Your Life on Earth Personal Philosophy Project
Final Product Video: "Open your eyes to all the Brilliant Things" -
Honors Option: Personal Narrative (Connected to Final Video Product) -
Reflection -
Project Description:
Most teenagers experience what is called the “existential crisis”. It is the nature of this time in our lives, to question our place in the universe and explore the meaning we can create in it. This project was designed to make us explore this feeling further, try to discover more about our personal philosophies, and find what gives our lives meaning. Specifically, our essential questions were:
New Insights -
Understanding the relationship between gratitude and happiness was one of the major insights I gained during this project. I have always thought gratitude should be a habit in everyone's life, simply because it makes you feel more positive and can make others feel day too. However, this project revealed that not only does gratitude help me to stay optimistic, it is a main contributor to overall happiness; practicing gratitude makes you happier. Since we talked about this in class, I have been trying to take a moment to acknowledge gratitude every time I notice one of those small things that I mentioned above. I might see the first bluebird of spring and make myself stop for a moment to appreciate and be grateful for what it represents for me personally (a story for another time), and it’s simple, innocent beauty. Not only has this made me happier in general, it has also allowed me to feel more fortunate in a time when I have leaned towards self pity (global pandemic, wasted high school years, etc.).
Further Questions and Intellectual Work -
There are many questions that I still have about philosophy and the universe. Just a few:
Most teenagers experience what is called the “existential crisis”. It is the nature of this time in our lives, to question our place in the universe and explore the meaning we can create in it. This project was designed to make us explore this feeling further, try to discover more about our personal philosophies, and find what gives our lives meaning. Specifically, our essential questions were:
- What is the purpose of (your/human) existence?
- What does it mean to live a meaningful life? AND What gives your life meaning?
- How do you characterize your relationship with Earth and your place on it?
- How does your “intertextual” experience impact your personal philosophy?
- How can literature and film give deeper meaning to human life?
New Insights -
Understanding the relationship between gratitude and happiness was one of the major insights I gained during this project. I have always thought gratitude should be a habit in everyone's life, simply because it makes you feel more positive and can make others feel day too. However, this project revealed that not only does gratitude help me to stay optimistic, it is a main contributor to overall happiness; practicing gratitude makes you happier. Since we talked about this in class, I have been trying to take a moment to acknowledge gratitude every time I notice one of those small things that I mentioned above. I might see the first bluebird of spring and make myself stop for a moment to appreciate and be grateful for what it represents for me personally (a story for another time), and it’s simple, innocent beauty. Not only has this made me happier in general, it has also allowed me to feel more fortunate in a time when I have leaned towards self pity (global pandemic, wasted high school years, etc.).
Further Questions and Intellectual Work -
There are many questions that I still have about philosophy and the universe. Just a few:
- Is time linear or cyclical?
- How will our continuous and expanding scientific exploration of the universe affect our philosophical exploration?
- If I died tomorrow, would I reach Eudaimonia?