5b. Do your friends help make you a "better" person? If so, identify the qualities that make you "better." Yes, I would say a select group of my friends make me a better person. By showing me the qualities I have listed above at times when I am seeking their help or even just genuine friendship, they show me I should also portray those qualities in my own character. As explained in Friendship, Fidelity, and Academic Integrity, one “adopts mannerisms of a friend,” meaning that if my friends are displaying such mannerisms of trust and honesty, I will also display those qualities (Pavela).
5c. Do you try to help your …show more content…
Whether that be an art teacher, a nurse, a plumber, a chef, etc, I believe it is extremely important to do what one is truly happy doing; after all, you will be doing this the rest of your life. Living a good life also requires cohesively working with those around you. This implies that one’s own character and integrity is followed through correctly as well. One can live any life they want, but if they cannot properly work with society around them, a good life cannot be fulfilled. Thinking back to Greenspan’s speech, honesty is the root of a good life. By living through honesty, one’s reputation will remain intact no matter how bad a situation may get. For example, in the film Shattered Glass, Stephen was caught in his own lie. While that was already bad enough, he made his situation worse by continuing to lie. This situation really spoke to me because I have caught myself continuously lying in order to get out of a situation, and just like Stephen Glass, making it worse. The film really helped understand and show the theme of honesty always being the best policy; even if it’s not from the get go, the truth will always set you free. Living a good life means living honestly. Like Des Pres explained, which went hand-in-hand with Greenspan’s view, society works better as a collective unit moving towards one goal. How is this goal to be achieved if one’s reputation is hurt by past dishonesty? How is one to progressively work with their peers? All in all, a good life is fulfilled when the satisfying achievements made for oneself outweigh the negativity created by that same self. In order to avoid this, building a positive reputation for oneself along with living through one’s morals with integrity, will lead you to your best life. This will ensure avoiding uncomfortable negative situations; and although, throughout life it is inevitable to avoid those situations,