As part of the exploration of Character Education young men studying senior English have written on some challenging and thought-provoking topics. While the answers to 'deep' questions such as "what makes an individual worthwhile?" will change over time with life experience, this work is a good starting point for ongoing reflection as young men develop and mature. This piece of work was shared by a young man in Year 12.
"What makes an individual worthwhile? How can I be worthwhile? Is a person that is worthwhile to me, going to be equally as worthwhile to you? I suspect not, yet I think there are key characters and behaviors that we all may value. There are many things to make an individual worthwhile. I will be discussing some of these characters that I believe are essential. Respect, honesty, and responsibility. Displaying these will make you certainly stand out as a worthwhile individual. By always showing those traits, most people would agree, you would be a pillar in any community.
For an individual to be worthwhile they will need to be able to show respect. There are different kinds of respect, respect for authority and position, respect for character and achievement, respect for human dignity, respect for property and respect for yourself. These are part of everyday life here at Palmerston North Boys’ High. We have to show it; however, we also get to benefit from it by being treated respectfully. Respecting others will help you to make and keep friends. The saying “Treat others as you would like to be treated,” proves that giving and receiving is linked. When someone shows respect for someone it means the person has value for them. “Respecting your elders,” is a well-known saying that has been said many times to me. It is an act we are taught and modeled by the people around us. This is a common act of kindness that I feel you would see regularly in people of great character.
Honesty is very important to become a worthwhile individual. A well-known quote is “honesty is the best policy”. This means if you lie to someone it will no doubt come with a price. So being honest to someone is the best policy. A Bosnian Proverb says, “Who lies for you will lie against you” reminding us that a person that lies and displays dishonesty will not only lie to protect us but lie to deceive us. We know that when we chose friends this is one of the traits we look for; those are the friendship that lasts. There is no person that has not made a mistake. Honesty in all situations is always admired in worthwhile people.
If you are displaying all I have discussed, you are on your way to being very worthwhile. Responsibility comes hand in hand with respect and honesty. We are responsible for everything we do, say and for everyone and everything our behaviour effects. You can both earn and give respect. “With great power, comes great responsibility,” this means the more power you have the bigger consequences your actions might have, good and bad. Accepting responsibility for your life, your choices and knowing that it is you who makes those decisions, no one else.
Overall, it may be said that worthwhile individuals come in all shapes and sizes. We all are the owners of our lives and the choices are all ours. Making sure we are trying to become a worthwhile individual is a great goal. Surround yourself with those sorts of people. I am sure there are many ways for someone to be worthwhile. While this may be true to me respect, honesty and responsibility stand out the most. These traits will help you become a worthwhile person and make you stand out from all the rest. Who wouldn’t want to be a worthwhile individual?"
