Of Human Act and Rationality

The program conducted by the class in Manila City Jail, I would like to think, was done to be able to have a better appreciation of Seminar 3 which deals with different moral principles. This paper aims to apply the concepts used during class discussion and how these ideas could be put into practice. Every human act has four determinants 1) Object 2) Intention 3) Circumstance and 4) Effects of Consequences. The Object is that which is done, a simply description of what happened while Intention describes why the object of the act happened. The Circumstance(s) are the unique features of time and place under which the act takes place and the Effects of the Consequences are the foreseeable results of actions or omissions. I was able to interact with one of the inmates of Manila City Jail, Richard, who was charged with five (5) counts of robbery. He has been in the institution for five (5) years and he is just 24 years old. He admitted doing the charges against him but he pleaded guilty during his arraignment. When asked why he did so, he simply smiled and said Sino ba naming umaming nagnakaw sya? Typical attitude of someone who has been caught doing anything prohibited. For the crimes committed, the object was the robberies while the intention was to gain personal properties for self-enjoyment. Richard shared that he does not consider his family to be very poor. He just liked being in the streets, being with his barkada and enjoying each day doing what they want to i.e. theft and robbery. The circumstances in these acts include the influence of friends, condition of family relations and lack of education and the effects are being apprehended and serving time in prison. According to the class discussion, the intention is the most vital role in every human act as it is with intention that the intellect and will matter. Every person is capable of determining, deliberating and deciding his every act whether it is good or bad, right or wrong. Richards intention was just to have a good time, to be with his friends and to live each day the way he wants to. Clearly, there is impairment in his human act. He suffers from having bad company, lack of education and insidious influence. These all fall under the category of Error, all subject for rectification. The justice system of the State does not only aim to punish those who have committed crimes, but to rehabilitate them and make them fit to become members of the society again. However, a lot has been said that our penal institutions are not suitable for human rehabilitation, with all the insufficient facilities and deteriorating conditions. Given the said

deficiency, it is important that inmates are properly guided with continuous moral and spiritual dialogues. Every person is a rational being. He is capable of thinking, of deliberating, of making moral decisions. It is important, above everything, that he is continuously exercising this aspect of his personhood. It is indubitable that each and every inmate we have in every penal institution has committed an impairment of human act may it be due to error, inattention, fear and pressure, etc. The goal is not to eliminate them, but to help our inmates to overcome these impairments. It may sound as a sweeping statement, but I would like to believe that, it is possible.