Have you ever run into someone and had a conflict on something in life? Well of course you have — it happens every day, but can’t we avoid having so much conflict in the world? The answer is yes, conflict isn't a necessity of life. In fact, a necessity of life is to have peace and happiness. Although world peace is something very far-fetched, we can create peace within people we meet everyday. Within the past year and a half, I have changed for the better. I have developed into a loving person who enjoys hearing different views on life. Here are some tips and views on why character development is a good facet to have in your life.
Many times I have been complimented on how I can be so accepting of many views on life. However, I used to be very close minded or even bigoted towards some ideas. In the past, I was a high school student who lived in a decent sized town, I was sheltered and I didn't know much of what life really was. Today I am someone who is very well-balanced in life views and I have many reasons that I have become this way. Character development, as I like to put it, is something that we should all go through. Life is a time for our souls to develop into something more than what we started off as. If you die the same you were born, did you really live?
When I think about developing as a person I don't find it as losing a piece of me. When we, as beings develop, we gain life skills and views that help us to become a better person. For example, when you have an interview, the most common question we all love yet hate is "Name your strengths and weakness." Well, naming your strength is like saying your name aloud but when it comes to your weaknesses, there is sometimes a pause because we don't self-evaluate quite enough. This past week, I went through a self-evaluation process and found it very motivating to delve into what I can develop on personally.
When it comes to personal development, we have to think in a positive way. It can sometimes be easy to become negative when someone tells you something you to work on, but we need to realize that maybe negativity is something we can do better without. I know that I personally give a various amount of faces when I am upset, annoyed or aggravated. When I first hear a comment that I do not like, I get annoyed and upset, which is quite noticeable -- I have always been known for my facial expressions. Later I thought do I want to be known for my faces, or for something better? Then I thought why not be known for something better, like the beautiful smile my mother gave me. These are the simple things we can change; these are the easy ones. Life is more than just our personal habits, and so more difficult topics can be something to work on. To work on the more difficult topics, it comes down to being more accepting of different views and not losing yours.
More difficult topics for character development go into different areas of life such as politics, religion, culture, lifestyles, etc. I have had the chance to develop my personal knowledge on most of these topics. Today, it can be very hard to find someone that can hold a civil conversation about such topics. Although it may be hard to have conversations with someone about these topics, we shouldn't refrain from educating ourselves on them. When I was learning about different lifestyles, I found it interesting to look into the country's history, religion and government. After looking into this, it easy to understand why people think differently everywhere.
Fortunately, I have had the chance to go to Italy twice and travel Europe while I was there. Going to Europe was the change in my life that I needed. Being abroad changes your understanding of the world you thought you lived in. It will change your view on most all of the difficult topics. When traveling abroad there are some things that you need to be prepared for. First things first: government change and culture shock. The government change is something you should be smart about so that you avoid any disagreements with the police while traveling; being arrested abroad doesn’t sound fun! It is wise that different countries have certain laws that differ from what you are use to. Culture shock happens more than you might think and it's natural. Most of the generations before me and even mine haven't had the chance to travel much, so all we have known is the culture of World One countries. Living in North America is a blessing that most of the population takes for granted.
The most difficult topic of life is without a doubt religion. There are many religions in the world. Let’s first think about what religion is. Religion is your beliefs of something that is bigger than you, religion keeps the mind sane about life. Life is a powerful idea to try and contain and from the beginning of man, we have found a religion to practice. This is why religion is very difficult to be accepting of. However we need to realize that people have different views and reasons for why things are as they exist in this world.
Keep in mind that on this planet, we share an amazing world. The population of the world we live in is an astounding number that if I were to tell you in this article you wouldn't be able to comprehend the amount. Develop yourself personally because you deserve it and everyone deserves to have the chance to meet the best person you can be. Life is a time for us to find ourselves and meet all different conflicts in life. Let them change us. Don't be mad that you disagree with someone; find it as a time to change your thoughts and understand where that view is coming from.
Character development is a crucial point to reach in your life and when you go about it in the right mindset, you can become someone who finds peace within themselves and opposing views. In my very small time here on Earth I have gained a large amount of knowledge on life in regards to religion, politics, culture, lifestyles, and personalities. Being accepting is the greatest accomplishment one can achieve in their life. Just remember that if you die the same you were born, you didn't achieve much within yourself and that is something you will have conflict with, no one else.
