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Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Final Blog Post: This I Believe Essay
I believe in the ability to do all things in life with integrity. I was raised to believe in the strength in one's word and to always follow commitment with the best effort you can put forth. To me, the most important thing that you can establish are bonds of trust with your fellow man. In today's world this trust can sometimes feel superficial, with hidden agendas seemingly looming over every relationship one builds. Those who were raised like I was can begin to feel as though integrity is some relic of days past, but this is not the case. I have witnessed some of the most breathtaking displays of this so called ancient art recently when storms violently battered our home of Middle Tennessee. In early march of this year tornadoes sacked many communities in and around Nashville with ferocity. Immediately after the clouds broke, thousands of volunteers poured into the affected areas to help with cleanup and search and rescue. These people were not necessarily equipped to deal with this trauma, but nevertheless they endured as a beacon of hope for those who lost everything. In some cases, volunteers were giving up parts of there homes to refugees, donations that many really couldn't afford, and countless hours scouring the rubble to find any survivors. They didn't sacrifice so much for any personal gain, they did it out of a sense of duty and integrity. Many of the volunteers will remain nameless and faceless, but their acts of empathy, compassion, and integrity will live on for a lifetime in the hearts of those that they helped. For someone who values integrity like I do, those actions sparked thoughts and feelings that I still don't understand. The one thing that I do know is that I believe the power of integrity lies within all mankind and I will continue to honor them by refining and applying my own integrity into everything that I do.
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I was raised learning to have integrity as well. I often do things out of the simplicity of what I believe is right. I see it occur often as well. I hear people talk about all the wrong in our world, however never see anything good, even if there are many people out there doing good. I value everyone who does things out of their own good, and especially since as you said, none of these people get recognized .
ReplyDeleteSection 5
In the end, nothing is more valuable than an earned reputation for integrity and decency. I'd like to believe we all have it in us, though too many never find and express it. Difficult times do bring it out of the best of us, though.
ReplyDeleteI was sorry to hear that TIB was no longer accepting submissions, I hope that changes and you get an opportunity to post this there.
https://thisibelieve.org/guidelines/
DeleteAlthough we are no longer accepting new essays on our website, we thought we would share these essay writing suggestions in case you wished to write an essay for your own benefit. Writing your own statement of personal belief can be a powerful tool for self-reflection. It can also be a wonderful thing to share with family, friends, and colleagues. To guide you through this process, we offer these suggestions:
Tell a story about you: Be specific. Take your belief out of the ether and ground it in the events that have shaped your core values. Consider moments when belief was formed or tested or changed. Think of your own experience, work, and family, and tell of the things you know that no one else does. Your story need not be heart-warming or gut-wrenching—it can even be funny—but it should be real. Make sure your story ties to the essence of your daily life philosophy and the shaping of your beliefs.
Be brief: Your statement should be between 500 and 600 words. That’s about three minutes when read aloud at your natural pace.
Name your belief: If you can’t name it in a sentence or two, your essay might not be about belief. Also, rather than writing a list, consider focusing on one core belief.
Be positive: Write about what you do believe, not what you don’t believe. Avoid statements of religious dogma, preaching, or editorializing.
Be personal: Make your essay about you; speak in the first person. Avoid speaking in the editorial “we.” Tell a story from your own life; this is not an opinion piece about social ideals. Write in words and phrases that are comfortable for you to speak. We recommend you read your essay aloud to yourself several times, and each time edit it and simplify it until you find the words, tone, and story that truly echo your belief and the way you speak.
For this project, we are also guided by the original This I Believe series and the producers’ invitation to those who wrote essays in the 1950s. Their advice holds up well. Please consider it carefully in writing your piece.
In introducing the original series, host Edward R. Murrow said, “Never has the need for personal philosophies of this kind been so urgent.” We would argue that the need is as great now as it was 65 years ago.