Kinsley High School
Kinsley, Kansas
Teacher: Dr. Galen Boehme
My Community and Me
By Joel Setzkorn
12th grade
To be a
greater part of my community I must understand the role of feelings, must trust
in others, and must support unity of effort.
Understanding the role of feelings plays an important role in defining community. The role of defining community is primarily a part of my nuclear family and my close friends. I am uniquely connected to my nuclear family. I can identify most with them basically because I have lived with them for 18 years. My parents are the ones in charge. My sister and I are the ones who play. I am connected to my father because he shows me how to treat others. He is a living example of how I can better communicate with others. He illustrates how I should behave to improve my relationships within my communities. I am connected to my mother because she shows me how I should live. She illustrates how I should live my life to my full potential. She shows me that I should live a full life if it is long or if it is short. I am connected to my sister because she shows me how I should structure my time. She illustrates how I can optimize my time with my communities. I am strongly connected to my close friends through school. In school we work together to strengthen our bonds and to improve our cognitive abilities. In public we work together to strengthen our social connections. In private we relax and keep our physical and mental conditions in peak shape with friendly competitions.
Learning to trust in others forms a community. Forming the communities at the local and nuclear levels requires trust. I am connected to my local community because I learn to trust most people within the community. The trust grew between the community and me as we preformed services for each other. My trust for the local community grew as I learned more. The knowledge came by working with the community to accomplish a common goal. The knowledge gained comes by observing the citizens within the community. The community’s trust in me grows as I gain experience by working. I acquire experience of how I should work in groups with others to better my relationships. Through experience, I learn how to help and support others to accomplish the task given to us. I am also connected to my nuclear family through the trust we generated. My trust in my nuclear family allows me to relax. This relaxation allows me to rejuvenate my body and mind. Without trust I would not be able to lower my mental and physical defenses. The trust of my nuclear family gives me structure of how to live my life. This structure gives me the ability to do all the activities that I want to do, and still have time to do all the required work that my communities give me to do. This structure also allows me to gain all that I wish to gain. The trust generated in my nuclear family allows me to have privacy and still be accepted. This privacy comes through hard work and obedience. A community provides support in order to grow.
The two communities that support me the most are my national and local communities. My national community gives me security, with a peace of mind that I am not going to be under constant attack. With this peace of mind I can lead a more effective life that is beneficial to both me and my national community. My national community also gives me support. It supports me by allowing me to become a valuable asset. The support allows me to gain knowledge and experience in certain technical fields. My national community also gives me pride. I know that I am part of a greater force that can make a difference. My local community gives me connections. These connections take the form of friendships. Without my local community I could not effectively develop my social skills. Without social skills I could not connect with my family and friends. My local community also gives me opportunities to gather with my extended family. This allows me to know my beginnings in order to find out where I am going in life. My local community gives me structure. It gives me a work structure that allows me to be more productive. This allows me to become independent and start my own nuclear family.
In conclusion for all of my communities to survive, I must express sensitivity, trust, and support.