Values For Thought

Vlaues can come in many different forms and are all dependent upon how you grew up and the life situations you were presented with. Below, I will share two experiences that have defined me and how they shape my perception....

#1. Family:
As I previously wrote, I have a mom, dad, and older brother. Typical family right? Well it was even more typical when I was in second grade and my parents got a divorce. What is it.. like half of the marriages in the US fail?? That's super depressing if you ask me. Through the next 6 years of my life, my brother and I would spend 2 weeks with my mom then 1 week with my dad. Luckily they only lived a few miles away from each other, but it was still difficult to have 2 lives, 2 homes, 2 sets of clothes, toys...everything. The only constant was my older brother. My dad worked full-time during the day and at night would go to classes earning his masters degree. My mom worked full-time as well. Through these 6 years i vividly recall staying awake with him at night talking about everything whether it be our friends tv shows, music, anything abstract, or coping and trying to understand what was going on with our parents. One thing we did a lot was build forts out of the couch cushions. I'm guessing if we spoke with a physocologist they weould say we were hiding from our situation...perhaps. All I know is that we used to sit in there for hours on end. Six years later, when I was in 8th grade, something miraculous occurred...my parents got re-married. My brother and I still don't know fully what was going on during these years. My brother and I are extrememly close and it wouldn't of happened if it weren't for those six years. Like any family..we have our little bumps in the road, but I can honestly say this experience made me value family. No matter what, they are going to be around and is your rock, your foundation, your support.

#2. Integrity/Honesty:
These two words go hand in hand. Without honesty, you cannot have integrity and vice versa. Me being a business major, espeically in finance, corporate social responsibility is something that is taught and taken seriously in Fisher. We all know the scandales of Enron and WorldCom and various other corporations that did not have honesty nor integrity, and look where they are now, along with hundreds of thousands of people without their retirement savings and investments. Also, a current situation in which I cannot get into much deatil displays the lack of integrity and honesty that exists all around us. I like to believe that I give people the benefit of the doubt even when they have been caught and preseumed guilty, yet they still refute the evidence. Then, documented conversations arise and prove them otherwise...I've heard a saying: Before you start pointing fingers, make sure your hands are clean. I especially like this because coming from certain individuals, it makes it ironic in the fact that they are the ones trying to persuade me that they have done nothing wrong, all the while unrefutable evidence surfaces....Make of this what you will, but being honest and having integrity is the only way to carry out life, otherwise you lose everything that's closets to you then you are loeft with nothing and when you have nothing...done.

Family and integrity/honesty are my two main values in which I strive to live by everyday. Obviously there are some slip-ups but it teaches and reaffirms your beliefs. These two values will be pertinent in PHA and in the community because they are broad enough to where everyone can understand and activly incorporate into their daily lives. Life runs smoothest when honest, and family can be the rest of PHA exec in that we will be working closely together to ensure the best possibly PHA year ever!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSSOwtjrm1U