Emerging Leaders Reflection

I would recommend the Emerging Leaders program to any incoming freshman. Not only does it provide a smooth transition with a group of about 20 other students who you will grow a close bond to within the first week at Winthrop, but throughout the semester, as long as one is open to the ideas presented in class and willing to engage in honest class participation and self-evaluation, their Emerging Leaders experience will be one that they will not regret.

This program does contrive for you to step outside of your comfort zone, but in doing so, you are able to learn more about yourself, and hopefully, gain positive qualities that will stay with you for the rest of your life.

As an Emerging Leaders 2013 graduate, I began the path to gaining a true sense of self. I began the next phase of my life, and this program helped me do so. I evaluated myself, including my leadership style and was able to learn what works for me, as well as what does not work for me. I began to mold a new image of myself, because of the many opportunities to evaluate my own qualities and how they affect my life. A great deal of the qualities and insight I gained as an Emerging Leader have stayed with me, and benefited me in the classroom, well as outside of the classroom. For me, the Emerging Leaders program was a great deal of fun, and provided me with skills and insight that will continue to benefit me throughout life.

My Everlsting River of Leadership

As we all are different, we all have our own different styles of leadership. For me, a leader is somebody who is strong in their own opinions, whatever those may be. A leader puts passion before pride and strives to be the best person they can be. A leader is a large variety of things, and has a different meaning to everyone, but for me, the most important aspect of leadership is allowing yourself to grow and be expressed to new ideas, and remembering that you could always use work. The only way to become the best we can be is by remaining open to all other ideas and allowing room for improvement no matter the situation we are in, and by treating everything as a learning experience.

My leadership style is much like the everlasting body of a river. We are constantly flowing forwards, being supplied with ideas and knowledge, or precipitation and water from smaller streams, later to give some of what we have to another body. We are endlessly learning, but never fulfilled. Life is an endless journey, and once we have lived and made our contribution, another raindrop fills our spot to attempt to make a larger contribution. However, this is not a negative thing. There are two ways to look at this situation: we are all contributions to this large, beautiful world of endless discovery, or if you do not have such a positive view of the world that we are all placed onto this world with the potential to make the world and better place, whether it be making a contribution in an individual life, or significantly impacting the world to make it a better place. Either way, we must remain endlessly growing and improving with new ideas and knowledge, much like a striving river flows vigorously, with great life and beauty.

My New Leader, My True Leader

In the midst of this diverse array of people in the world, there are, as well as were a countless number of great leaders and great thinkers who set the foundation for the practices and ideas which we follow today, and you may be surprised at what you could discover about yourself through keeping an open mind and researching their different ideas and views. I have always considered it very important to remain open minded, even about the opinions which you think you are completely sure of and will never change, and this concept applies to every unique opinion we have. Furthermore, it is equally important to constantly do research, especially if you are currently dissatisfied with your life, or if you simply feel that you are missing something. As Sir Francis Bacon once said, "knowledge is power", and through all of the knowledge which we may obtain, there is much to be learned about ourselves.

More often than we take credit for, we come across a character in a movie, book or television show and think, "wow, I want to be just like them". Generally, we are easily motivated by an example set by another individual, even if they are fictional. I don't know about you, but when I watch a James Bond movie, or even a Rambo movie, I tend to forget that I am only a middle class college student who can't jog more than five miles, but more importantly, I feel pumped up and motivated about life. Why is this, though? Well, maybe I just wish I was James Bond, but then again, don't we all? Anyways, the point to be made here is that the actions of those who we look up to tend to rub off on us in the actions that we may take part in, and this is why it is incredibly important to remain aware that somebody probably looks up to you in a way, and your actions very easily reflect their own. Sure, you're not James Bond, but you're still important and looked up to. 

Personally, I have many people who inspire me, and help me in the journey of becoming the best possible individual I can be. As I said before, there are, and were plenty of great leaders whose ideas are just a google search away. Bruce Lee taught me determination, whereas George Washington taught me responsibility. However, one leader who just recently stood out to me unlike any other was Siddhartha Gautama or Gautama Buddha. Less than three weeks ago, I was typing a blog about what makes me come alive, and what came to mind at the time was the topic of religion. I have always enjoyed discussing religion, and have had many conversations with people about the topic, as well as done a little bit of research on various religions, and subsequently, came to the conclusion that I knew all that was necessary and that my search for a religion or belief which made logical sense to me was over, settling at Agnosticism. I have always remained open to the idea of discovering and following some other belief or religious affiliation, but had never done the necessary research to find what I was looking for. Upon completing this previous blog about religion, and what I believed, I found myself doing some more general research on religion, also due to a paper about religion I was completing for my Writing class, and stumbled upon a characteristic of Buddhism, which I previously did not know, and was fascinated by. Then another of the same nature, and so on, and so on, until I found myself lost in hours of readings of Buddhist practices and principles. It turns out that I, the guy who was ever so passionate about learning different religions did not know the first thing about the third most popular religion in the world. I read the teaching of the Buddha, as well as elaborations on them by other notable people, and how Buddhism has changed and manifested itself into the twenty-first Century, and was ecstatic about what I learned. I discovered a great deal about myself and have in just over two weeks drastically changed my internal self. Now, every day I immerse myself in a new book on Buddhism and study different principles of Buddhism, which I did not previously know. The teachings of the Buddha are guiding me to everything I have ever wanted from life, and truly aiding me through my journey. In fact, religion is not the only thing helping me discover myself in life right now. 

They say that college is the time for you to discover yourself, and whoever 'they' is was right about that. In the past two short months, I have made many changes to myself and set foot on the path to becoming the person who I ultimately want to become, as well as met incredible people and made lasting friendships. Through the Emerging Leaders program, which I am a part of, my classmates and I are truly fortunate to be exposed to all that we have, and I am truly grateful. Two people in particular who have stood out to me, and allowed me to not only see the value in myself, but have also allowed me to see the value in others are my Leadership professor, Alex Miller, and a good friend of mine, Tianee Harris. Seeing the good in these two, which before college, I had not seen in much of anybody has genuinely benefited me as a person. Now, I remember to "give an A" to everybody who I meet, remembering that there is good in all of us, as well as enough good in myself to give everybody I meet the chance that they deserve, as well as a respectful opinion in my mind. Furthermore, I am newly being guided by the teachings of the Buddha to gain a better appreciation of life, and more specifically importantly, an understanding of the life we live. 

Approximately 2500 years ago, in what is modern day Nepal, India, a prince was born. Prince Siddhartha, whose mother passed away shortly after his birth, lived a very secluded life, remaining only exposed to the finer things in life. He was married at sixteen, as the current traditions followed and was left unconcerned with any turmoil taking place outside of his royal walls. Things remained this way for the prince for almost thirty years of his life, ignorant of the negativity and suffering of the real world, until the prince's first true venture through the world outside of royal walls provoked his thought. He came across four sights, which were completely new to him. First, he saw an, old man, then a sick man and third, a corpse. Due to his life of seclusion, he had never seen any of these natural conditions before and when his chariot driver, Channa explained to the prince how all of these conditions are merely a part of life and that suffering is only natural, Siddhartha was deeply saddened. However, as he was about to give up hope, he came across the fourth sight. Finally, they came by an ascetic, who had devoted their life's work to finding the cause of human suffering and ending this. Siddhartha decided at this point to follow the example of the ascetic and lead a path similar to his. At the age of twenty-nine, the former prince left all that he had behind him to begin a journey of conquering the concept of suffering and ultimately, attaining enlightenment. 

For somebody who had lived a life of seclusion and royalty, Siddhartha had an impeccable sense of morality and a commitment towards solving something that he had not previously dealt with. He could have simply returned to his life of leisure and royalty, but he chose to take action towards what he knew was necessary and right. I am especially fond of this untaught morality which Siddhartha possessed. He journeyed these next six years in search of enlightenment, putting himself under the most brutal consequences, such as eating one grain of rice a day and meditating more all hours of the day, until one day while beginning to lose hope, a girl offered the starving Siddhartha a bowl of rice, and through this act of kindness, he realized that the conditions that he was putting himself under were unnecessary in attaining his goal. So, finally, after this realization, Siddhartha spent a night of meditating under what became know as "the Boddhi Tree", and attained his ultimate goal of enlightenment. 

Gautama Buddha was the embodiment of a leader. More than 2000 years after his death, he is one of the most influential figures in the world today. In some way, many of the styles of leadership which I have studied were displayed by the Buddha. The most eminent leadership practice of the Buddha was "The Way Things Are". Buddhism certainly characterizes this concept within the framework of our religion. This is expressed mainly through the four noble truths, which are the truth of suffering, the truth of the origin of suffering, the truth of the cessation of suffering, and the truth of the path leading to suffering, respectively. These truths explain that life is suffering and that is the way things are. It explains how to live with this and why not to worry about the sufferings of life.

As an emerging leader, much of what the Buddha taught can be applied to the leadership practices which I am learning. I have learned to be with the way things are, mainly, and through the noble eight-fold path, have picked up other leadership practices. This path teaches such things as maintaining a right view of others and nature, in order to better coexist with others, and right speech, such as maintaining truthful, uplifting and harmless communication. All of these things, which the Buddha taught help me become a better person and a better leader, and as I continue to practice these teaching of the Buddha, I will continue to grow and learn as a person, increasing my understanding of this vast and beautiful world with help from the teachings of Buddhism and the practices of twenty-first Century leadership.



Here is a video to watch, maybe even just for fun, which I found extremely motivational and inspirational in my journey to find the true meaning of life:

"Life is short, live it. Love is rare, grab it. Anger is bad, dump it. Fear is awful, face it. Memories are sweet, cherish it" -Unknown

My Passion

Passion is a quality that is very eminent in the characteristics which make up my personality. Passion runs deep in my heart; this is one of the major qualities which I look for a a significant other, and that I feel is most important for people to possess. Passion adds liveliness to who we are and ignites a spark which leads us to do the things in life we love, and that brighten up the lives of ourselves, as well as those around us.

It is easy for me to talk about the things that I am passionate about. I could give you a long, comprehensive list; however, my passion which stands out to me the most is religion. I have an incredible desire for discovering new religious viewpoints, and especially through incorporating scientific facts and ideas into this discussion. Really, my passion is towards both religion and science, but then I connect the two. For the past few years, the most interesting conversation I could have with someone stems from the question, "what religion are you and why?" My answer, essentially stays the same every time; I am Agnostic. I have thoroughly researched scientific facts, which supply for me that there is no logical way to know for sure whether or not there is some type of God. I may be Agnostic, but one thing that bothers me is the misconception that Agnostics are a group of anti-religion individuals, who are essentially the same as Atheists. NO! That is unbelievably far from the truth. Agnosticism is one of the most diversified religions there is. Most people who simply do not care religiously are deemed Agnostic; however, although there are different variations, Atheists have a set and straightforward belief that there is no God. Agnosticism is a general belief for accepting the idea that we simply do not know if there is a God, and therefore, choose not to follow any specific religion.

I am a logical thinker, and Agnosticism most nearly fits my logicality. However, there is one distinct quality of my religious belief. I put immense consideration into other religions, more so than I should in my opinion. I am Agnostic leaning Christian, but not that I believe in the stories envisioned in Christian belief. It's complicated, I know. I find religion as a set of moral guidelines, which you find most applicable to your life, and in that case, religion is a wonderful thing. It's more like a self-help book to me. My research has only just begun, though. There are hundreds of different religions in the world, and my goal is to scout through them all, and find one that is best for me. Maybe it will be Buddhism, maybe Paganism, who knows? I think we all need to look into religion deeper, and find which best suits us personally.

MLK Jr. "I Have a Dream" speech response

 

    It is important to realize that anybody of any background is capable of becoming a leader, and that, oftentimes, a leader may come from an unexpected corner. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a prime example of this idea. During a time of racial inequality, he became such a leader. August 28th, 1963 was when Dr. King stood among us to deliver what was to become one of the most motivational and important speeches of our Century.

    Although this event transpired 32 years before my birth, Martin Luther King Junior's "I Have a Dream" speech especially stands out to me. As an individual of both Caucasian, as well as African-American decent, my parents likely would have never met, or married if it were not for this speech, so, therefore, I probably owe my life to this man. For that reason, his speech obviously holds great significance to me; however, as a person who is extremely passionate about the concept of racial inequality, I have always been incredibly grateful for all of the deeds that have been done by those leaders who have paved the way to the freedom we have today to go to school with such a diverse group of people, and for Americans to be significantly more accepting of those who are different than themselves. To be so accepting is entirely imperative when it comes to leadership, as well as simply coexisting with those around you.

    Certain qualities have been displayed time and time again by every generation of leaders, such as patience, determination, and confidence or endless positivity. These qualities are some of the most vital elements to attribute to a leader, such as Martin Luther King Jr. His "I Have a Dream" speech seemed like a false hope at the time for most; however, Dr. King identified this, and still, stepped forward with patience, determination, and confidence. Throughout all of his hardships, such as the attacks he suffered, simply for standing up for what he believed in, as well as the danger his family was under, he powered through successfully, leaving a legacy behind, and a model to follow, guiding others to the characteristics of a successful leader. We indicated the message being stated by Dr. King, and finally realized the negative effects of racial inequality enough to actually make an effort to change. Throughout my amateur observations, it is not often that people make a serious effort to change something that we are against. Take New Year's resolutions for example; each year, we set these goals for ourselves to accomplish throughout the new year, and no matter how menial the tasks, seldom are they actually completed. We often procrastinate, then eventually give up with most of our goals towards things that we wish to change, but not this time. The words of Dr. King have stayed with us, and truly taken a major positive effect on our lives, and this is what separates a major goal set by a true leader from a New Year's resolution.

 
    Think about all of the people you would have probably never known personally if it were not for racial equality in schools, and in the general public. The actions of those before us towards racial equality have paved the way for films, such as "Freedom Writers", which attempt to further change the attitudes of those stuck in their own world of one singled out race.It is certainly difficult to live a truly happy life if you express hate towards those around you, and it only makes things worse for those around us when one expresses hate towards those of a different race, simply because of the color of their skin.

   The actions of one man are undoubtedly one of the most significant contributors to these possibilities. Even though we have come so far, racism will unfortunately always exist, and we can never take back the struggles of our ancestors, but change is all it was that we desired and still desire today. There is no telling how far we will come as humans, but whatever advances we make are ultimately insignificant, so our best bet is to learn to happily coexist with one another. Dr. Martin Luther King Junior's "I Have a Dream" speech shaped the foundation for all of these concepts, and for the start of a serious movement towards inequality, and his doing so showed that he cares about all of us, and wished to benefit all of us, no matter the race; this is an example that he set, and that we are expected to follow.