Examining Socrates Arguments on the Impact of the Physical Appearance

"Who am I? Socrates once said that the unexamined life is not worth living. You have to figure out who you are by finding the principles that lie within you. Once you find those principles, you have to live your life by those principles. Before I took this class I was still trying to find myself and now I think I have a better idea of who I am. I would have identified myself as a sports enthusiast, a car junkie, a partier, and a smart aleck. But what I did not realize was that how many different characteristics one person could have. To discover who you are you have to look at your physical characteristics, your behavior, and lastly what your likes and dislikes are. By finding out your likes and dislikes you can find your purpose.

The physical characteristics you display definitely affects who you are. I think that your physical appearance affects what people think about you and how they treat you. This may reflect back on to you to help form your personality and who you are. You may think of yourself different based on how people view you. Being Indian people may judge me as being a terrorist from the Middle East. That may in turn affect how I view myself. The way you wear your hair or how you tall you are can say something about who you are. Being an average build with average height, I think I would just be the average guy. At five feet nine inches and one hundred and thirty five pounds I fit the category of an average person. But someone who may be very tall and very muscular may be stereotyped as an athletic jock.

What you like and dislike shapes your personality and who you are and your purpose in life. There are hundreds of things that people agree and disagree on and it is impossible for me to state them here. For me, one thing that I really dislike is overly religious people. I think religion in good to some point to where it keep people together. But once it reaches that breaking point where people attack other people like the 9/11 terrorist attacks, it starts to become a bad thing. I think people should keep religion to themselves because it is a personal thing, and it should not interfere with what other believe. Another thing I completely disagree on is helping out the poor in our country. Owning a gas station I experience people abusing their benefits. Many of the poorer folks spent their money on cigarettes and alcohol and get benefits from the government that everyone else is not getting. I think we should only help those who are homeless with no food to eat and kids to feed. Also many of the poor are uneducated. If everyone else has to go through school and make something for themselves without getting benefits then the same should be for the poor. If many of these poor people wanted to have food or money then they should have put themselves through school instead of dropping out and getting pregnant at sixteen. For those that come from lower socio-economic levels of society there are opportunities for them to excel and succeed, they just need to go and get those opportunities. In terms of politics I agree with the conservative viewpoint. I also disagree that the education system should be made tougher. This leaves me with little time to party and socialize. Socialization and partying is very important in the real world, where communication is key to success.

The behavior and the actions of someone can attribute to their character. This is because actions speak louder than words. People will say one and do another thing. Actions such as respect and etiquette are very important because they define your values and how others view you. The way others view you can reflect back on how you view yourself and your identity. These actions can tell alot about your principles and purpose in life. These actions of etiquette can display my kindness and my want to help other people. This is one of the reasons I want to become a doctor in the future. I want to be able to help others and make a difference, whether it is in one person or lots of people. Saving or curing that one person can bring joy to that person and the family and friends of that person. At the end of the day I can say “I made a difference and that feels good”. Another behavior that I exhibit is stating my opinion. I like to be heard and tell people not only why I am right but also why they are wrong. Although this can be bad at times it is usually good because people can about the different ways you can interpret something. I also look at the whole situation and see where others are coming from. So while I do state what I think, I will listen to others and try to understand where they are coming from. I like to see what others points of view on things are. In cases of when people need help this is useful because I can help others out with their problems. I key issue in the United States right is over Obama Care. Since I plan on being a doctor in my tomorrows this will directly affect me. I think that while we should help people especially the poor, but we should not be forced to. If someone wants to help others out of their kindness then that is good, but not everyone should have to. I think one thing I need to work on is judging people. Although it is hard to control that because it is human nature, I think you try to curb that as much as possible. Another behavior is socialization. Being social will help you later on in life and in times of need. Making friends can impact who you are as a person. From friends you can learn things and be able to relate on things. Being friendly and having friends is important to me because I want to have those bridges open if I ever need to use them. With your friends and your homies you should always be faithful to your day ones. Your day ones are those you have always stuck with you through thick and thin. I think that it is very important for me to stay true to my day ones no matter how much money I earn or how much more successful you are. Your day ones are very important because they are your real, true friends and losing them will burn your strongest bridges. Your days ones will try to help you through life and will probably want the best for you.

From writing this essay, I feel as if I have found who I am a little more than I did before I wrote this essay. In conclusion, finding yourself requires you to look at your physical appearance, your behaviors, and your likes and dislikes. "