Essay Sample on Personal Philosophy

Introduction

Philosophy is defined as the most basic beliefs, concepts, attitudes and thoughts of an individual or a group (Payne, 2015). Therefore, personal philosophy is individual thoughts, believes, views, and concepts about everything in life. It is an individual approach to life (Walls, 2017). Usually, as people grow and develop, they challenge limiting beliefs and experiences as they try to learn everything around them. This way they deepen their philosophy and evolve. A personal philosophy is the most significant determining factors in how an individual life works out. Therefore, there is a need for crafting a personal philosophy. It helps a person to focus on what truly matters in their lives. Besides, a personal philosophy is a work in progress and therefore subject to improvement and modification.

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This paper will focus on the application of my philosophy across a list of topics including politics, free will, aesthetics and ethics. It ends with a summary of the issues to form a cohesive philosophy.

When defining your philosophy, there are essential questions that need to be addressed. What do you always want to do every day you wake up? What controls your decisions and decisions, repulsive ones specifically? What brings you a sense of satisfaction at the end of the day? What beliefs are essential to you? And finally, how does your philosophy compare with ideal standards in society? By contemplating these questions, you can define your philosophy.

I plan to be a US senator one day. My dream is derived from my ambitions to make the world a better place for everyone - the world full of happiness, love, joy and peace. I believe this is an achievable goal. There are many players involved to achieve this objective. Families, communities, societies, states, and other governing bodies must be kept in check to maintain orderliness. Among the key issues to be addressed include politics, free will, aesthetics, ethics, etc. In the following paragraphs, I will discuss my views on these issues and how I can shape them to make the world a better place.

Politics

Politics is the process of making decisions applying to members of society. It is the exercise of the governance over humanity especially a state (Castoriadis, 1991). For governance to be effective, people supporting the same agenda form political parties for collective bargaining while representing their ideas. Politics is the father of many leadership styles that exist today (Castoriadis, 1991). The most dominant ones are Democratic type of leadership and Authoritative/Dictatorship styles. They both have advantages and disadvantages depending on time and circumstance (Weiner, 2003).

While forming political parties may seem the best solution for collective bargaining when forming and amending laws, it comes with some sacrifices. An individual or minority opinions and ideas are left out. Also, individual efforts while attaining a particular objective are sacrificed. Besides, you cannot oppose an agenda your political party represents. For instance, when motion is presented before the Senate on implementing laws to protect the environment, majority opinion always wins. Today, in the ongoing campaigns in the US, the Republican rally behind President Donald Trump stance on building the wall on the America-Mexico border as a way of controlling immigration. For the Democrats, they are in opposition of employing such measures. Therefore, if you are a Republican, you cannot support the opposing camp or risk being axed from the party, and, if you are a Democrat, you cannot support the Republican or face the same fate. Since the two parties define American politics, The Independents have no say. These parties have created hatred among civilians.

I am advocating for a society where policies are based on goodwill and not political grounds. Putting the interest of the people first should be paramount when formulating laws. Imagine the time the Democrats and the Republicans collaborate when implementing policies or forming laws.

Free Will

Free will is the power to make a decision and take action without interference. It means being able to choose what we do with our lives. There has been a debate on the exercise of the free will for centuries led by great philosophers such as Descartes, Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas among others. Free will represents a collision of two countering perspectives. From a pure metaphysical perspective, what is the meaning of life if we cannot make our own choices? On the other side, scientific perspective, how possible can something happen without being caused by something else? Although there is still a debate whether humans have free will, it is essential to understand that human behaviour is determined by factors within and outside, that is, those that humans have control over and those that they do not.

The world could be a better place if the humans had more influence on their actions, decisions and choices. The main limitation of free will is the moral or ethical aspect of behaviour, actions, thoughts, choices, etc. I believe most conflicts that have resulted in war emanated from the denial of free will in most societies. If my actions do not in any way interfere with the peace of another person, then I should be allowed to exercise my free will. Sometimes force is not required to control people. People can be best managed if they knew that their will is not taken completely. For instance, appointing leaders would be eliminating people's will. When people are left to elect leaders from their locality, they stand to be served much better than when they are led by an alien.

Aesthetics

The world cannot be a good place if there is no respect for nature and its beauty. Everybody wants to be associated with beauty. We are living in a world where the population is increasing every second (UNDP, 2015). This puts much pressure on land to sustain the growing population. Various human activities have caused environmental degradation. There have been climate changes due to carbon emissions by vehicles, industries and factories. Unless we want to live in deserts, there is a need for protecting the environment and its beauty. The best way of achieving this objective is by implementing sustainable development.

People should use the present resources to meet their needs without compromising the ability of the future generation to meet their needs with the same resources. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in 2015 laid forward seventeen ambitious goals for sustainable development. Among the goals include responsible consumptions and production, actions on climate change, protection of the fauna and flora both on land and water (UNDP, 2015).

Ethics

Ethics means beliefs about right and wrong. It involves making decisions that are morally right and acceptable. Ethical responsibility should be a personal responsibility to realize a healthy society. It cuts across every race, religion, politics and even professions. Major social conflicts arise as a result of degradation of ethics. For instance, if you are a nurse in a hospital and you share patient information with the public that is morally unethical. It violates the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. A society where every person upholds ethics in their areas of the profession is a healthy society. Also, when exercising your independent will always remember to uphold ethics in your actions and decisions. Your freedom should not cause harm to your neighbour. Upholding ethics in every angle of human life would minimize chances of social conflicts hence a peaceful world.

Conclusion

My philosophy revolves around seeing a peaceful world. This requires interplay from different sectors. Ethics should be upheld at every level, individually and professionally regardless of race, political stance, society or nation. Politics should not be used to divide people, communities, and countries but as a tool for unity, peace and love. When formulating laws and making constitutional amendments politicians should put their egos aside for the better good regardless of the county, or state they come from. Also, people should respect the environment. Various policymakers should strive to ensure there is sustainable development in every sector of the economy. They should be determined to meet the UNDP sustainable development goals.

Although there is an ongoing debate on the position of human free will, it is essential to understand that human behaviour is best controlled by factors within them. If an individual's free will do not threaten other people's will, that person should be allowed to exercise it. Besides, when applying your free will always remember to uphold ethics. Finally, there should be a complete interplay between politics, ethics, aesthetics, and free will to realize a better tomorrow.

References

Castoriadis, C. (1991). Philosophy, Politics, Autonomy. Oxford University Press.

Payne, W., R. (2015). An introduction to philosophy. Bellevue College, 1-130.

United Nations Development Programme. (2015). Sustainable Development Goals. Retrieved from: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

Walls, A., J. (2017 October 13). Personal Philosophy and Your Values. Retrieved from: https://www.andrewjwalls.com/blog/personal-philosophy/

Weiner, E.J. (2003). Secretary Paulo Freire and the Democratization of Power: Toward a Theory of Transformative Leadership. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 35 (1):89-106.