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Part One Personal Development
Your Religion
The role that religion may play in your life is one of the most personal
elements in your environment. Religion means different things to
different people. For some people, religion provides a sense of meaning
and purpose in life. It offers psychological security, which can be helpful
in living life and facing death. People may also feel their religious faith
offers them moral and ethical direction as they strive to reach their goals
and become responsible family and community members.
Many teens uphold the religious beliefs they learned in their
childhood. Others who did not have early religious training may begin
investigating religious beliefs during their teen years. If religion is one
of your priorities, you may be influenced by it throughout your life.
Your Community and World
The world is constantly changing. The social and economic conditions
that affected your grandparents or even your parents have changed. The
trends affecting you today may not affect your children or grandchildren.
Each generation develops within its own set of environmental conditions.
Infl uence of Technology
One of the most profound changes in our environment in recent
decades has been the shift from an industrial society to an information
society. This shift has had a dramatic impact on
individuals and families. Rather than just producing
commodities, people are now increasingly expected to
be “computer literate.” They are expected to be able to
gather and exchange information using sophisticated
equipment based on computer technology.
Personal computers are increasingly commonplace
in our lives. Computers are found in the workplace,
in schools, and in homes. For children and teens,
computer games provide a popular source of
recreation. Some computer programs help students
research and write papers for school assignments.
The Internet allows access to millions of different
resources worldwide. The Internet can be used to
send e-mail (electronic messages) to others, gather
information, and shop without leaving home, 2-6.
2-6
Increasing numbers of people are doing their shopping online.