“The Examined Life”

By Ashley Marie Muniz

One of the many benefits the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society has to offer dedicated students are scholarships for those who want to continue on to their 4 year degree. Scholarships that will help one be less stressed financially as well as being debt free. Wanting to be better prepared financially for my 4 year degree at Hunter College as a student in the Psychology major, through the help of the PTK program providing me with full access to these scholarships that would be gratefully rewarded to me, I would accept, appreciate, and thank the donors for being a part of my academic success in college.

I believe being a member of the PTK program will be beneficial for me because I would also have the opportunity to be involved and engaged in educational events, getting to know other highly motivated students, and being rewarded for my success. You will also be recognized as an honor student which will attract positive people in your life and for employment opportunities in the future.
I remember in my thinking critically class that “The Examined Life” is a structure of how one should live thinking critically and creatively to fulfill enrichment in their lives and most of all, how we make sense of the world. It’s to utilize your capabilities of thinking, expansion, and exploration of your thoughts. But, thoroughly thinking the process through, step by step. And I believe one should live “The Examined Life” because it creates an environment for each individual to become more effective thinkers.

Reading the famous line by Socrates in the book by John Chaffee Thinking Critically (4), “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Meaning one who does not make use of their thinking abilities is one whose life is not meaningful. You’re simply wasting your life if you just go through life as if was a race. Life is not about beating someone in a race. It's about figuring out how you fit in to make sense of this world. Also, how one makes sense of themselves. Just how far are you willing to go on without thinking critically and creatively? Thinking critically and creatively can take you further in life opposed to the ones who don't make an effort to reflect on their everyday choices. That person is more wise, open-minded, and passionate about themselves and the world.

If you actually sit down, and reflect on someone's bad behavior towards you, you'll think of how destructive that person is and will eventually arise the question, what went wrong in the process of thinking? Or, you'll most likely have in mind, that they are not thinking creativity or wise. One should rather set aside their flaws and explore the nature of themselves and the meaning of their life. As to, “What is the purpose of life?”. Nobody wants to live a rather plain life with constant routines, because you're just not aiming to live your life to the highest of your abilities? What an excuse. There is no reason not to live “The Examined Life”.

We are problem solvers, decision makers, in which this is an ongoing thing. We reflect every single day of our lives. Whether it’ll be about,  “overwhelming chunks of homework that's almost impossible to get done”, or even, “how am I going to pay this months rent?”. Most people don't actually take the time and reflect on the process on how to manage homework and how to manage their weekly or biweekly paychecks to pay next month's rent because their caught up with something that's irrelevant. That will not benefit them in the end as to what they're aiming for. You're able to get out of that routine you have by simply stepping aside to take time and reflect. You have the ability to think back on what went wrong and what you can do to improve your lifestyle and even suggest a new way of life of how you’ll be more of an effective thinker for your future. You’ll then make your life more meaningful by adding the spark of knowledge into it.

Where thinking critically takes you a long way and will help you throughout your whole academic life, career life, and in general, you would be the student you want to be to successfully graduate. And taking this quote and applying it to my everyday life and choices, I have came to college to put meaning into my life. To learn and to figure out who I am and who I can be by exploring and taking chances. And with the help of the PTK program, I will get where I want to be.

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