Teddy Bruski

Oct. 7, 2012

Journal Exemplar

What are the big truths that you hold to be true and which form the foundation
of your identity? Are you open to having those truths questioned and
overturned?

We human beings are a construction of many different things: our past
experiences, our culture, the influence of our parents, society, and school.
Consequently, each one of us is different. We each hold our own truths and
possess our own personal knowledge.
There are some things that we hold to be true which are extremely
important to us and form the foundation of our identity and self while there are
other truths which we hold which are not nearly as important to us. Truths
which form our identity are like large rocks; they are heavy and difficult to
move. Those things that are important to us have a large emotional
component which cause us to hold onto those beliefs even more. The more
emotionally connected we are to something the harder it is to let go of.
Meanwhile, things that are rationally deduced can just as easily be rationally
deconstructed.
The branches of truth that I hold onto most and form the basis of my
identity tend to be related to ethics, politics, and religion. One of my core
beliefs is that all human beings are created equal and therefore should be
treated equally regardless of their gender, wealth, skin color, religion, or
sexual orientation. Id like to think that I am open to having this belief
challenged but I find it hard to believe that some evidence could come along
that would overturn this belief in the basic equality of all people. It seems self-
evident. This belief in the equality of all humans doesnt mean that I think that
all human beings can do things equally well or that elements of all cultures are
acceptable (I do have some stereotypes and think that certain things other
cultures do is wrong, such as forcing women to marry their rapists in certain
Islamic states or marrying off girls when they are not even teenagers in
certain parts of India), but I think I think these cultures are wrong because
they are not respecting the basic rights of all people.
I have been taught since a young age that Jesus Christ is our savior
and that Christianity is the one true religion. It would be hard for me to
overturn this belief. Im not even sure how open I am to having this personal
truth questioned as it forms such a strong part of my identity. I know that there
are other people out there who believe in different gods or who dont believe
in god at all. I suppose the difficult thing about religion is that it is based on
faith in something that cant be seen. It just has to be trusted. And how do you
question that? I have a cousin who is an atheist and he seems like a good
person and he claims that he doesnt need religion to help him to live a good
life but I think religion is the core of what makes us human and separates us
from animals and therefore my religion is very important to me.
My political beliefs are tied to my ethical beliefs. I support political
groups that try to make the world a better place by appreciating the equality of
others and helping to protect the poor. I believe that some people werent as
lucky as I was when they were born. I have two loving parents who earned
good money and gave me wonderful opportunities. Do I take advantage of
others because of my head start or do I try to make the world a better place
by giving everyone the same opportunities as I had? I have seen other people
when they get old get more conservative, more concerned with money, and
more concerned with their own kids than with society in general so I guess it
is possible that when I get older I will go through the same type of thing but I
really want to hold onto my political beliefs because I think these beliefs are
the only way the world is going to get better than it is now.
In summary, the truths I hold onto are strongly based in my emotions
and my upbringing. I would like to think that I am open to having these views
challenged but it would be difficult to give up some of these beliefs. If my
truths are going to change I suspect it will be a slow and gradual process
rather than a eureka moment.