Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Welcome

Welcome, may I welcome you -my dear friend- to the world where role models become heroes and where heroes become role models. A world where everything you do matters and everything around you just observes the truly person that you are. Most of those times they may have a negative connotation towards you because the way you act or respond. However, sometimes many people who observe you in great distance may also have a positive attitude towards you and who knows, perhaps they follow the way you are. Not only they will try to be the person you are, but will also see you as their role model and perhaps even earn their respect. However, whatever the case may be, may I also remember you that as you embark this solemn world setting and example will not be an easy task. People everywhere are watching you, hunting you and observing how you interact not only with friends, but acquaintances as well, whether if it is for the best or for the worst. Sometimes people around you really take your actions in consideration, whether you notice it or not, and make analyzed judgements towards you; therefore, it would be prudent to caution every step you take. Nevertheless, to sum up everything said, I would like to welcome you aboard to a challange and together we can converse over the success and faulire of the mission to set an example to our surroundings.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Setting an Example

As a human, there are a lot of obstacles through the course of life that sometimes creates inconvenience or even blocks us in our quotidian needs. Sometimes, the stress level of each individual is proportionally equal to the amount of work each individual have, that getting a little more work to do, may or may not be very overwhelming. Nonetheless, that shouldn't be an excuse or a scapegoat to our obligation in this life which clearly is setting an example to others-whether the intended audience is the youth or peers. We as humans tend to procrastinate and often never end up doing the work because of human nature, but if we really picture the idea-setting an example- this can be simultaneously done without even doing any extra labor. Although this task may be easy to others and may be hard for some, trying is always acceptable. In conclusion, wherever we are whether we are at school, work, or at home, setting an example will not only benefit others, but as an individual as well.
When we grow as a person, there can be multiple benefits and maturity levels. There can be many factors contributing to our individual growth, such as experiences, struggles and perseverance. In this case we will be talking about perseverance and how this shapes our identity and personality. Therefore, by having that integrated into our minds we can apply those ideas into setting an example to our surroundings. First, lets see how and why would perseverance contribute into molding ourselves and personality. By looking to the past and the knowledge that we have gained because of history, we see that because of the heroic things that Gandhi did for his country, we see later on that Martin Luther King Jr. himself followed those steps. It wasn't only because Gandhi was well known around the world that led Martin Luther King decide to follow his steps, but because of the perseverance that Gandhi had Martin Luther King was able to understand the steps. Nonetheless, here we had the example of Gandhi and his perseverance and the outcome of his perseverance, but now let's take that same idea and put them in terms that we can comprehend it better.
One interesting way we can illustrate a perfect example that can suit anyone in is the example a student who is struggling to get good grades by multiple obstacles. Some of those obstacles include domestic violence in his/her home, gang fights around his/her house, constant shooting, bad teachers and bad influence in school. Here many would fail into the temptation of drugs or liquor, but this particular student refuses. Here many wouldn't do their homework because they know that the teacher is not going to collect it, but this particular student despite the bad teacher still studies and gets his/her work done regardless if the teacher is going to collect it the next day. Here many would be depressed and scared because of the violence in the home and outside the street, but this particular student will still strive for success. Here we see the difference between an excellent student and a student who doesn't care; however, I never mentioned a student who is on both sides of the coin. What could possibly motivate him more? Is it the bad student or the excellent student. Note both students have the equal amount of problems, but what differentiates them is their action. In sum, this example isn't going to gain independence or end segregation, but it will change some one's life.
As we saw in the second paragraph, Gandhi's teachings and perseverance let to the independence of India and many other things such as the end of segregation in which Martin Luther King is credited for. As we observed in the second paragraph, the things that someone does really does matter because who knows, maybe the person who observed was really impressed and could possible do it themselves. As we saw also noticed in the second paragraph, the example is very legit and many would say,"Of course Gandhi could set an example, he is a hero." Well, we see that Gandhi is a hero now, but during those times he wasn't a hero, some didn't even noticed his works. Even if he is a hero setting an example for the newcomers or the young ones isn't compared to what Gandhi did. Nevertheless, we aren't here talking about excuses and how to find a scapegoat within an excellent example like Gandhi, we are talking about how to set an example and one way we can start is by looking at other people who excelled at it. Moreover, perseverance is the key to setting an example and in anyway we cannot accomplish anything without a great amount of perseverance and dedication.