Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Blog 13: Meaning of life


Meaning of life is something that I find myself struggling with.  This chapter was extremely interesting to me because it forced me to think about and challenge many own values.  One thing that has continually come in the school counseling program has been the idea that I determine my own attitude towards events.  Whenever I find myself getting angry or upset, I remind myself that I am deciding to feel this way; no one has the power to make me feel this way.  Corey and Corey (2010) discussed this idea and how it related to Holocaust survivors and how they were able to view what happened to them.  They found that several of them were able to get past the torture and realize that they still had a choice in how they wanted to respond to what happened (Corey & Corey, 2010).
A philosophy of life is something that seems overwhelming to develop.  Before reading this chapter, I thought that a philosophy of life was something that only scientists and theorists had, but I realized that my philosophy of life does not have to be set in stone, but it can be ever changing.  It can be something that is fluid and adapts to fit your lifestyle.  As suggested by Corey and Corey (2010), I am extremely excited to read Don Miguel Ruiz’s book about The Four Agreements Companion Book.  Immediately after reading this section I looked up the book and purchased it on amazon.  I have found that I tend to judge my own thoughts and opinions and I want to discover my beliefs and feel confident in them.  Additionally I found the four agreements very interesting.  The one that ruminated with me the most was, “don’t take anything personally” (Corey & Corey, 2010, p. 380).  I am consistently finding myself getting offended by mild personal remarks.  I tend to be a people pleaser and therefore when I do something that does not appeal to another person, I find myself over analyzing and stressing over it.  Sometimes I need to realize that whatever happened was not meant to be taken so personally.
In conclusion, one quote that really stuck out to me was, “if you are secure in your values and basic beliefs, you will not be threatened by those who have a different set of beliefs and values” (Corey & Corey, 2010, p. 387).  I need to remember that not everyone is going to agree with me and that is ok.  If everyone agreed, it would be an extremely boring world.  I need to be honest with myself and not change my belief system to appeal to others.  My values are important to me, but they do not have to be important to anyone else.

Corey, G. & Corey, M. S. (2010). Death and Loss. In Brooks/Cole (9th edition), I Never Knew I Had a Choice. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.

No comments:

Post a Comment