Paradigm Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Paradigm Paper - Essay Example For the past few days, I have been writing about myself and I became more conscious of who I am. I am a Middle Eastern, middle-class, male, Generation X, extroverted Muslim Emirati, who believes in the mixture of determinism and free will and the capacity of human beings to become good and that despite their prejudices, they can learn to respect each other’s differences, if they only tried. I am from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and as an Emirati, I am open to multiculturalism, fiercely passionate about my own culture, and liberal-minded when it comes to diverse social issues. Others just see me as a plain Middle Eastern man, which is not the same for me, because the Middle East has diverse cultures and ethnicities. When people ask me if I am from the Middle East, I tell them, I am from the UAE. This is not because I do not wish to be related to the Middle Eastern race, but because I want to specify my ethnicity. I believe that people cannot lump different ethnicities into one regional identity because national, family, and individual identities shape people too. As an Emirati, I grew up in a society that some people will call as a paradox. On the one hand, my family is a conservative group of Muslims. On the other hand, our family is composed of liberal thinkers too. I learned from my parents to respect other cultures. I can tell non-Muslims that Islam is the highest religion and a Christian can tell me otherwise and I will not be angry at him for saying so. If I want them to respect me as a Muslim, I will respect their religious or spiritual beliefs too, or even when they do not have any shred of spiritual belief in their lives. Emiratis are open to multicultural societies. They have developed with diverse cultures and religions in their midst. In addition, in this multicultural society, I enjoy having a strong voice. As a devout Muslim, I am prepared to discuss my religion to anybody. I can debate on points of facts, values, and policies. However, I will never force my beliefs on anyone. As long as people can live peacefully together and share common goals for life, happiness, and freedom, I find it no need to settle in lifelong disputes. The future should not be a bitter struggle because of people’s differences. Middle-class living is part of my family’s heritage and it provided me many social and economic opportunities that made me technology-dependent, optimistic and quite carefree to some extent. Being middle-class has given me comforts in life. I grew up watching the fast transition of technology from VHS to CD to DVD. Now, people can watch movies and TV shows online. Almost everyone has a cellular phone, even some of the poor. The fast-paced technology made me dependent on it. I cannot imagine a life without my mobile phone. I have some difficulty thinking about not having a computer or laptop at my disposal. They are my access to the Internet where I get information on about almost anything in the world. The world is at my fingertips and I feel comfort in knowing that. Being middle-class has made me optimistic because I know that I can access information easily. This information, if valid, can help me make good decisions in school, workplace, and even in life. Furthermore, since I have a comfortable life, I am quite carefree. I do not get easily bogged down by problems. I see the silver lining in the darkest