BlackBerry Can Help You Become a Person of Purpose: A Philosophical Perspective (in Layman’s Terms) and Some Insights

This is my official entry to TechPinas.com Gadget Bonanza Blackberry Power Pair Edition.

Just last semester, I have taken a thorough 3-unit course on Ethics, a branch of philosophy, which deals with the moral quality of a human action in relation to his telos (end). Apart from that, I was also able to see how exactly the material goods of the Earth play a role in the fulfillment of man’s end. Though not often recognized as it is more usually taken for granted, the material goods (our possessions) are those that help bring man a step closer to his end—apart from his efforts, of course—by providing him with what he will need to do good on Earth. Moreover, in man’s constant search for meaning and his ‘purpose in life’, he would need all the aid he can get (both tangible and intangible) to unravel his potential as a person.

It has always been a constant struggle to improve ourselves. To some, this improvement would point to the physical and financial aspects. To others, improving oneself results to being able to do more things at once efficiently, exceeding the expectations people have of us, and freeing ourselves from—or at least, push back—the limits that bind us.  However, what add more weight to the ongoing struggle are the demands the present times bring us. Thankfully, technological developments come to our rescue and admittedly, they are assets we cannot simply forego as they lessen the burden of the tasks we carry out each day.

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While there are numerous powerful devices out in the market that promise to make our lives ‘easier’, BlackBerry is probably the one that is most committed to doing so. With BlackBerry gadgets, setting goals and actually achieving them are as easy as just pressing a few buttons. This leaves man with more time to attend to his other responsibilities and to do good. Hence, we say that man is becoming a person of purpose and in this sense, he improves himself.

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Allow me to divert a little to share a slightly funny comparison of BlackBerry with a fictional handheld device in the hopes of illustrating how BlackBerry is a useful tool for man to develop into a person of purpose.  I used to watch a Disney cartoon called Kim Possible wherein the lead character, Kim, is an ordinary high school student and a secret agent at the same time. She has this special handheld device called the ‘kimmunicator’ (which is like a combination of a phone, a camera, a computer, and so much more) which, honestly speaking (absolutely no bluffs here), is like the fictional counterpart of the BlackBerry. The kimmunicator is that one gadget that has managed to make Kim’s missions easier for her to accomplish, leaving her time to do more good. Here we see that the more efficient we are, the more we will be able to take on the necessary steps to achieve our ends and as a positive consequence of this, we better ourselves as persons.

Personally, as a servant of the arts, a freelance writer, and a full-time college student, I do not have the luxury of time and other resources. I usually have to juggle three or more tasks at hand and unfortunately, I do not have BlackBerry devices that would help me manage them more easily. Apart from that, I cannot afford to get side-tracked from meeting the immediate goals I have set, which, of course, would lead me to my end whilst fulfilling my purpose in the process. BlackBerry devices, which serve as mini personal assistants, will keep me on the right track. I believe that this is precisely one of the best—if not the best—qualities of BlackBerry gadgets.

Referencing the article “Why Do Pinoys Choose BlackBerry?” Mr. Heins explicitly stated that “BlackBerry is all about success”. On face level, this would suggest that BlackBerry is appreciated for its productive and useful value. However, if one would dig a bit deeper, what this puts forward is precisely that BlackBerry (the material good) assists man in carrying out his tasks, which makes it a more valuable asset to man most especially in the process of fulfilling his ultimate purpose.

To answer the question of how BlackBerry can help me become a person of purpose, I would say it is precisely a companion that I will need to get things done as efficiently as possible, leaving me more opportunities to do good. Still relating this to what I have learned from my Ethics class and juxtaposing it to the practical uses of BlackBerry, I will be one step closer to achieving my end and my purpose because I will be equipped not only with knowledge and experience, but also with the right tools. I know that I may be speaking in abstract here but I wish to point out that there’s more to BlackBerry than just being a useful gadget. It is actually an indispensible tool that will help man get to his absolute end and that is something concreteness will not be able to justify.