Flourishing in the Future

During our trip, we got to attend Professor Sarah Stile’s class “Flourishing in the Future.” The class was for GU seniors, and we attended it with about 20 of her usual students. The class in which we joined them was also their last class which made it quite special. Before the class, we were all asked to take the Values in Action Survey of Character Strengths. The survey was an extensive questionnaire with around 200 questions asking us about our characteristics as members of a team, members of a community, as individuals who seek to learn, and our productivity and motivations. 

My top strength was “appreciation of beauty and excellence,” which did not come as a surprise because I did rate “very much like me” in most of the questions about excellence and beauty in nature, art, and everyday experiences. In one of the classes that I am taking this semester, we read the novel The Idiot (by Elif Batuman and not Dostoyevsky) and discussed in detail about how the protagonist seeks to live an aesthetic life. My top strength, according to the VIA Survey, reminded me of the character and the class discussions. When we got to Professor Stile’s class, we were put into groups and asked to write our names on cards. After our names, we were asked to write what we had a heart for (like My Name is Adeen and I Have a <3 for…). I remember being utterly confused and lost about what I should write; too many yet absolutely no ideas came to my mind. At the last second, I completed the phrase with “art.” I thought it was a rushed and quite basic answer, but later when I looked at my VIA results and remembered my top strength, I came to believe that perhaps it was the most honest answer I could give. 

My second strength was “Love of Learning” which means that I appreciate learning new things, both inside and outside the classroom. I mentioned that I love attending school and going to museums and perhaps that explains some of the fear I have of the near future when I will no longer be in school. My third strength was perhaps the most surprising one but also the one I appreciate the most: gratitude. I had always thought of myself as an incredibly cynical person, someone who isn’t happy anywhere or with anything. It was, in fact, in the many conversations I had with my friend, and also my roommate in D.C., that I admitted to feeling quite grateful for what I have in my life and see why people stress so much about having a positive and grateful attitude. I am not sure how and when exactly my perspective changed, but as a soon-to-be college graduate, I am quite happy-and grateful - that it did and am so glad I got to realize that as a part of Professor Sarah Stile’s class.