In my life, I don't put much emphasis on my spiritual life or understanding what kind of person I should become based on what God may want. In society, there is pressure to adhere to what society wants you to become and less to individual goals and aspirations. I don't necessarily reflect on what God wants me to become and think more about who I want to be and what I can do to ensure my happiness. I find happiness in being a role model for my parents and becoming the kind of people they are. Some of the traits they possess are patient, kind, understanding, confident, reliable, academically inclined, and pleasant to be around. This led to their happiness and I want to follow this example to find my own happiness. However, it is difficult to be patient and understanding in a world where so many people pursue their own self-interest and do everything to get them to the top. By being generous and patient, you open the door for people to take advantage of you and walk all over you in order to achieve their personal goal. Trusting others is also difficult because it requires giving yourself completely to a person in the face of fear that they might abuse your trust. So much of who I want to be requires me to interact with people in society and so I have to find a way to incorporate society into the kind of person I want to be. Monasticism is a perfect example of how to live your life in a fulfilling way even though society may want you to do otherwise. As the church began to corrupt around them, they turned away from society and focused on their spiritual life. However, distancing oneself from society is not possible in modern times, but by following their example of meditation and reflection, one can find solace in the problems society faces.