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Jon 6 December 1999 Religious Studies 6th ARN Chapter 8 This chapter's focus is on wholeness, and our journey toward strength, beauty, and happiness. Everyone, specifically teens, must journey through their path to wholeness; we all struggle with problems such as finding ourselves lovable and freeing ourselves of hooks that seem to grab and control us. One must remember however that wholeness is not perfection. It is the balancing of all the parts of self to create a dynamic and harmonious order. This virtue is also known as temperance. When one tries to be perfect one wages a war against another aspect of oneself. Instead we must realize that we are complex creatures that have many different aspects; we are physical, rational, emotional, social, and spiritual. During our journey to wholeness, we will fall but through perseverance and God's help, we can balance our lives. After, reading the chapter, I realized that self-consciousness caused all of the problems that made us stumble on our road to wholeness. Many Americans believe that they must fit into a mold. For example, many teens are motivated to drink alcohol, smoke, and take drugs because it is cool thing to do. Yet others, who see past such misconceptions, still give in because they feel that they help them relax during parties. People who suffer from eating disorder believe that society calls them to fit the perfect dress or waist size. Young teens feel pressured into premarital sex either because their partner or peers pressure them, or because our culture condones it. In all situations people choose to unbalance their lives for the sake of others. We all seem to be caught up with our reputation, what others think about us. The most compelling example is the story of Doug's death. His body told him that he had had enough yet his struggle to please his peers ultimately led to his death. Why do we waste our lives for people who really do not care for us? It is a viscous circle. One person pressures others to make wrong choices because another has done the same to them. For such reasons, I have resolved to rebuke such calls to unnecessary pride. I will try to love myself first before thinking of how others think of me!