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Beliefs and individuality

Written by Researcher Huiseo Veronica Lee

Seoul, August 2020

 

Robert Frost said, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I – I took the one less

traveled by, and that has made all the difference”. Every individuals take different paths and

roads throughout their lives, which when authentic, is often stationary rather than mobile. One’s

belief should be based on exclusively his or her knowledge, thinking, opinion, and more rather

than society’s expectations and trend. However, this is clearly not the case status quo, as public’s

reliance on majority is endlessly increasing, thus creating a environment susceptible to social

conformity. In other words, individuals must reach recognition and acceptance of their own

perspective and identity in order to build a genuine belief. So the crucial question is : How can

one achieve an original individuality ?

 

The answer to this question is fundamentally inextricable as every human being struggle to

provide a solution for it. Nevertheless, the process for resolution invariably includes experiences.

Our lives consist of innumerable events, experience after experience, again highlighting

existence of humanity. Traveling to Arctic Pole and contemplating over an enchanting aurora

could be an ecstatic experience, losing loved ones by a few thoughtless triggers or selfish desires

might be an annihilating experience, and even simply failing an exam after months of hard work

may be an infuriating experience. These acquaintances all contributes to disparate

acknowledgements and understandings according to one’s emotions and ration. Yet, the mere

identical effects of diverse involvements are establishment of singular character and principles.

As one undergoes exposure to limitless senses ( including visual, auditory, somatosensory,

olfactory, and gustatory ) and sentiments, he or she develops distinct reason and sophistication of

one’s own. To create a concrete foundation for individual’s reasoning is crucial to achieve

improvement as it supports one’s identity as a whole, which is one of the reasons why education

is universally conceived so significant. Nowadays, increasing population possess no opinion,

merely following what society demands, seeing that only 53 percent of Americans asserted their

voting rights in 2018 elections. This phenomenon is directly influenced by the lack of reason

people acquire during their daily lives. Most of office workers withstand equal life cycle, a

repetition of sleeping, working, and eating, when escape from monotony, experiences out of the

 

ordinary is the key for constructing beliefs. Every adventure has something to learn from as it

incorporates valuable experience.

 

“Just when you think you know something, you have to look at it in another way. Even

though it may seem silly or wrong, you must try” says John Keating from my all time favorite

movie “Dead Poet’s Society”. As humans are the only animals that can reason, we must utilize

the implement to become one of a kind, and that is to experience life in as many ways as

possible.

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