The Stranger- Journal #5

HALLMARKISM... 


Pay it Forward
Everyone needs to help one another because the person that doesn't help will need help eventually and will have nobody to turn to. This creates nicer people that are always willing to help which will in turn create a better society to live in. With everyone helping one another, stress will be significantly depleted without the feeling of having to do it yourself, tighter bonds will be formed between people, I also think that it will prevent people from being completely selfish.
Respect
If everyone were to give equal respect to all individuals then I feel that there would be less hostility between different ethnicities and religious groups. With equal respect there would be less who people who believe that they are higher than everyone else which I think would create a better society especially when it comes to making important decisions. With everyone at an equal level, each point is more likely to be taken into equal consideration rather than one automatically being better because it came from a person with a higher social status.
Optimism
Nobody likes a "Debby Downer." With everyone having a good attitude towards every situation there are going to be more learning experiences. For example, when not completing a task correctly instead of someone being negative the rest of the day, the person should try and make it a learning experience by thinking "what could I have done differently?" This will create a more well rounded person.
The Only Meaning in Life is the Meaning that We Give it
This means that we as a society need to to control our emotions rather than being over dramatic to every single situation because this will begin to affect our everyday lives. I'm mainly talking about negative emotions. Some of this is unavoidable, like when a loved one dies, but controlling your emotions will make you stronger mentally. This is beneficial when faced with with extremely important decisions because you will be able to think clearly and critically. So by not allowing our emotions to control the way that we think, we become a more intellectual society.
Make Work Fun
Nobody likes having to work, but it doesn't have to be work. Turning a simple assignment into a game or friendly competition with co-workers will make you want to do better increasing your performance. By making it more fun it becomes more enjoyable so you also do better work and want to continue to stay in the position that you are in. By making work fun this creates a happier society by depleting the stress of everyday life.
Don't Back Down to Accolades
Not one person should see someone's accolades during competition or in general and decide not to compete or deem that person to be of a higher social status. Show respect for their achievements but DO NOT deem that person to better than you so you automatically back down. Challenge that person, ask questions to make yourself better! This will make any one person tougher mentally and physically depending on the competition. This will also create the mindset of "I can do anything."
You Define Who You Are
Don't let anyone person decide who you are. You define your personality through your actions. No matter what anyone says or does to make you think otherwise you can be whoever you want to be. This will create a more confident person which will make them better at anything that they do in life. This can help a society significantly in getting whatever needs to be done in an efficient manner.

I chose all of these principles based on what I think are the ideal principles for a happy life. My dad taught me recently what Pay it forward means to him and how he implements it into his life and I thought that everyone can benefit from this. Respect is a huge part of my family. Everyone has equal respect and you don't disrespect anyone especially your elders because they have given you everything that you have. I took POA last year and I felt that optimism is a bit of a stretch but if everyone tries to be more optimistic that in itself will create a happier society. I am currently learning that I need to control my emotions and I have seen nothing but positive effects from it by benefiting everyone's attitudes around me. Making work fun stemmed from how I do my homework. I listen to music to make it more enjoyable which allows me to do better work because I stay focused. Don't back down to accolades is something that my family has taught me and it bugs me when somebody will automatically deem someone a higher status. I consider it giving up before trying and that in my mind should not be accepted. Defining who you are came from my dad's philosophy which stemmed into my own because I think that you should shoot for the stars and if you miss you'll hit the moon.