When we come into this world, each of us can be deemed helpless because we cannot do anything without our parents. This is where the actual growth starts because we cannot do anything else but learn from other people. The importance of observations and mimicry goes beyond everything else because we get to understand the norms and rules of culture and language. As soon as we start behaving like other people around us, it becomes the primary stage of the assimilation process.
The idea for every parent is to help their child become a self-sufficient, autonomous adult who can get far in life. With so many expectations to meet and objectives to achieve, it can become so hard to grow into an individual with quality values and a proper understanding of how the world works. In this essay, I am going to address how culture and language shaped my development during junior high school and high school.
To begin with, during my junior high school time, I think I began my never-ending journey to self-discovery. It was at that time that I first learned about consuming alcohol and smoking cigarettes. My parents quickly learned about my experimentation, but I am genuinely thankful for them being considerate and not punishing me physically or imposing their own values on me. We had a long talk, and I realized how it could be much better for me to make my own decisions and remain in control of what I am doing when with my peers. Evidently, junior high school is the time and place for trial and error when one’s cultural beliefs are finally formed (Roberts 33). This is why you should try things but remain in touch with your inner self in order to move forward and evolve constantly.
During high school, I quickly learned the importance of commitment and language use. While consolidating my presence in the world, I began realizing that words were some of the most powerful weapons available to humans. I actually started thinking about not being willing to be rude to people or offend them just because they were bad-mannered. The idea of keeping inner integrity grew on me when I realized that it did not make any sense to lose time when engaging in superfluous, extensive conflicts.
When I was in junior high school, I could say something offensive to an impolite person without realizing that they could have been going through something at that point in their lives. The ability to remain in touch with the real world and treat others rationally shapes humans into a much more patient, empathetic community (Laing and Frost 113). I think it is much easier to own up to your mistakes rather than carry the burden of regret and grumpiness.
The point that I am trying to get across with the help of this essay is that each of us is going to leave a legacy. We should invest our time and effort into something important and valuable to ensure that our reach goes beyond individual pleasures and achievements. The lessons I have learned from junior high school and high school years make it safe to say that it is way more effective to support people and not bring them down. When it comes to cultural and language-related habits, you can and should control everything that can help you grow and become a better person.
Works Cited
Laing, Jennifer H., and Warwick Frost. “Journeys of Well-Being: Women’s Travel Narratives of Transformation and Self-Discovery in Italy.” Tourism Management, vol. 62, 2017, pp. 110-119.
Roberts, Laura Morgan. “From Proving to Becoming: How Positive Relationships Create a Context for Self-Discovery and Self-Actualization.” Exploring Positive Relationships at Work. Psychology Press, 2017, pp. 29-46.