Will Derdeyn
January 7, 2008
What I Really Learned this Semester
During this semester I learned to value the truth, learn from my mistakes, and find God in places other than a church. One of the first things we saw this year was the truth spectrum, and how we can never know the complete truth of anything. Through other activities, like the Right Speech Experiment, I learned how truth is not necessarily valued by our society. Quoting Father Hagan, this course has taught me to “seek the truth.”
Also, going back to the snail questions, this course has emphasized learning from your mistakes. For example, over the summer I got my first speeding ticket while driving to work on Manchester Road. Since it was my first one, my parents did not make me pay for it. However, I know that there will be more repercussions if I were to get caught speeding again, so I have changed how I drive by trying not to go over ten miles per hour above the speed limit.
Finally, I have learned to find God in things like science, philosophy, and nature. During the section Faith and Apologetics, when we learned about arguments for God’s existence, like the Anthropic principle, I felt like my faith and belief in God grew. To me, these arguments made more sense than any other previous reasons for His existence. Also, the many famous philosophers we studied throughout the year brought me closer to God, by making me think of things like Human Condition, and the Problem of Evil, which I had thought of previously.
Overall, I think this course has helped me become a better person, and a better man for others.