Reflection

Please reflect on your thoughts with regard to Freedom and Responsibility,

including Individual Responsibility to Society, (look back at the questions for
ournal !" your personal philosophy of freedom and of being a citi#en in your
country$% Reflect on your thoughts about these definitions before you took the
course, and your thoughts about them now, after completing the course material%
&ou may also refer to the thought process you went through in the 'eekly
(iscussions, with regard to un)ust laws, race, freedom, responsibility and war, etc%
*ave any of your assumptions or understandings changed since taking the
*umanities course+ 'hy or 'hy not+ 'hat assignments,activities,readings were
most influential in this process+ -s a result, how might you approach these topics
differently in your future+
Before beginning Salt Lake Community Colleges Humanities 1100 course, I had
already formed many opinions, my on sort of philosophy regarding freedom, citi!enry,
un"ust las, race, ar, and the en#ironment$ I take pride in the fact that I ha#e taken the
initiati#e to continue to inform and educate myself on these #ery topics, e#en hen I ha#e
not been enrolled in a formal educational institution$ In fact, this is a part of my
definition of hat it means to be a good citi!en of the %nited States of &merica$ I am an
a#id reader and consumer of the nes and en"oy learning about ne and #arious topics$ I
ha#e had the good fortune of orking in a field that has surrounded me ith people of a
ide #ariety of nationalities, taken me to di#erse locales around the globe, and
familiari!ed me ith a comprehensi#e scope of ideas and issues humanity faces daily$
Because of my career, along ith my upbringing and pre#ious education, I find I ha#e
become 'uite open and understanding to other peoples perspecti#es and backgrounds$ I
ha#e learned through life that one should take nothing at face #alue and generally there
are many sides, not "ust to sides, to e#ery issue$
&s I mentioned before, I belie#e part of being a good %S citi!en in#ol#es making
the effort to stay informed on hat is going on in ones communities (( local, stateide,
national, and international$ It also means taking an acti#e role in those communities
through acti#ities such as #oting, participating in protests and demonstrations, and
helping neighbors$ )his is ho e may maintain and e*pand upon our freedom$
&merican society struggles ith trying to maintain to different forms of freedom
simultaneously+ indi#idual freedom and common freedom$ Indi#idual freedom grants
one the ability to make decisions and choices for oneself regarding ones actions,
thoughts, religious practice, and sociali!ations$ Common freedom allos for total
e'uality and ignores class stratification, economic ell(being, race, se*ual orientation,
and religious affiliation ,or lack thereof-$ )hese to forms of freedom clash hen an
indi#idual e*ercises a freedom that conflicts ith anothers, discriminates against a group
of people, and does not allo for common e'uality$ )his may also occur hen those
indi#iduals try to cement their beliefs in the creation of ne, un"ust las$ In our nations
history, race and religion ha#e been big moti#ators for the creation of these types of las$
It is in these moments that I belie#e it is important for one to participate as a citi!en and
#ote, protest, or demonstrate, e#en if it is not an issue by hich one is directly affected$ I
belie#e ar is generally about poer, poer of one group of people o#er another$ .e
engage in it more often than not because it is easier than the alternati#es of
understanding, negotiating, and compromising$ It is only truly necessary hen these
other alternati#es ha#e been attempted and failed in order to stop great atrocities to
humankind$ It should be our last resort and e could all ha#e a little more regard for ho
precious life is$ &nd hen it comes to nature and the en#ironment, e could ha#e more
of this same respect for life, not "ust our on, but that of our fello humans and the other
creatures and plants that help keep the planet balanced$
)hese are all opinions I ha#e been forming o#er the course of my life$ )hey ha#e
e#ol#ed o#er time as I ha#e learned more, but I am no at a point in my life that the
continual e#olution is subtle and more in the details$ )his Humanities course therefore
has ser#ed as a means to enhance my thinking and opinions and has backed up my
personal philosophy$ I as especially taken ith the final theme for the course,
/esponses to 0ature$ It has helped to make me more aare of ho I can be a better
steard to our planet and ho certain actions I choose can ad#ersely affect this one place
e all call home$