Reflection:

My top five values are: Family, Health, Wealth, Enjoyment, and Friendship. I had a busy day and I think all of the activities I have done today reflected my values. Today after woke up, I looked up some updates from friends and family members who are in China or in other states. After having brunch with my boyfriend, we went to the post office to pick up my package which sent from Japan. And in the afternoon, I went to studio to finish my homework while being the monitor and helping one of the intro student. In the evening I had a great dinner with some of my close friends. And when I went back home, I talked to my parents and discussed with them about their upcoming travel during Christmas. The last thing I did today was taking one tablet of Claritin since I have been suffering allergies for almost one month.

After leaving home and country for about five years, I think I really understand how important my family means to me, so I always talk to them and update with them. I put family on my top one because I see family as my motivation and I love them without any reason. Health is on the second place, just like I took medicine today I could almost do nothing when I had bad physical condition. Studying in the studio and finishing my homework is the way how I enjoy myself, because when I did what I had passion on it I do feel worth it. So enjoyment is really important to me, and I believe if I contribute my time to it I will gain money from it as well. The number five value is Friendship. I love hanging out with my friends and I could not live without friends, because I feel happy when I spend time with real good friend instead of “fake” friend.

Since I was little my parents always tell me to be integrity, positive,and doing what I really love. I think I do inherited these values from them, and the way they love me and no matter what situations I face they will always back me up let me know that family is the top thing I should always consider the most. The goals I have for myself in short term is to be graduating next year and get accepted of my BFA degree in the area of metalsmithing and jewelry. I know I have to push myself very hard to get my goals done, and time is the biggest challenging for me to be succeed.

By finished reading this week’s article, I started thinking of how I became who I am today. Is my gene making me? The society? The people who around me? Or the past experiences shaped me? I look back and realize is the way I lived and the place s where I have been to and the people who I met taught me how to see things today, and the values I chose has changed during times.

The one point from the article “A Question of Values: Six Ways We Make the Personal Choices That Shape Our Lives ” I found most interested me is “The proposition that individual human beings are programmed into their values, either by the influence of genes on personality or by social pressures, can neither be proven nor refuted.” (6) I agree with this point, but I truly believe that the influences of social pressures are more important and superior compares to genes in the terms of shaping one’s values, because different people has different evaluations system that might be formed by the society or one’s past experiences. So the way people see the world is different.

For example, culture background is part of the society pressure. Because people who come from different countries have variety standards to define “beauty”, some girls want to be pale while some want to be tan. This is not about genes but the way you desire how you look like and how the others look at you. Moreover, the environment surrounds people are another essential part and it will shape our interests on a large scale. Some guys are super fans of Lakers, while some are fans of Indiana Pacers. Your genes might be decided that you are addicted to basketball, but it doesn’t lead you to choose which team. Your family, your friends and even the city you were born could be the reason. So the society shaped our evaluation of things and our beliefs. Just like the article says, “personal evaluations and beliefs that propel us to action, to a particular kind of behavior and life.”(6)