When I was a child, I remember waking up to his voice. I remember spending hours watching him, trying to understand a method to his “madness:” his thrill for excitement and his natural curiosity that rivaled all other characters in modern television. What intrigued me the most, however, is his relentless search for purpose in everything he does. This character was no one other than Curious George. He has influenced my life in ways I could not have imagined. I lived a simple, normal childhood in the company of my family and friends. But I had what one might call “abnormal:” my obsession to finding answers to questions on my own. I refused to listen to what people told me about the world or how they answered my questions. It was not enough.
However, extra academic courses helped expand my knowledge in these areas. I was able to take Phycology and Sociology, in High school. The study of why people do what they do really intrigued me because I was nothing like my siblings. Phycology and Sociology expanded my vocabulary and literacies. I looked at history from a different perspective, which interested me. It also introduced me to humanities courses. I pretty much skated by in my English classes. The books we read, I had no interest in, and I did not feel like I was getting anything out of my classes. This was until my senior year. My English teacher taught us how to read. I do not mean the words, but the content. Different methods of active reading, and note taking helped me have a deeper understanding of the content I was reading. The shift in instruction which was historically influenced helped me progress in my literacies (Panther, 2015, presentation). I could relate to the novels we were reading. For the first time in my education, I was reading novels that made me want to keep reading. After this, I began reading for myself, rather than
Learning is important for countless reasons, the most important reason being that it molds a person into who he or she is. What people choose to learn, and also what they choose not to, create the core of their opinions as individuals. Though people do not admit it or openly declare it, it is fair to say almost everyone is self centered. Because of this, and the fact that learning dramatically affects a person, learning is not only thrilling, but also expressive. Furthermore, since learning is expressive, its meaning varies from person to person, therefore making each person’s experiences with learning unique and life changing.
Rey, H. A. Curious George. Twentieth Century Children’s Book Treasury. Selected by Janet Schulman. New York: Knopf, 1998. 88-95.
Humans are, by nature, filled with curiosity. We incessantly seek to learn about the universe. Not surprisingly, we simultaneously strive to learn about ourselves. What is our place in the world? How do we grow into the people we are meant to be?
I have often wondered what it would be like to experience the freedom of choosing my own class schedule. This has to be infinitely more stimulating and enjoyable. I am also aware that college will be significantly more challenging, but I have always found it easier to study for a class that interests me. I am willing to accept the fact that as long as I am in school, there will be required courses which may not engender excitement or enthusiasm; however, success should not be as difficult to achieve due to the maturity that is developing during this last year of high school. In addition, I have gained an understanding of the benefit of being well rounded. There is value in all classes taken. It helps to know that even my least favorite subject will contribute to the ultimate goal of personal and career development.
I will tell you about my childhood, going on hikes in the "woods" with my brother at a way too early age. Trying to climb trees and rocks, with all the broken bones to show for it. Not the brightest kid at this point, but what I loved was evident at quite an early age. Family and the Forest is what my life revolved around, and then the most influential thing in life threw a curveball. This pitcher was time. I aged along with everything around me, my brother left for college, I entered high school, and my parents had quite the amount of issues at home forcing me to seek solitary within anything that would keep me occupied. Life was meaningless, I fell into a depression that really made me question who I was, and this search came up as empty as searching for my name in google. But then I took a class called Environmental Sciences Honors, followed by Biology Honors, then Biology 2 Honors, then AP Biology, and also AP Language and Composition after I heard that transcendentalism was a large aspect of that
As children we are born with a natural curiosity that pulls us out into the world. Going out and experiencing new things, seeing different environments; like the first time you see the ocean or snow or the Grand Canyon, it adds to the world that we know and changes our perspective on it with each new thing. But if we reflect upon it and ask what is the ocean? Or what is it that gives us life and makes us so different from a rock. These are questions which cannot be easily answ...
For majority of life I’ve gone through the motions and have done as I have been told to do. Naïve and ignorant to how amazing life really is and refusing to question how things work or what my true purpose is other then surviving. For centuries there have been numerous philosophers to question what our purpose is and have developed different theories to help us get as close as we possibly can to finding the meaning of life. One thing I’ve learned since opening my eyes to the reality of the world is that in our lifetime the closest thing we will have is theories and ideas but we will never know the true meaning of life.
“Life is a balanced system of learning, adjusting, and evolving. Whether pleasure or pain; every situation in your life serves a purpose. It is up to us to recognize what that purpose could be.” - Dr. Steve Maraboli
Education is one of the most important aspects of life. Recently I read a story named “The Allegory of the Cave” by Plato, the great philosopher. The main point of the story is to reach a heightened sense of education, and then educate those in the dark. “... education is the craft concerned with doing this very thing, this turning around, and with how the soul can most easily and effectively be made to do it” (2016, p. 5). Nothing would ever be achieved without education; no progression would ever happen. My final item on my list is: hobbies. Having a hobby or activity that you regularly do is very important because it keeps you active. My favourite hobby is to go spearfishing. I go almost every day when I am on vacation in Puerto Rico. If it weren’t for my hobbies, I would most likely have no friends or not have any motivation to do anything else in
I have always maintained a captivation with the “how and why”, how things work, and why they work in that way. This mindset, however provokes most to believe that my enthusiasm comes only through courses, which have a more scientific or analytical backbone, generally involving theories and data. When I was younger, I also thought this; I saw courses such as literature as uninteresting, and even a waste of my time. But, as I have grown my premature perspectives have developed, expanding my own interest in topics previously foreign to me. Broadening my attitude I have been able to find appreciation in the stories I read for their introspective themes and characters. I’m particularly enthralled by what one can learn about others, simply by analyzing characters in short stories and
...e are shown what to do every day of our lives and without instruction on how to complete a task it would be a chaotic. When thinking back from learning how to stand, putting on clothing, tying your shoes, writing the alphabets, and playing ring-around-the- rosy you are actively interacting with your parents, teachers and peers. After getting help you are then left alone to complete the task and to continue to progressively learn new things.
Introduction: Throughout life, many people never come to the conclusion of who they are or what their purpose in life might be. I personally know this from experience. I never quite knew what type of personality I had or what “clique” I should belong to: the jocks, the preps, or just the quiet kids in the background. I was always worried about what others thought of me and tried my hardest to just fit in where I was welcomed. But one event occurred to me when I was fifteen
Growing up, I was given the freedom to choose who I wanted to be, to decide what I wanted to do. I grew up with many different opportunities and chances to try out new things. A simple life I led as a child, sheltered and loved by all, but I was oblivious to reality, lost in my own “perfect” world. Yet as I grew up and began to surpass the age of imaginary worlds, the idea of “perfection” had begun to fade and reality began to settle in. Like a splash of cold water, I went from a childish mindset to an adult’s. Child hood play was a thing of the past and responsibility became the norm.
As I have reflected on the examined life, intellectually, physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually, over the span of this semester and applied it to our own life, I have noticed a theme that links each of these dimensions together. Life is a journey of self discovery where individuals are constantly trying to come to terms with who they are as a person. Through this journey, individuals can find their calling or vocation in life, discover their potential, know one’s self, and even just make sense of life. Furthermore, I will examine this theme of self discovery in the context of each dimension and apply it to what I have learned over the course of this semester.