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Why do you think Fr. Lawton says the “journey to be oneself” seems the riskiest of all journeys? What risks lie ahead as you embark on your college career, and the “adventure” of discovering and becoming yourself? Fr. Lawton is right when he says the journey to be oneself is among the most difficult in life. The truth is that everyone in the material world there is temptation and pressure to be someone you are not. It is very important to focus on what guides you in your spiritual life.
This is what should direct you. I find this easiest to do through prayer. Prayer is very important to me. It is the foundation of my personal spiritual life. Dialogue with my god is so important. In combination with meditation, prayer is a cleansing and healing process. For me being true to myself and prayer go hand and hand as it is important to have guidance and be directed through prayer. Prayer is the scaffolding upon which personal integrity is built. Integrity means having sound moral principles and being honest and upright and praying every day.
In our contemporary world it is clear we have a serious lack of these important principles. There are so many risks young people have to face when they go to college, among them drugs and alcohol and children born out of wedlock. We need to face these facts with prayer and integrity. It is not enough to say that it is important to have integrity—we must take steps to instil it where it is lacking. A good place to begin in this regard is with a model of leadership that was recently revealed to me as I was praying.
This is the model I try to live up to in my prayer-filled personal life. It is also a model which I believe has roots in the Quran. I read the Quran when I wake in the morning and when I prepare for sleep in the evening. To begin with step one: discerning what is right and what is wrong is not an innate behavior or characteristic; it is learned. Education is key to building up this moral faculty. This faculty is built up through experience and through principles. In a country as politically complicated and as diverse as the United States, this takes a lot of work.
We can’t shirk from hard work; we must embrace it. Prayer can help guide us in this. We must resist the temptations of college and be true to ourselves. We must find ourselves and love ourselves. Step two: Sometimes integrity means acting on what you have discerned, even at personal cost. Our society prizes people who go along to get along. But being true to yourself, no matter the cost is what is truly valuable. You must say no to temptation. This more than likely will cause animosity, fear, loss of friendship and even, cost you your job or divide your family.
The choice is a hard one; turning to faith is the best way to find an answer. Few can doubt that the world out there today is full of complexity and difficult choices. It can be very hard to be true to yourself and honest with the spiritual being you believe in. It is more important than ever before to pray a lot and listen to His direction.
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