My First Law Of Life

Often times, many forget to be kind to one another. When we are performing out our daily activities we forget to think about other people. Individuals can be naturally selfish or self- centered. There are multiple obstacles working against our being kind to one another. Our own success being one of them. We must remember to put ourselves in the shoes of the other person, in order to understand the issues in front of us. It is not easy to become detached ourselves from how we usually are nor how we are born, but it is imperative that we try to ensure a brighter future.

In our book groups we discussed two essays “The Connection Between Strangers” by Miles Goodwin and the essay “The People Who Love You When No One Else Would” by Cecile Gilmer. In my group we said that “no matter how big or small your act of kindness is, it could change someones life” was demonstrated in both essays. In the first essay, “The Connection Between Strangers”, shows this because this little girl walked up to this solider and congratulated him. Little did she know, that the small action had changed the soldier’s life, as he said in the essay, “That girl undoubtedly has no memory of what happened years ago… It doesn't matter why she gave me the magazine. The important thing is she did” (Goodwin 83).

"A Life is not important, But for the impact it has on other's lives" (qtd. in "Jackie

Thesis: The relationship made with people in life helps one stay in reality and keeps one grounded in morals. If one completely blocks out society and get lost in their imagination it can progress into an unhealthy alternate reality. Without the support of friends and family one can dwell in an irrational state of mind.

How do our relationships with others define who we are? Others affect us greatly. The people who surround us everyday have a great impact on our own life. Friends and family are the people who create you, and are part of the reason of who you are today. For example, when there’s a new trend, or when someone says a mean comment, you might change something about you at one point or another. Who affects your life?

“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”- Jackie Robinson

The second influence to my worldview is family. Many people in today’s times base their life’s purpose on their desires. For me, my life’s purpose is based on those around me. “Do not merely look out for your own

events in a person’s individual life that has an impact on the way they treat or interact with

Have you ever passed a car on the road and wondered where the people in it were going? Did you wonder if they were happy or sad or in love or mourning? In that moment you stepped outside of your own life and realized that the person or people in that car had a life just like your own and they were not simply just a car on the road. Although we most often go about our days thinking “I, me, mine”, actualizing that everyone else you pass in your life has a life just as crazy and elaborate as your own creates a deeper understanding for others and a better life for yourself.

Every miniscule detail about my day is affecting someone else. All details in life are like “intricate machines that register earthquakes 10 thousand miles away” (Fitzgerald 2). We as people are never “Alone in Space” meaning each individual never tackles life by themselves (Fitzgerald 119). The intertwining of relationships is what makes life worth living and that can only happen through disturbing the universe. It is important to remember that

In different areas of his book, Wilkinson mentioned points that I strongly agreed and disagreed with. Before reading concerning the first law, I believed similarly to what Wilhoit and Ryken believed: the teachers are not fully responsible for the academic success of their students. However, after reading the first two chapters, I shifted my belief into believing that teachers are responsible. Nevertheless, although I agree with this law wholeheartedly, it seems that Wilkinson did not mention how to approach students in rare occasions, where the students simply will not learn. Although he did not exhaustively, explicitly, mention how to approach this situation, it is implied that teachers should respond, despite the behavior of their students, as if they remain fully responsible since they are truly responsible.

One of the most life impacting quotes I have ever read is one by John Ortberg that I read several years ago. He said, “Every time two people make contact, they come away feeling either better and more encouraged or worse and more depleted. It is as if we carry our own little ATM around with us all the time, and each encounter we are either making deposits or withdrawals on the vitality of those around us.”

“I believe the world and all that’s in it is one big family, and we need to help each other”-Jet Li. I believe this quote means that even though we aren’t all related, we need to be helpful and respectful to one another. I agree with Jet Li and this quote because of two reasons. First, we are all human beings and even if we don’t know someone, we should treat them like they are our family. Second, nobody is perfect and we all need help in someway, so we should be kind to one another.

Throughout our life we will always meet many people that teach us major life lessons,

Everyone in life has at least one person who has strongly influenced them in one way or another, but what if that influence ended up being hurtful? In the essay “Self Reliance” by Ralph Emerson, Emerson gives his advice on how to live independently. Emerson says self reliance is to trust oneself and believe in oneself. He states that this is important because being self reliant leads to a successful path in life. By having individual ideas one will end up doing something she or he wants to do in life which causes success for that individual. He discusses how the only person one needs to listen to in life is oneself and that no other person should influence one’s life. I believe there are people in this world that can have a negative influence on one’s life, but also people that can have a positive influence. For example, in basketball my positive influences (parents, teammates, and coaches) help me to succeed in a team sport.