Reason #2: I Believe I Have Something I Can Offer: Clear Thinking

"The Thinker" by Gaby. (Source: Flikr)


Recently, I wrote that I decided to share why I pay attention to UT-Tyler even though I graduated. 

In my last post, I wrote that my primary reason for interest at the university is my belief that many young people are in despair. I wrote about that here. This week, I add my second reason. 

So for people who accuse me of having an unhealthy fascination with UT-Tyler even after I have graduated, here is my second reason for caring about UT-Tyler. 

Reason 2: I Have Something To Offer--Clear Thinking   

I believe I can help others think clearly about what is true, good and beautiful in life--something that has meant a lot to me. 

Thinking plays a significant role in my own life. For one, I am a thinking person. I think a lot. I am always mulling over problems, concepts and questions within my mind. I like to discover what makes life “work” and, consequently, what makes people work, too.  

For another reason, I have lot of experience with thinking. Like many of this article's readers, I have had to think through important questions in life, such as “Why do bad things happen?” and “Is there moral right and wrong?” I have given thought to other questions too, such as, “What is a good song?” and “What makes a film great?” I believe I can help others think clearly about what is true, good and beautiful because I have thought a lot about these topics myself.

Why College Students?

So, why do I care about college students? Many college students are in an important developmental stage. Their lives are changing rapidly and many of them are asking similar questions that I have: what is real? Is there moral right and wrong? Why do bad things happen?  

Moreover, they are asking these questions while they lay the foundation for their adult lives. Many have left home and at college now wonder whether the beliefs from their childhood are their own or just inherited from their parents. "Do I believe what I believe," they ask, "because these are my values or because someone in my childhood told me to?” There are many college students who wonder what to do with their childhood beliefs.  

On the other hand, another group of young people formed erroneous assumptions due to traumatic experiences. These, in turn, warp their way of thinking. They believe “all men are liars” or “all women are manipulators” (or whatever other oversimplification of humanity you want to use) usually have had a profoundly negative experience with representatives of one of these above groups. These people can benefit from clear thinking, as well. 

Conclusion

Many college students are in a state of disruption, either from new experiences at university that challenge their old way of life or from negative experiences that warp their current worldview. If there is anything that can help individuals in this disruptive state it is clear thinking. I believe I can help young people think through life’s problems to find beneficial insights that lead to a healthy and satisfying life. 

This is what I endeavor to do through my writing and my blog and why I take an interest in life at UT-Tyler. 

Twitter: @jhescock12

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Primer to University Governance - Part One

Image
  ( Photo : ''Court Gavel - Judge's Gavel - Courtroom'' by wp paarz via Flickr ) The following is a primer to internal university governance. When you're a student, it is easy when you want to do something for yourself. Want to drop a class or change your majo r ? That's no problem. Yet, the moment you want to do something for the student community, say end a student fee or save the mascot from extinction, then you enter the realm of campus politics. Reforming campus policy requires you engage with the structure of university governance and that you participate in a democratic process. For this, you need to understand the university’s governance structure and how the powers that be set university policy. To the average student, all of this can be quite foreign. So to help students understand university governance, here is a primer to university governance. Everyone can have an introductory understanding of university governance if they understand th...
Read more

OPINION: SGA's Inaction On Student Issues Not For Inability To Act

Image
    (Logo. Source: Student Government Association at UT-Tyler.) Student government elected a new chief of staff this week in a special meeting at the end of the semester. Senator Jennifer Chandler won the assembly's vote in a three-way race among two other current SGA members, Allison Schwartz and Tyler Paige. Student members spent nearly an hour both investigating and discussing who should be the next officer in the association's executive board. That members take such an interest in their organization's affairs is commendable. However, given that the assembly displayed how it has the capacity to both investigate and deliberate over a subject matter with rigor, then I ask, why it could not also demonstrate this same rigor in matters that are undeniably of popular student concern, such as unavailable parking space and advisor shortages? The assembly's ability to both convene a special session and to debate the issues at length demonstrate that members have the ability t...
Read more

OPINION: SGA Election Awards Residential Students More Representation

Image
    (Logo. Source: Student Government Association at UT-Tyler.) Student government elected a new chief of staff this week in a special election at the end of the semester. Senator Jennifer Chandler won the assembly's vote in a three-way race among two other current SGA members, Allison Schwartz and Tyler Paige. In her campaign pitch to the assembly, Chandler championed her priority for inclusion and accessibility in SGA as well as her three years of experience as resident advisor (RA) in Ornelas Hall student housing.  With Chandler's election, Student government advances yet another residential student to a position of power. There is nothing is wrong with this in principle. After all, all students, both residential and commuter, have the right to participate in student government. However, given the obscurity with which SGA operates to most commuter students, it is mostly residential students who know about its activity and therefore stand the most to benefit from their ...
Read more