“The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.” -William James
What drives us at our core to live? What propels each individual to set a ripple within history with their own unique intrinsic motives? What forms our perception of self, and what we perceive that others think of who we are? The inception of these questions and many others began during my junior year of high school in an AP English course. I attribute professor Mark Baker as having made the greatest impact on my career as a student. He was known as an outstanding mind that instilled an outside awareness and understanding beyond one’s own learned experiences. He challenged each of his students to expand
If a person never learns how to have control over what they think or how to view things differently then they will live much of their adult life arrogant, in their head, or upset. David Foster Wallace begins by discussing how liberal arts colleges “teach you how to think” and continues to discuss how he has always disliked this. He already believes he knows how to think, being that thinking is what got him in college in the first place. He explains how everyone thinks differently and has their own thing that they worship but, everyone views themselves as the center of the universe. This point of view can leave people living day to day life finding every reason to be angry or annoyed about everything surrounding them. With that, he says all
In the article Knowing History and Knowing Who We Are written by David McCullough, is an essay in which he informs how important it is to learn about our history and how it shapes who we are today. Throughout, he connects important events from American History and relates it to our lives and the world around us. The three main ideas; which are “Character and Destiny”, “Our failure, Our Duty”, and “Listening to the Past”. These ideas
A long-debated argument in the field of Psychology has been which theory or explanation of human behavior is the most important and the most viable. Is B. F. Skinner’s theory that behavior is the result of man’s response to external stimuli or is Carl Rogers’ theory that man’s behavior is the result of his determination to achieve self-actualization the best explanation? After much research and thought, I will argue in favor of Carl Rogers’ Humanistic Theory that “emphasizes the unique qualities of humans, especially their freedom and their potential for personal growth” (Weiten, 2016, p. 9).
David Foster Wallace in his speech called "What is water" states as a main idea that everyone through their life journey should always be aware of everything and try to find out the right ways out of situations that happens during this journey by using education that the graduates received and use the cleverly. With different stories he explains that the way how we are thinking can influence on our understanding about a given situation everywhere, it can be at home ,work,store and etc. only the education can give them the ability to control their own minds and get advantages from their or others life experiences and use them as a guide through their "average adult days". The author brings a lot of examples from his own life so his message for
We often don’t think about what we do or even how we do things. The “Kenyon Commencement Speech” is teaching us how to think outside of ourselves. David says that hard-wired into our boards at birth is a basic self-centeredness and it’s a part of everyone. No one wants to admit that their world revolves around them, but what they fail to realize is that it’s a choice, a decision that one chooses to make. Reading, thinking, and analyzing this essay can help you realize that as a human being we can’t be self-centered, we have to be aware that life happens. A person can’t be selfish they have to be open-minded to real world situations, unplanned events that occur on an everyday bases.
Since people today know how to do something, then should we also know that how and what we are doing have consequences? Carson asks exactly this. Through all our actions, it is about time there was an “AH-HA!” moment where humans get that hint of reality. Carson closes with regret that her generation was not the one that possessed the ability to realize. But she looks onward by concluding that the stream of time moves forward, and as people we will move with it. Responsibility burdens the shoulder of the young, but the burden will also create opportunities to help nature, not challenge
"Rule your mind or it will rule you..." This quote means to be aware of the value of your mind and don’t lose it to the ambushes of the world. In the novel "Siddhartha" by Herman Hesse, the 3 most influential things that impacted his life are : Leaving home, The Ferryman, Change in character traits. throughout this journey Siddhartha encounters these main thing that cause change in him.
Throughout my life, I never considered the possibility that everything may not revolve around me. We are so wired to the notion that we are the center of the universe and that our personal needs exceed the importance of others. Although today’s students may continue to believe in this idea of self-importance, David Foster Wallace argues that true value lies in our ability to sacrifice for others. In his 2005 commencement speech held at Kenyon College, Wallace strays away from the typical speech one may hear, about how you “made it” and how excited you should be to conquer the future. Instead, Wallace goes on to explain what is not talked about, such that the average American life sometimes involves “boredom, routine, and petty frustration.” Wallace’s speech discusses what it takes to overcome the annoyances in everyday life, but to also be conscious of our surroundings.
should views one's own true thoughts as something very important and special. From this maxim, a
People express the decisions they reach each day and their desire to alter some of the outcomes. As I observe the world around me, some just graduating high school ours rebuilding themselves for something better in life. Everyone is striving to be something in life; it’s as if the returns are boundless by the time you graduate college. Just learning to watch people and the decisions they make can affect the means which I adopted to pick my profession. Becoming a paramedic educated me on surveying people and their habits. Being empathetic amongst the things you do, sometimes comes with a penalty, others come with admiration. The unique obsession that urges me to exceed each time is knowing that each human being is helped, through everything
This foundation, whether healthy or unhealthy, will form the way in which a person relates as an adult. Like Wilson (2001) and Hawkins (2010) who assert that external factors, such as other people, impact an individual’s emotions and behavior and ultimately form the personality structure, I also believe this personality theory. The Source, Role, and Function of Motivation (.5)
I can relate to this quote because I believe that there is a never a limit to learn and discovering more. People need to observe and experience more to be able to learn and creates their own opinion. This can relate to the idea of natural laws were individuals were pushed to make observations and shape society.
"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."
Dr. Jim Anderson wrote, “Since what influences our thoughts also controls our lives, and since our thoughts follow according to our philosophy, it is important for each of us to have a proper philosophical foundation.”
“We are addicted to our thoughts. We cannot change anything if we cannot change our thinking.” -Santosh Kalwar