The Importance of Field Experience in Shaping Our Personalities

I personally believe that a person's field of experience plays a very pivotal role in defining who that person is. With that in mind, there are definitely countless experiences and accomplishments that made me who I am. It is said that a person's field of experience is the sum of all experiences that have ever happened to that person since birth. As such, the things that make me who I am are the people I meet, the things I am exposed to every day, and the things that I do. In my life, I continuously meet new people. These people help form me. Whenever I meet someone, especially if I get to know them well enough, that person leaves his or her mark on me. Friends, family, and strangers have all contributed to my edification. The kindness I see in some of them make me realize that if you are nice to people, they will, more often than not, reciprocate your kindness. Likewise, the blind idealism I've seen in some of them made me understand that the world is not a place full of sunshine and rainbows. I once had a friend who was going through a very difficult time in his life. I saw him suffer at the hands of typhoon Ondoy. The next time I saw him, he was practically homeless. His grades plummeted and he told me he kept seeing flashes of the flood happening again and again. I assumed there was no hope for him. I thought he was falling in a downward spiral. That taught me life isn't always fair. Sometimes we go through hardships that we have done nothing to deserve, but, as the days went by, I saw that same person get back on his feet, beat the odds, and persevere despite what he went through. This taught me that, no matter what happens, we must remember that God will always be with us, and His grace abounds. The things I am exposed to every day can be anything from what I read, what I see on a billboard, or even what I smell on the way to the cafeteria. These things help me stimulate my thoughts and reach certain realizations that help in my formation. For example,