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McKinley Beukelman -

When it comes to living in a society formed under societal norms, we tend to base our thinking on what the world is telling us. The idea of transcendentalism encourages the creation of personal thoughts leading us to question our own feelings separate from others. Although transcendentalism leads towards stronger individualistic values which can be a positive, it does create division by opinion. The importance of having an individualistic mindset is vital when it comes to living out a Christian lifestyle that differs from what the world has normalized which is our life goal as christians. There have been many times I have questioned the societal norms in response to my own life, and try my best to view it through a christian perspective rather than my own personal convictions and what America views as normal.

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Brett -

I think that it takes courage and perseverance to stand up to Society. If we don't push back and fight for our Rights and ideas then society becomes oppressive very quickly. We have seen this before with the Jewish people in Europe, and how they didn't stand up for themselves and their beliefs. We can also walk this forward and look at how during Covid the government put a ton of regulations and mandates that if we look back on them, they seem sorta ridiculous.

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Molly Moenning- To think for yourself means to question the information and instruction given by society. It means to learn from what you experience and watch other experience, rather than other people's collective beliefs. Questioning rules creates opposing beliefs which lead to different rules. I believe it's expected today in modern American society to be "introspective" and it's pushed on people that they should follow themselves which now has created the norm that everyone is focused on their own well being. I think that being transcendental doesn't always mean to disagree with or defy what's already in place.

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Jessa Hueser

To "think for yourself" in a society where there are rules, norms, and expectations it means that you challenge and improve those rules, norms, and expectiations. You try to come up with a way to improve those things in order to benefit yourself and improve life. It might be hard to orginally question these ideas because we have become so numb to it and couldnt imagine it any other way. When you think outside of the normal this could cause lots of conflict in society. But questioning traditional ideas is the best thing that you can do in order to improve society. As fallen people we will never get it right but we can always improve things in order to make life better and more like how God wants us to live. There is always room for improvement and when you suggest this it makes others think deeper and strive for this improvement. I have questioned authority. This has led to improvement and betterment on both sides. I grew as a person and my life improved.

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sammie deyoe: Living under societal norms causes us to condense our own personal thoughts and feelings. From the time we are born till the time we die, based on our position of our place in the world structures who are. Ultimately leading to the world in control of our own very lives. Through questioning what societal norms really are, allows us to think for ourselves without the bias that of a "traditional" mindset. Without the ability to think on our own we are stuck mindlessly following those around us, with no inside into of our true potential as an individual.

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Whitney Cunningham

The idea of America was founded on the breaking away from the views of their mother country. This instilled a sense of self that only grew as the country became more established and reliant on the people. A call for change began America and individuality became a core value for the people. That value is still extremely prominent today. Thinking for yourself is only growing in popularity in America. This means people are more self-aware and trust their feelings when it comes to making decisions rather than blindly following societal rules. This can result in good or bad things. Sometimes if enough people feel a certain way, society transforms into what pleases the most people. The problem is that feelings lie and do not always align with God's standards. In my own life, questioning the values of everyone around me, especially in the secular world, has created an informed view of what is true and not true. This changed my uncertainty into confident beliefs.

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To think for yourself is to not be swayed by the rules, opinions, and norms of the culture. It can be as simple as not doing what others are doing, or it could be doing the exact opposite, personal thought is quite important to grow a society. When traditional ideas are questioned, flaws can be found etc... when issues are found through inquiry then change can happen for good or bad. It is important to continue to question issues of society, laws, and norms sometimes their morals are bad, other times they are great... Though I think there are multiple times I have questioned the norms in society I am not quite sure at this moment.

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Basic rules, norms, and expectations can be beneficial when based on truth but if we forget the individual pursuit of truth society becomes mindless and purposeless. A society is formed by the average of the ideas and expectations of the those who are in it. The more people who think for themselves the looser the expectations become which leaves room for new ideas and encourages more outside the box thinking.

My parents always encouraged me to think for myself in regards to my personal relationship with God, they never forced it on me. As a result, I have grown in my relationship with Jesus and something I am excited about, not an imposed expectation.

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Mallory

Thinking for yourself in that type of society requires you to trust your intuition and know that even though what you are deciding could be different from society, it is best for you and your past experiences. Once you do question societal ideas can lead to disagreement. But, it can also lead to people questioning themselves. And then more and more people start to think for themselves. It's like a spark starting a fire. Growing up and seeing things from a Biblical perspective has caused be to question certain things that are deemed normal by society. This can also affect others that see you as an influence. Almost like how your parents' ideas about society cause you to question things going on in the world.

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Kaylee Boysen

In a community that has a very narrow outlook and a time where cancel culture is very evident, thinking for yourself and creating your own options might mean to stand out and disagree with other arguments or maybe agree. For people to question standard ideas and create new propositions, it might allow others to see the problems and make their own conclusions providing a more inclusive society. I often find myself questioning the actions of others and people start to conform to be like others whereas those actions don't always align with a biblical worldview which has led me to further my understanding of the Bible and push me to change my actions to align with the Bible.

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It is a contradictory request. It creates a toxic environment, where if you think for yourself, you will be found insane, until the vast majority comes to agree with your views or see them as acceptable. While this is uncomfortable place to be it is a crucial step in the route to betterment. Without discomfort there can be no growth. Questioning what is seen as "normal" is a sign that you are thinking critically and seeking the BEST outcome. Without questions, there can be no change, and with no change growth becomes stagnant. In my own life there have been many times I've had to ask questions and stand up for change. Often it was uncomfortable, but without that discomfort, I would have never learned the character building that comes from forming your own beliefs and being able to hold fast to something bigger than you.

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Cordi

The ability to think for ourselves is part of what makes us unique among God's creation. We have the mental and emotional capabilities to create our own opinions and thoughts. This ability has been and is currently being used to challenge the people put in authority, and being able to challenge that authority can lead to positive changes and reforms. Without the ability to think for ourselves, we're stuck mindlessly following what other people perceive to be good for us regardless of whether or not it actually is. Thinking for ourselves allows us to analyze our position and use that knowledge to either change ourselves or change others' perceptions for a more positive environment. While I can't think about a time directly, where I deliberately did something because I wanted to go against societal norms and affect change, I know there have been a bunch of times where I questioned why people go along with certain societal norms.

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Halle:

No matter your race, gender, social status, or religion, the society in which you partake in will impress certain rules and expectations onto you. It will cause you to feel pressure and a sense of necessity regarding your personal identity and the way that you view yourself. However, to "think for yourself" in a society like this means to freely but carefully develop yourself and understanding. It claims to give you complete freedom to satisfy your desires and how you truly see yourself; however, you will be ostracized and neglected if your "true self" does not match up with that of society. This ostracism causes an individual to see themselves as lacking or that their identity is wrong when compared to the status quo. Therefore, sometimes it is needed to speak out against traditional ideas in order to find true freedom of self. Many times in my life I have been faced with questioning or disregard for my faith. I have had to stand up for my beliefs and defend my reasoning for faith.

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maci-

I think the philosophy as a whole of learning to think for yourself can open a new door to different ideas, that wouldn't come as naturally if we stick to traditional ideas. all humans are wired differently and all think differently. that is why it is important to not be scared to be different and project your new ideas and be open to failure. I think that is one of the biggest setbacks to advancing this society is the fear of failure. questioning the authority placed into our lives can lead to a new persepective and change. I can think of a time when I questioned authority and ultimately it lead to a deeper conversation where both sides were able to better understand the why behind some of the rules put in place. In the Bible it talks about confronting other believers in christ, and I think that has the ability to allow this society to take a new step if we are willing to learn from each other.

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Livi

Thinking for yourself in the present world means to be your own person. Everyone is surrounded by rules and expectations. Some people conform to those things, while others choose to pave their own path. It is okay to listen to other influences because you obviously don't know everything, and gaining wisdom from those around you is beneficial to your future. Traditional ideas have always been questioned. If you think of the Christian faith and the holidays and traditions we have, such as communion, people have always questioned those. Even when Jesus walked the earth he did things that people questioned, like washing the disciples' feet. I don't think I have an example in my life yet where questioning authority or societal norms has caused a change. I know that I typically follow what I know is right and I don't pay attention to what everyone else is doing

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Ben-

Being able to think for yourself and view things from your own perspective is essential to our liberties and freedoms. Everyone is unique and has a slightly different view about everything. While there are universal truths and there are many traditional ideas and norms in society, we must be able to critically think for ourselves in order to not be swayed by the world. America is a nation that allows everyone to have their own opinions, and we have the liberty to speak on what we believe. Thinking for yourself is essential not only in our physical lives, but also in our faith as when we think about things for ourselves instead of just listening to outside ideas (i.e. from our parents) we can compare and contrast the ideals to what the Bible says. In my life, when I look at ideals that are worldly, thinking for myself allows me to take a stand and align myself with what I know to be truth from the word of God.

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Grant

When I consider the phrase "think for yourself" I immediately think of going against common belief. If there are rules, norms, and expectations in a society, it will be common belief to follow those norms and expectations, but thinking for yourself would mean questioning these norms. To think for yourself you would need to question why these norms and expectations are present, what their purposes are, and if you believe they are true or not. Questioning these traditions might lead to change because many people just follow tradition without even knowing what and thinking for themselves what the impacts of it might be. So if one person starts to question, then other people might start considering the true meaning of these traditions, instead of just following them blindly. There was a time in my life when I was very young and didn't know a word was bad to say. So after saying it and hearing the disappointed reaction of my mom, it caused me to question whether that word that I had heard was truly good to say, and I stopped saying it anymore.

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Drew

Thinking for yourself is being different and standing out from the rest of society. It's being open to different ideas and having an open mindset about the world. You have a different outlook and view on how things are happening and the way things work. You might call change upon things that you view as incorrect or that need change. You don't let what others say or think affect your thoughts and actions. Typically you stand out from the crowd and don't fit in because you don't conform to the thoughts and ideas the world tries to place on everyone.

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Sophia-

"Thinking for yourself" in a society that encourages you to only believe in what they feed you, can often be challenging and require bravery as well as wisdom. Questioning traditional ideals is healthy to a growing society but can also be dangerous by too much diversity in opinion. Society wants to keep some principles from ever changing- until someone challenges it. There are a lot of times in my life where I'm blessed to be curious and wonder why things are the way that they are, but I haven't had to speak out against any ideas yet. It leads me to ask a lot of questions, specifically to my parents and spiritual authority, as well as going straight to the Bible. Most beliefs are set from where our parents stand, but there comes a time where it is vital to trust your intuiton and depart from the "truth" that society maintains.

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Brady Watson

When people throughout history chose to think and filter information and propaganda they were receiving, they are able to evaluate if what they are learning and doing is moral or not. When we lose the ability to think for ourselves and are forced to conform to another's ways, we lose our individual rights to our own beliefs and values, and we might even have the worldview that is being thrust on us become our own. When someone steps out of the box and decides to go against society, they give others a choice and an opportunity to choose freely and how they want to, resulting in beneficial disagreement. We see this with people such as Martin Luther in the Catholic Church and Harriet Beecher Stowe during the time of slavery and oppression.

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Turner

We tend to become numb to societal norms because we have followed them our whole lives. So transcendentalism is saying we should step back and question these things we automatically think and do every day and challenge whether we should be doing them. So by questioning these ideas, it will lead to calls for change because people will wake up to see things that should change so that people can live based on actual values rather than meaningless traditions. Growing up as a Christian, I have naturally questioned many societal norms because many things done in society don't align with the Bible and this has led to change and made me think for myself more.

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Hanna Colbert

thinking for yourself is not letting the already imposed rules, norms or expectations influence your ideas. you should go back to your own morals and decide what the Lord has called on your heart. Questioning traditional ideas can lead to conflict because many are so set in their ways. But putting an idea in someones head, although they may reject it at first, can lead to them pondering new ideas in their mind too. I can't think of an exact time, but I'm sure I've had them where I have questioned rules or thinks put in place in my life. I don't think I ever really did anything about it however.

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Sam

Living in a society filled with norms and expectations that restrict you can only be countered by releasing yourself from the way that you have been raised up surrounded by those norms and relying on your own experiences in order to create the clearest, least affected thoughts that you can. Once you reach that point, those ideas are going to cause a change in society because you will have come up with something that is unique because it is yours, and you are unique. I can think of a time when questioning those has lead to change in my own life, but ultimately I would say that those changes are almost always internal.

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Discussion Prompt:

What does it mean to "think for yourself" in a society where there are rules, norms, and expectations? Why do you think questioning traditional ideas might lead to calls for change in society? Can you think of a time when questioning authority or societal norms led to change in your own life?