In Summary
To be entirely honest, this week sucked. As I walked out of my school for the last time as a senior, I felt stressed about the days to come. The rest of my week was categorized by feelings of profound internal pressures, fueled by the various ceremonies and events about to take place. My motivation to do basic tasks evaporated into thin air. My diet flew off the rails, my sleep schedule changed every night, and ironically enough, feelings of loneliness besieged me.
However, I don’t want today’s article to be a reflection of my negative state of mind, but to give an opportunity to focus on the positive forces for change this week. In Monday's article, I explained how my conversation with an older gentlemen guided my decision to write about rights and responsibilities. While I hesitate to say it was fate, I’ll admit that it has extremely difficult for me to discuss these two topics during my final week in high school.
Understanding your own values gives you insight not only into your life, but into the lives of others around you. I’ve spent the duration of my week reflecting specifically on this point. What do I value, and why? Unfortunately, I’ve made very little progress in seeking out the answer to this difficult question. Perhaps existential questions like these are to be asked over the course of a lifetime, not to be answered in a few short days.
As I move into adulthood, I have to ask myself hard questions, like the ones presented this week, but so must you. It isn’t optional. Thinking critically about the world around me is my way of accepting responsibility, but in the process, I forget the most basic of obligations, like friends and family. My emotional state is a consequence of these decisions.
Even tonight, someone looked at me and said, “I know you think you’re all that, but you’ve got a lot of growing up to do.” One common misconception people believe is that those who seek out the truth - the honest and hard to face truth - believe they are better than everyone else. As a result, people misconstrued my rigid personality for pridefulness.
So in reflection, I’m not pleased with my work this week. Could I have done better? Maybe. But what matters is this: hopefully the effort which I put into this week will leave a positive impression on the life of someone reading this. And for me, that’s enough.
The pursuit of proper values, by focusing on rights and responsibilities, is an endeavor worth striving for. This week has been intellectually challenging, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.