My Life Philosophy - Assignment Example

My Life Philosophy This essay considers my personal philosophy from a number of perspectives. While I am a Muslim and follow very strongly in Muslim beliefs, I understand that one’s life philosophy encapsulates a number of diverse things that are not entirely included in religion. As a result, the topics of success as well as education are considered in addition to my religious philosophy. Rather than merely listing off my personal beliefs, I make the best effort possible to describe how my life philosophy came to exist in such a manner. On Religion Today I am a devout follower of the Muslim faith; however this was not always the case. Having experienced Western culture to a great extent my life philosophy had begun to take on such a tenor. It wasn’t until my visit to the Iran that I became more in touch with my religious background. My mother was trying to be religious, so one of the essential stops on the trip was at the Jāmeh Mosque of Isfahān. The people have a routine to visit the mosque every Friday, which is why they call the mosques in Iran Friday mosques. The spiritual feeling inside the mosque, the architecture that helps you feel comfortable spending many hours with a huge amount of people, all praying at the same time, made this the best part of the trip, and a changing point in my life philosophy. I remember walking throughout open area and viewing the iwan walls and thinking about the thousands of peoples who have walked in these very same areas and thought similar things. The meaning for me was to make me feel very small and insignificant when compared with the entire progress of history and time. The mosque led me to consider the nature of my own life and realize that while my problems seem large in the grand scale of humanity they are actually quite small. For me, the mosque emanated this holy feeling more so than a western church, as the entire Iranian population and indeed the city seemed to center around the structure. Since my visit to this mosque I have been a devout follower of the Muslim faith. I believe that there is only one God, Allah, and that Muhammad is his messenger. I have a belief in the afterlife that is preordained by Allah. I also believe in the Five Pillars of faith and make my best effort to adhere to their tenants in my daily life. Among these include the Salah or ritual prayer. This ritual is an essential part of my life philosophy as it constantly reminds me that my ultimate purpose in existence is my relation with Allah. I also take troubles to adhere to Zakat which states that individuals should participate in alms-giving when possible. Some of way beliefs are somewhat controversial in Western culture. I believe that law and religion should be united and that the same belief can be extended to the separation of church and state. In addition to these beliefs I attempt to follow a conservative lifestyle. On Success My understanding of success in terms of my life philosophy has significantly changed as I have matured. Growing up, success meant money. Lots of money. I used to watch television and see the movies stars and famous people and think that they lived in an ideal world where they had access to unlimited fun and enjoyment. I wasn’t sure what they did with their money, but I was reasonably sure it at least consisted of all night video gaming, unlimited ice cream and pizza, and a carnival in your backyard. As I progressed through life and my expectations changed and I began to define success as social acceptance and respect. As one’s concerns are not always directly focused on subsistence, so success became tied to popularity. The most successful people were clearly those who had all the parties, had attractive boyfriends and girlfriends, and sat at the right lunch tables. Today I look back at this adolescent phase and consider that while my understanding of success was widely shared, I can’t help but feel it was rooted in an illusionary understanding of reality and what is important in life. Today I define success much differently. Rather than viewing success in terms of other people, I understand success as a matter of personal meaning and social contribution. I think that it’s important that human beings live their lives with purpose. While this may be an aspect of my Muslim beliefs, I believe that it is an important concept that is important in the lives of all individuals. Too often people are caught seeking acceptance from others and personal wealth as they believe these things constitute success and personal happiness, when in actuality they are a mirage. True success is living life to one’s full potential in ways that contribute to the world in positive ways. For me, this means seeking out and sharing new and interesting ideas, living with a social conscience, and a sense of morality. I’m not a stoic, and I believe life is full of enjoyment, but if we are to achieve a lasting sense of accomplishment it must come from a personally defined sense of meaning and purpose. This is the true definition of success. On Education One of the predominant goals in my life is to receive an education. Education is central to my life philosophy as I believe that it is the responsibility of all individuals to learn about their surroundings and become educated in the ways and means that they can best contribute to humanity. One of the main changes I have experienced since beginning my University education is my reason for learning. I’ve began to think that education is more than just for finding a good job and that it can be for personal development. By extending my knowledge of various cultures, people, and ideas I strive to become a more interesting and thoughtful person. I think a student taking a course should have more vested in it than getting a science credit out-of-the-way. I view education more in terms of wisdom and culture and realize and am now more excited about the opportunity to learn more about the world and deepen my critical thinking skills. I didn’t not always view education this way and my life philosophy in this respect has changed during my university experience. In high school I went through my classes because they were required and I never gave much critical thinking to the purpose of learning, or how it can influence my thoughts and the way I see the world. I now think it’s important to not only learn what you’re told, but to learn to question these things. I’ve also learned the importance of individual study and reflection. Even though there was homework in high school the vast majority of learning took place within the classroom. The actual amount of hours spent in school was significantly more and it seemed that a certain amount of assignments existed merely to manage the class and make sure everybody stayed busy and didn’t misbehave. At university, a much greater amount of time is spent outside of class studying and a great amount of responsibility is placed on the student to ensure that they are grasping the material and advancing their intellectual capabilities. The classroom setting at university is more of a place of reflection, where I can compare what I learned with other students in a collaborative atmosphere. This change has been extended into my personal philosophy as I have learned the importance of personal responsibility, as well as how remaining motivated and organized are essential elements for all individuals. Ultimately, without this personal reflection and education I believe society cannot advance and that things such as racism and general cultural misunderstanding will continue to persist. It is for these reasons that education is central to my philosophy of life. Read More