Artifact 1: The Nature of Human Values
Objectives:
- Become familiar with the basic relationship of human values to psychological and philosophical endeavors
- Understand that values are formed from external and internal drives of an individual
- Explore one’s own value system
Original Post:
Today, I woke up and conducted personal hygiene before I made myself a hearty breakfast. After breakfast, I started working on my homework for my classes and simultaneously listened to music. For a study break, I watched some Netflix and did my laundry. After about an hour, I started doing homework again. Once I felt like I had completed a decent amount of my work, I went to the gym and did my workout for the day. I am now currently writing this blog and the rest of the day will be spent finishing my homework and then hanging out with a friend. My day can be represented by the following values: health, personal development, personal accomplishment, enjoyment, and friendship. The top 5 values that I chose in the ranking exercise are similar, but a few of them are different. My first value is family, but since I am at school, away from family, I do not have the opportunity to make that a priority. However, I still keep in touch with my parents whenever I can via phone. My second value is health, which is something I prioritized today. It is important to remain healthy in order to be happy, which is why the first thing I did when I woke up was conduct personal hygiene and then eat a healthy breakfast. My third value is integrity. While I did not do anything that necessarily demonstrated integrity today, it is still important to me because it is characteristic of a mentally strong individual, who is not easily influenced by others. My next value is personal development, which is something I pursued today by deciding to complete my homework before hanging out with my friend. Finally, personal accomplishment is my fifth value and I pursued that today by finish most of my assigned homework and giving myself a sense of fulfillment for my efforts.
From my family, I have inherited several belief patterns that directly influence the person I am today. Growing up, I have always been taught to put education first and to work hard towards personal goals. It has been engrained in my character that no matter how difficult I initially perceive a goal to be, it can be made possible if I put in the proper amount of effort. As I reflect on my belief patterns today, I think every belief pattern that has been taught to me by my parents has some sort of authority in the way I think and act in certain situations. I am the person I am today because of my parents, which is why family is my number one priority and value. In the future, I plan to practice medicine as a Physician Assistant for the Army. In a matter of months, I will take on the responsibility of an Army Officer in the Military Police Corps. As I serve in the Active Duty of the Army, it will be difficult to simultaneously focus on becoming a PA in the Army, but I am determined to make the sacrifices and commitment to ensuring I accomplish my goal. My Active Duty time is the only thing that stands in my way as of right now, but I am motivated to pursue my dream nonetheless.
Reflection:
This life values assessment was very beneficial to me because it provided me with a chance to reflect on what exactly I prioritize in my life. Initially, I thought the ordering of the values would be a pretty simple task, but it was actually quite difficult. When faced with the task of prioritizing different life values, one has to stop and think about what is truly important to him or her. The relationship between human values and psychological and philosophical endeavors becomes apparent here because the things you do on a daily basis are a result of values that are personally significant to you. The way you think and act are both direct consequences of these values, and it may be difficult to stop and think about why you choose to do things in a particular fashion. Additionally, this affects the way you choose to dress, something I realized when I explored the art of personal adornment.
My top five values were family, health, integrity, personal development, and personal accomplishment. I think the reason I chose to put family first is because they are the foundation for my personality. The time I have spent with them has allowed me to grow and mature into the man I am today. If it weren’t for my family and the fundamental morals I have learned from them, I wouldn’t be in the same place I am today. This is why I chose to include a picture with my family. Values like personal development and personal accomplishment come later once you have formed a fundamental basis for your actions. I will always have the urge to better myself because of the goals I have set for myself. Additionally, the motivation and encouragement I receive from my family further capitalizes on this urge. In the reading assigned for this topic, it was mentioned that humans are programmed into their values, either by the influence of genes on personality or by social pressures (Lewis, 8). Personally, I think it is social pressures (particularly my family) that influence my life values. This goes to show that life values are formed from external drives, like my family, as well as internal because nobody will push you to succeed, besides yourself.
Future:
In the future, I think the order of my life values may change, but to a certain extent. As one grows older, he or she is faced with numerous situations and experiences, which sometimes alter priorities and values. However, I think family will always be my top value because of how much I appreciate their support and influence on my life. As a side note, when one changes their priorities/values, it should be in good taste and not because they are incapable of upholding personal morals strictly. That being said, if my values do change, it will be because of something that is justified and will not negatively influence my lifestyle in any way.
References:
Table of Contents
Artifact #1: The Nature of Human Values
Artifact #2: What is Art for?
Artifact #3: Is Food Art?
Artifact #4: The Art of Personal Adornment
Artifact #5: Aesthetics of Horror
Artifact #6: Creative Spirituality
Artifact #7: Technology, Games, & Art
Artifact #8: Remixing Culture
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