Theology Journal

            “The Unexamined life is not worth living. This phrase by Socrates ties into the 5 foundational lessons. The first lesson says that we are always making decisions in the world which affect others and me. The second lesson says we are unavoidably biased. The third says value judgments affect my happiness and health. The fourth says any change in beliefs change my life and the fifth says that the most significant decisions are faith decisions. Without looking at these lessons, we might hurt others by the way we treat them or let are biasness turn to prejudice. We also might lead ourselves down a way to believe in what is not reality. We might be unhappy our whole lives if we don’t stop and realize the effects our actions have.

            Another idea I have thought a lot about is hubris. We often are arrogant and never think that anything will happen to us. Because of our hubris, we drive unsafely and try having fun. We stay up late and drink while we still have to go home. Because of this, we get in a lot of car accidents and some of us get killed. This message is ever present in the story of Icarus and Daedalus. We need to listen to what we are told because a lot of times we will not get a second chance.

            Faith is an important factor in our lives. Without faith, we will have trouble accomplishing anything in our lives. For without faith, I would not have the bravery to take any risks and try hard at anything for fear of disappointment or embarrassment. I think that the story of Eric Clapton is a good example about someone who originally did not have faith but got it as he went on. He is now a lot happier since he has found God.

            Lastly, I believe that Aristotle has a good point in his two images of men as boats. Lots of people in the world do not know where they are going and how they are going to get there. Lots of us do not plan ahead and are passive instead of proactive. We just let a lot of bad things happen to us instead of being determined not to let them happen to us. Only a few people have a plan for what they are going to do and are ships with a rudder. Most people are carried wherever by the sea because they are rudderless or have a weak rudder.

            Am I a person who is rudderless?

I often wonder if I have a plan. I sometimes have a plan, but I also sometimes just give up and let things happen. I am not sure that I truly am a person with a rudder and I need to work on planning ahead of time