Carrollton High School
Carrollton, Ohio
Teacher: Carol Wilking

 

 

 

The Value of Personal Improvements

By Casey Graham

12th grade

 

 

Many people may ask themselves, ‘’What can I personally do to improve the quality of life my community.’’  There are unlimited manners in which one can personally improve his community.  The decisions that each person makes and the manner in which he behaves has the most drastic impact on local quality of life.  Each and every person must set good examples and make responsible decisions to improve the quality of life in his community. 

           

It is not an unusual occurrence for children to mimic an older sibling or adult.  How often does one stop and consider this?  Many people make rash decisions and act inappropriately.  Is this a manner in which the children of a community should act and respond?  It is the personal responsibility of each and every person to act in a manner suitable to be followed and to make decisions that are beneficial.  These  actions are everyone’s personal responsibility to improving the quality of life in their community.

           

One of the most important examples that an individual can set is a good moral character.  Everyone needs to learn to care and respect the other members of his community.  People should take more responsibility for the feelings and needs of others.  There are endless opportunities to show a good  moral character.  Volunteering is an excellent example.  It would do everyone some good to volunteer at a local shelter or food for the homeless line.   These actions show that one cares and that he is willing to help the less fortunate.  Not only is this a valuable experience for the volunteer, but it sets a wonderful example for everyone else to follow.

           

The very most important example that an individual can set is a good family example.  In society today, marriage is no longer an important issue.  It was once the requirement for all of the most important life decisions, but it is now taken for granted.  No longer is marriage a prerequisite to living together, having sex, or having a family.  Divorce rates increase by great numbers each and every day.  Divorces are easier than ever to obtain, and unfortunately are everyone’s answer to a complicated marriage.  One should be asking himself, ‘’What ever happened to working out problems and trying to save a marriage?’’  No one is willing to work out their differences; they simply take the easy way out with divorce.  This is no example to set for children.  The decision to give up on a marriage, without any attempt at reconciliation, is a poor one.  It is the personal responsibility of each person to attempt to save his marriage.  Their strength and determination will help to improve the quality of persons living in a community.  

           

To create a higher quality of life in one’s community everyone needs to become more of a parent figure.  Too often in today’s society parents work and do not spend enough time with their children.  Children are very vulnerable and desperately need the guidance of their parents.  Everyone needs to make a valiant effort to spend quality time with their children.   Children with parents that are there to provide guidance will improve the quality of life in any community.   These children with strong parental upbringing have a good moral character and for the most part make very responsible decisions. 

           

Recently our society has witnessed an outbreak of school shootings.  One should ponder the reasons for these horrible incidents.  ‘’Why did they happen?  Who is to blame?’’  This topic has long been discussed, and it refers to the previous paragraph.  The students involved in these shootings were very lacking of parental supervision.  Is it the parents the fault?  The lack of guidance certainly plays a big role in the decisions that the children make.  It is for this exact reason that it is essential for parents to be a good role model for their children.  Children raised and educated well by their parents will improve the quality of life in any community.

           

To improve the quality of life in any community is a complicated goal to achieve.  It involves the help of each and every citizen.   Improving the quality of life

takes everyone in the community working hard to achieve success.  It may seem to most that in order to achieve a higher quality of life will involve a large amount of work and on a large scale, but the most important advances in a community are on a personal level.  If one person begins to improve himself, so too does the community begin to improve.  By showing a good moral character, citizens show others that helping each other and caring are very important aspects in a community.  They also set a good example, encouraging other members of the community to do the same.  By showing strength and effort to save a marriage, an individual shows the community that he is not willing to run away from his problems.  They set the example of working hard and not giving up.  Finally, by spending quality time with their children, members of a community improve the quality of life.   They raise children that have good morals and make smart decisions.  There are numerous ways to increase the quality of life in a community, but the most valuable increases are made on a personal level.

 

Answers To Questions Regarding Required Reading

 

1.  In the United States, society does not really invest in marriage.  Marriage is no longer an important aspect of our society.  It is very common for couples to live together unwed and have children out of wedlock.  Divorce is an every day activity and is not hard to achieve.  In Manus, society only invests in  marriage.  They look for married men in a commitment for business partners and avoid men of numerous divorces.

2.  Couple number one, first marriage, have been married 45 years.  ‘’Don’t let the little unimportant battles come between the two of you.’’

Couple number two, first marriage, have been married 10 years.  ‘’Learn to compromise with each other.’’

Couple number three, first marriage, have been married 38 years.  ‘’Never let an argument last for more than one day.  Get over it and make up.’’

Couple number four, second marriage, have been married 7 years.  ‘’You will learn that the person that you thought was perfect, really is far from it.  Learn to love this person too.’’

Couple number five, first marriage, have been married 40 years.  ‘’Look for something each day that you love about your spouse and be thankful for it.’’

Couple number six, first marriage, have been married 22 years.  ‘’Marriage is a big responsibility of both partners.  You both must learn to compromise and forgive.’’

Couple number seven, second marriage, have been married 13 years.  ‘’Well, its certainly not easy, but its very much worth it.  Learn to forgive and forget.’’

Couple number eight, third marriage, have been married 3 years.  ‘’End each and every disagreement with I love you.  Don’t ever let your spouse forget that one.’’

Couple number nine, first marriage, have been married 18 years.  ‘’Each day try to learn something new about your spouse.  You will be amazed by them.

Couple number ten, first marriage, have been married 52 years.  ‘’ The best advice is to never go to bed without settling any arguments.  Wake up and start anew each day.’’

3.  According to Richard Eckersley, our collective goal should be to live to improve the world.  Our decisions are what determine the quality of our world.  Our goal should ultimately be happiness, and happiness is not acquired through wealth and possessions, but by health, family, friends, and the care of each other.

4.  A worthy goal for my community would be to become a more open community.  My community needs more interaction among its citizens.  We need fellowship to get to know one another, to make new friends, and to help out one another.

5.  The excerpts from ‘’Tomorrow’s Child’’ are sad but true.  It angers me that the idea of a mother doll would even have to be brought up.  Mothers in our society desperately need to spend more time with their children.

6.  According to Kathleen Sullivan, the fact that the USA is a democracy makes lawyers particularly helpful because it allows us to express our individualism.  Unlike many other troubled regions of the world we have the liberty to express individual beliefs even if they require a lawyer.  Lawyers help diversity because it makes the USA very heterogeneous in race, religion, beliefs, and origin.  Lawyers help wealth and size because when basic needs are met we can enjoy the extra luxuries, and we are not a village with a single belief, we are a huge area with numerous social beliefs.

7.  I prefer punitive damages; even though at times they may appear to be unfair, they are much more practical.  Many of the regulations that would have to be made are quite unrealistic.

8.  Three ways that society will benefit from the retirement of baby boomers are:  number one many people will start up their own businesses and hire these retirees, thus, bringing experience and knowledge into the business.  The elderly at home can provide child care services for the working parents, and they will provide job learning experiences for many teens, running errands and doing common tasks.

9.  I do not believe that the anti-poverty plan of the president will ever have any real impact.  First of all for many years there have been plans to limit poverty and none have been significantly successful.  The people in poverty-stricken areas are in desperate need of money, but they find over and over again that the banks are unwilling to lend money to anyone without equity.  These people of poverty need to be working, but many of them are unable to read and write,  making this an impossible proposition.

10.  Three things that Truett Cathy and Tom Lewis have in common are the fact that they both long to improve the lives of children, they both overcame obstacles to achieve their goals, and they both are very involved in the lives and successes of the children that they  have helped to gain success.