My Fourth Letter of…..

Today I had to write an essay for my philosophy final. I was the last person to leave.

I stayed behind to have a discussion with my professor about the class and in particular the final. I already had an A in the class, so when the final essay question asked me to describe “Who am I?” instead of giving the premeditated essay the professor expected from everyone using Aristotelian concepts; I decided to describe myself through more detail by describing how I view the world. I explained why it’s hard to be young, and born of color, especially in America surrounded by a melting pot of brilliance, ignorance, and sometimes innocently hateful people. Why it’s important to assimilate when necessary, and also be yourself when it matters. I wrote about how to stand your ground against anything challenging your convictions, but to constantly question your own morality and its origins. I also wrote about how these tools helped me develop and replace my ignorance with empathy, which aided me in learning how to understand others without judgment. I did all of this because I did not want to write a small paragraph describing myself as just a human, just flesh and bone, just a bunch of random thoughts conceptualized from 3 ancient Greek philosophers… I’m a person with a view that no one else can see, because they all have their own windows. So to answer the question “Who am I?” ….Well, I’m just one of an infinite number of perspectives. What do I look like to you?

Apparently, I did well. My fourth letter of recommendation to law school is on it’s way.