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Jason Crews

Essay #4

Value/Meaning

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Over the past few years I have decided not to allow fear to dictate my choices. That is a

key value in my life. I believe that we unconsciously allow our fears to guide our lives and

influence our choices. Once I realized this was happening to me I was able to recognize my

inability to accomplish anything significant in my life was largely due to fear. This allowed me

to see all of my educational options and allowed me to finally decide to become a music

teacher. Previously I was held back by the fear of dedicating my life to teaching and music.

Mostly because everyone knows teachers don’t make very much money. My family also

contributed to that fear, though not directly. They often lead me to believe that I was “too

smart” to teach, or “those who can’t do teach”.

When faced with a difficult decision I try to look at the all of my options objectively then

determine the best course of action. I also like to ask myself if the decision I am about to make

is based at all on fear, and if that fear is justified. I believe that most people make no attempt

at objectivity when making important decisions in their life. They allow fear and emotion to

dictate, often to their detriment, their course of action. I could give any number of examples,

some more significant than others, where try to objectively make decisions. The most recent

was my decision to attend Ottawa University rather than Northern Arizona University. I was

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accepted into both, and even offered a partial scholarship to NAU. I talked to several people to

help gain an objective perspective, and then I considered all the pros and cons of attending

each university, and settled on Ottawa. One of my primary concerns was to determine if not

attending NAU was based on my fear of moving to a completely different city far away from my

friends and family.

Religion was once played a much more import role in my life and decision making

processes than they do today. I was raised very conservatively as a Baptist. In fact, two of my

grandparents were Baptist missioners to Japan before they recently retired. I believe most

religions offer good guide lines for living good, socially responsible life, when those guidelines

are not interoperated to literally and placed into a contemporary context. For example, “be ye

kind to one another” or “thou salt not kill”. I believe the LDS has very good teachings about

family and how family should spend time together. To that extent religious principles, most of 

which I think are universal, do influence my life. I do not identify myself with any particular

doctrine.

I believe that there is, wither people admit it or not, a universal set of rules that dictate

basic human decency. I believe in applying those universal rules constantly to all people,

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places, and things. I try to do to others as I would like them to do to me. I try to treat them

with courtesy and respect, despite who they might be. In return I expect to be treated in the

same manner. Businesses are no different. For example, when I was a cashier I always did my

best to be professional and courteous to every customer, and simultaneously respect the needs

of the business. That means that I always did my job as best I could. I refuse to take things to

do not belong to me, such as money. In return I expect that my supervisors and management

treat me with respect. I expect them to realize that I am a human and should be given the

same respect I give them.

If asked do define the purpose of life, I would be unable to clearly respond. At times I

take a more scientific view and say life really has no purpose. We are simply here because we

were lucky enough to be conceived and born. Other times I might say that the purpose of life is

to pursue ones dreams to the best of your ability, while trying to help others pursue their own

dreams along the way. It’s the second part of the former statement that I believe many people

falter. They pursue their wants and needs so single mindedly that they ignore the others in

their direct sphere of influence. In the end most of them end up with what they want, but

aren’t happy when they get it. I believe that if we help other reach their goals along the way to

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reaching ours we will end up happy and surrounded by other happy people, and in the process

we will not only help improve our quality of life, but the quality of life of society as a whole.

I wouldn’t want my obituary to say much. I hope that my actions throughout the course

of my life would define me better than any set of eloquent words written. I hope that my

legacy will be one of success, generosity, and kindness. I hope that those I leave behind will be

better off as humans and members of society than had I never met them. I hope that my estate

will continue to work to that ends even after I die. I would also like to write the obituary

because it is their perception of me that is more important that my preoccupation of myself. I

hope that they would write something about how I influenced them positively and tried to

influence everyone around me positively. Hopefully that legacy will continue long after I die.