Self sufficient

Relying on other people for *character can be disappointing. As a child, I wandered the woods for solitude. Quality time has developed my individuality—personality is what I struggled with. Then, I felt unimportant. Today, I’m still unimportant. The main difference is the developed sense of myself. One of my peers went so far as to say, “You don’t have to worry about this, you’re not going to college anyway.” Quality time with good company, self, often develops the character to cope with life, people, as well as insight into who we are.
* “the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.”

The world can be filled with hostility. People really need an escape from that. Life is unpleasant occasionally. A healthy balance of solitude delivers enlightenment. Refreshing perspectives come about by letting harsh feelings resolve. Thinking for myself is the best encouragement I’ve ever received from a best friend. Who’s my best friend? Well, of course I am.

*Alfie Kohn has emphasized education, self-discipline, early development. Kohn wrote: “[…] imposing discipline on children (either to improve their behavior or so they’ll apply themselves to their studies) isn’t nearly as desirable as having children discipline themselves” (2008).

*Excerpt:
Kohn’s criticisms of competition and rewards have been widely discussed and debated, and he has been described in Time magazine as “perhaps the country’s most outspoken critic of education’s fixation on grades [and] test scores. www.alfiekohn.org

Meanwhile, I consider myself to be an over-educated, autodidact. Auto- means “self” and “didact” comes from the Greek word for “teach,” someone who’s self–taught. Regardless of what people think of our potential, it’s up to us as individuals to find our own sense of purpose.