No Country for Old Men

I didn't ask to be born into a family with enough food.  I'm well-positioned to go to college, but it wasn't my choice to have parents that value education.  The house I ended up in could have easily been in Rwanda, Brazil or Ukraine.  My socioeconomic status is the result of a bunch of chromosomes being mashed up in just the right way.  I could've been born without feet or hands; I could have developed leukemia.  In light of all the bad situations I could've been born into, I feel particularly lucky.

This used to make me feel guilty, but then I went on a service trip to Peru.  While there, I discovered my passion for helping others.  I realized that if I invest in myself now, I can use the skills I learn in college to help the world more later on.  My conflicted conscience was appeased when I promised myself to do good in the world.

My experiences serve as a contrast to Sheriff Bell's spiritual journey.  I've reconciled myself with my position in the world as I've grown older, but Bell becomes more and more disillusioned with his ever-changing rules.

Like Chigurh, I'm a cold-blooded ladykiller.  I also like to think I share a small amount of Moss' spontaneity (I believe I would have taken the money as well).  I don't think I'm very similar to Sheriff Bell because I don't abandon my friends when they need me most.

I believe I'm an "authentic" person in that I live in the situation presented to me, but I do complain a good deal.  My battles with the tech department have left me cynical and jaded, but I still work hard to give my fellow classmates an environment where they can learn to program in spite of the challenges I face.  Rather than giving up and telling myself this school district is impossible to work with, I've accepted the bad and try my best to move forward.

Utah is a pretty conservative state.  There is an abundance of Mormonism here.   My extended family is ardently opposed to gay marriage, but I support that movement wholeheartedly.  Park City serves as a microcosm of liberal-ness in an overwhelmingly red state.  I imagine myself to be a critical thinker, so I've tried my best to formulate my own moral values based on objective logic.  That being said, I am an American and as such I'm sure I've been forced to adopt certain principles as inherently evil without thinking.  Socialism is bad and Communism is godless.

I understand that Sheriff Bell's job has changed around him, but I have a hard time relating to his situation.  I like to think I'm an adaptable person, so in his position I would hope I would be able to change with the times.