Knowing Thyself

One major part of becoming a good, respectful citizen is having the ability to know your true self. Being able to know yourself is knowing the causes and effects of your thoughts and actions. Knowing one's self also involves the acknowledgement of one's strengths and weaknesses. Knowing your strengths can allow you to use them in situations, and knowing your weaknesses allows you to work on improving them, to become a better person. These actions often include interaction with others in a society. With the knowledge of thyself one can become a better person. People always look for ways to please others and improve their character. Knowing your true self can allow for a balance in one's personality. This equality is usually achieving what a person sees as the "ideal" character.

In a society, there are groups and individuals who influence a person with whom they interact. These groups are called agents of socialization. These agents may include the media, family, peers, and even school. They alter the person by affecting them as they develop in society. This process is called socialization. Socialization is the learning of the norms of a society by a given person. So the agents of socialization with whom the person interacts will affect their views of society including who the person hangs out with, their beliefs, and how they interact with other members of the society. Agents of socialization will thus change how a person views themselves. If a person can overcome the exterior influences on their thoughts and actions, they can begin to improve who they are.

I tend to have a few weaknesses that show up on occasion. I find myself to be too shy. A lot of times I tend to regret actions or lack there of because I am too shy. In order to become more social and talkative, I make sure that I get plenty of sleep. With enough rest, I have found that I become more socially active. I also try to thrive on any attention that is given to me. If I find that I have the spotlight, I build off of this so that I can interact with others more often. With this shyness, I also can be very insecure, and have a somewhat low self esteem. I become very self-conscious and worry about what other people think of me. To try to combat this insecurity, I build off of times when I get complimented. I also try to please other people, so that they will develop a liking for me. This way I will never find myself insecure around them, because I know that they accept me.

On the other hand, I do acknowledge some of the strengths of my character. I am a very generous person. If someone needs assistance, I just may be the only person willing to help them out. I am so generous at times that others get frustrated with me when I give some much to the people around me. Knowing that I am generous, I can use this to balance out my character. I can also use this to rid of or simply combat my weaknesses. My generosity is used to make friends, and be more social. This is a true example of how the knowledge of my true self can aid me in becoming the person I want to be.

At times, it may be hard to acknowledge one's strengths and weaknesses. People are often modest, and do not like to "brag" about themselves. On the other hand, people may be too embarassed or cocky to discuss their weaknesses to others. I personally do not have any difficulty discussing my strengths and weaknesses. This may be because I have a more balanced personality, and am able to recognize my strengths and weaknesses. This ability should be cherished by anyone, because knowing what to improve and what to use can aid in improving one's character.

Life's Greatest Advice

I sat down on the couch and stared off in a daze. I could hardly think of anything. Though I don't like to admit it, I was frustrated. I couldn't think of a way to overcome the obstacles in front of me. I rarely stress out about anything, but there I was, slowly falling apart. There my mother stood with that annoying frown. Hands on her hips, her head slightly tilted to the side. It was clear that she was almost doing the thinking and planning for me. I hated this look. It almost showed that she was disappointed in me, and that I could do better. Though she hadn't said anything, I knew she was right.

"Mom, stop giving me that look. I can't do it. Just accept it," I told her, clearly hinting that I wanted to be left alone. But right then and there, I knew that she would never accept that hint. She would never just shrug it off and leave the room as if to say, "Ok, I give up." But her white flag never flew. As I finished my statement, I received the most depressing glare that I had seen come from her face in a long time. It showed true disappointment. She looked me in the eyes, and said, "Don't you ever say that you can't do something." Immediately after her stand she left the room, and soon after it registered: I knew that she was right.

I immediately knew that I was wrong for telling her I couldn't do it. My mom, being the toughest and strongest person I know, would never take no for an answer. Soon after she had left the room I remember sitting there, and blaming myself for not acting more maturely.

It had been more than eight years since she lost what seemed like everything. Eight years since that day I came home from elementary school to find that my mom was not there to support and comfort me. Eight years since I found out the news that my mother would never be the same person, both physically and mentally. That day eight years before, I came home to find out that my mom had been hit by a car. I was young, and thought it was only something small, and that she would just come home later, and be the mother she always was. But she didn't. She didn't come home that night, or the night after, or the week after. Finally my world hit the brick wall of this terrible accident. I visited my mom, it was a Saturday morning. My dad brought all four of us kids. My sisters and I sat in the waiting room of the hospital while my dad took my older brother to my mom's room. They came back a few minutes later, a terrible look on my brother's face. My dad gathered my sisters and I together, and led us down the hall to see my mom. It was our turn. My brother turned to me and told me the worst news I had heard yet.

"Sam, don't go. Trust me, you don't want to." Right then my emotions took hold of my imagination. Fear shot through my body. We opened the door to my mother's room, and I took a deep breath. There, lying in the bed, I saw my mom. She never will again look worse. Every part of her body was swollen and cut up or bruised. I went to the side of her bed, and she could see the fear in my eyes. She took my hand in hers, and asked my dad if it was me, because she couldn't tell. Then and there I felt like I no longer had a mom. Her eyes were too swollen and she couldn't even tell if it was her own son. I looked down at the hand holding mine, which was white as a cloud, and swollen. I never said a word in that hospital room. That week I realized the extent of what had happened to my mom. I realized that she had broken numerous bones in her body, and had hundreds of staples in her skin for cuts. I realized that she had lost her right leg, and that she would never be able to run, or maybe even walk again. For a few more weeks we awaited her arrival home, and we visited her as often as we could. She began to heal more and more, but obviously her leg would never come back.

Over the next eight years my mom became the strongest figure I know. She learned to walk with a prosthetic leg. She also lifted weights and did everything she could so that she could live normally again. Now, after eight years, she cleans the house almost every day. She paints the walls, she puts up curtains and wallpaper, she built her chicken coop. All by herself. She has grown to do things that she couldn't do before the accident. But more than any physical strength she exhibits, she gained the emotional strength to live through it all. She stayed positive, and no one can tell her that life is not worth living. Each member of our family knows that she chose to continue her life and improve it for us.

As all of this came back to me, I knew that I could do anything that I put my mind to. I have learned that all sorts of things are possible if I really want to make them happen. My mother did it for her family and yes, coming from her, that bit of advice I received meant a lot to me, and is something that I will never forget.

The Value Of A Life

A valuable life is usually measured by successes in one's life. In our everyday society, our general culture views success as being a financial state. To us, especially as Americans, we would define someone with a lot of money as being successful or happy. However, this is obviously not the case. When people view a life and try to measure the success in it, the successes and achievements have to go deeper than the job a person had, the amount of friends they had, or the money they made.

Upon deciding how valuable a person's life is, we take into account their age and how much they have accomplished. Usually those seen as valuable (or really seen as successful) are older, well-accomplished people. They have been to many places, and seen many things. They have accomplished many tasks, and have over all found themselves in victory through most stages of their life. However, not only the aged are seen as "valuable". If someone is young but yet has been wealthy or popular throughout their life, they are seen as very valuable, perhaps more so than an elder would with the same experiences. To be young and with money and other things is somewhat unheard of. This factor of uncommonness can make the person's life more valuable.

With this aside, our society needs to look deeper than the successes in one's life. The true value in one's life is the meaning they have found in it. Someone who has captured the values and happiness in life is of greater success than those with money. Someone who learns how to love and bring happiness to themselves and those around them despite poverty has had a successful life.

I personally do not look to have any sort of materials that I obtain throughout my life. The most important things to me would be having a family, surrounding myself with loved ones, and finding happiness beyond having a large sum of money. With these circumstances, I know for sure that I will never regret anything in my life, and will not look back upon it with disappointment.

As a society, striving for such accomplishments would not be a bad idea. Currently our society finds most if not all importance in finances. People commonly look to money in search of happiness. If society as a whole were to attempt to accomplish happiness as I do, we would find ourselves a lot more comfortable in life, and our entire world would be changed. Many people argue that many of the wars our country has been because of a desire for power. This power may be in the form of land, money, etc. Had we not strived for this power, we may not have been in these wars, and many Americans would not have lost lives. This is just an example, but the effects of searching for such happiness would create a long list.

Whatever the case may be and no matter where people can find value in their lives, happiness is surely the most important acheivement. In this, I feel that people in general will find their own lives of greater value.

Long Live The Accomplished

Though we like to wish differently, we all know that at some point in our lives we will reach the end of the road. We all know that someday we will have to end our journey and we will in fact die. There is no stopping this process, though many have tried. The great Gilgamesh was one of those who tried to reach the "deathlessness" we call immortality, but he too was denied access into such an elite fraternity. Upon his search for immortality, Utnapishtim told Gilgamesh that "There is no permanence." From this point on, we as humans have realized that we will die, and there is no such thing as being a permanent figure.

To those out there that wish they could be immortal, this is a clear disappointment. But what does this really mean for humanity? This means that there comes an end to everything, on a more literal sense. This means that though we may strive to conquer all and be the best, we will become overthrown by a force that is not controllable. Even if a great hero in our lives could be undefeated in his life, he too will be conquered by death. For humanity, this is quite a downfall. We now lose a lot of the confidence we have as humans because of this knowledge of mortality. This obviously affects our everyday lives. Everywhere we go in our world there is a sense of mortality. If we could not die, there would be no such thing as helmets, or railings, or whatever else may help us in near death experiences. Each day, though we don't do it on purpose, we find ourselves running away from this dead end.

However, there is a way that Gilgamesh reaches a sense of immortality on his journey. Though we may die, we too can find immortality in one form or the other. Gilgamesh found his by being such a dominant hero and living such a great life and journey. Through this, he achieved respect and honor from his people. With respect and honor he would go down in history with all of posterity. Through these such things, like making a name for ourselves, we can become "immortal." We can create a sense of eternal life by achieving something. It does not have to be a big accomplishment, but anything noticed by others has potential to be an "immortal" story.

Though death will come our way at some point in our lives, Gilgamesh showed all of humanity that there is hope for immortality. Not physically staying alive, but staying alive in society, through the actions and achievements in your lifetime. Like James Taylor said, "The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time." If we enjoy our lives and make something of them, we have conquered mortality itself.

The Hero

A man who is tough, courageous, strong, and selfless. This is what most use to define a hero. However, a hero is rarely ever given a concrete definition. Heroes can change according to those who see them as heroes. My hero may be strong and smart, while someone else’s hero may be giving, and wise. A hero is created by our minds. We can turn any form of character into a hero, if they are what we would consider one. For example, if I see someone who is courageous, I may see them as being a hero. However, other people may not see them as being a hero, but rather just a very brave person. That is exactly why heroes are merely undefined.

A hero is usually one who endures. The perseverance is shown in almost all heroes. Even modern day people can be considered heroes for their perseverance, like Cal Ripken Jr. for example. Though he is no super human with incredible strength, many little kids and baseball fans look up to him like a hero for what he endured, and his perseverance, through thousands of baseball games played over his years in the big leagues. Therefore, a hero is only what you make of it.

For generations nearly beyond recorded history, these heroic figures have shown up. Whether it be in a book or just a tale told around a campfire, heroes have existed wherever creative and imaginative humans have. These heroes are so unique that we pass down there tales throughout the centuries, for our posterity to adore and idolize. These heroes have been created because of human demand. People, and even society need a hero. With no hero to turn to, society would be a mess and people would lose their morals and confidence. As Bertold Brecht said "Unhappy the land that needs heroes." He literally means that any society without heroes to guide it's people and show them the way to conquer will not be successful. The people in these societies will not be happy, and the society will not flourish. The hero has appeared in times of duress, to show us how to get out of the trouble, and conquer "evil." The enemies that the hero faces are even created but what we see as being the evil figure. Many times the arche nemesis stands for what we fear or oppose in our lives.

Since heroes began, the hero has always been a masculine figure. This is most likely due to the fact that for most of our past the woman figure has never had such control or power. In addition, the woman's role in life has been to take care of children, and feed the family. This, however, does not mean that women have not played the role of a heroine in our literature.

Throughout time the hero has appeared as we have created it: a strong, enduring and courageous figure who overcomes all odds and defeats evil as we see it in our lives. The support of the hero will last through eternities, leading those to conquer their insecurities and difficulties in the road that they call life.