A500.2.3.RB_SchreterPaul

People have standards in their lives. These standards are guiding principles that effect the majority of decisions made in one’s life. In my life I hold the standards of honour, discipline, and just being a good person.

Honour is the first standard that I hold myself too and for me it has multiple meanings. The first is an obligation in the protection and development of ones family. While I don’t currently have a family to take care of, I assume that I will eventually have one and so my current goals and objectives are in the providing of such future family. For example I don’t have any real desire to become an officer in the United States Air Force, however I believe that doing so I can better provide for my family in the long term. The second meaning that I have with honour is about doing the right thing. Integrity is one of the core values of the United States Air Force and it is often defined as doing the right thing, even when no one is looking. An example of which is when I had multiple opportunities to partake in activities that would be deemed as unacceptable by the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice). These particular activities would have made life much more enjoyable, however the sense of keeping ones honour has stopped me from doing anything that shouldn't be done, especially if it prevents me from being able to provide for my family.

The second standard that I hold myself to is a standard of discipline. As a young toddler, or perhaps just slightly older, whenever I did something wrong my mom used Korean torture on me. For example one type of punishment was to sit against the wall with my arms high up in the air. By itself this may seem like a joke of a punishment, however for a kid and after doing this for a really long time, it becomes a very painful endeavour. While I don’t really know why I was so obedient towards my mom's punishments, I was able to hold my discipline and maintain my bearing so that my arms always stayed in the air, no matter how much I silently cried about the pain I was going through. In a sense, it would seem that most Korean (or even Asian) torture were all mostly self-inflicting. Perhaps because of this, I've been able to develop a sense of responsibility towards ones actions. There was a time when I tried to manipulate someone into making a decision they didn't want to do (I was even able to use fallacious reasoning to convince myself I was doing to right thing), however after I realized I was acting out of greed and not in the persons best interest, I pointed out this flaw to the person and later apologized for it. While I believe the manipulation attempt hurt our relationship, the act of admitting my own wrongdoing helped strengthen it.

The final standard that I hold myself to is to simply be a good person. This is mostly because I want to be remembered in a good light and as someone that’s been able to put the needs of others before my own. One example of this is through my volunteer work with the Samaritans. Samaritans was a way for me to connect with people and to help explore what’s causing them distress, despair, or suicidal thoughts. Simply by the act of talking with someone I was able to help relax them, make them see more clearly than they did before, and help them make their own decisions in bettering their own lives. Another way I try to be a good person is by volunteering as a Victim Advocate. While the United States Air Force is focused on stopping sexual assaults within our ranks, I'm focused on helping those that have already been through the trauma. Being there for someone when they need it the most and to help guide them through a very long and difficult process is something that makes me feel good inside.

The three major standards that I hold myself to is honour, discipline, and being a good person. These are the standards that I’ve developed over the course of my life and will probably keep for the rest of my life. Through these standards, I have been able to create guidelines for myself and for the decisions that I make.

A500.1.6.RB_SchreterPaul

Intellectual Perseverance can be defined, at least by the Critical Thinking Community, as: “Having a consciousness of the need to use intellectual insights and truths in spite of difficulties, obstacles, and frustrations; firm adherence to rational principles despite the irrational opposition of others; a sense of the need to struggle with confusion and unsettled questions over an extended period of time to achieve deeper understanding or insight.” (Valuable Intellectual Traits, 1996) The goal of this blog post is to dissect and discuss each element of this definition and apply it to how it relates to my concept of a good leader and how it’ll be important in my progress throughout my studies.

The first element from the Critical Thinking Communities definition of Intellectual Perseverance was “having a consciousness of the need to use intellectual insights and truths in spite of difficulties, obstacles, and frustrations.” (Valuable Intellectual Traits, 1996) This particular element relates to a good leader because a good leader would be mindful of what he or she doesn’t know and be conscious of that fact. This could potentially stop the waste of resources when better alternatives could be found. King Xerxes, from the film 300, illustrates a lack of intellectual perseverance by not being conscious of alternative ways to beating the Spartans. (Snyder, 2007) Instead he blindly used brute force methods to take down an obstacle and not only did it prove to be unsuccessful, but costly as well. Being mindful of what I don’t know throughout my studies will be helpful because it teaches me to keep an open mind. Even though a brute force attack by King Xerxes may have worked against other armies, I can’t let past experiences (good or bad) cloud my judgment nor bias my decisions when I take on future problems.

The second element from the Critical Thinking Communities definition of Intellectual Perseverance was a “firm adherence to rational principles despite the irrational opposition of others.” (Valuable Intellectual Traits, 1996) A good leader will stay firm to this principle because they will stay true to what they believe is rationally right without being controlled and limited on the irrational sayings of others. King Leonidas, also from the film 300, wanted to protect his homeland from the invading forces of King Xerxes. He had a rational plan of defense by fighting the enemy forces at the Hot Gates, however the Ephor’s counseled King Leonidas to not go to war during the religious festival of Carnea. (Snyder, 2007) King Leonidas knew that this would have inevitably lead to the defeat of all of Greece. By not listening to the irrational council of the Ephor’s and sticking firm to his out rational principles, King Leonidas was able to carry forth his plan and defend his land in what is known as one of the most efficient and effective defenses ever carried out in history. This will be important in my studies because it will help combat what is known as group think. By sticking firm to my principles and embracing productive conflict, I can work towards a more effective decision and not go about something irrationally like the Ephor’s recommended.

The final element from the Critical Thinking Communities definition of Intellectual Perseverance was having “a sense of the need to struggle with confusion and unsettled questions over an extended period of time to achieve deeper understanding or insight.” (Valuable Intellectual Traits, 1996) A good leader would be conscious of the fact that hasty decisions can be disastrous. Time and study is required to better understand a field and with this, a more informed decision can be made. An example of this can be seen in the film Casino Royale with James Bond playing poker. (Campbell, 2006) James Bond is able to come into the game unfamiliar with his opposition, and through time and study, he is able to learn each player’s faults and eventually kick their butts (at poker). This element of thinking is important in my studies because it teaches me to think critically about each problem and to give the problem time so that a hasty, uninformed decision cannot be made. By taking time with a problem, I am able to learn new things that may otherwise not have presented itself.

In summery practicing good Intellectual Perseverance will help me be mindful of what I don’t know and to keep an open mind, it will help me stay firm to making rational decisions and not fall for group think, and finally it will keep my eyes open to the fact that time is required to achieve a deeper understanding of a problem. All of these are qualities that I expect from a good leader and seeing the fact that I’m current pursuing a degree in Leadership, these qualities are what I should expect from myself as well. Throughout the course of my studies I hope to achieve this goal and I hope to be able to share this knowledge with others as well.

References

Campbell, M. (Director). (2006). Casino Royale [Motion Picture].

Snyder, Z. (Director). (2007). 300 [Motion Picture].

Valuable Intellectual Traits. (1996, June). Retrieved from The Critical Thinking Community: http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/valuable-intellectual-traits/528