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When I converse with friends, I find that it is becoming more and more common for teenagers to not have a dream. Most of us are floating aimlessly through life, content with surviving until the weekend when we can finally rest and escape from the confines of a school schedule. That is, for many of us now, the only thing in our heads when we go to school.

Beliefs tie into dreams. If you believe in freedom of information, naturally you'll hack into MIT's archive of essays and leak it to online forums for tech nerds. But do we even believe in anything nowadays? "You'll get a good job if you do well in the DSE and go to university." We are patiently biding our time until we are S6, when we will begin preparing for DSE. But for what? Is there any purpose behind our actions? We need to rediscover what is important to us, because I don't want to just survive. I want to live.

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In the present, communication is very important. People get to understand each other through communication, and would not simply disagree with one’s opinion without any reasonable excuse. A belief is important to a human being because it is a careful selection of words combined together to motivate the person and make them feel energised. Therefore, with a belief to strengthen them up and guide them across the dark paths in life snd take them to somewhere they can fully rely on and do their best in everything.

A great example would be the teenagers today. As they just went through puberty, it would cause a huge shift in their mindsets. Their ways of speaking and thinking may be influenced by their peers, and even worse, affect both their physical and mental well-being. Most problems that are faced by today’s teenagers are problems related to academics or relationships between friends and family. A belief can help teenagers find their own reason to be happy and give them a chance to love themselves.

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I think expressing our beliefs is still relevant today, especially as teenagers.

As we get older, we face more and more difficulties and hard decisions. Life at school and at home is more complicated. We start to have more arguments, or feel less connected with friends or family. Teenagers may start to get confused about what to say or do, when faced with these difficulties. In this confusing time, a concrete belief we can rely on when uncertain can be very helpful.

Other than expressing our own beliefs, reading about how others use their beliefs to solve problems can also help us learn how to face problems. It can also help those who are still searching for their core belief.

Therefore, expressing our beliefs is still important today.

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“This I Believe Essays” and how they can still be relevant today? 3A 09

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“This I Believe Essays” and how they can still be relevant today? 3A 09

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“This I Believe Essays” talks about the beliefs of normal people, like most of us. Beliefs or believes are and are the facts that you believe with no proof.

I think that after the COVID-19 pandemic, the ways people communicate with others have changed a lot. During the pandemic, people were mainly stuck at home for quarantine and were not able to contact their family and friends without a phone. Teenagers, like us, feel very lonely without seeing and hanging out with friends in real life. Over time, teenagers will feel lonely and aimless in life as we do not know when the pandemic will truly end. Therefore, having a belief among teenagers is very important to allow them to have something to hold on and believe in.

The same fact also applies to everyone, where people might feel that they are drifting and sailing away. Beliefs or believes can act as a “string” to hold them in place and prevent them from floating too far away. It can also act as a source of light, where following the light, leads you to good results and future.

I also think belief or believes is and are a symbol of an ”energy drink“ for most people to allow them feel energized and motivated at the same time and can act as an escape from the busy and boring daily lives and schedules of most of the people like us.

Therefore, I think beliefs and believes are still relevant today as they can act as an escape from the busy and boring daily lives of people. It can also act as a source of light to guide people who think their lives are getting more and more aimless after the COVID 19 pandemic.

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In modern society, people rarely take time to reflect on what they truly believe. The constant schedules and workload always distract people from their understanding. Instead of finding their purpose and actually being lively, numerous individuals lost connection with themselves and realised how life, doesn't specially have any meaning, because you have to search it by yourself.

These essays are helpful for inner growth because it can encourage individuals to express their core values and beliefs, fostering a better understanding of themselves. I believe that a belief someone holds dearly can reflect their character and personality.

It is still relevant today, because many people can share their own experiences through social media, blogs and podcasts, their beliefs can inspire others with different backgrounds and cultures so they can read from other's perspective, everyone can learn from one another.

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I think reading this i believe essays are still relevant today and everyday.

As a teenager, we face quiet a lot of uncertainties and fears like social pressure, academic stress and mental health, etc.most of my time, academic stress and mental health affect my well-being the most, i have high standard to achieve high grades this leads to anxiety and bad mental health for example, sleep issue.

We can read “this i believe essays” to solve problems that the writer is also facing since writing this kind of essays needs to have own personal experiences. we can learn how to manage with those essays. therefore, “this is believe essays” are still relevant today.

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I think that "This I Believe Essays" are still relevant today especially to teenagers as most of us are still in the process of discovering who we actually are and what beliefs we uphold.

Sometimes in life, we may think that we're not good enough and we are constantly comparing ourselves to other people around us. This comparison often leads to a lack of confidence and self-doubt.

However, I think that these types of essays can encourage us to reflect on how valuable and talented we actually are. People share their beliefs and problems in these essays, and through reading these, we can take inspiration from how people solve their problems, just like what Edward R. Murrow said, as it includes personal experiences in one’s life.

By writing these essays, we can reflect and discover our beliefs at the same time. When writing, we can reflect on our own memories and experiences we faced in the past which can make us realise our worth.

Therefore, “This I Believe Essays” can still be relevant today as it helps us reflect on our own experiences in the past and most importantly, discover our beliefs.

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As a student, I think it is important to find comfort in what I believe. School is really tough sometimes. There are always so many assignments to do, tests to take, and I feel like there is a lot of pressure to get good grades. When teenagers are feeling really stressed out, their belief that learning is important will help them in the future and give them the courage to keep going. They will think all the work they do now will lead to better chances later on.

I have fears just like others. I am scared of letting my parents down if I don't do well in school. It is also hard for me to talk to strangers and make friends. I am worried about not fitting in. Nowadays, advanced technology has made these concerns even worse. Social media makes it easy to compare ourselves to others. This can make us feel like we are not good enough or afraid of missing out on fun stuff.

"This I Believe Essays" can be really helpful for teenagers. When we read about what other people believe in, we can feel better and get some good advice. It also helps us think about our own beliefs. If you believe in how great you are, you don’t need to compare yourself to anyone.

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The main idea of "This I Believe" is to look into and share people's personal ideas. These can help us to face the confusion, negative thinking, and fear that's all around us. It shows the important values that help us live our lives.

This is very relevant to students in Hong Kong today. We receive a lot of different opinions and a lot of pressure. However, these different beliefs can be like a guide for us.

When we feel stressed about schoolwork or when we have a sense of lost, they can first calm themselves down and think about the stories of people who faced their fears and doubts and then still keep going. For example, we can think about Helen Keller. Her story can teach students that being disabled or having problems doesn't mean you can't have a fruitful life.

It is easy to follow to what other people’s thought. However, by learning from other people's opinions and thoughts, we can handle the some academic challenges and school situations better.

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I think the fears and uncertainties that most teenagers are facing are related to academic, social media an mental health.

The high expectations from parents often make teenagers feel stressful as they fear they might disappoint their parents. Also, the pressure to perform well during exams is very high, ss they might fear it might ruin other opportunities like different collenge entrance exams in the future. The advancement of technologies especially AI makes teenagers insecure as they will rely on it.

The social media makes teenagers compare themselves, sometimes they might bully others online, this can make teenagers feel anxious and isolated.

Mental health is also an important issue. Even though the awareness of mental health is increasing, I feel like there are still many teenagers feel scared to seek help as they think they might be ‘misunderstood’ and many teenagers just preten to be happy while they struggle with depression.

I think it is related to us today as it can help people to find a meaning in their life and make them have a sense of belonging within the community.

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this I believe deeply explained the impact of fear and emphasise how important hope is during a time of panic.this essay gave a clear idea of even though you are stressful or under fear.it teaches us we should keep going even you are frustrated.

Murrow’s speaking technique is also useful in our writing, his speech teaches us how to make the points more persuasive and effective.you can also try to put yourself in the audience’s perspective,try to understand what they want to hear and what they want to gain from this speech/passage.

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Kind of fears/uncertainties teenagers facing:

1.stresses from the family

-parents often compare their own children with other children, or even with their siblings. Through the comparison of differences between their children and other children, they always bring up a conclusion is that their children are not as intelligent as other children. Especially in Asia, Asian parents always have high level of expectation on their children in all aspects(they have to get high academic marks, follow a lot of etiquette and join a lot of interest classes to develop their talents). If their children couldn’t fulfil what they expect, they would scold their children hard(even their children may have already tried hard). With the misunderstanding and high level of expectation, teenagers gain a lot of mental stresses from their families .

2.stresses from school

-studying is never a easy work. There are a lot of subjects, homework and tests at school, for teenagers that are required to have high quality of works from their families would always work overnight to catch up and revise different subjects, which have given a lot of both mental and physical damages to the teenagers.

3.stresses from self

-puberty is a stage that full of a lot of concerns and self doubt. Teenagers would easily compare themselves to other teenagers, thinking that why they are not as beautiful, smart as other teenagers, but the fact is that everyone has different strengths and should not compare one another. And they would try their best to fight over other teenagers,but after they fight over those, they would just find other targets to fight over, this would be a bad cycle. In that bad cycle, their own thoughts would bring a hard mental and physical stresses to them.

Relationship between “This I Believe” essays and TODAY:

1.bring the sense of hope

-in life, stresses are all around. With those stresses, some people may try to overcome them, but some may lose hope through the process of overcoming the stresses

-the essays could bring hope through the others’ past experiences. Show us that there is still hope in the world, what we are experiencing are only a little part of the people in WWII’s life. Even them facing tough times could keep strong and keep their beliefs, we should also keep being hopeful to our life

2.build up a correct values in life

-not everyone having a clear future and value. A lot of them may be confused in life.The essays could lead us to the right track in life, keep us optimistic when facing the future

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In the first paragraph, the writer highlighted that individuals do not need to have anything in common apart from honesty and integrity.

We all have different values and beliefs, which is not a bad thing because that is what makes us all special and irreplaceable. It is not needed to force ourselves to have the same beliefs as people around us, or force others to have the same beliefs as us.

However, it is important for people nowadays to have honesty and integrity because they make us have moral courage to do the right thing and make decisions that are correct. They also let us know the consequences of our actions and ensure peace and order in the society. Therefore, our society will be peaceful if we have integrity and honesty.

A lot of people are insecure about themselves in the modern world. They often try to change their beliefs and values to fit in with others. After reading this essay, I understood that it is not always necessary to go with the flow. Values can’t be “right” or “wrong”, we all have different angles to see things.

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“This I Believe” essays remain relevant today for several reasons. Firstly, They encourage individuals to reflect on their core beliefs and values, fostering self-awareness and personal growth. These essays also provide a platform for different voices and experiences, promoting the  understanding among different cultures and backgrounds. Sharing personal beliefs are good for our mental health as it can create a sense of community and connection, helping people find common ground despite differences. Writing and reading these essays stimulate critical thinking, encouraging readers to consider their own beliefs and the reasons behind them. The original speech, initiated by Edward R. Murrow, set a precedent for storytelling that resonates in modern media, proving the enduring power of personal narratives.

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Struggles of people are never ending, whether from WW2 up till the present, people all have their own struggles throughout all these years. Through "This I believe" essays, people can console their problem, get inspired by these ideas from people who may or may not have gone through/is going through the same situation you are in. These essays are able to help one another, many of which talks about themes that are applicable to which ever era you are in in life. They touch on qualities fundamental to almost everyone, qualities that can be applied to many situations. and therefore, these essays basically fit whatever situation, thus they are, and always will be, relevant now.

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I think writing “This I Believe” essays helps people learn more about themselves and their own beliefs.

It allows people to communicate and express their opinions freely through writing, which can be therapeutic for many people in modern society who struggle with things like socializing or academics. By writing “This I Believe” essays, people can talk about what they truly believe, and it helps solidify their thoughts. Our beliefs shape who we are, and by writing these essays, we strengthen our beliefs and personalities, which helps us understand ourselves better.

Besides writing these essays, I also think reading “This I Believe” essays is important. As a teenager, I’m always stressed out, and little things often affect how I see the world. Reading these essays made me realize that I’ve been thinking negatively more often than I thought. Learning about other people’s mistakes and beliefs has changed how I see myself and the world around me.

Whether it’s through writing or reading, “This I Believe” essays help us figure out what we believe and remind us of our worth, even when we’re struggling. They build confidence by helping us reflect on happy memories or past mistakes. Beliefs shape who we are. Therefore, “This I Believe” essays are still relevant today.

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The time when this speech was spoken was during WWII, a horrible, dark, and chaotic period. Some people may think, "Our lives are much better now!" However, that perspective is not totally accurate. While we may feel safe in Hong Kong, we must recognize that many wars are still occurring around the world. The world is far from peaceful. "This I Believe" is still a very meaningful speech for us today. The ideas are powerful. For instance, the speaker noted, "A lot of us have traded in our beliefs for bitterness and cynicism, or for a heavy package of despair, or even a quivering portion of hysteria." This observation rings true. When we feel hopeless, we often experience similar emotions. Some individuals may become dissatisfied with decisions made by the government, leading them to express their cynicism through extreme behaviors. I sincerely hope that people can hold tightly to their beliefs. No matter what happens, we should strive to persevere and remain rational. Please, please, please let us not follow the world blindly! We need bravery, perseverance, and conviction at every moment, especially when the world feels dark. We can overcome our physical fears and become the light of the world.

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Usually when you have a deep thought you want to share you might just simply tell your close ones, yet they might not have the time to listen, not being as understanding and just criticizing your point, not allowing you any space for personal sharing. So these essays can be useful since it allows you both time and space to write your own belief. After writing these essays, people who come across them might get inspired by your belief, which can impact their views and way of thinking. I also think it could be a way to understand another person more deeply, since some may not have the best in expressing themselves through communication, using this type of essay can let others know a personal thought that the other believes in.

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Personally, beliefs are what lay the basis of our lives, it's a compilation of all the things we've experience in this lifetime, and the conclusions we've drawn from them. Beliefs are the only things I'd truly consider ours, they can't be given away, or found a study, and they shape the entire course of our lives, it's what gives us dreams, what makes us unique as humans. In the present, there are thousands of expectations put on us by society, to get a conventional, stable job, to have excellent grades, to fit into gender roles, but once you do accomplish these things as expected of you by others, you'll realize how dull your life has become, you'll become burnt out from all the pressure, from living a life you hate but others want. Our beliefs create what we desire, what shapes us, they are the start to a meaningful life with hopes, dreams and passion, and forming them is the first step to living a life that's truly yours.

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Hong Kong is known to have a very stressful and hectic school life, whereas students have a lot of stress when facing an exam. Students often forget who they are and the actual meaning of life, since they think grades define who they are. As a secondary school student who is having an identity crisis everyday, "this I believe" helped me discover more about myself, I believe it can help other students know more about themselves and finally know what their beliefs are.

I believe Edwards personal stories can help students not feel alone in their struggles. His messages encourages students to speak up for themselves and fight for justice. It can also help students struggling with mental health issues speak up and share their own thoughts openly.