Assignment
In your blog, answer the following questions, each in a separate paragraph or series of paragraphs. You may use anecdotal evidence to illustrate your answers.
a) Explain what it means to know oneself; and discuss the value of this self-knowledge.
b) Discuss what you believe is your own weakness (or worst quality) and explain what, if anything, you have done to combat this weakness.
c) Discuss what you believe to be your strength (or best quality). Don't be modest here, just honest.
d) End by reflecting on what makes it so hard to think-- and write-- about one's own weaknesses and strengths. How do you feel about having to do this? Why? Explain.
To truly know oneself, one must be. Most people think that you cant listen to what others want you to be, you need to do things for you and only you. I believe that if you want to please people by changing yourself, that's part of what makes you, you.
My weakness would have to be that I'm too introverted and shy when I'm around strangers. I always try to be more social when meeting someone, or when I'm making conversation with a stranger, but it always comes out as forced conversation and just sounds awkward.
My strength might be that I'm loyal to my friends. I'm always thinking when given a task, what could I do to make things easier for so and so. For example, I'm in my bed at 11:00pm on a weekday. My mom walks by and reminds me that she needs the car and I cant drive to school tomorrow. I then remember I told my neighbor earlier that I'd give him a ride tomorrow. I would probably if faced with this immediately call my neighbor's cell phone and leave him texts if he doesn't answer. If he doesn't answer my texts, I would probably wake up a little bit earlier than normal and stop by his house to tell him.
I think that its hard to write about ones own strengths and weaknesses because personally, I don't reflect on my strengths at all. I might think about some of my weaknesses from time to time when the occassion comes up, but when I display one of my strengths, I dont need to think about it at all.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
I Wish Someone Had Told Me...
What is the best piece of advice you've ever received? (Consider an answer other than the obvious-- never lick a metal pole in winter.) Who provided that advice? What made it so valuable?
Using these questions only as a starting point, write a personal narrative that explains what made this advice so valuable to you and what you think you have learned from it. Be sure to explain who gave you that advice and in what context s/he provided it.
I'll always remember the best advice I've ever been given. I was younger, maybe 10 years old, when my video game I've been playing all week decided to lose all of its memory. I was visibly upset so after I told my mom the story she calmly said, "Don't worry about it."
I know you're thinking, "Don't worry about it? How can that possibly be the best advice you've gotten, Everyone has been told to not worry about it." But these 4 words got me thinking.
"Dont worry about it?" I asked my mother, stunned by her lack of compasion.
"Yeah, freaking out isn't going to get your game back."
That was it. Freaking out over things will almost never get you what you want. I decided that I wouldnt have to emotionally harm myself everytime something little happens.
Fast forward to 2009. Im sitting in my advisory class expecting a midmarks of A's and B's (maybe a C or too) when I get an F. Some people might immediately start to freak out, "My parents are going to kill me! How could this happen!?" But not me, I calmly went to my teacher, asked how my grade had gotten so poor, found out, and then proceeded to make up work to raise my grade up to a C+ in one day.
Why would I need to stress over something when I can just not stress over it?
Using these questions only as a starting point, write a personal narrative that explains what made this advice so valuable to you and what you think you have learned from it. Be sure to explain who gave you that advice and in what context s/he provided it.
I'll always remember the best advice I've ever been given. I was younger, maybe 10 years old, when my video game I've been playing all week decided to lose all of its memory. I was visibly upset so after I told my mom the story she calmly said, "Don't worry about it."
I know you're thinking, "Don't worry about it? How can that possibly be the best advice you've gotten, Everyone has been told to not worry about it." But these 4 words got me thinking.
"Dont worry about it?" I asked my mother, stunned by her lack of compasion.
"Yeah, freaking out isn't going to get your game back."
That was it. Freaking out over things will almost never get you what you want. I decided that I wouldnt have to emotionally harm myself everytime something little happens.
Fast forward to 2009. Im sitting in my advisory class expecting a midmarks of A's and B's (maybe a C or too) when I get an F. Some people might immediately start to freak out, "My parents are going to kill me! How could this happen!?" But not me, I calmly went to my teacher, asked how my grade had gotten so poor, found out, and then proceeded to make up work to raise my grade up to a C+ in one day.
Why would I need to stress over something when I can just not stress over it?
Monday, October 12, 2009
Carpe Diem
How do we figure out whether or not a life has value? When do we make this decision? What is the meaning and purpose of life?
Consider the things that you feel make life worthwhile and valuable.
A) List five things you will want to possess or have experienced when you reach the end of your life (whenever that may be).
B) Discuss why each of these things (or ideals or ideas) is important to you personally.
C) Discuss how each of these things (or ideals or ideas) is valuable to humanity.
One thing I would like to possess more than anything else, is a comfortable life. Right now I have this, living at home with my parents to supply food and shelter, but one day I would prefer to have my own place in which I can have a family and also could be my own boss. This is very important to me because it would be much harder to do anything without a level of comfort and security one would have with a house, family, and little worry. Humanity has also thrived to live comfortably, that's why men wanted to own land to live on.
Another thing I would like to posses is family, someone that's there for me. When I my rent is overdue and my landlord kicks me out, I want someone that cares enough for me to make sure I dont sleep on the streets that night. I want someone who has the same feelings for me as I have for them. I want a part of me to live on after I die and carry on my name. I think humanity has wanted this too, because of all of the stress they have on having a son. In some cultures, if a man married a woman unable to give him a son, he was able to have another woman bear him one.
A third thing I would like to possess is a car. I know this doesn't sound as profound as anything else, but a car is freedom. Before I had my license, I relied so much on my parents to bring me to school, friends' houses, the movies, etc. If I had my own car, I would decide when I feel like going out, I could finally get a job and not need to rely on my parents being free or even need to make a schedule of who gets to use the car next. I think this can translate into early civilizations as a man who moves out of his parents house and gets a wife. He finally gets to call the shots and can now carry out his dreams.
Next, I would like to own my own business. With my own business, I could control my income, my work hours, and I would never have to be controlled by someone whom I call "boss." In ancient civilizations, I think a lot of people would rather be the property owners rather than the serfs, working all day for the boss and in exchange getting enough to scrape by.
Lastly, I would like a healthy life. I really would rather live to 50 being fit and able to do everything I dreamed of, than live to 100 unhealthy and never really able to do anything because of an illness or disease. Not saying that I would kill myself if I suddenly got cancer or something, I would live with it, I would just always wish I was healthy and dream about how life could be. I also think early civilizations agreed with this point. I couldn't imagine anyone no matter when they lived, who wanted to be sick rather than fit.
Consider the things that you feel make life worthwhile and valuable.
A) List five things you will want to possess or have experienced when you reach the end of your life (whenever that may be).
B) Discuss why each of these things (or ideals or ideas) is important to you personally.
C) Discuss how each of these things (or ideals or ideas) is valuable to humanity.
One thing I would like to possess more than anything else, is a comfortable life. Right now I have this, living at home with my parents to supply food and shelter, but one day I would prefer to have my own place in which I can have a family and also could be my own boss. This is very important to me because it would be much harder to do anything without a level of comfort and security one would have with a house, family, and little worry. Humanity has also thrived to live comfortably, that's why men wanted to own land to live on.
Another thing I would like to posses is family, someone that's there for me. When I my rent is overdue and my landlord kicks me out, I want someone that cares enough for me to make sure I dont sleep on the streets that night. I want someone who has the same feelings for me as I have for them. I want a part of me to live on after I die and carry on my name. I think humanity has wanted this too, because of all of the stress they have on having a son. In some cultures, if a man married a woman unable to give him a son, he was able to have another woman bear him one.
A third thing I would like to possess is a car. I know this doesn't sound as profound as anything else, but a car is freedom. Before I had my license, I relied so much on my parents to bring me to school, friends' houses, the movies, etc. If I had my own car, I would decide when I feel like going out, I could finally get a job and not need to rely on my parents being free or even need to make a schedule of who gets to use the car next. I think this can translate into early civilizations as a man who moves out of his parents house and gets a wife. He finally gets to call the shots and can now carry out his dreams.
Next, I would like to own my own business. With my own business, I could control my income, my work hours, and I would never have to be controlled by someone whom I call "boss." In ancient civilizations, I think a lot of people would rather be the property owners rather than the serfs, working all day for the boss and in exchange getting enough to scrape by.
Lastly, I would like a healthy life. I really would rather live to 50 being fit and able to do everything I dreamed of, than live to 100 unhealthy and never really able to do anything because of an illness or disease. Not saying that I would kill myself if I suddenly got cancer or something, I would live with it, I would just always wish I was healthy and dream about how life could be. I also think early civilizations agreed with this point. I couldn't imagine anyone no matter when they lived, who wanted to be sick rather than fit.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
What is a hero?
You've all read Beowulf, The Odyssey, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Most of you have seen (if not read)Star Wars films or Raiders of the Lost Ark or The Lord of the Rings. What do all of these works have in common? Many people would say that the protagonists in all of these could be considered heroes. But are they? What is a hero? How do we define heroic actions or behavior? And can a woman be a hero(ine)? If so, why are there no women in that list above? If heroes serve as models of particular conduct, how would you define that conduct? Secondarily, what purpose do heroes serve to us as humans? Do we need them? Why? Bertolt Brecht once said, "Unhappy the land that needs heroes." What does this mean, in light of your understanding of what a makes a hero? In your blog, explore the idea of the hero, making sure that you address all relevant questions.
In novels like Beowulf, The Odyssey, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, along with films such as Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the Lord of The Rings all have protagonists who fit the role of "hero." To me, a hero is someone who has done something (or tried to do something) to save the life of a person or community. A firefighter saving a woman from a burning house is a hero as well as a warrior slaying a murderous dragon. A hero inst always defined by behavior or personality but more on their actions. You could think that the police officer who pulled you over for speeding was a real jerk but that doesn't mean he isn't heroically risking his life to put away dangerous criminals. As for women, they can be as much of a hero as any man. Many police officers and doctors are women and they save peoples lives daily. In the works of fiction I have listed above, there are in fact heroines. Princess Leia was a heroine, though only a supporting character. She risked her life trying escape Vadar and not giving him any information that could harm her home planet because she didn't want the people of Alderaan to be destroyed. Also, while the typical model of hero conduct is to be chivalrous and brave I do not believe that heroes even need to have any code of conduct. For all I care, a hero can boast and act better than everybody else (my biggest pet peeve) as long as they are willing to save someone when a situation comes. I mean, we only need heroes when there is life on the line. One reason that Bertolt Brecht said, "Unhappy the land that needs heroes," is because in order for someones life to be saved, it must fist be endangered. I don't think that any land wants its peoples lives to be endangered. For me, this just proves that heroes perform their good deeds for the people and for the land, and no matter how much you dislike them, they still do it all for us.
In novels like Beowulf, The Odyssey, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, along with films such as Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the Lord of The Rings all have protagonists who fit the role of "hero." To me, a hero is someone who has done something (or tried to do something) to save the life of a person or community. A firefighter saving a woman from a burning house is a hero as well as a warrior slaying a murderous dragon. A hero inst always defined by behavior or personality but more on their actions. You could think that the police officer who pulled you over for speeding was a real jerk but that doesn't mean he isn't heroically risking his life to put away dangerous criminals. As for women, they can be as much of a hero as any man. Many police officers and doctors are women and they save peoples lives daily. In the works of fiction I have listed above, there are in fact heroines. Princess Leia was a heroine, though only a supporting character. She risked her life trying escape Vadar and not giving him any information that could harm her home planet because she didn't want the people of Alderaan to be destroyed. Also, while the typical model of hero conduct is to be chivalrous and brave I do not believe that heroes even need to have any code of conduct. For all I care, a hero can boast and act better than everybody else (my biggest pet peeve) as long as they are willing to save someone when a situation comes. I mean, we only need heroes when there is life on the line. One reason that Bertolt Brecht said, "Unhappy the land that needs heroes," is because in order for someones life to be saved, it must fist be endangered. I don't think that any land wants its peoples lives to be endangered. For me, this just proves that heroes perform their good deeds for the people and for the land, and no matter how much you dislike them, they still do it all for us.
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