Unexamined Life Worth Living/Modern Gadfly

Is the unexamined life worth living? I don’t think so. I believe everything should be examined just to see things as they are. Some may argue that not examining everything is okay because there’s no reason to question it. That life is just fine the way it is, so why go looking for something to change that? I thinking leaving that sense of reality alone is like lying to yourself. The rest of your life is being ignored. Yes, there is a good chance you might not like what you learn, but that’s part of growing up and maturing. It’s better to have an idea of what’s out there rather than being sheltered. I would rather examine everything then draw my own conclusions rather than not having any idea about anything and then being in a state of ignorance. Examining things causes questioning, and this in turn makes a person capable of thinking. Thinking for yourself is something I put a lot of value on, and I think examining everything helps foster that.

Another thing that gets people thinking is gadflies. In my opinion, a modern day gadfly is no other than our own Jeremiah Ilao. I personally am in three of the same classes with him, including Philosophy and Contemporary American History. In both classes, he just says whatever idea is on his mind, no matter how odd it may seem to the other students in the room. He’s no Socrates, but Jeremiah is a person who will just sit there and question you. He’s not afraid to state his ideas, but one could argue his constant talking in class can be a bit annoying since he doesn’t know how to whisper. Anyway, if “gadfly” is being used in a sense meaning “a person who goes around questioning and getting people talking,” then Jeremiah fits the role.

Eulogy

Kirsten is known as a smart kid. She has decent grades, and she’s striving to get admitted into a selective college. She wants to eventually have a worthwhile job that she actually enjoys. She wants to do research in medicine to develop treatments and cures for sicknesses that don’t have any. Science and medicine are interesting to her, so having a career in that field would be perfect her.
In the present time, Kirsten not only takes pride in her grades, but also in working on theater tech for the Young Company and her cooking and baking. She has been part of the Young Company since her freshman year, and she became a crew head her junior year. She’s part of the crew that designs and builds the sets for the plays.  She spends a great majority of her time in Company. It is time-consuming and stressful at times, but she loves seeing the final product come together. It’s really rewarding to finish the play on opening night because there’s a great sense of accomplishment. When she’s not in Company, Kirsten likes to cook and bake. It’s one of the few creative things that she’s good at. She participated in the culinary program at Gallery 37 over the summer, and that was another thing that Kirsten really enjoyed doing.
As a senior, Kirsten is mostly concerned with college apps. Besides that, she actually enjoys a majority of her classes. Some of her teachers have a lot of personality, which is much appreciated. She will be sad to be leaving Company once the school year is over because she has spent almost her whole high school career being involved in that extra curricular. She’ll also be sad to be leaving some of her good friends once college starts, but they all have to do it eventually. They’ll all be going on to pursue their goals and hopefully achieving them.