Alrighty. How about some raw honesty for once?
Hello. I am a Temple University student because they gave me a full tuition scholarship based on my high school academic record and SAT scores. This was probably good judgment on their part considering my straight-A status at their university thus far. When in school, I sacrifice everything else in my life to secure good grades, and as a Pre-Pharmacy student, this dedication to grades is wise in the long run if I want a chance to even be accepted to a Pharmacy school. I have roughly five years of education ahead of me and will probably spend those years living in an apartment in Philadelphia with my younger brother, John. Wait, I can tolerate my sibling being within close vicinity of me?! Sure, we have common interests such as art and riding, among several other things. He may possibly be my only real friend in Philly as I refuse to sacrifice homework time to attend frat parties and befriend the most unenlightened people of Temple. However, when we procure an apartment this summer, one of my stipulations is that we will be able to hold parties there and build a new social life at our comfort.
But don't get me wrong. School, in my opinion, is not my whole life, as it may seem. It hardly has my heart anymore, but it does have my rational and long-term-goal-oriented mind. I am using this career path as a tool to a better, self-sufficient future in which I can pursue my passions comfortably. My heart lies in my hobbies and interests, and to name the biggies: art (several mediums), horses, learning and reading, writing, the environment, yoga and meditation, exercise and bike riding, nutrition and organic/fair trade/eco-friendly food products, longevity... well, etcetera. I am also just now pursuing the seemingly formidable task of learning a musical instrument for the first time in my life after graciously receiving a keyboard in late December 2006. I also have aspirations of having published writing, being an "accomplished" artist, designing a full-fledged website from scratch HTML, writing/directing/shooting a film, owning a hybrid or zero-pollution car, owning a personal farmette with many animals, owning a skate(or "bike")park, running a small business of some sort, raising a child in a way that they grow up to be someone bigger than myself (because they'll have more self-confidence), composing my own music (already partially accomplished!), and contributing to important social and environmental movements. Note: no mention of acquiring a hubbie. I would also like to learn through travel and finally crawl out of my shell to interact with all of the strange but interesting people out there who alienate me. I want to lead a joyful and productive life more than anything, with the ultimate goal that I will at last feel a sense of satisfaction, contentment, and possibly even a little self-esteem by the time I have reached my death bed. I can only hope that I will have the courage, heart, and motivation to pursue my dreams without the emotional faltering and depressions that I currently battle.
As for religion, I govern my thoughts and actions, decisions and behavior, through my own set of moral tenets that I have developed through experience, analysis of what I observe, critical thinking, meditation, and internal desires. In this way, I can become more moral than most so-called Christians I have encountered and who get all the damn moral credit in this country, and therefore I believe that subscribing to a religion and the rules and dogma therein is not an effective way of becoming a "good person". If I could liken my life philosophy to any "religion", I would reference the Eight-Fold Path in Buddhism. One of my main personal tenets in life is that one's rights (and freedoms) end where another being's rights begin; in other words, I should minimize suffering and abstain from actions that can harm other people. Comprende?
As you may have noticed, I define myself more by my future plans than by my past. That's because my past has been much less than sanguine, and I feel that I wasn't really living for the longest time. It is hard to pursue happiness and dreams when you're in a kennel. Cheers to the future! Carpe diem, right?
