>

Signs.

They are all around you. They might come in the form of words, pictures, gestures, or events. Their meanings are derived from different interpretations, either dictated by society, experience, or set by a personal condition.

Take for example " > ".

Society tells us that this means greater than. Others may say that it a sign for right. Music enthusiasts would tell us that it is sign for decrescendo. Or I, on my own interpretation, could tell that it means that something is coming to an end, or maybe it is a sign to move forward. A single sign, but with numeruos meanings.

What am i getting at?

Actually nothing at all, um, sort of.

Man's purpose, in my opinion, is not about satisfying one's physical hunger nor preparing for the afterlife. It's not about hitting the most beautiful women, or winning the best awards, or being on top, or actually making something beneficial to mankind.

Man's purpose is the giving meaning to the signs around him. It is not only about interpreting sings, but sharing these interpretations with other people and making them understand the meaning that you've placed on a sign.

While on the way back home (after finding Eco's latest novel), I was thinking of what where the basic signs that we, as humans, should ought to give meaning first.

I thought of a few signs:

• Name
• on having a body
• on the Self, as an being

The list seems short, I guess I have to think a lot more, but it would do for now.

NAME. Name is a tag given to an existing entity (does being an entity presuppose existence? i seriously don't know.). It could be a common name like "rock", "air", "body", and "man". Or it could be a name that points to a definite entity like, "Ayers Rock", "Eiffel Tower", "UST", or "Raymond Salazar Olgado." It would be easy to explain what the common name "rock" is, like so for non rational beings like "Eiffel Tower" or even "Barney The Purple Dinosaur" (na miss na kita sa thesis ;P). But a name given to a rational being would take a long time to interpret, and shared with others. For example, the name "Raymond" means a wise protector. If I were a security guard and the bank that I am guarding hasn't been held up during my watch, I can say that I am indeed "Raymond." But what if I was called, for example, "Tol" which for the sake of argument, means "Tarantado, Olol, 'Langhiya" and I was the most courteous man on earth, then I wouldn't be living up to my name. I would then be a "living contradiction".

(i would like to add more insights here, but i guess, i have to organize my thoughts better)

Feel free to comment. This is a work in progress. :)