This I Believe

Inspired in large part by the This I Believe series on NPR, I wrote this essay for a college application. It doesn’t exactly correspond to the essays read on NPR, but I still think it captures some of my fundamental beliefs.

Some of my favorite essays from This I Believe were contributed by John McCain, Colin Powell, Andrew Sullivan, and  Harry Truman.

This I Believe

I believe in doing, not just believing.

I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am, but I also believe that conviction can not stop at concept, that, in the words of St. James, “faith without works is dead.”

I believe in justice and fairness, and as an aspiring lawyer, I plan to study the law: case histories, court opinions, and legal briefs. I will learn how laws are made, how they are broken, and how they can be repaired. But the summa of my Latin phrases, all my knowledge of due process, and all my study of jurisprudence amounts to nothing if I stop at lex lata, the law as it is. I believe that to serve justice, and to do justice, I must pursue nothing less than lex ferenda, the law as it ought to be. Yet even this is not enough: if I become a lawyer, I will practice law, not just pursue it-I will try it to the very best of my ability.

For ages, society has distinguished between the letter and spirit of the law, but if my belief in the law never leaves the page, then I am only chasing a fleeting fairness, an empty justice. I believe that verdicts of conscience, and of the courts, must not just seek to be right, they must do right.

I believe in honesty and integrity. I believe that my word should be my bond, and that, as a leader, I have a responsibility to stand by my promises. Too often I see people gain positions of power and authority through clever speeches and persuasive argument.

As a writer and speaker, I believe in the power of words: to inspire, to enlighten, and to deceive. However they are used, words are never more than that: movements of hot air that sound pleasant to the ear.

I believe that those who lead must put their promises into action. I believe they must lead by example, not just by exhortation. I believe that if I am to lead, I must have the courage of my convictions, the courage to say “the buck stops here.”

I believe in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, and I believe the call of all who follow him is to love God with all they have and love their neighbors as they love themselves. My faith defines me, drives me, and guides me. It shows me what really matters; it divides the temporal from the eternal. And in this division, I find something so contrary to all that society holds dear-I find that all my awards, all my accomplishments, all my noble intentions mean nothing.

I believe in the words of St. Paul, that “if I can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

I believe that I am called to justice, service, leadership, and faith.

What then is required of me?

To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God. This I believe.