Evolution

Michael McCarley

Mary Louis Hill

This I Believe Essay

October 14, 2016

Evolution

All through history people have followed their own as well as the collective beliefs of those around them. These sets of beliefs are what is currently know as creeds or credos. I believe everyone, everywhere, no matter which age, race, or gender has a strong  set of convictions or even something else that they allow to guide themselves. Personally speaking, I believe that people develop these creeds and credos to assist themselves in the process of finding the answers to the specific truths that they seek in their own lives. Some of the most commons depictions of creeds could be seen as peoples belief in Gods, or the Ten Commandments, or even the Declaration of Independence. These are all examples of an outside source assisting people to a means to an end or even the path to a new beginning. Without dreams, ideas, and strong beliefs there would be no means toward forward progression, toward evolution.

There are no special rules or regulations and deciding what to believe in, but it is alone mine as well as your choice as individuals to place you ideals into something. I also have my own set of convictions and beliefs. I believe in strong relationships with other people, as well as the pursuit towards personal development and success. Interacting with others allows me to experience different opinions and lifestyles which can help me reevaluate and recreate myself and the way I think through the personal experiences with other people and how they live their lives and view the world around them. It is very important to me to grow as an individual so I try not to be biased in regard to any person or anything that I involve myself with. This allows me to mature as an individual and open my eyes to the endless and infinite possibilities all around me. I believe it to be very valuable to be able to take in everything in the world around me and reflect on it personal to help further develop my views and beliefs through me own perception. It is important to see things through the eyes and beliefs of others so that you do not create a biased opinion of the world around yourself. 

During my time in high school I went on my very first retreat called Kairos. This retreat was a very influential and key experience for the person that I am today. The entire purpose of the retreat is to cut us students off from the many distractions of the world so that we can completely focus on the personal development of ourselves as well as understanding the significance of the interaction with others. During this retreat we students were constantly called to reevaluate our core values and dig deep enough to speak up on the ideas and motives lying dormant in our hearts. We needed to look upon past experiences and to analyze them and to adapt so that we could improve our current lives and to create a certain type of belief that we could follow religiously. By the time the retreat was over I had completely reconstructed myself as a whole from the way that I thought to the people I chose to interact with. I sought to further improve myself personally so that it would assist me to seeing the world in a new light so that I could improve my interpersonal skills to truly appreciate the significance of the other people in my life.

So in a way you can say what I truly believe in is evolution. The ability to constantly adapt and to improve ourselves as a people. I mustn't be swayed by the temptations to blindly follow and not adapt and reflect on all the things around me. As human beings we are very complex and at the same time so very simple. What we seek is purpose, personal growth, and self accomplishment. As long as I can follow what I believe and continue to reflect and act on my reflections on the world around me, it is possible to achieve my goals of existence. What people need is to be an INDIVIDUAL, molded and formed by past experiences, present reflections, and aspirations for the future. I must always move forward and continue to grow as a person, only then do I believe a person will have life a  truly satisfied life.