge and expertise that consumers don’t have. The manufacturers of the personal care products like shampoos failed to take the responsibility of:
Informing the public about the dangers brought by the product through advertising.
Making sure that the products they are producing are of good quality and does not lead to any risks of danger to one’s health.
Analysis of the Moral Issue
Before we analyze the issue using different approaches, we should first verify if the case states relevant facts and the intention of the author is to inform and not to argue against major shampoo manufacturers. We should never ignore the fact that the person who wrote it may have the intention to persuade the consumers not to purchase the products of some manufacturers. As such, they may even try to present invalid data about the company. Somehow, analyzing the validity of the case is one of the most important things to do in order to make personal judgments, thus, make proposed solutions.
I have researched the net and discovered that the same article was posted on the site of OCA or Organic Consumers Association. OCA is campaigning for food safety, organic agriculture, fair trade and sustainability. OCA was able to further research and proved that the data presented in the article were all true. In addition, it was also posted in another site called MY TOXIC HOUSE, a site that safe lifestyle for families. The site ensures its credibility especially because it affects the way of living of each families, and therefore would never post an article that is not true.
Having known that the article is indeed true, we can now try to analyze the issue using different approaches such as the egoistic, utilitarian,, and so on.
If we would analyze the case by being pure egoists, its like saying that it is okay not to tell the consumers that the shampoos causes dangers of health. For an egoist, it would be okay to conceal relevant information about the product. Egoists actually would contend that profit maximization for their own benefits should be the major thing to be considered and not the welfare of the consumers. So, for an egoist it is okay to let the consumers suffer Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disease for as long as the business becomes profitable. Thus, they would never consider the narrow view of each corporation which is the fulfillment of other obligations other than the satisfaction of demand. These obligations are directly associated with the consumers and the society at large. If businesses would think the same way, there would no longer be safe products that can be bought in the market. If all managers would think like an egoist, the consumer’s welfare would certainly be at risk. Therefore, for an egoist, it is justifiable to produce substandard products and to hide information about the health risk of the ingredients of the products being manufactured.
If we would now consider being utilitarianist, we would consider the greatest happiness of the majority. Thus, utilitarianist would argue that the manufacturers should be responsible about the quality of product they are rendering to market. They should make sure that the consumers are properly informed (probably through advertising) and even if it would cause to have net loss, the safety of the consumers justifies the action. For a ultilitarianist manager, it is okay to sacrifice oneself just to cater to the happiness of the majority-the consumers.
Chosen course of action
The business should apply strict product liability theory, wherein the manufacturers shoulder the legal liabilities to compensate injuries because the defective product makes it dangerous. The manufacturers should ensure that the limitations of their products are known by the consumers. Such limitations or risk in the health of the consumers will be the responsibility of the manufacturers.
Proposed plan of action
Manufacturers of Head and Shoulders, Suave, Clairol and Pantene Hair Conditioner should make sure that the advertising are not deceiving and should show the real risk of using the products. Some may argue that if they do such, they won’t earn anything at all. Well, the problem lies with the process of production. There is no perfect product. There is no product that doesn’t carry with it any health risk and possibility of injuries. But as manufacturers, they should ensure that their products will have the least possibility of health risk and injuries. By then, advertising and marketing such products would be easy.
In the case, the business must first ensure that the ingredients in the products do not contain chemicals that are harmful to one’s health. What would happen if all people using Head and Shoulders shampoo would have Alzheimer's disease and other nervous system disorders? What would happen if the exposure MIT by pregnant women has put their fetus at risk for abnormal brain development? These are the things that manufacturers should consider. Life is so valuable to be wasted. When you are a manufacturer you always try to preserve life and ensure that the products you are rendering the market would make living life easy. Business is a process of mutual relationship between buyers and sellers- the sellers benefits by acquiring income while the buyers benefits by the satisfaction of the demand by the seller. Business owners should never think like egoists and break this mutual relationship. They should never think more of the narrow view of business which is profit. It is because certainly business is not just profit-making but also being responsible to the community, especially to the consumers using the products. As a responsible manager or business owner, one must ensure that the product is of good quality and able to function with its intended purpose. Manufacturers should ensure that the products were able to pass safety standards set by the company. These safety standards comprise rules on the way products will be manufactured- the direct materials, equipments and the process as a whole would be safe. Safety standards also include testing of prototypes to really check that the products do not negatively affect the lives of the consumers.
As we discussed in the class, there are some companies who are not into product development towards the safety of the consumers. They use the technique called cost-benefit analysis wherein they try to assess whether the investment in the development of a particular product will be justified by the “returns” it brings. Such “returns” are measured by the lesser cost it can bring to the business. For instance, one business would no longer invest on changing the production schedule of the product to make is safe because paying those who are injured upon using the product would give them lesser cost. I like to believe that such act is wrong because they are leaving the consumers at risk. They are actually breaking the mutual connection between the buyers and sellers. I still believe that ensuring the quality of the product (i.e., changing the ingredients of a product to make it less injury-prone) is still the best option even though it would cost the business greater expense. Businesses are accountable for ensuring such.
Another plan of action that needs to be done is when it comes to advertising. Marketing strategies are oftentimes deceiving. One example given in the case is on the case of Herbal Essences Shampoo by Clairol. In its packaging, it's trying to exploit the word "herbal" to imply that the shampoo is healthy, even though it is primarily made with the same ingredients as other popular shampoos. The first three ingredients, for example, are: water, sodium laureth, and sodium lauryl sulfate. This is an example of trying to deceive the consumers. This is wrong.
In the case of shampoo that is prone to neurological disorders, I have discovered that manufacturers of such products actually know about its health risk. Yet, they are concealing this fact to the public because they are thinking primarily of profit. Concealment is one of the wrong ways to market the product. It’s like you are cheating with the consumers. We really do not expect caveat emptor (let the buyers beware) to happen at most times because I firmly believe that the responsibility is carried more by the manufacturers.
There are several ways by which advertising becomes wrong- through exaggeration, concealment, etc. But the power of advertising is really strong because, advertising through media for instance, is very influential nowadays. Even advertisement through hear-say is also powerful, especially here in the Philippines where people especially manangs are generally chismosa. If a certain product works for them, they would tell the entire neighborhood about such. Then, the entire neighborhood would use the product as well, and then they would again tell another neighborhood and so on. It would now be a bandwagon appeal. But, ask each manangs about something about the product and you’ll be fascinated that the only thing they know about the product is the name. Nothing more, nothing less. Often times, they may even pronounced the name wrong. My point here is that caveat emptor, especially here in the Philippines , is generally ineffective. There are only a few would take time to research more and observe about the product description. So, clearly, more than just logical analysis, manufacturers are really more responsible about their own products. Manufacturers should not wait until the government pushes them to do so. They should not rely on FDA which is responsible for regulating products, and investigating the safety of most products. Manufacturers should take action within themselves.
Shampoos are considered one of the things that people use everyday. It is used for hygienic purposes and is even considered one of the personal care products. If there is a little risk involved in using some of the products of shampoo, and people use it everyday, the risk would still be piled up and multiplied by the number of days of use. The risk therefore is high, especially if you are loyal to a particular product of shampoo.
THE ARTICLE
Popular shampoos contain toxic chemicals linked to nerve damage
NewsTarget.com printable article
Friday, February 18, 2005
Source: http://www.newstarget.com/003210.html

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have found a correlation between an ingredient found in shampoos and nervous system damage. The experiments were conducted with the brain cells of rats and they show that contact with this ingredient called methylisothiazoline, or MIT, causes neurological damage.
Which products contain this chemical compound MIT? Head and Shoulders, Suave, Clairol and Pantene Hair Conditioner all contain this ingredient. Researchers are concerned that exposure to this chemical by pregnant women could put their fetus at risk for abnormal brain development. In other people, exposure could also be a factor in the development of Alzheimer's disease and other nervous system disorders.
The chemical causes these effects by preventing communication between neurons. Essentially, it slows the networking of neurons, and since the nervous system and brain function on a system of neural networks, the slowing of this network will suppress and impair the normal function of the brain and nervous system.
These finding were presented December 5th at the American Society for Cell Biology annual meeting.
I have frequently warned readers about the dangers of using brand-name personal care products. The vast majority of these products contain toxic chemical compounds like MIT that contribute to cancer, liver disorders and neurological diseases. In fact, this chemical, MIT, is just one of dozens of such chemicals that are found in personal care products.
Why are these dangerous personal care products allowed to remain on the market? Because the FDA, which is responsible for regulating these products, spends almost no time, money or effort actually investigating the safety of such products. Instead, the FDA spends the vast majority of its time approving new prescription drugs rather than protecting the public against the dangers from such drugs or personal care products like shampoos, soaps, deodorants and fragrance products.
In fact, it may surprise you to learn that manufacturers can put practically any chemical they want into shampoos, even if it is a hazardous chemical listed in the RTECS database of toxicity and even if it is considered a toxic waste chemical by the EPA. The FDA allows all sorts of chemicals to be used in these products, including chemicals that are known carcinogens and that contribute to liver failure and nervous system disorders. How's that for protecting public health?
If you thought prescription drugs were dangerous, just take a look at the toxic chemicals found in personal care products used by virtually all Americans every single day. Americans bathe themselves in toxic chemicals and they do it by buying and using products made by brand name companies that have premier shelf positioning at convenience stores, grocery stores and discount clubs.
One of the more curious personal care products on the market is Herbal Essences Shampoo by Clairol. Personally, I think this product is a joke because it's trying to exploit the word "herbal" to imply that the shampoo is healthy, even though it is primarily made with the same ingredients as other popular shampoos. The first three ingredients, for example, are: water, sodium laureth, and sodium lauryl sulfate. Big deal, huh? You can find the same three ingredients in 99-cent shampoo at Wal-Mart. Plus, the product contains all sorts of other ingredients that I personally would never allow to touch my skin (like methylchloroisothiazolinone, if you can believe there's actually a chemical with a name that long). Think the color of the shampoo is from the herbs? Think again. Three other ingredients in the shampoo are Yellow #5, Orange #4 and Violet #2.
In other words, this is a shampoo product purchased by naive consumers, in my opinion. People who really know herbs and natural products can only laugh at a product like this. Want a real shampoo? Buy Olive Oil Shampoo from Heritage Products, available at most natural health stores.
The bottom line to all of this, though, is that every week, it seems like we see a new announcement about some toxic chemical found in personal care products that is related to either cancer or neurological disorders. And yet week after week these products are being sold by retailers and consumed in large quantities by the American people who remain oblivious to the real damage these products are causing to their health.
Once again, the solution here is to protect yourself by learning the truth about these products and switching to products made with safe ingredients. There are safe shampoos, safe soaps, safe laundry detergents, dishwashing liquids and even deodorant products. You don't have to expose yourself to toxic chemicals to take care of personal hygiene, because whether you agree with it or not, these disease-causing chemicals are going to remain quite legal in the use of personal care products for many years to come. Why? You can bet that the manufacturers of these products will fight against any attempt to regulate or outlaw these toxic chemicals. That's because the chemicals are convenient for such manufacturers. It's much the same way in which food manufacturers use sodium nitrate in bacon and other packaged meats. It's all about their convenience rather than protecting your health.
So, here's the idiot test for today: if I was standing on a street corner with a bottle of colored liquid, and I told you that liquid contained a toxic chemical that caused neurological disorders, Alzheimer's disease and birth defects, would you buy that product from me and scrub it into your scalp under warm water?
Of course not. But if you're buying these popular shampoo products, that's exactly what you're doing right now. Such is the power of brand marketing in America.