plopkw
Oct 23, 2025
Undergraduate / Conflicting personal values - essay for UWC [2]
Topic: Tell us about a time when your personal values came into conflict with the expectations of others at school, at home, or in your community. How did you navigate this conflict, and what impact did it have on you and those around you? [Limit=350-500 words]
walked into our sitting room one evening and found my dad and his friend in a heated argument about religion. Their voices were raised to the point where they were both trying to speak over the other. I was standing by the door, unsure if I should join the argument or just listen. They were both people whom I respected, but they were arguing over a sensitive topic that was very personal to them and a part of who they were.
As I listened, I started to understand the reason behind their disagreement. My father is a religious man who believed that faith gives life meaning. While his friend believed that science already explains everything we know and will know in the future. At one point, noticing I was watching, both of them turned to me, both expecting me to agree with their own point of view. My dad thought I would share his faith, while his friend thought I would side with science and reason as a child born into the age of scientific advances. For a moment, I felt as if I were stuck between family loyalty and honesty. Staying silent was wrong, but choosing a side felt like disrespecting the people whom I looked up to.
I thought about it for a bit and decided that my role wasn't to pick who was right but to help them listen to each other. Not to judge individually but rather to show them both sides of the argument. I joined the conversation gently, asking them what they valued most instead of what they wanted to prove to each other. I told my dad that questioning things doesn't mean disrespecting religion, and I told his friend that faith can still guide people as a light of hope, even in a scientific world. When I focused on what they had in common, which was their curiosity and confusion, their voices lowered and their attitudes softened. The argument didn't just magically disappear, but it turned into a sensible conversation.
Later that night, I thought about how people stop listening when they feel unheard or disrespected. It made me realize how fragile communication is when beliefs are deeply personal. I also learned that staying calm when emotions take over takes real courage, and that empathy can bridge even strong gaps.
Topic: Tell us about a time when your personal values came into conflict with the expectations of others at school, at home, or in your community. How did you navigate this conflict, and what impact did it have on you and those around you? [Limit=350-500 words]
walked into our sitting room one evening and found my dad and his friend in a heated argument about religion. Their voices were raised to the point where they were both trying to speak over the other. I was standing by the door, unsure if I should join the argument or just listen. They were both people whom I respected, but they were arguing over a sensitive topic that was very personal to them and a part of who they were.
As I listened, I started to understand the reason behind their disagreement. My father is a religious man who believed that faith gives life meaning. While his friend believed that science already explains everything we know and will know in the future. At one point, noticing I was watching, both of them turned to me, both expecting me to agree with their own point of view. My dad thought I would share his faith, while his friend thought I would side with science and reason as a child born into the age of scientific advances. For a moment, I felt as if I were stuck between family loyalty and honesty. Staying silent was wrong, but choosing a side felt like disrespecting the people whom I looked up to.
I thought about it for a bit and decided that my role wasn't to pick who was right but to help them listen to each other. Not to judge individually but rather to show them both sides of the argument. I joined the conversation gently, asking them what they valued most instead of what they wanted to prove to each other. I told my dad that questioning things doesn't mean disrespecting religion, and I told his friend that faith can still guide people as a light of hope, even in a scientific world. When I focused on what they had in common, which was their curiosity and confusion, their voices lowered and their attitudes softened. The argument didn't just magically disappear, but it turned into a sensible conversation.
Later that night, I thought about how people stop listening when they feel unheard or disrespected. It made me realize how fragile communication is when beliefs are deeply personal. I also learned that staying calm when emotions take over takes real courage, and that empathy can bridge even strong gaps.
