What It Means to Live Well: A Personal Reflection

I wrote this piece during my last semester as a Communication Studies major. It’s a collection of the ideas and lessons I want to carry with me long after graduation, a reflection on what it truly means to live a meaningful life. I'm proud of it and hope it will remind me to stay accountable to the goals and intentions I’ve set for myself.

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What Does It Mean to Live Well?

In my communication studies, I've been intrigued by learning how we as humans interact with one another, how we form relationships and their evolution, the patterns in our society that are held to be true, and how we make choices that shape our lives. Each course has deepened my understanding of how the world operates, but one in particular has shaped my perspective on what it means to live a good life. This course, Media and Conflict, has introduced me to thinkers who explain how the structures of society are created and maintained, as well as how we can find agency within these systems. Rather than passively following the status quo, we can learn to think critically, recognizing the forces that shape our choices and opening ourselves to a more thoughtful, intentional way of living. This course allowed me to organize my priorities and visualize what is truly important to me in order to live a meaningful life with purpose.

One concept that I learned in this class is Hegemony. Hegemony will forever be engraved in my mind because it gives me the power to question norms and think critically. Hegemony describes how society’s dominant group uses culture, media, and education to influence our perceptions, making us accept certain social norms as “common sense.” This structure reinforces stereotypes, like the idea that men are better business people, women are better parents, or minorities are inherently less intelligent. These assumptions limit possibilities based on appearances rather than capabilities. Hegemony shows how culture helps specific groups retain power.

The 2024 U.S. presidential election revealed hegemony in action, shaping beliefs, behaviors, and the systems people are hesitant to question. It reflected how societal norms push individuals to conform to familiar structures, discouraging challenges to those norms even when they lack logic. Living well, I believe, requires understanding hegemony and learning to navigate and question these norms. It means thinking critically rather than following a path dictated by outdated traditions. True power lies not just in political or economic control but in shaping how people think and securing their consent to sustain these systems. Hegemony changes the way we see our reality; it manipulates and creates traditions that benefit those in power while influencing the actions of the masses. Understanding how our world operates is essential to living well. If you understand the game, you can play the game. Articulation is where unity and hegemony intersect. By understanding these structures, we avoid blindly giving consent to the dominant hegemonic narrative, making it a conscious choice instead. Living well is having agency over one’s choices. 

Another concept essential to living a meaningful life is recognizing social structure and hierarchy. Social structures are the frameworks that restrict or enable human agency. For example, gender expectations create different conditions for men and women, shaping what is acceptable for each. Society is influenced by economic, political, and ideological forces, which organize and categorize identities. I relate to this concept as a Latina woman, knowing that my identity is both fact and fiction: it reflects how society categorizes me, yet it does not define who I am as a person. By understanding my place within these structures, I can be mindful of how my identity impacts my interactions with others and the limitations and advantages it holds in society. I also recognize that the stereotypes attached to identities are not biological truths but rather social constructs to keep dominant groups in power. These social constructions are ever-changing, if we embrace intersectionality, it grants us the opportunity to appreciate the diversity of the many experiences around us and approach others with an open mind, seeing beyond the labels society assigns.

Being aware of social construction grants agencies, if we know our limitations we know our options. Many aspects of our world, like gender roles or workplace hierarchies, are socially constructed rather than rooted in objective truth. There is no absolute “right” or “wrong”. Instead, we must continually ask why things are the way they are. For example, why are colors like blue and pink assigned to different genders? Why are some jobs more accessible to certain groups? While it’s important to respect certain norms for stability, we should also question those that limit us based on external traits.

I strive to think critically about my decision-making, aiming to understand who and what has shaped the ideologies I hold. For example, I am Catholic due to the colonization of the Americas. Being aware of this, I can choose to accept or reject beliefs inherited through generations. While I choose to embrace my religion, I also acknowledge the imperfect structure of the church and commit to thinking critically for myself. On the other hand, I choose to reject the blind consumerist culture in the United States. If I need something, I will get it, but not simply because it appears on my “For You Page,” I refuse to be a puppet falling victim to clickbait. Living well means having control over your decisions, not being a sheep simply following the herd. 

In addition, living well is deeply influenced by who you surround yourself with. It is crucial for my development as a person to surround myself with curious and uplifting people. People who are driven, want to make a change, reflect, are educated, energetic, and are in control of shaping their lives. It is remarkable how being surrounded by great people impacts the stability, joy, peace, and trajectory of one's life. In my 21 years, I am lucky to be surrounded by so many amazing people. I am proud of the friendships that I have made, and I am forever grateful for the way these relationships have and will continue to shape my life.

Living well requires constant reflection, being aware of our imperfections while being lighthearted and not taking yourself too seriously. It's a balance. Living well requires zooming out, looking at your life through a bird's-eye view rather than directly through your perspective. It requires always striving to better yourself while being content with who you are at the moment. Living well is loving one's self and realizing there is always room to grow. Living well is finding joy, laughing, embracing new opportunities, spending time outdoors, finding passion and motivation, and being surrounded by loved ones. Living well is finding balance, finding peace, while seeking action.  It’s finding purpose, loving what you do, knowing why you are doing it,  and having the strength to chase after your dreams.

Living well, to me, means committing to lifelong learning, staying physically and mentally active, and deeply knowing oneself. It means understanding what you stand for and what you’re willing to work toward. A meaningful life involves pursuing goals that extend beyond individual gain and contribute to future generations. Giroux’s statement that “Hope is a condition of agency, which is a condition of change” resonates with this purpose. To live well, we must acknowledge our limitations, understand the structures that shape our lives, and choose to challenge those that no longer serve a just purpose. A good life isn’t just about personal happiness but about finding purpose in something greater, a purpose that drives you to make a positive impact on the world around you.