Spiritual Changes: My First Year in College

Spiritual Changes I could not agree more with the argument that there comes a period in someone's life when religious zeal emerges, in which case an individual takes "their religious identity seriously" (Feldmeir, 2004, p. 57). An individual develops this identity during adolescence and consolidates the same in early adulthood. It is during this period that the said individual learns exactly what "it means to be an adult with spiritual integrity" (Feldmeir, 2004 p. 56). I personally became more religious after joining college.

The reason for my move to be more religious, I believe, was as a consequence of the negative image about college life (with regard to students hanging out at clubs, etc.) that had been painted in my mind by relatives, friends, and the media. Right from a very tender age, I would hear my parents warn my elder sisters, who were in college then, against interacting with people whose character was not in congruence with the provisions of religion.

I, therefore, thought that cementing my faith further would save me from engaging in negative activities. I partly used religion to shield myself from all the negative things I had been made to believe about college life. I joined several Muslim associations in college and as a result grew to enjoy being in the company of people with whom I could identify; people who were my age, but who had defied the college negativities I had been made to believe all my life.

It is important to note that I have thus far held on to my religion because the mosque is one of the few places in campus where you can relate closely with both God and fellow man. It is the only peaceful place, away from peer pressure and unhealthy competition characteristic of college and my age-group (Feldmeir, 2004).

I have thus far also believed in God - in the hope that He will protect me like He has always done and shield me from all evil and bad influence, most particularly from non-religious peers. In early adulthood, individuals are more appreciative of the responsibilities of adulthood than they are in adolescence.

I personally read the Quran more than I have ever done before, depending on it for daily guidance and at the same time using it to build the foundation for the kind of adult I yearn to become. Since joining college, I have become more appreciative of the "positive relation between spiritual, ego, and moral development" (Wink & Dillon, 2002, p. 81). I look forward to becoming a morally upright adult, capable of serving as a positive example to the family I would someday bring up, and the greater community.

Through this spiritual nourishment, I will able to recognize and confront disordered and destructive parts of myself "that in adolescence were rationalized or ever denied" (Feldmeir, 2004, p. 57). I have become more prayerful, considering early adulthood as a period of learning more about religious living and about what being an adult with spiritual integrity entails. I have become more appreciative of the fact that I am headed for adulthood, where I will be more independent and free.