After reading the article from The New York Times, I can see the Puritan beliefs in America. However, being Catholic and Objectivist (an odd combination to say the least) I have a unique view of this country when compared to my classmates. The article discussed hard work still being a value in today's society, but I don't see it as on. When I am on the job, I work hard all of the time, no phones, socializing, or distractions, but when I go to a place where any one of my friends work, they are on their phones and doing their best to do as little amount of work as possible. "[H]ard work and good deeds would bring rewards, in life and after." This sentence has a negative feel amongst many of the citizens of this nation who truly believe that no matter how hard they work, they will never reach the top of the social ladder in today's society. I don't mean to generalize, but those are typically the far left wingers.
"The psychologist Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks has found that Protestants — but not Catholics — become less sensitive to others’ emotions when reminded of work, possibly indicating a tendency to judge fraternizing as unproductive and unprofessional." This is an odd bit of information, and I agree with it, partially. In my experience, the Protestants that I have worked with socialized more than the Catholics. The Catholics, including myself, who I have had encounters with, were raised on the basis of hard work. My grandparents, for instance, were raised on a farm, and then proceeded to own the farm and work the farm for their whole lives. The days were long, 4am to 11pm, with no time off, except on Sunday for church, a few miles away (7 to be exact), which they walked to. That is why I disagree with this, but on the other hand, the Catholics I have worked with all believed that strong ties in the workplace were a key to a successful business venture. I encounter this every day, my coworkers won't socialize on the job, but afterwards they always go out together.
The paragraph summarizing the study about the High School Prom being canceled was, in my eyes, skewed. American high school students would be completely against canceling the prom, while Asians (again I am generalizing and I am sorry) hold more strict traditional family values and would want the prom canceled. I don't know under what constraints the study was conducted, but I believe it offers a skewed view of the way Americans perceive their lives.
To bring forth the manifesto in this post, I would conclude that America is not as Puritan as it should be. Obviously I believe it should be more Catholic, but the religions are surprisingly similar, so Puritan is fine by me. That is from a "values" standpoint, not a religion standpoint. I am an advocate of the freedom of religion, but I feel we could all use a bit more of a dosage of hard work. If we would all work our hardest to be the best that we can be, we would have a lot more success as a nation, a lot less fun, but a lot more success. Hard work is the basis of Objectivism, which is very similar to the values that modern day conservatives hold.
No comments:
Post a Comment