FREE ESSAY ON MARTIN LUTHER

MARTIN LUTHER

Jon
6 December 1999
Religious Studies
6th
ARN Chapter 8
This chapter's focus is on wholeness, and our journey toward strength, beauty, and
happiness. Everyone, specifically teens, must journey through their path to wholeness; we
all struggle with problems such as finding ourselves lovable and freeing ourselves of
hooks that seem to grab and control us. One must remember however that wholeness is not
perfection. It is the balancing of all the parts of self to create a dynamic and
harmonious order. This virtue is also known as temperance. When one tries to be perfect
one wages a war against another aspect of oneself. Instead we must realize that we are
complex creatures that have many different aspects; we are physical, rational, emotional,
social, and spiritual. During our journey to wholeness, we will fall but through
perseverance and God's help, we can balance our lives. 
After, reading the chapter, I realized that self-consciousness caused all of the problems
that made us stumble on our road to wholeness. Many Americans believe that they must fit
into a mold. For example, many teens are motivated to drink alcohol, smoke, and take
drugs because it is cool thing to do. Yet others, who see past such misconceptions, still
give in because they feel that they help them relax during parties. People who suffer
from eating disorder believe that society calls them to fit the perfect dress or waist
size. Young teens feel pressured into premarital sex either because their partner or
peers pressure them, or because our culture condones it. In all situations people choose
to unbalance their lives for the sake of others. We all seem to be caught up with our
reputation, what others think about us. The most compelling example is the story of
Doug's death. His body told him that he had had enough yet his struggle to please his
peers ultimately led to his death. Why do we waste our lives for people who really do not
care for us? It is a viscous circle. One person pressures others to make wrong choices
because another has done the same to them. For such reasons, I have resolved to rebuke
such calls to unnecessary pride. I will try to love myself first before thinking of how
others think of me!