Kari Hourany
9/12/10
Individual Belief System

Component 1 - Authority: I have absorbed so much (good and bad) from my parents while growing up that often it is difficult to distinguish what part of my beliefs’ system comes from my own experiences and what stems from an interpretation of my parent’s habits and precepts. Several things I know to be true: First, my dad always gave me the freedom to think for myself, which aided in the development of my ability to acquire the tools I needed to become independent and self-reliant. Second, I always felt that I was at the mercy of my parents sometimes poor decision making as I was growing up and how it didn’t always reflect my best interest. From that I vowed to be sensitive to
I imagine that if I am being watched when I am untruthful or say one thing and do another, someone will catch the inconsistency. I do not mean watched in an empirical sense, but rather if I were watching myself back, I think how I might feel about myself if I behaved poorly. Superior among all the species, humans have the ability to communicate, compromise, empathize, etc. with other humans as well as to consider with fairness and compassion other species on this earth. Like the Tuscarora proverb says, “Man has responsibility, not power.” I believe things should be viewed on a larger scale. For instance we must remember, on this planet, the only one of eight in this solar system that sustains life, our resources are not limitless. We must stay mindful or our own personal consumption of extinguishable fortunes. No one chooses to be born, nor do they choose who they are born to, in what part of they world, or what they look like. We must remain aware of these things and be sensitive to different backgrounds and cultures when making a judgment of character. Most of all, we should remember that no one is immune. All of us are subject to the depredations of conscienceless thinking and policies.
Component 4 - Tradition: Although I cannot recall being tied to any specific rules of tradition in my family, I’m sure they do exist. However, I’ve certainly been exposed to what is