Who We Are Essay

An inquiry into the nature of self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social, and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities, and cultures; rights and responsibilities; what it means to be human


Nature of Self:

Nature of self is just a fancy way of saying what makes each of us unique. Well, what makes me unique is that I really enjoy learning things. Everything you learn is just a step up the staircase of knowledge. I love math, science, and writing. Inequalities, unicellular organisms, and slow-motion writing. They are all really interesting and entertaining to me! As you can see, I'm a really enthusiastic person. I always intend on making a great score. My wonderful teacher, Mrs. Hicks, teaches us a lot of valuable information that we really need. From what you've heard, I may seem like a really quiet person. But no! I like gymnastics and things that require you to be active. They make me feel free and happy. I go to gymnastics class three days a week, for two and a half hours each. I always try my hardest in both school and gymnastics. I'm competitive in almost anything, and I like a joke here and there. But it has to be at the right times, or else it wouldn't be very funny.

Culture:

Because I am Russian, I have a different culture from Americans. I am Orthodox- Christian. We celebrate different holiday’s different ways, we may eat different foods, and our language is different. But that makes no difference to our family. On the seventh of January, it is Christmas for us. Usually, Christmas in America is the twenty-fifth of December.

But we aren't that different. Take New Years, for example. In America, the big celebration is in New York City. It Russia, it's in Moscow. That is a tradition of our family. We always wait till it is the first of January, and then we celebrate. It's really exciting! My family and I have always followed our traditions, even though we live in a different country. I really don’t mind. I’m happy to know that.

Beliefs:

Beliefs are the things that we believe are right or wrong. I believe in a few things.

Honesty is always the best policy. People might not be mad at you if you just told them the truth! The world would have been such a better place when everybody would tell the truth. Apparently, that won’t be any time soon. And if you have something negative to say, say it nicely. Constructional criticism is always a good way to be nice to people.

I believe that unneeded thoughts should be kept to themselves. People would be much happier, when you have negative things to say about them. You shouldn’t argue with people, be peaceful. It would show that you actually respected them. Violence is never really a good thing. As you can see by my beliefs, I believe that the PYP profiles and attitudes should always accompany people.

But I have one belief that doesn’t fall into the PYP profiles and attitudes section. Family, friends, and education are a very important thing to a person. Where would we be without them?

Values:

First of all, values are things that are important to us. An easier way to say it, it’s what we value.

I value and love my family. They keep me alive and breathing. My parents have raised me ever since I was born, so they are important to me. My whole family has taught me things, and brought me joy to my heart.

I also value my friends. Without my friends, I think that I would have been a completely different person. They support me, and I support them back. Remember, every human being should have a friend. A friend will always share your feelings, whether you’re happy or sad.

I also value education. Education will help me get a good job, which will result in a good life. Also, it’s fun just to know things! Isn’t it interesting to know things that people may have never even heard of? Knowledge is very important to a person. Imagine the world not knowing anything. How awful would that be? Also, if you’re in a bad situation, you can use your knowledge to get out of that situation. I love learning new things.

Books are another value of mine. They are so interesting! Books hold fun facts, poetry, and adventurous stories! You learn what is right or wrong through books. They are really important to me and everyone.

Last, but definitely not least, I value honesty. Without it people would have been mean and cruel. I would always want to be honest. Friendships develop through honesty, and people begin to trust and rely on each other. That way, the world would be a more happier and peaceful place.

Personal Health:

To keep myself personally/physically healthy, I do gymnastics. It keeps me fit, and I’m working out. That kind of ties into running. I usually run every day, rain or shine, inside or outside.

Eating correctly is another way of keeping health. You should eat your fruits and vegetables, and have at least two cups of milk a day. That gives you the vitamins needed for your body. Also, I eat a correct amount of food.

Keeping clean is another very important thing in keeping yourself healthy. I always brush my teeth, comb my hair, and wash myself every single day. This keeps your skin, hair and teeth healthy. It’s really important to be clean at all times.


Social Health:

Social heath is a big thing for almost every single person on Earth. This basically means getting along with others and being kind.

I’m very nice around others especially grown- ups. When I’m with my friends, I do tend to tease the m a bit. Most of the times, I’m good with them. But that doesn’t mean I change who I am. I always am the same, at school or at home. I’m really nice and respectful to people. And I always try at least to get along with my brother. I always try to tell the truth to people. If it’s not very nice, I try to tell them the truth in a really nice way.

When people are talking about something inappropriate, I try to change the subject to something else. If I can’t do anything, I just be quiet, or leave the area. I always try to cooperate with others and not argue. And if I need to, I make people focus on what is needed.


To communicate with others, I may just simply talk to them. When I have time, I may e- mail them, or just send a letter. These are all forms of communication, no matter how different.

Spiritual Health:

I may live in America, but I am Russian. To keep spiritually healthy, my family and I still keep our religion. I am able to speak, read, and write Russian. Because I do not go to Russian school, my mom and dad give me lessons so that I don’t forget anything. Some Sundays, I go to church and church school. I am proud that I still know my culture and religion.

My family and I are still able to celebrate our holidays, without any interference. I am very happy about that. Most people that move tend to forget their culture and religion.

Human Relations:

As you know, every human relates to at least someone. I relate to my mother, father, brothers, grandparents, etc. That is because they are part of my family. We all relate in some way. My brother and I get along pretty well, even though we may argue at some times.

Another human relationship is between my friends and I. We usually get along pretty well, whether or not our beliefs and values are the same. In order to obtain this friendship, I have to be nice. So that means human relationships kind of tie into social health.

A really important human relation is parents and children. They may sometimes fight a lot with each other (not fight, but argue). My parents and I get along really well, and we argue very rarely.

Rights:

Every human being has at least some rights to do something. First of all, rights are the things that we are able to do, or should do.

I have a thought that every person should have the right to practice their culture or religion, no matter where they are. That means that they cannot be kicked out of their homes, no matter what their race or color is. It’s basically fairness. People of all ages should be treated with respect, even if they are eighty years old or only one year old. But of course, responsible grown- ups should get the most rights. You can rely on them to do the job correctly. Why do I think this way? That is because long ago, not everyone had this right.

Also, everyone should have the right to have speak against what they think is wrong. When someone has to do something they feel uncomfortable in, they feel shy. Everyone should have the right to speak against it.

Responsibilities:

Every grown- up and child has a role/responsibility in his or her home or school. This makes things even and fair.

My parents’ responsibilities are to work, care for us, enjoy their lives, learn, and be kind and honest. But another parent may have different responsibilities. We all have different lives!

My responsibilities are cleaning up, doing homework, learning, and being kind and honest. There are a lot more that I cannot even list for both my parents and I.

Community:


Communities are groups of people working together to, well, form a community! Sometimes it can be a big business, or a tiny club.

War, arguments, and thievery break up a community. In a neighborhood, people steal, and that breaks the community. In a classroom, disrespectful children break it up.

Last year, I was in the Name That Book club. People grouped together to form it. There are a lot of communities in the world: social, religious, and much more!

What it means to be Human:

For me, being human means using time wisely and learning things, and from your mistakes. People would be much nicer, and wiser.

You should always be kind, and be yourself. People can like you just the way you, without you have to change yourself. You must always love your family. They’ve supported you through the years, and loved you. You should repay that price.