Week 16: Final Blog Post

            The virtues I chose for this semester were relaxation, dauntlessness, and confidence. I personally feel that I was pretty successful in all of my virtues, but I feel that I still have some imperfections that I need to work on. I do not consider myself a completely virtuous being, because I have yet to fully achieve these three virtues. My relaxation virtue has developed a lot in comparison to the beginning of the year. Although I admit, I can get overwhelmed with all the homework given at times, I have learned to alleviate the stress somewhat by planning what to do in a scheduled time. As for my dauntlessness virtue, I think this was the hardest to improve on because I have always been shy. I have had many opportunities to exercise this virtue, and at times I would not feel nervous (mostly with a group), but sometimes on my own I would feel fairly apprehensive. My confidence virtue has advanced quite a bit. My self-esteem level has raised mostly because I have gained assurance in my work. A flaw in this virtue was mostly getting a grade that I did not think I deserved after all the studying/effort I put in it.

Part 2

            Once I leave the Ethics course, I am planning on exercising the five dimensions listed. The first dimension is the mind. In order to develop the mind, I am considering to learn new skills, or abilities that utilize my brain. Some situations that may help me along the way in order to become a good person would be getting involved into more clubs and sports. Furthermore, learning a new language, which I have already started, would also help stimulate the brain, and enrich my vocabulary. However, some circumstances that may restrict me from becoming a good person may be if there are too many things going on at once, that may cause a distraction. By that I mean that issues can pop up in my life that have a negative affect towards me, or unfavorable beliefs from the past may appear out of nowhere. This can result in an overwhelmed and stirred mind.

            Furthermore, the next dimension is relating to one’s emotions. I am planning to prosper in this dimension by controlling my feelings. By that I mean that I want to connect with both my positive and negative emotions in order to link them to what is happening around me. Some instances that may help me develop as a better person would be being more emotionally honest when someone is trying to reach out to me. Being more open with my emotions may allow others to read me better, and have more trust towards me. When I know they are there for me I should share that I am joyful, or even depressed at times, and they can help me when I have those somber feelings. However, some negative situations may be that someone can hurt me (mentally/emotionally) without actually noticing, or vice versa. Someone may not know the effect they are having on others with their critical words, and it may discourage and push down the positive feelings one has.

            In addition, I think that I will advance the dimension of the body by sleeping at an earlier time. This can help my body recharge, and the next morning I may feel refreshed, and ready for the day without feeling tired in between. Some occasions that can allow me to convert to a better person are that I am given less homework from school, at least for a day, granting me more time to rest my body. Also, taking a short nap when I come home, or on the way to school can energize or stimulate my body, so I can run through a full seven hour school day. On the other hand, some circumstances that can challenge my path in becoming a good person may be an overload of homework or exams, causing me to work and study until late at night. Likewise, waking up too early to continue my studies can affect my sleeping schedule, and plus, it can affect the number of hours I will settle my body.

            Moreover, the next dimension is relationships. This can be viewed in various ways; it is not only intimate relationships (boyfriends/girlfriends), but also relationships within the family, as well as friends. In order to become a good person, some situations that may help me achieve this goal can be having gatherings with friends, to get to know them more. That way, we can create a close bond with one another, and have trust prosper within it. As for my family, I can learn to be more grateful, and help them around the house by doing chores and so on. Some obstacles that can cross my growth may be a loss of friendship, or just that a once close friend is slowly drifting into a different crowd of people. That would probably reduce my improvement because I might not want to have close relationships with anyone else because of lack of trust.  

            Finally, the last dimension listed is the soul or spirituality. This honestly is probably going to be the simplest out of all to develop, because I am a Catholic, and I do have personal beliefs. Some conditions that can increase my ability to become a good person can be attending my church more often. Do not get me wrong, I do go to church on Sundays, but I do not go consecutively. This can also be partly a challenge because I may neglect to go when I do not really feel like going. I really want to be determined to go every Sunday, or at least come to confession once in a while, which is when you confess to your priest about all the sins you have done. In addition, I want to start praying before I eat my meal, whether it be breakfast, lunch, or dinner, just to appreciate the food given.