Providence College students have always engaged in lively intellectual debates through disputatio - the art of disputed questions. At Providence, there is often not one correct answer, but rather many answers that come together to form one truth. In a divided society filled with strong opinions, how do you work to ensure all viewpoints are considered and the ultimate truth is discovered? (250-500 words)
When I was little, my mom told me about her encounters as a news reporter with all kinds of people, from activists to war veterans, from poachers to millionaires. "Everyone thinks they're on the good side. They don't try to understand each other.", she would say. "My job is to make people listen. Want to help me with that?". So I did.
By the time I learned the word "mediator", I had already been one. Resolving conflicts is a constantly-reshaping challenge in my rowdy public schools, casual household, and military neighborhood. To help two friends make up, I have to find out why the first punch was thrown. To prevent my dad from assaulting my older sister's boyfriend every saturday night, I proposed negotiating conditions. I sat through my neighbors' rants to settle their quarrels. Everyone has their reasons. I balance them and find out what works best. Open-mindedness, patience, and flexibility never failed me.
Only by listening to all sides are we truly listening. Expressing our thoughts, as well as taking in others', purely for the sake of advancement demands effort. Dominicans make that effort to prevent emotion from suppressing logic, to prevent prejudices from hindering innovation, and to let knowledge complement knowledge. Providence's ideals on the pursuit of truth resonate with my belief. However strange or unacceptable an opinion may seem, I always try to find the facts so they can complete each other and lead to the truth. Along with mediating, I encourage others to create a comfortable and accepting environment that encourages free speech. I believe that peace promotes progress.
However, to me, there's no ultimate truth. The human knowledge is ever expanding and ever changing, like a puzzle with pieces that can be fit into many places and transforms with every different combination. What we have to do is find as many of those pieces as we can, so even if they become obsolete, we can look back and see how our perception of truth evolved, motivating ourselves to keep walking on that path. I commit myself to peacebuilding so conflicts become productive, and I commit myself to education so I can create well-adjusted puzzle pieces from others. To keep trying to solve the enigma of truth is a mission given us, human beings, and to me, a growing peacemaker.
@Holt I forgot that I couldn't post another essay in that thread. I asked if asking for suggestions was even okay but then straight posted the essay. Sorry.
Finding the ultimate truth
When I was little, my mom told me about her encounters as a news reporter with all kinds of people, from activists to war veterans, from poachers to millionaires. "Everyone thinks they're on the good side. They don't try to understand each other.", she would say. "My job is to make people listen. Want to help me with that?". So I did.
By the time I learned the word "mediator", I had already been one. Resolving conflicts is a constantly-reshaping challenge in my rowdy public schools, casual household, and military neighborhood. To help two friends make up, I have to find out why the first punch was thrown. To prevent my dad from assaulting my older sister's boyfriend every saturday night, I proposed negotiating conditions. I sat through my neighbors' rants to settle their quarrels. Everyone has their reasons. I balance them and find out what works best. Open-mindedness, patience, and flexibility never failed me.
Only by listening to all sides are we truly listening. Expressing our thoughts, as well as taking in others', purely for the sake of advancement demands effort. Dominicans make that effort to prevent emotion from suppressing logic, to prevent prejudices from hindering innovation, and to let knowledge complement knowledge. Providence's ideals on the pursuit of truth resonate with my belief. However strange or unacceptable an opinion may seem, I always try to find the facts so they can complete each other and lead to the truth. Along with mediating, I encourage others to create a comfortable and accepting environment that encourages free speech. I believe that peace promotes progress.
However, to me, there's no ultimate truth. The human knowledge is ever expanding and ever changing, like a puzzle with pieces that can be fit into many places and transforms with every different combination. What we have to do is find as many of those pieces as we can, so even if they become obsolete, we can look back and see how our perception of truth evolved, motivating ourselves to keep walking on that path. I commit myself to peacebuilding so conflicts become productive, and I commit myself to education so I can create well-adjusted puzzle pieces from others. To keep trying to solve the enigma of truth is a mission given us, human beings, and to me, a growing peacemaker.
@Holt I forgot that I couldn't post another essay in that thread. I asked if asking for suggestions was even okay but then straight posted the essay. Sorry.