9/21 Week Response

"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not a truth." (Marcus Aurelius, Roman leader, philosopher, Stoic). 

Coming away from something with just one fact or truth is often rare because everyone interprets things in their own, unique way. When this quote says that everything we hear is an opinion, it is saying that even if five different people were there for the same thing, not all five people took away the same exact thing as the others did. Facts are only facts when it has truthful evidence to back it up. Without evidence, everything is just an opinion because again, we all interpret things in our own ways. Going off of the second sentence, as human beings, we all have our own individual perspectives. Like what we hear is an opinion, most human beings have their own perspective on things and this is what makes the world unique. The world is so unique because each individual perceives things in their own way. If this weren’t true, our world would be full of walking robots for humans. I agree whole-heartedly with this quote, and believe that without evidence, everything is just what we, as individuals perceive.

My Plan

Most lives are lived with the thought of what is to come. I believe that this is the reason there is so much depression in the world. People go through life trying to guess what the future holds which a lot of the time leads to failure. I have been able to witness this by growing up in the “South Bay Bubble” in which outside pressure gets the best of people. I admit that I use to be a victim of the bubble in which my entire life revolved around certain outcomes and what the future holds. However, with the tragic passing of one of my best friends, Mason, I began to realize that maybe the future wasn’t as important as the present.

            My goal for the future is to try and slow down the present. I grew up with the sole purpose of becoming as rich as I could possibly become. I thought that if I did this, then all the good will have to follow. However, my parents use to always say, “If you had to choose wealth or happiness, which would you choose?” Due to my immaturity, I would answer wealth in a heartbeat because I just always thought of happiness as a subunit of wealth. As I mature, I realize that when I slow down my life and begin to smell the roses, and realize that the gift of life itself is truly priceless. Happiness is a virtue. Life is nothing short of a gift and we are so incredibly lucky to be given each and every day. Once people begin to realize that greed leads to a dead end, while respect, love, and most importantly happiness leads to a road of endless opportunities, this is when they will truly be able to enjoy the gift of life.