Undergraduate / Person's character - Florida State University Essay: Mores [5]

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Prompt:
For almost one hundred years, the Latin words, "Vires, Artes, Mores" have been the guiding philosophy behind Florida State University. Vires signifies strength of all kinds - moral, physical, and intellectual; Artes alludes to the beauty of intellectual pursuits as exemplified in skill, craft, or art; and Mores refers to character, custom, or tradition. Describe how one or more of the values embodied in these concepts are reflected in your life.

I never expected a large aspect of my character to be conceived from the depths of malice. However, one average afternoon walk home from school became a matter of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. On that same day I gave birth to a vital characteristic: forgiveness. Within the frame work of Vires, Artes, and Mores, where does the concept of forgiveness belong?

Back then, a local gang often met a few blocks away from where I lived which was on the path that I took home from school. One day, they stopped me. They asked me if I wanted to become affiliated with their gang and I hastily responded with a no. In a flash, I was on the cold asphalt street feeling the malice-filled punches on my face. At that point, I felt the psychological distress of confusion. Confusion as to why I was being punished for making a decision. After the gang left, I sprinted home.

I was never the kind of child that cried to his or her mother whenever the clouds of distress came, but that day I cried like never before. Like a caring mother, my mom nursed the plethora of facial bruises and asked me how I felt. In truth, I didn't know how I felt. She told me that I had to choose between contempt and forgiveness. I chose forgiveness. Strangely though, I didn't choose forgiveness because I was a Christian. I chose it because it gave my heart that rare feeling one experiences whenever he or she makes the right decision.

Over the course of the week, the gang continued to assault me. I never retaliated with a punch in self-defense, a compromise to join the gang, or a plea for them to stop. I stuck to my decision to forgive and never reconsidered. The gang disappeared from my block a few days later. I never found out why, but I did forgive them. Now, I realize that the concept of forgiveness is intertwined in all three of the virtues: Vires, Artes, and Mores. My forgiveness was a byproduct of my resilience against the gang. At the same time, it was also an art, because I practiced and crafted my forgiveness each day of that week until it gradually progressed from a sketch to a portrait. Not only was my forgiveness a form of strength and an art; it was also a new part of my character. It became a way of life.

Forgiveness is the very thing that binds people closer together. Through forgiveness, the bond between two people is not only repaired, but fortified as well in hopes that it isn't severed again. Forgiveness is not to forget, but to remember; to remember the pain that the person inflicted upon you and to nullify that pain with love. At Florida State University, I will make bonds with others, but I know that I will have to fortify them in order to ensure a successful future.