. March 4, 2022 Introduction As a generally accepted rule, all languages contain a set of entirely unique words which may not be rendered in another language; they lack perfect translatable synonyms and accordingly do not cross linguistic boundaries. This rule is particularly prominent for the German language, in which lengthy compound words are formed with little restriction – simply through the welding together of shorter terms. One such example is weltanschauung (the title of this composition) which literally means ‘outlook-on-the world.’ The closest translated approximation to this word would be ‘worldview’ – but this is, after all, an approximation; there exists no single English word that carries the same breadth and richness as does the German one. When employed in Germany, weltanschauung has come to mean a total, all-encompassing system and structure of ideas that are associated together in harmonious unity – interlocking beliefs surrounding such wide subjects of human life, human values, cultural and religious ideas, politics, economics, and more. As has been said by the Irish Priest, James Murphy, a weltanschauung is “in fact a totalitarian view of human existence.” Murphy provides several examples to clarify this point, stating that Christianity, therefore, could be defined as a weltanschauung, as could Islam and the larger and more radical socialism that triumphed in Russia and China. I mention this point because I believe it relates very clearly to the prompt, which has asked that I: identify my convictions; acknowledge my recollective framework upon which they rest; recognise the origins of my convictions; and understand my plans to embody them. In short, I’ve been asked to detail my weltanschauung – quite difficult for a composition of only 1000 words. I shall nonetheless attempt to do so. Memory Firstly, I have stated that I do fully not know myself; this continues to be true. But while I stand in avowed agreement with this statement, I am indeed quite understanding of my convictions and how they shall dictate the remainder of my life. I may generally, therefore, answer the questions posed above: first, my convictions have manifested as strong desire to engage in service of others and of the public good. Second, I wish to embody this primary conviction by entering the realm of American politics. Third, I have several memories and associated events upon which I shall draw to achieve this end – and I shall begin with a discussion of these. I have one particularly strong memory which continues to inform my life, my aspirations, and my interactions with others; this recollection has certainly been a guiding factor behind the service-orientation of my weltanschauung. For instance: Father Himes has contended that persons should arrive at decisions primarily based on joy. 1 Would the outcome of this decision, Himes asks, serve as a source of joy for the individual? In my case, this memory was the first time I experienced true joy through service (‘joy’ may perhaps fail to fully describe the emotion I felt – I may also employ the word, ‘fulfilment.’) The memory is as follows: During my time in high-school, I, along with one of my friends, founded a non-profit organization dedicated the purpose of providing free, quality education to low-income students. By virtue of my position within the organization, I was exceptionally involved and spent a significant amount of time administrating our various organizations, preparing syllabi, training new teachers, and other similar activities. Unsurprisingly, therefore, when witnessing the extreme amounts of time and energy I poured into my work, my peers would often ask, “why? Why do you do it?” 1 Father Michael Himes, The Three Questions Weltanschauung What do I believe? Quite rapidly, I developed a quick and efferently preprepared response to this sort of question. I did lead the organization’s marketing department after all, and ‘advertising speak’ (as my friends called it) accordingly came rather naturally. I would flash a smile and say something along the lines of, “because I’m dedicated to helping those around me.” Did I believe this? Honestly, I don’t know. I think, more than anything else, my reply was a meaningless shell pretending to have been imbued with some greater nobility. I had spoken that line so many times that I forgot what it meant. And yet, after my teaching one English class, my weltanschauung would dramatically shift. One man, Phillipe, was an exceptional English student. An older gentleman, he was extraordinarily light-hearted; he was able to absorb my material just as effectively as he was able to derail my lessons with quippy remarks and endearing humour. During one such lesson, I asked the students why they had enrolled as part of a greater speaking activity – and I shall never forget Phillipe’s reason. After retiring to a nice countryside house, he became critically depressed and lonely. He eventually returned to the city and told me that, while we provided an opportunity for him to learn English, our lessons allowed him to meet new people, forge friendships, and interact with others. That story profoundly impacted me, in a way that cannot possibly be described. I had looked one of our students in the eye, and he had thanked me for the opportunity I had given him. I was given the gift of understanding: understanding the reality of my work – the fact that, as Phillipe said, I “helped one old man.” Pope Francis has said “that each and everyone's existence is deeply tied to that of others: life is not time merely passing by, life is about interactions.” 2 This brief interaction I shares with Phillipe has, in my mind, proven this statement to be true: my existence – the classes and teaching I offered – were deeply tied to his. It is this memory that I draw on when I seek the service of others. Conviction How do I know my convictions to be as they are? I may answer only that they provide me with a sense of meaning and fulfilment – an idea quite relevant to Deresiewicz’s discussion of the overwhelming emotions of meaninglessness and misery experienced by college students across the modern scholastic environment. 3 I have written before about the logic supporting my weltanschauung in this sense – how I strongly believe in the concept elucidated by Viktor Frankl: that meaning is found in purpose (purposefully dedicating oneself to an individual or cause), and with such meaning one may find joy and fulfilment – and shall therefore not belabour this point. I would therefore rather briefly discuss how I know this service-oriented conviction to be authentically mine. First, there is the aforementioned contention that I do indeed find joy in service – but I also find joy in snow skiing and watching Star Wars, despite the fact that I would not identify either of these as personal convictions. And thus intervenes Father Himes’ third question: “Is this role a genuine service to the people around you, to society at large?” 4 Helping others to lead more enjoyable lives is, I would contend, a genuine service to those around me. The world needs people to help people, and I am happy to fill this role. I therefore might state that I know my convictions to be so because they fulfil both Father Himes’ first and third criterion – but I also believe to have come to understand my convictions through self-reflection. Tasha Eurich argues, quite clearly, that too much reflection may actually be negative to the individual, stating, “The people who scored high on self-reflection were more stressed, depressed and anxious, less satisfied with their jobs and relationships, more self-absorbed, and they felt less in control of their lives.” 5 Clearly, Dr. Eurich is not overly-fond of self-reflection – but it was precisely through this critical method of examining my beliefs and values that I came to understand what I value, and why. Only after thinking and examining myself was I able to truly discover and understand my conviction for service. 2 Pope Francis, April 2017 3 Deresiewicz, 2014 4 Father Michael Himes, The Three Questions 5 Tasha Eurich, June 2, 2017