This was written as an assignment for my grade 12 religion class, which I recently re-discovered. Interesting for me to read, to see how it aligns with that which I believe now, but likely boring as hell for others. Enjoy at your own risk.

Whether we know it or not, everyone has their own philosophy of life. What we do, think and say is guided by our views on certain matters of importance. These views are all part of our philosophy. Sometimes, these views come from a classroom, sometimes a church, but more often than not, these views come from our own experiences. When we are young, we do not have a clearly defined philosophy. We are mostly told what to do and when to do it. As we age, though, we experience more and more situations where there isn’t a teacher or parent around to tell us what to do. These situations, where we must decide things for ourselves, and ultimately hold our own fate in our own hands, are what help people more clearly define their philosophy of life. For many people, these situations begin to happen a lot more in high school. Greater liberty and more responsibilities, both at school and at home, result in youth having to make more of their own decisions than ever before. Because of this, what better time is there to organise our thoughts on specific issues into a well-organised paper?

To be continued…