Pre-Seminar Response: Self Respect

1) What seems important?

“Recgnizing that anything worth having has its price” (Didion, 94). Although you want to live in a perfect life, honored by friends and families, and hoping for one day telling your grandchildren your victorious stories. That can all happen, yet you are true to yourself.

2) What surprises you?

I always think that self-respect is dignity. As long as we follow the general guidelines of life and not walked into the road of evil, our lives deserve respect. However, the people with true self-respect would “have the courage of their mistakes” (Didion, 94).

3) What puzzles you?

A3lthough its important to follow the guidelines of the reading, but its hard to do. But human nature still judges and its important to make yourself presentable. There are even careers (public and media relations) that help a person re-create their image to please others.

4) What do you like or not like and why?

I like this reading because it gets ride of the common stereotypical idea of what self-respect is and states other different ideas. Self-respect is more than being a person with honor and dignity, in fact learning how to accept oneself’s mistakes, the goodness of being indifferent, and sense of one’s intrinsic worth.

5) What ideas or thoughts come to mind that connect to other readings or your own life experiences?

Losing and gaining too much self-respect is a common problem in society today. Over the years there are many case relating to suicidal teens. Teenagers are unable to accept who they are because they do not fit into the “ideal” society; because they feel unwanted they can only escape. People with too much self respect, starts to look down on others because they feel like that they are more superior. If the world could learn to love and discover the beauty of being indifferent, the world would be such a better place.

Questions:

1) Must one be innocent to have self respect?

2) For the people who damage themselves as a career (ex, boxers, courtesan), do you thing they have any respect for themselves?

3) Do you think self-respect is important? rate from 1-10 (10 is the best)