1. The focus question of the semester that is most relevant to my own life is “How do I live and grow in hope?” All my life I have worried about the future. My life has all been a culmination of hard work and dedication just to get into the school of my dreams. Now that I am here, I need to learn to live in the moment, and not stress so much about what is going to happen four years from now. I hope to make the most of my college experience while I still can.


2. Question: How can I not only acknowledge, but also embrace my vulnerabilities?

Quote: “We can't selectively numb our emotions.” This quote references the differences between our physical and emotional vulnerabilities. As a society, we try to avoid our own struggles as much as possible. Whether it is drinking, binge eating, exercising, or any other form of coping, we tend to try to numb any sort of pain we have. While medicine can heal injuries or illnesses we have, it is much more difficult to avoid our emotional vulnerability. 

Comment: Every person has their own vulnerability. This vulnerability may be a mental battle with themself or the world around them, an insecurity, or an infinite number of other possibilities. However, the takeaway is we are all flawed. In my experience, acknowledging this fact helps immensely with easing the emotional pain vulnerability may cause. Although the process may be difficult, there is a sort of healing that comes out of acknowledging weakness. Much like physical therapy or rehabilitation, the road to healing is not an easy one. Just as it takes breaking down muscles to grow them again, we must break down our struggles all the way to the roots before we are truly able to build ourselves up again.