K.+Sat

A better understanding of other people contributes to the development of moral virtues. We shall be both kinder and fairer in our treatment of others if we understand them better. Understanding ourselves and understanding others are connected, since as human beings we all have things in common. Adapted from Anne Sheppard, Aesthetics: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Art Assignment: Do we need other people in order to understand ourselves?

Misunderstood Shana White

To be misunderstood means others do not see the perception you see in yourself. Which then leads into my writing topic, “Do we need other people in order to understand ourselves?” When I was a little kid I felt very misunderstood by many. This still stands as of today while I sit at my computer chair writing this paper at nine thirty five AM on May twenty eighth two thousand and eleven. I feel there is a need for both because we as humans react on another’s moves, one can obviously think for themselves, and we are in control of our own feelings. I feel in my opinion that one does need another at times to understand themselves, but there are also times when one can find themselves on one’s own.

One may learn from another’s doing. Basically meaning we learn from others, thus we take in UNDERSTANDING ourselves from others. One knows that if he/she gets in trouble, they know not to do it. Another example of this would be being in a relationship with someone. Us as humans can feed off of another and take in what one another says or reacts to us.

A reason I feel we can do things ourselves is because we can think for ourselves and only ourselves. One knows the goals in their life and they know how to accomplish them. We can think for ourselves therefore we comprehend what we are thinking to ourselves and understanding ourselves on our own. One does not need another person to think for them. We act upon our thinking.

We as humans are in control of our own feelings. Our feelings help us understand ourselves as a person. Without other people having to give us humans feelings to act upon, we would not know how to carry that burden of feelings upon us. We learn from when we are children up until God calls us home how to react with different feelings. Sometimes it’s how we are raised and brought up with our families and sometimes it’s how one takes things to heart, but at the end of the day we need others to make us feel some type of way. Then to feel some type of way, we have to understand it.

Overall this topic is a very strong and diverse topic. One has to be strong minded and full with will power to take in understanding themselves. Understanding ones self is not an easy thing to do. Understanding ones self can be done alone, or with another. Many people may feel a different way than I, but “To be great is to be misunderstood” - Ralph W. Emerson.