Advanced Essay #2: Improvement of Society

Introduction:

The purpose of my essay is to show how unique identities could create progress of improvement in society. I was really proud of myself that I could put my ideas into this piece and connected with my experience in SLA. I really want to improve how I form the sentences so it could be more clear.

Progress is dependent on people having different ideas; if we were all the same, then is going to be impossible for the developments. However, most people are born with the mindset that they belong where people have similar identities to their own. People tend to assume your identity based on their standards, but the improvement of society requires a diversity of identities and a sense of belonging.

When I was a little if someone asked me, “Hey, what’s your name?” I used to get embarrassed. My face would turn red and I would freeze. I did not like the feeling of listening to people when they talked about my name, a feeling most immigrants hate. I used to have a mindset that if you are living in America you should not present yourself as too “Asian.” I believed people would either think that you didn’t know English or you didn’t belong in their society. I was young when I moved to America and I didn't want to become an alienated kid just because of my name being different.

It started in middle school, and yet I remember it as if it was yesterday. We had a new science teacher and he was my new advisor. Everyone was so happy to introduce themselves to him, and there I was, sitting in a corner and couldn't think at all. “Hey! Hey, the girl over there.” He shouted.

It took me a while to realize that he was calling me. I stood up slowly, saying in a shaky voice, “ Yes sir?”

“What is your name?” He asked.

“Nhu.” I said quietly.

“What?” He said, “Can you speak up a little bit?”

“Nhu.” I said with a louder voice.

“Why are you so shy about it?” He asked, “Your name definitely has a beautiful meaning behind it, what’s wrong with telling people about your name?”

“I didn’t want to be so different from the rest, my name makes me different so I don’t like it,” I replied.

He laughed, “Name is something that makes me stand out from others. Something that tells people who I am. Something that helps me remember where I belong. Something that tells me my culture and identity.” He said, “Don’t be shy about it. One day when you grow up, you will see how special your name is to others.”

SLA has been proven that he was right. My name has a unique meaning and I should be proud of it. My name makes people remember my unique identity, but that factor never affects my belonging in this community.  

SLA family is diverse. Each of us contributes unique parts of ourselves to help the community grow over time to make it even better than before. We respect each other because we understand that we are different. According to Julian Baggini, a British philosopher, “[W]e have different conceptions of the self the world over not because selves differ, but because at different times and places people have more or less concern with different aspects of selfhood.” This is significant because everybody has their own thought about how to view the world which could either be influenced by their identity, background, environment, or other life experiences unique to them. Without these factors, everyone would have the same mindset, which would make a community stuck in the same place forever. To be able to grow something as a whole, you have to listen, understand, and accept that others have distinctive personalities. Most importantly, look at multiple perspectives because nobody is going to be correct all of the time. At SLA, our ideas are different, but we all have the same goal, to reach success. We are all working hard towards it, and that is how we build up our community over time.

SLA is a puzzle that contains multiple pieces that fit together. We are unique, but we always find a way to help each other feel as we belong together. In the movie, Beasts of the Southern Wild, it shows that “[T]he whole universe depends on everything fitting together just right. If one piece busts, even the smallest piece, the whole universe will get busted.” The idea that everything is connected together in some way, a tiny thing could ruin everything demonstrated that everyone should help each other out and build on top of each other's ideas. Doing things on your own will not help things improve or grow, but given your own ideas to a community will help it build up over time. Giving your best effort could not only it affect you, but others, and help to contribute to other sense of belonging.

Most people would think about this differently. They would prefer people who they are most feel comfortable with, which are the people who fit perfectly with the standard that they set up. Knowing someone who is similarly related to them are more suitable because they could easy to share their feeling among others. They would believe that others will understand and help them move forward with their goals.

People in society are different in their own way. Your name is one of the factors that is unique and defines who you are as a person. Others should not assume things based on society’s standard because everyone is different. This difference is a way for this society to improve. We needed multiple ideas to build up a larger idea, just like society needed diversity to grow over time.