Category: Unit 02

Family

Friendship

Health

Personal development

Enjoyment

Integrity

Security

Service

Loyalty

Personal accomplishment

Location

Community

Creativity

Expertness

Leadership

Wealth

Prestige

Power

I spent time with my boyfriend for a small portion of today. This is something that I find extremely important in order to live a low stress, happy and fulfilling life. Friendships and relationships are crucial especially while attending school and dealing with the everyday stresses of college. Something else that I focused on today as well as every other day is my health. Feeling and staying healthy is a major priority in my life. I am always considering how what I eat affects my body. When I eat well my body feels stronger and I also feel a lot better emotionally. Another aspect of health that is important to me is fitness. I have exercised my entire life, and have always relied on soccer to satisfy multiple aspects of my life. Soccer has not only been a stress release for me and provided an escape for me it has also made me healthy and much more productive in my life. This goes along with one of my top 5 values, enjoyment as well. Doing things that are fulfilling for myself making me mentally and physically happy is something that I always consider to be highly important.

I spent the majority of my day however doing schoolwork. Although I may not have any clue of what I want to do with my future as far as a career goes I know that attending college is what I need to do in order to have a fulfilling career that not only I enjoy but that also supplies me with the necessities in life in order to survive and live a stress free financial life. Working on my schoolwork directly applied to personal development because I attend college to help figure out my skills, help me gain useful knowledge in order to succeed in such a competitive society, as well as because it is just the ‘right’ thing to do. What I mean by it being the ‘right’ thing to do relates to how my parents raised me, and how their morals and values directly influence the choices I make on a daily basis. My entire life I have grown up with the idea that attending college is a natural course to take in life. Even though my parents never directly told me to go to college, knowing that college helped them succeed in life indirectly engrained the same goals into me. From a very young age before even realizing why going to school is as crucial as it is, I gained the same knowledge out of having trust and respect for my parents. Along with the importance of academics, I abide by many of the same morals that my parents have instilled in me from a very young age such as having respect and love for other people around me. They have taught me to be a loyal, loving, and trustworthy friend. To be driven and focused in life. To always believe in myself and those around me. As well as to try my hardest to make the most of any situation I am put in.

It is very hard for me to think of an example of a belief pattern my parents abide by that have influence on my thinking, however may not be valid. My parents and I share a common perception on many facets of life such as politics, religion and basic human rights therefore I do not disagree nor can acknowledge something that may not be valid within their values.

Something that I have yet to figure out is what exactly I should do with my future. I know that this is something that many figure out later down the line, however I would like to at least be able to have a better idea of what path to go down. Another goal that I have is to be able to help others in a significant way. I work at a daycare right now and work with infants and toddlers, this is extremely fulfilling, however my goal is to help others who are in much more need than I am. Fortunately nothing stands in my way from helping others who are less fortunate and it is something that I plan on pursuing. Sadly I let my work and school schedule dictate my decisions.

Richard Cohen, a Washington Post columnist, argues that the initial decision not to appoint an acknowledged homosexual to the U.S. government’s AIDS commission (a decision later reversed) is “akin to denying Jews a place on the Holocaust commission. “Howard Phillips replies that it is “blasphemous” to suggest that the practice of homosexuality is analogous to adherence to Judaism.

I found this excerpt to be sad however not surprising. Although we live in a day and age where marriage equality has made great strides and the elimination of homophobia is progressing, there are still many people who are blinded by whatever barrier present, whether that be religion, family values or the location that one has grown up in. This excerpt is discussing the fact that a homosexual man would not be able to join the government’s AIDS commission because he is gay. However, Richard Cohen suggests that this decision is “akin to denying Jews a place on the Holocaust commission”(Cohen,4). I strongly agree with Cohen’s point when he creates a commonality between denying a homosexual man a spot on the AIDS commission and denying Jews a place on the Holocaust commission. No matter what the injustice is, both examples still serve the same purpose when describing discrimination towards and a way of being. No matter what values you have, or where you have come from it is absolutely wrong to deny somebody’s right to advocate for a cause that they themselves have dealt with themselves. It disturbs me when Howard Phillips replies that it is “blasphemous to suggest that the practice of homosexuality is analogous to adherence to Judaism”(Phillips,4). Fortunately I strongly disagree with the value that because you are gay you do not attain the same rights as others. Sadly many people believe that being homosexual is “ungodly,” while I find this assertion to be ignorant and close-minded. No matter what the prejudice is, morally it is unethical to decide someone’s fate because of how they choose to lead their life. As extreme as it may be I compare this situation to racism or sexism. As different as these issues may be they all share the same unethical basis.