Da Chen Discussion

One value that I chose to include in my circle of life project is my family. I have always had a strong connection to my family and they have always encouraged me to follow my dreams and do the best that I can do. I also have dreams as a value on my project. I believe that dreams are the first stage in accomplishing a goal. I think that dreams are a very important value; it gives people something to shoot for.  

Friends are another value that I have on my project. Friends will always be there to support you and will encourage you to be the best person you can be. Sometimes friends can encourage you in ways that your family cannot. Because of this, friends are very important and should be valued.

Hard work is the next value on the project. I think it is important to work hard in order to obtain the things you want. I also believe that those who work hard should be awarded for their effort. Similarly, I value honor and achievement. I believe people should try to achieve and surpass their goals. I also believ that people should do something that doesn't have to do with themselves, but helps others.

I also value free time. While I believe people should work hard, I also believe that people should make time to do things they want to do. People need time where they can relax and not work for a while.

Animals, wildlife and nature are other things that I value. I value animals because they have been a big part of my life and I always feel happy when I am around animals. This is one reason why I have become interested in becoming a veterinarian. I value wildlife and nature because I have always liked the out doors as well as the plants and animals that inhabit the area. When I'm stressed I usually go outside to walk in the woods or look at the stars.  

Finally, I value honesty. I feel that people should be honest to themselves and to other people. I don't think people should hide things about themselves because they are afraid to be judged.

One message that I took from Da Chen's talk was that everyone has already accompished a great challenge just by being born. I value hard work and believe those that work hard can obtain anything they want in life, but just being born was a challenge in its own. Each person could have been born differently with different strengths and weaknesses, but they were born as they are. Everyone I have met on campus so far is ready to use their strengths to create a bright future for themselves after they get out of college. While we have to work hard in school to get good grades, we should not compete with each other, rather we should learn from each other because, for most, we have already overcome our greatest challenges and now we need to learn and experience new things.    

Another message that I took from Da Chen's talk was that life should be a thing that we should celebrate. I value hard work, but I also value free time and time that people can do things they want to do for fun. While we should work hard to obtain the things we want in life, we also need to take some time to have fun with friends. The college experience is a unique experience that we need to cherish, so while we have to work hard to get good grades and then get a good job, we also need to experience other activities, meet new people, and overall have a good time.

A third message that I took from Da Chen's talk was that we come from a very wealthy country and we (as citizens) have more opportunities than people in other countries have. We also have the ability to change the world by using the resources we have: we should be able to find ways to create new technology that will improve the lives of millions. Our generation should be able to unlock the answers to problems like the cure for cancer or a new efficient way to create and store energy.