Major key to having a fulfilling life.

Chris Zhong
Professor Sarah Kleeb
ACMA 01
Jan 14, 2016
One of my basic outlook towards life in general is that, I want to become a better me
the next day. Better than I was yesterday, through any way, shape or form. When I am going
hard, in everything I am going to achieve victory and my goals. Through this process it is
easy for me to lose a sense of direction, lose connection with the people around me. For every
individual on this planet to come together as a whole, to solve problems for the greater good,
anything from global warming to droughts, we need a universal platform for which all of us
can stand on firmly to recognize problems. Once more, through our everyday work, stress
and anxiety muffles the beauty of life around us. Humans including myself very rarely take
the time out of our lives to appreciate what is in front of our eyes, and how far humanity as a
whole has come. As of now it may seem as life is slowly veering off course, however
studying humanities shines light on the murkier sides in life. Humanities allows a greater
appreciation for the people around us, creates a universal platform while we view the world
as a whole, to honor the beauty of human achievements. Ultimately, it creates a better me
than I was the day before, fulfilling my outlook towards life.

Despite the fact that English is not my mother tongue, I seek new ways for myself to
enriched and broaden my English literature. I believe enrolling within the fields humanities
deepens my skill sets on reading, writing and speaking. Person who is more susceptible to the
humanities field develops more exposure culture, poetry, literature, to visual arts. Being
enrolled in humanities from a perspective by Nussbaum she states; What is crucial is plenty

of opportunity for interchange between faculty and students, and many writing assignments,
carefully evaluated with ample comments. (Nussbaum, 294) The only way to advance from
writing to reading is to participate in constant practice, courses that are offered from
humanities efficiently delivers the necessary requirements. The phrase practice makes perfect
may seem like an old clich, how ever I believe that it is through the practice where I can see
my shortcomings, paired with constructive feedback I am able to revise and remember for
future references. Studying humanities opens up many doors, one of them allows me to
improve my literature skills which is a major key to success.

There are many people after graduation following their path way of success, on that
journey they seldom stop and take time to think about their actions. Humanities is highly
composed of critical thinkers; they are trained skillfully to contemplate about each situation.
When I join the workforce, I do not solely want my thinking be engulfed by it, to allow it to
control my judgements. Having experience from the field of humanities this enables me to
step back and evaluate my life decisions, from being an ethical consumer to ongoing politics
around the world. Terry Eagleton strongly believes this notion is fundamental for life as he
states We will change it by insisting that a critical reflection on human values and principles
should be central to everything that goes on in universities. (Eagleton, 2) This practices
rational thinking going beyond what is taught by textbooks and novels, practicing this allows
us to appreciate life, being thankful, counting our blessings. An great example is that
Nussbaum stated Citizens cannot think well on the basis of factual knowledge alone This
means the ability to think what it might be like to be in the shoes of a person different from
oneself. (Nussbaum, 299) Subsequently, having a clean and clear mind is always the answer.
This makes life more meaningful and gives it a direction to blossom towards, which is a
major key to success.

The world is going through numerous catastrophic events from global warming to
terrorism. Impoverished countries receive little help; stronger countries are reluctant to help.
There almost seems to be a physical and emotional barrier between any two nations, but to
solve problems collectively we all must have a global perspective for the world around us.
The only way to solve problems all together is to solve it as a single entity. We often how see
other cultures dissimilar to ours possessing a barrier that blocks us from seeing each other
as equals. We are able to gain access to others culture by studying their humanities, to build a
bridge that overlooks hostility and recognizes common grounds. Our ignorance to accept is
part of human nature, the fear of uncertainty leads to false assumptions. Nussbaum suggests
that with humanities it could possible change the mindset of students; we need to educate
the eyes of our students, by cultivating their ability to see complex humanity in places where
they are most accustomed to deny it. (Nussbaum, 301) The students of today shapes the
world of tomorrow, humanities must be essential to any students as it broadens their outlook
on society. A major key in solving global problems we must treat other ethnic group as equals
by studying their culture, constructing a common ground.

The final major key upon why I am studying humanities is that I am able to see the
beauty and magnificence of human achievements. More often than not when people think
about history they think about the battles and war torn scars that has shaped the world to what
it is today. However, most rarely do people appreciate what humans collectively has
accomplished together. The field in art for example, from cavemen painting on stone walls to
Modern Rome by Giovanni Paolo, I am able to see the progression humans have achieved
through centuries of accumulating skillful artistry. That is only in the arts, from music to
literature, by studying humanities this opens up broader spectrum. Nussbaums standpoint on

this is We may continue to produce narrow citizens who have difficulty understanding
people different from themselves, whose imaginations rarely venture beyond their local
setting. (Nussbaum, 302) Her views of citizens seems as though it is confined living the
everyday norm not taking time out and appreciate how far humanity has come. By studying
humanities, it allows everyone of us to have a more fruitful life.

Humanities can greatly fulfill one of my greatest outlook on life to better than I was
the person of yesterday, always moving forward never backwards. I am able to view life in a
different spectrum, advance my literacy skills, to build a bridge between different ethnic
groups. Eagleton and Nussbaum greatly stress on the importance of humanities as a necessary
study and I cannot agree with them more. In return for any, they want to see themselves
following a pathway of success, humanities are the guidance for that pathway, for myself I
cannot wait to see where humanities have in store for me.

Works cited:
Eagleton, Terry, The Death of Universities The Guardian, 03 June 2014. 14 January 2016.

Nussbaum, Martha. Education for Citizenship in an Era of Global Connection. Studies in

philosophy and Education. Kluwer Academic Publishers. 14 January 2016.