One time for a class at school, I was required to talk about what I believed in. I thought to myself how I believed that nobody should be required to go and tell everybody what they believe in. I felt that this was, on some level at least, a form of blackmail. If we didn’t talk about what we believed in and tell everyone, then we would get a 0. This, to me, was kind of a cheap shot. If I didn’t feel like telling 30 people about something I believed in, then I shouldn’t need to. Granted I could have talked about something frivolous such as burritos, I felt like I should actually write about something I believe. Though it is somewhat contradicting, I still ended up talking about something that I did believe in.
I believe that if somebody doesn’t want to share their belief, they shouldn’t have to. Also, being penalized for not doing something is just as good as making them do it. This could be wrong according to some people. It could be wrong morally, for example, since it could very well make people feel like they are being forced to do something.
Now, I do understand that it could be seen as though I’m making a big deal out of this, but am I really? I mean, we are entitled to our privacy and by no means have to give that up for a grade, right? Why would we have to choose one or the other? If someone wanted to know what I believed in then we would probably talk about it. And on another note, most people probably wouldn’t care what I believe in, so why throw away my time, and theirs? It’s not like I need to have a reason to not talk about my beliefs. I would talk about my beliefs, but if I felt that I should, not if a grade would influence that. I don’t really care what other people would say or think about my beliefs, why would I? Chances are, I would probably feel the same way about their beliefs too.
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