I need some help with this essay. I am not sure if I am talking enough about myself and the experience or if I am talking too much about one. I don't mind harsh comments and if I have to rewrite the whole thing I can do that. Thank you in advance.
Option 3 - Using the following quotation from "The Moral Obligations of Living in a Democratic Society" as a starting point, tell us about an event or experience that helped you define one of your values or changed how you approach the world.
"Empathy is not simply a matter of trying to imagine what others are going through, but having the will to muster enough courage to do something about it. In a way, empathy is predicated upon hope."
- Cornel West, Class of 1943 University Professor in the Center for African American Studies, Princeton University
"No, you cannot go visit him." My Physical education teacher told me since I had a cold and I could make my friend sick. We were discussing just before class about what happened to a friend of mine, he had a nasty accident on his bike and was hospitalized. I really wanted to go visit him but the teachers reason seemed enough to stop me from trying and also the fact that I was about 10 years old to get there.
Juan, my friend had this peculiar accident that even today I can't understand how it came to be. He was riding his bike going to the supermarket on a slight slope, nothing to great. Then in a moment, in his words, the front wheel detached itself from the bike. The rest of what happened is blurry in his mind but the effects were not, many lost teeth and a fracture in his skull. He was going to survive but he would have scars.
He was (and is) my friend and I wanted to visit him; my desire for him to get better became silent. Juan lived close to my house and so his and my mom talked often. "Gianni will help him avoid getting behind the class" my mother said to Juan's mother. I wasn't expecting that phrase, for a moment I thought that wishing him well was enough. But my mother later told me that I should help him now the most in this time of need. This moment would be in retrospect the one that changed my way of thinking and helping others in the future. If I couldn't go see him at least I would help him with school.
By this time I was quite good at school although I had a really annoying problem. My handwriting was barely legible at best. Since little I was taught to write in cursive, even my teachers called my handwriting Sanskrit. I couldn't give my friend photocopies of that, it would be like having nothing so I decided to improve my handwriting as much as possible. I can't say it was perfect but it was good enough to be read.
A couple of months later my friend was back in school, every wound were healed and he had artificial teeth. He was the same friend I had known and he was incredibly grateful to me. I felt incredibly well that I could make the difference to someone and help them pull through a hard time. This quote finally made sense. "Empathy is not simply a matter of trying to imagine what others are going through, but having the will to muster enough courage to do something about it. In a way, empathy is predicated upon hope." Or in other words, empathy is not only walking in someone else shoes, its helping that someone feel better while walking with their own.
Option 3 - Using the following quotation from "The Moral Obligations of Living in a Democratic Society" as a starting point, tell us about an event or experience that helped you define one of your values or changed how you approach the world.
"Empathy is not simply a matter of trying to imagine what others are going through, but having the will to muster enough courage to do something about it. In a way, empathy is predicated upon hope."
- Cornel West, Class of 1943 University Professor in the Center for African American Studies, Princeton University
"No, you cannot go visit him." My Physical education teacher told me since I had a cold and I could make my friend sick. We were discussing just before class about what happened to a friend of mine, he had a nasty accident on his bike and was hospitalized. I really wanted to go visit him but the teachers reason seemed enough to stop me from trying and also the fact that I was about 10 years old to get there.
Juan, my friend had this peculiar accident that even today I can't understand how it came to be. He was riding his bike going to the supermarket on a slight slope, nothing to great. Then in a moment, in his words, the front wheel detached itself from the bike. The rest of what happened is blurry in his mind but the effects were not, many lost teeth and a fracture in his skull. He was going to survive but he would have scars.
He was (and is) my friend and I wanted to visit him; my desire for him to get better became silent. Juan lived close to my house and so his and my mom talked often. "Gianni will help him avoid getting behind the class" my mother said to Juan's mother. I wasn't expecting that phrase, for a moment I thought that wishing him well was enough. But my mother later told me that I should help him now the most in this time of need. This moment would be in retrospect the one that changed my way of thinking and helping others in the future. If I couldn't go see him at least I would help him with school.
By this time I was quite good at school although I had a really annoying problem. My handwriting was barely legible at best. Since little I was taught to write in cursive, even my teachers called my handwriting Sanskrit. I couldn't give my friend photocopies of that, it would be like having nothing so I decided to improve my handwriting as much as possible. I can't say it was perfect but it was good enough to be read.
A couple of months later my friend was back in school, every wound were healed and he had artificial teeth. He was the same friend I had known and he was incredibly grateful to me. I felt incredibly well that I could make the difference to someone and help them pull through a hard time. This quote finally made sense. "Empathy is not simply a matter of trying to imagine what others are going through, but having the will to muster enough courage to do something about it. In a way, empathy is predicated upon hope." Or in other words, empathy is not only walking in someone else shoes, its helping that someone feel better while walking with their own.
