This is a paper I did for my Intro to AOD class. It seems interesting in my opinion and worth a look over.
Principle one of the Kaleidoscope Diversity Identity Model says that everyone possesses a diversity profile, which is a unique collection of diversity dimensions that combine and interact with each other. These diversity dimensions are personality, religion, race, gender etc. Principle two says that some of these diversity dimensions are more dominant than others and show which parts of ourselves is more experienced in a topic. For example, a person who’s political is likely going to be more knowledgeable about past and present politics and will want to talk about that the most. There are many diverse points to us that make us like each other, but never exactly the same so we’re all our own person. This gives us a lens through which to look at the world and the people that inhabit it as stated by the third principle. The lens will probably be wrong at first and will usually change as we go through life. Through this, we gain diversity competence which is always changing like how we always learn something new almost every day. Diversity competence is, however, contextual, dynamic, and even questionable in some circumstances according to the fifth and final principle of the Kaleidoscope Diversity Identity Model.
For this paper, I will be self-reflecting my own views, what my foundation is, and how it affects my view of the world. The foundation to all my views is the belief of Christianity. This is because many others and myself have found that an unmovable, unchanging, uncreated, but caring and merciful God is the most logical foundation to the creation of the universe and moral lawgiver. I’ve written sourced blog posts and fictional books to show others the lessons and the evidence for God and the good that it does to live a faithful life. God, for others and myself, is a constant factor and person that is always helping move forward and make the right decisions. Of course, I’ve tried to see things through the view of others who don’t use this as their foundation or moving factor, but I can’t find any real way to justify other positions. I’ve read and heard of multiple Christians who tell us to research our positions so we don’t operate on destructive blind faith and I have done that. Though I have found that the Christian ideology is the best to follow, I still try to treat others with respect as long as they return the same as this is one of the main lessons of Christianity.
On a side note, a smaller inspiration to me is a girl I knew whose name is Alicia. At an early age, she taught me how much my life meant and the beauty that exists in the world despite the evil and ugly people that can exist it in. Though she sometimes used the good image she’s accumulated to get away with certain selfish things, she tries to do good most of the time and stray away from her bad habits. Hey, everyone has a flaw about them and is hypocritical sometimes. Besides, girls that aren’t dangerous aren’t fun am I right? Anyways, she’s been a constant influence on me who takes from the same foundation to teach me to be patient with people and to see the good that always shines in the darkness. Though I don’t see her anymore, her example continues to carry me through the tough times, but I must admit that it is more difficult without her in my life.
The Christian view tells me to keep moving forward no matter the challenges. It says to stay on the right path and never do evil even if others are doing it. It tells me to keep living even though I’ve tried to kill myself several times. This faith is a main and unchanging part of my life that is a deciding factor to most if not all of my decisions and likes. It is a dominant part of my life that allows me to live in the best way possible while still letting me choose certain things to do like getting a job and becoming a writer. It helps me help other people so I can show them how they can fully enjoy their life or at least make it a bit easier. Though it has its restrictions, all ideologies have restrictions even those with weaker foundations or the “no rules” rule.
The way of learning through it is very much like Coomb’s Typology of Educational Settings. It uses each of the settings in our lives even though God might seem like an informal type of teacher events and people that force us to think on our feet and remember past moments. This life gives us many long formal teachers such as school teachers, parents, and even God Himself who will teach us for long amounts of time before dropping a test at the end that has the rewards with wisdom or love most of the time. We are also shown how to act through the examples of saints, great moral people, and Jesus Christ most importantly and told to act like these people. It’s almost a very visual way of teaching and very hands on as all of the lessons given come up daily in life or at multiple single moments in our life like when a stranger asks for help or someone tries to pick a fight with you.
I still love various things through the Christian mindset such as horror and violent stories like Silent Hill, The Punisher, and Fallout. It would be hypocritical for Christians to say these things are not good influences since they have good morals and themes. Plus, the Bible is full of death, violence, and sex so there’s that to throw at them. It’s all about context when it comes to touchy topics such as murder and rape. If you have rape in fiction just to see people get raped then that’s just wrong, but if you have rape to talk about the effects of it then that’s okay. Horror such as Silent Hill can teach you about the monsters that live within ourselves and how we live with them. Subjects such as these teach me to see the results of suffering which includes the good and the bad of it. Silent Hill is the main inspiration for my main book series called Choice and Consequence where I try to entertain and teach people the results of things such as; romance, normality, redemption, losing yourself, and so on. I’ve used a very Bloom’s Taxonomy Cognitive Domain- like model for book writing as I create books, evaluate the criticism then apply it to my next work and remember the lessons so I can keep improving my work. I’ve learned that pain and suffering are teaching and moving actors that get us to act and to keep being good people instead of being lazy and evil. On reflection, things like horror and violent stories aren’t okay to listen to because we’ve found a way to stretch our acceptance, they’ve always been okay and we’ve learned why.
My values in goodness as affected my music taste as I only to listen to Christian metal bands or bands that generally agree with Christian values. I sometimes listen to other genres like 80s or 90s rap, rock, or Johnny Cash country music. The songs I listen to have to either talk about something good, something fun or talk about suffering in a way that it actually is. It could also talk about suicide, criticisms of disbelief, or obsessed love, but those are few and far between. I’ve stopped listening to other bands who are hypocrites or don’t know what they’re talking about even if they have good sounding music.
As far as politics, a good moral and scientific foundation is essential in deciding who to side with. In this current politic climate, the conservatives are the best side to listen to. They applaud Trump when he’s right and scold him when’s wrong, unlike the liberals who do nothing but criticize him and never criticize their own. They claim to be open and diverse but are against it by being against Christians, people of all races if they think they’re wrong, and many others. Liberals today are nothing but Marxists or Communists who try to force people what to think and do through force or through the government. I’ve tried to think in their place, but nothing they say makes sense unless you apply their own distorted reality to what is the actual reality that most sane people agree on. Unlike what they tell you, I’m not racist, bigoted, or sexist. I write stories that go against these terrible things and I treat everyone equally unless they’ve given me a reason not to such as; being a liar, sociopath, or untrustworthy. I swear I’ve been in the headspace of perverts and killers who had more sane mindsets than some of these people. They can try to convince me of their points all they want, they can make fun of me, they can beat me up, but they will never get me to believe their self-destructive ideology that will be the death of them and those they get roped in. Now with that rant out of the way of the hypocrites of today let’s get off it.
My thoughts on things that I’ve mentioned have evolved over the years especially in college where my religion and views have been challenged. Because of this challenge, I went out and researched various unbiased and correct sources to see the truth behind what I know. Through my research and study that I’ve done on my own and with the help of God, I’ve strengthened my faith, become wiser, and gotten smarter when it comes to politics. I freely admit that I can still be wrong about things, but now I’m better at recognizing the truth and saying why it’s the truth. I’m, however, still not that good at writing lengthy papers and long novels as my expertise is writing short stories or novellas for people who don’t usually read books and would rather play a video game, read a comic, or watch a TV show or movie.
In conclusion, because of this paper, I can see how my foundation has given me a lens that colors my world in a particular light. It allows other views to show but stays steadfast in its goodness and values. I will change for the better in the future because of it and I hope to teach others the good that I know. Without a doubt, this lens that has helped hundreds of millions of others in the past continues to help people in the present live fulfilling and good lives and will continue to in the future.