I think it is easy for me to say that my number one fear is death. I fear death for obvious reasons but I think the root of the reason leads to my religious beliefs. Quite simply, I consider myself an evolutionist. This leads me to believe that there is no afterlife, you get one life and that’s it. I mainly think this way because no one is sure about this subject so why be swayed into believing something and blind to other ideas. Because I believe in having one life to live, I am very afraid of death. The fear of death has a major impact in my life even though it is more common for me to forget about this phobia. The fear of death impacts my decisions, how I plan things, and even how or where I live. Some people might say that it would be tough to live like that, not having hope for an afterlife that is. However, I find that not worrying about an afterlife saves me from stressing out about finding the right answer and preparing myself for such a thing. I have kind of just come to terms with the idea that you only live once and to make of it as you please. I really think that it’s not worth stressing yourself out and not living in the present. I feel like people should do what makes them happy and not add additional pressures to an already pressure filled life.
The fear of death keeps me sheltered as well. I am afraid of things that would risk my life. I feel like risking one’s life for the thrill isn’t okay. Don’t get me wrong, people are free to do as they please but those things just really aren’t for me. At this point in my life, it seems to be easier to forget about death because being only twenty two years old, death is a distant thing. I am curious as to how my beliefs will change as the world continues to unveil new things and ideas as well as new facts about life. The fear of death is always present but because of where I am in my life I think I’m going to continue to forget about death while death continues to forget about me.

I would have to say that I am still not convinced that going to Iran is such a great idea. Sure, there are probably parts of Iran that are safer than others, but there is still a risk involved. After our discussion on Iran and seeing all of the pictures and the skype conversation, I will admit that the trip would seem more appealing. Although, after class all I could think about was that there are two sides to this. I was thinking how easy it is to make something that the majority of Americans fear turn into something that they may enjoy doing. Don’t get me wrong, there is somewhat of a correlation between America and Iran. For instance, there are a lot of place you could go in the U.S. that are just as unsafe as places in Iran. It was a little disappointing to hear what the Iranian boy had to say about his fear for America. At the same time, that boy and most Americans feel the same way about the opposing sides. You just never really can trust it. I’m positive that people will have different opinions and clearly there has been Americans in Iran before, but uncertainty is very heavily weighed on one’s mind.
The way I see this scenario is; picture yourself in charge of making a commercial. The idea of a commercial or advertisement is to show the things that will increase the attractiveness of what you are trying to sell. In this situation, the object that was being sold was a different point of view of Iran. When you think about it, there has to be something good about Iran. There has to be something that attracts some kind of tourism and there has to be a safe place for tourists to visit. That’s reasonable. But again, people are different. Opinions and ideas are different. Knowledge about one another around the world is different. Not everyone in Iran will be overly excited to see someone that they might fear or have hatred towards. I will admit that the climate and culture are attractive from a tourist’s point of view. But just as I have said throughout this response, it just pays to trust what you know. I guess I find myself asking things like; is it really worth the possible risks? Some are more adventurous then I am but perhaps that may be because my lack of trust for people in general. You will meet nice, respectable people everywhere you go, but there are always those people who aren’t. Clearly I just wouldn’t take the risks of traveling to Iran, but I am also someone who has never been out of my own country!

I have always thought about beliefs in a strange way. I guess I feel like it’s strange because it seems as though most people really get involved in how they display their own beliefs. Sure, I’m stubborn like most young people these days and have good reason to believe what I do, but I’m not very adamant about being vocal or displaying my beliefs. It may be due to how judgmental people are, or it may just be because I don’t feel the need to be defensive about why I believe what I do. Most people aren’t very accepting of other people’s ideas and opinions because they have spent most of their time trying to find why they believe what they do. For instance, when I tell someone who is religious and believes in any god that I have no desire to do that, they think I’m crazy. They are usually so passionate about their own that they omit understanding that there are so many different points of view. My point of view is fairly simple when it comes to things like religion. I guess I would start by saying; where would society be without religion or something to believe in? How would people continue to deal with their everyday hardships with a positive attitude like there is a reason to overcome these things instead of just giving up? Seriously, how would people live everyday like without the belief that there is a bigger purpose for their lives?
My personal religion is that I’m an atheist. I think I’m this way because I really don’t understand how people could commit to something so insecure? I understand that people feel better about themselves and in a way have their own way of relieving stress but there just isn’t enough evidence for me to commit my life to something like that. Part of my reason for being atheist is that I really don’t have the time; I mean what college student feels like waking up early on Sunday to get to church? But on a serious note, who really has the time? I do believe that religion is a good thing for too many reasons. I just think it’s one thing that just isn’t for me. It’d be hard to re-arrange my lifestyles and live by the rules that some of these religions “require.” There are enough laws and regulations of today that are already unnecessary. But again, that’s just my own personal belief. I guess when it all boils down, beliefs are just personal opinions and I guess it’s been said that everyone has their own. Some people follow norms, some people reject the common way, but when it’s all said and done no two people are alike.