My Personal Philosophy: Reflection
In my view, my defining characteristic is my constant reflection. Others may categorize me as an overachiever, a considerate friend, a musician or possibly an artist, a procrastinator, a mathematician or scientist, or a very clumsy and stubborn teenager. What makes me all of these things, however, is my need and ability to reflect on every aspect of my life; past, present, and future; and to philosophize about matters beyond my own mundane existence. I have an intense sense of focus, which sometimes causes problems when I should be paying attention to more than one thing at a time, but I identify myself by this aspect of my personality without shame. I value reflecting on and considering one’s own actions, thoughts and experiences; and beyond that, one’s goal in life, views on social issues, and values themselves. In theory, a person can learn more about themself and the life around them in this way and live more completely as a result.
Reflection has a relatively concise meaning to me. To reflect on something is to think about it, trying to forget about what’s usual or accepted. I aim to think beyond the boundaries I have built myself. Reflection does not start out with a goal; it wanders like a dream but not without structure. It is a reverie in which simple things become complex and complicated things become clear. To reflect on oneself, it is possible to consider a personality trait, past experience, tendency in actions or judgment, or even plan for the future, and consider it in every possible light. The careful philosophical examination of anything will bring out possibilities and realities that would never have been otherwise discovered.
My belief is that reflection will benefit the individual and the individual can bring about positive change. I think that by actively critiquing and changing oneself, a person has the opportunity to become a person who has more acceptance for themself as well as for the reality they live in and a better understanding of how they can change the world to better coincide with their ideals. Optimism need not be blind acceptance but the will and wisdom to bring about change for the better. I see the world as a beautiful place, but it is not that way because it is untouched; it is that way because it is constantly shaped and transformed. None of that could be true without the tenacity and optimism of generations upon generations of deep thinkers. Some are known as philosophers and some are known as leaders, but most are barely noticed, playing a part the way they see fit. However they see themselves needs to be constantly revisited and their priorities must occasionally be reorganized. Without self-evaluation in this way, there would be no motivation, no intricately interwoven beliefs and values clusters, no structured points of view to work from. Deciding who we are is one of the great challenges of the human race. I hold this belief close to my core because I believe that every positive change in the world comes from a positive change in a person, and every positive change in a person comes from that person taking a closer look at themself, what they hold true, and what they believe to be good and right.
This affects me every moment of every day by guiding how I see myself, others, and situations, and therefore how I think and act. An honest inspection of my values revealed to me recently that my “world” is much smaller than I had thought. I want to make a great difference to the people I care about most, but people in a far-off place matter far less to me. Knowing this, I decided I must either expand my view of the world or else come to terms with my current state of mind. I want to be a globally minded citizen who will someday make a difference on a much greater scale than my immediate community. Yet I see in myself a certain disregard for the rest of the world as long as my friends and family are safe and happy. I see prioritizing that conflicts with my hope to think on a larger scale. Had I not realized this, I could call myself a hypocrite, talking about the world and acting only on the interests of those I know personally. This is exactly what I’m trying to assess: the ways in which my values conflict and the possible solutions to make my mind sort itself out. Every day I consider what I discovered most recently and try to apply my slightly new way of thinking. I will judge people differently and react to situations differently with everything I learn.
Reflection is, in essence, no more than an inward focus in the middle of an outward-looking society. It is important to me to be as critical of myself as everyone else. Knowing what I think, I can then act on my well-established beliefs. As Mahatma Gandhi said so eloquently, “We must become the change we wish to see in the world.” My hope is to live up to my own ideals.
Reflection has a relatively concise meaning to me. To reflect on something is to think about it, trying to forget about what’s usual or accepted. I aim to think beyond the boundaries I have built myself. Reflection does not start out with a goal; it wanders like a dream but not without structure. It is a reverie in which simple things become complex and complicated things become clear. To reflect on oneself, it is possible to consider a personality trait, past experience, tendency in actions or judgment, or even plan for the future, and consider it in every possible light. The careful philosophical examination of anything will bring out possibilities and realities that would never have been otherwise discovered.
My belief is that reflection will benefit the individual and the individual can bring about positive change. I think that by actively critiquing and changing oneself, a person has the opportunity to become a person who has more acceptance for themself as well as for the reality they live in and a better understanding of how they can change the world to better coincide with their ideals. Optimism need not be blind acceptance but the will and wisdom to bring about change for the better. I see the world as a beautiful place, but it is not that way because it is untouched; it is that way because it is constantly shaped and transformed. None of that could be true without the tenacity and optimism of generations upon generations of deep thinkers. Some are known as philosophers and some are known as leaders, but most are barely noticed, playing a part the way they see fit. However they see themselves needs to be constantly revisited and their priorities must occasionally be reorganized. Without self-evaluation in this way, there would be no motivation, no intricately interwoven beliefs and values clusters, no structured points of view to work from. Deciding who we are is one of the great challenges of the human race. I hold this belief close to my core because I believe that every positive change in the world comes from a positive change in a person, and every positive change in a person comes from that person taking a closer look at themself, what they hold true, and what they believe to be good and right.
This affects me every moment of every day by guiding how I see myself, others, and situations, and therefore how I think and act. An honest inspection of my values revealed to me recently that my “world” is much smaller than I had thought. I want to make a great difference to the people I care about most, but people in a far-off place matter far less to me. Knowing this, I decided I must either expand my view of the world or else come to terms with my current state of mind. I want to be a globally minded citizen who will someday make a difference on a much greater scale than my immediate community. Yet I see in myself a certain disregard for the rest of the world as long as my friends and family are safe and happy. I see prioritizing that conflicts with my hope to think on a larger scale. Had I not realized this, I could call myself a hypocrite, talking about the world and acting only on the interests of those I know personally. This is exactly what I’m trying to assess: the ways in which my values conflict and the possible solutions to make my mind sort itself out. Every day I consider what I discovered most recently and try to apply my slightly new way of thinking. I will judge people differently and react to situations differently with everything I learn.
Reflection is, in essence, no more than an inward focus in the middle of an outward-looking society. It is important to me to be as critical of myself as everyone else. Knowing what I think, I can then act on my well-established beliefs. As Mahatma Gandhi said so eloquently, “We must become the change we wish to see in the world.” My hope is to live up to my own ideals.