At the start of this semester I was really anxious to learn as much as I could. I wanted to be challenged but at the same time develop new ideas derived from class. I already had the experience of last year so I knew a little bit about what I could expect this year. However, upon the end of this semester I have realized that I have learned much more than I could have expected and my views have been positively affected. It has been an educational experience so far that is far more than I could have imagined. Many of the things I have learned are from the books we read, however other discussions have also been included. It has been marvelous.
The first book that we read split between English and History that affected my ideas was The Healing of America. The topic of this book was on health care systems all over the world. At this time of the year there was also a great health care debate going on in our country. At first I didn't know much about the health care system. Then after learning some information on it and reading about the current state of our health care system I formulated some of my own ideas. But, then I read this book and we started to discuss about health care systems all over the world and in our own country. At this point in time I realized that some of my ideas were impracticable and our discussion exemplified this. Comparing other countries to ours really showed me how we are able to learn things from other countries. This can actually help us, and comparing and contrasting is an interesting way of thinking. It taught me this interesting way of thinking that is extremely valuable to my future.
The next piece of literature that we read that deeply affected my thinking was Sophie's World. The book talked about philosophy and prior to reading it I was limited to my knowledge on philosophy. But the book taught me so much on philosophy but I was always stuck on the same question. The idea was can something come from nothing? Throughout this book, and we even saw it in King Lear, I was continuously perplexed by this question. When was our beginning? This question I wouldn't say has haunted my, but I have continuously thought about it. This is what I think is so great about my thinking. It is about everyday that I think of this question and I deeply do think about it. This is what I am so surprised by. Back to the question, where did we come from? Thinking back we always go back and back, but was there a time when there was nothing before something else. This is what I am stuck on, and I continually think about it.
The final thing that has affected my thinking is something that we do in all three academy classes, current events. Of the two topics that we have currently talked about in my group, abortion, and the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, both have added multiple layers to my opinions or ideas. My views are generally affected and influenced by my religion. Both of these issues that I just mentioned have distinct opinions developed by the Roman Catholic Church. My views on abortion before were strictly confined to let everyone have the opportunity for life. I am still holding this opinion, but our discussion opened up multiple layers to this issue.The same thing happened with our discussion on the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. I was in support of this policy because gays serving openly in our military could have a negative impact on our troops. Our discussion revealed that my views were not as one sided as I thought. Again, multiple layers were revealed. It showed me how deep my thinking really was.
This semester has shown me how elaborate my thinking is, how deep, the many layers it has, and how my thinking has a direct impact on the views and ideas that I form. I have enjoyed this year through the semester, and I can only look at the future and what it holds. I hope that the future, this year, an even the rest of my education can be shaped by the ideas that I form. They are truly my future. I am ready to live up to my future of thinking.
