My Essay free essay sample

Write about a time when you stood up for yourself. Growing up, my parents raised me to live the best Christian life I possibly could and was taught that the importance of God lies within your own beliefs, in which I had very deep understandings for. However, I never really noticed how naive I was in believing that everyone had the same perspectives as I did until one of my closest friends came along and told me that God was not real. Three years ago, my friend, Alec, and I were sitting on the steps of my back porch examining the sky and wondering why it was blue. Maybe it was Gods favorite color, I blurted out. With the sudden movement, Alec jerked his head and stared at me with hazy eyes. Aw cmon. You dont really believe in that crap do you? Bewildered, I looked at him and asked What crap, Alec? All that God is so good and hes the way and truth crap, he said. We will write a custom essay sample on My Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Now, I was completely alarmed. My best friend just admitted that he didnt believe in something so important to me. I sat there for a moment trying to process what he had just said. In my heart, I knew this was God telling me to gain control of the situation and tell my friend that he is real. So after sitting there debating if I should get up and leave or not, I just decided to witness to Alec. I told him the story of how I was saved and the possibility that he could be too. After hours of telling him stories and listening to his perspectives, he finally just called me a gullible Bible thumper. I was so angry at this point that I just threw my arms in the air yelling and screaming that he was an idiot. No one had ever called me this. How dare he called me a Bible thumper when I was only trying to help him? Alec looked at me, amazed that I could get this mad. But somewhere between the yelling and name-calling, my dad had walked outside to settle down the madness. He finally calmed my relentless self down, and simply explained to me that other people are entitled to have different opinions. He also said that yelling and screaming wont get you anywhere in life (even if someone called you something offensive). So, I sat back down next to Alec and simply explained why I believe in God in a calm and understandble manner. Though my friend had called me a Bible thumper and was completely shameless about it, I now understand that the best way to stand up for yourself in a situation like this is to calmly and simply state your beliefs. I not only stood up for myself, but my belief in God as well. I may not have changed my friends point -of- view on something as important as this topic, but trying is really all what God asks for. My Essay free essay sample Many of his statements have helped Harry and his friends get through trials of their own and fill them with the knowledge to make it through the series. With the on going battle of good versus evil throughout the series, it is Dumbledore’s responsibility to guide his students and instill the right morals in them to go above and beyond the temptation of evil. Even as evil is approaching the innocent students at Hogwarts, Dumbledore remind them that hard choices are on the way. He states, â€Å"We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy† (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) and â€Å"You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be† (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). Aristotle believed that it is the habitual choices that a person makes that compose their character. He states, â€Å"Where doing or making is dependent on knowing how, we acquire the know-how by actually doing† (Melchert, 190). We will write a custom essay sample on My Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Aristotle goes on to continue to say that builders are builders because they build things. Lyre players are people who actually play the lyre. These same qualities can be seen by people who are called brave or temperate. Those people choose to do actions that would label them with the name brave or temperate. Whether it be good or bad, a person must make the choices that coincide with those moral identities. Growing up in life, every person must make habituals choices. Each choice has a consequence either negative or positive. In retrospective, people try to make choices that will influence them to be a better person. People choose to eat certain food to maintain a healthy diet. People choose to complete homework assignments to maintain a good grade point average. People choose to act kindly towards an acquaintance to show respect. Everyday people are imposes with choices, which Aristotle says it directly affects their character. When evil prevails, a person might become consumed in the depression and anxiety of its wrath. Dumbledore reminds his pupils, â€Å"Happiness can be found in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light† (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban). During the time of Dumbledore, there was a lot of fear as evil started to gain momentum and power. He was reminding his students that they themselves have the power to eradicate fear and they can withstand any dark time that they encounter. This is like how Epicurus reassured his followers to overcome their fears. He pointed out two main fears: the fear of the gods and the fear of death (Melchert, 201). Epicurus believed that both of these fears were irrational, yet plagued many, and tried to comfort them by giving them hope. He pointed out that the gods are not interested in demonizing the living because interacting with people would make them less godly, thus killing them faster. For the fear of death, he advised his followers to meditate on death and accept that everything must die at the end of their time, but always being afraid of this death hinders a person from fully living. Epicurus thought it was necessary to address these fears, or turning on a light as Dumbledore suggests, in order to find happiness. As the final battle of good versus evil becomes closer, Dumbledore becomes a key part to Harry’s motivation to finish strong. Dumbledore reminds him, â€Å"Do not pity the dead, Harry, pity the living, and above all, those who live without love† (The Deathy Hallows Part II Movie). Love is a main theme throughout the Harry Potter series, a factor that the good possesses and evil lacks. The main focus of Christianity is how to live as a Christ-like person through love. In Christianity, it is believed that Jesus died on a cross to save the sins of man kind. It is through this action that Christians believe it is a selfless act of love. In a familiar way, Lilian Potter gave up her life her her son Harry. Through her love for her son, she sacrificed her love so that Harry could become the boy who lived. Christians’ faith revolve around being like Christ, meaning to love God with all their heart, soul, and strength, and to also love other people as much as they love themselves. It is the core Christian belief that love is one of the most constant and challenging aspects of Christianity. In Matthew 5:39, it states, â€Å"But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also†. This means to not fight back as intuition may tell somebody to do, but on the contrary, act peaceful and show love for it will give an example of humility and justice. Dumbledore could have been seen to turn the other cheek when he put his trust in Severus Snape. Even though Snape was once caught up in the Dark Lord, Dumbledore was able to show love to Snape and help him believe in the good again. Dumbledore tells Harry to pity those who do not love, because those without love do not know the kindness and forgiveness that comes along with love. Dumbledore was a great example of showing how to love a person even after they may have chosen a wrong path in the past. If I was able to sit down and chat with Dumbledore, I would bring up all these amazing similarities between his quotes and different philosophies. I imagine that he would have a calm essence in his presence, the mighty Albus Dumbledore who possessed the most powerful wand in the world. He had the choice of using it for good to help build up the magic world or use it for evil that is associated being overwhelmed with greed and power. I would ask him how he felt when he realized that his death was ultimately a key element in ensuring good would conquer evil. I’m sure he would respond with ease saying something along the line that self-sacrifice for the sake of the good is an honorable achievement, like martyrdom. I hope to one day be filled with the wisdom of Dumbledore and achieve an honorable death like him. MLA Works Cited Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Dir. Mike Newell. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2005. DVD. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Dir. Alfonso Cuaron. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2004. DVD. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Dir. David Yates. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2011. DVD. Melchert, Norman. The Great Conversation. 6th ed. New York, New York: Oxford UP, 2011. Print.