Journal

What do you value the most? 

     Values, now days, are materialistic. It always involves money or an expensive object. The Puritan's values had nothing to do with that, they valued time, family, and God. We are blinded by the "American dream"; constantly searching for the good life that we forget the things that matter to us. I value my loved ones. I often forget about them, though, and spend my time doing homework or staring at a phone screen. If the Puritans rose up from the dead and saw our society, they'd die again. Times have changed and people change; relationships change and values change. Life goes on and we have to sprint to catch up, sometimes dropping the things that are important to us on the way. Modern values take our eyes off of what we believe in. My mother has always told me to keep my priorities straight. It's something I have yet to master but it is great advice because everything going on in the world districts you from the values that should be the true values of the world. 

What keeps you in line? 

     The preacher was trying to keep them in line, not scare them. They had to be careful with what they did. What kept them in line was the thought that they believed in an angry God and He might might send them to hell in any moment. They were afraid, nonetheless. What keeps me in line is my conscience. I feel guilty for the smallest things, whether it's having a cheat sheet on a test or taking anything that isn't mine. Another thing that keeps me in line is the thought of having to be a role model for my siblings. I have watched them do the exact same things that I did when I was their age. My sister is an exact replica of me, she's the one I worry most about. My brother has gained some independence, but my sister wants to do everything that I do, from the clothes that I wear to the sports I play. I have realized that I just don't live for myself, but for my family also. People are watching me and the things I do. The only I can do is set an example for them.