Passion. Courage. Conviction (not the word that means convicted of a crime).
These words are largely subjective--which means everybody's definition will be based on their own experiences and personalities.
That said, I would like you to look them up before you answer this week's blog question. Once you do that, consider the following:
1) What is it in your own life, this life that you have been given, that you would die for? Is it different than what you live for?
2) What is your passion; what gives you courage; about what do you hold an unshakable conviction?
After you have considered these two crucial questions it is then time to ask yourself where these notions came from, and when you first noticed them enough to have the awareness to answer this question--and of course, write about that as well.
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Self-Reflection
We were supposed to start commenting this week, but the nature of this blog won't really allow for that UNLESS you have some helpful advice for your peers. So, we will start the list for comments next week.
OK, ladies and gentlemen. You have done it. Well, almost.
The year is 3/4 over-and even more than that for AP folks because your year ends sooner than everyone else's.
So, now is the time for some introspective reflection. And, while this is not the original blog idea (the words for the other idea I have aren't arranging themselves in my brain so I need more time with them), it is equally if not more important.
As you answer the questions, I want you to keep you in mind: how you learn, what shuts down your learning, and what you can do or I can that will improve upon, and remedy those things.
What do you know now that you didn't know on September 4?
What kinds of things still give you fits because you can't seem to grasp the concept?
What would you like to focus on moving forward?
What would you like to see more of? (might be the same as the last question--might not)
Do you feel like your getting the most out of the class?
Are you living up to your own expectations?
What can you do better, differently?
And, most importantly--are you learning?
Take your time, think about your answers and tell me how you feel. I will use your responses as a means to plan out the rest of our year. If there are other things you would like to say, tell me, vent about (respectfully) etc feel free. If you feel you cannot do this in a public forum, you know what to do.
PS--this is still a blog--it's not a worksheet--please don't answer the questions one by one.
OK, ladies and gentlemen. You have done it. Well, almost.
The year is 3/4 over-and even more than that for AP folks because your year ends sooner than everyone else's.
So, now is the time for some introspective reflection. And, while this is not the original blog idea (the words for the other idea I have aren't arranging themselves in my brain so I need more time with them), it is equally if not more important.
As you answer the questions, I want you to keep you in mind: how you learn, what shuts down your learning, and what you can do or I can that will improve upon, and remedy those things.
What do you know now that you didn't know on September 4?
What kinds of things still give you fits because you can't seem to grasp the concept?
What would you like to focus on moving forward?
What would you like to see more of? (might be the same as the last question--might not)
Do you feel like your getting the most out of the class?
Are you living up to your own expectations?
What can you do better, differently?
And, most importantly--are you learning?
Take your time, think about your answers and tell me how you feel. I will use your responses as a means to plan out the rest of our year. If there are other things you would like to say, tell me, vent about (respectfully) etc feel free. If you feel you cannot do this in a public forum, you know what to do.
PS--this is still a blog--it's not a worksheet--please don't answer the questions one by one.
Monday, February 4, 2019
Scenic Vistas (views) from the Only Perspective that Matters (yours)
Genuine tragedies in the world are not conflicts between right and wrong. They are conflicts between two rights. ~Georg Hegel
The other day, I had a conversation with an old friend from college. It was more of a spirited debate, actually, about the nature of good and evil, right and wrong etc. My world view, will, I'm quite sure, be of no surprise to you--I believe "good" is a matter of perspective and convenience,
and that "right" is determined by whoever has "the bigger gun" so to speak.
(This is not a political world-view--meaning, regardless of the politics of the times, I always think this way).
I don't know if I am right about this, but it seems to me that the good people of the world outweigh the bad. My perspective on this rarely shifts, and is also reinforced when tragedies such as the one in Parkland, FL, or Aurora, CO, or Newtown, Connecticut, or Ferguson, MO, or San Bernardino, CA, or Berlin Germany, Boston MA, Nice, France (I could go on but why depress us all further) occur. I believe it is an objectively unfair universe we inhabit, although I have a hunch it has a way of righting its ownself from time to time.
So the debate between my friend and I ensued.
My friend's world view was quite a bit different than mine--much more idealistic and much more indicative of his personality. In his eyes, my friend (his name is Ahmed) is certain that good always conquers evil, the meek shall inherit the Earth, all you need is love etc etc etc. He goes on to posit that good things come to good people and eventually, all the pieces will fall into place if you live a good life. Seriously, that's really what he believes. He's a really sweet guy--it boggles me.
(I keep him around, this college buddy, because he gives me hope, and when I am feeling way too misanthropic and cynical for my own good, he gives me balance. All of the other times I mock him shamelessly for his "dreamy" and (what I consider to be) unrealistic view of the world).
So, my question(s) for you this week is--where in our spectrum does your world view fall?
Do you think people are mostly bad or mostly good?
What determines that?
Do you think that the person who does the right thing always wins?
If so, what's the prize?
Are there clear-cut answers about what's right and what's wrong?
How is it all measured? Let's get a little Lang-y and tell a story (real or metaphorical--no matter) to illustrate/exemplify your points.
Try to think of an example about which you feel passionately. It is usually passion that dictates what your true beliefs are. However, when we use passion to describe or talk about them, we run the risk of sounding like we can't be taken seriously. So, try to temper your passion (your pathos) with your logic (your logos).
The other day, I had a conversation with an old friend from college. It was more of a spirited debate, actually, about the nature of good and evil, right and wrong etc. My world view, will, I'm quite sure, be of no surprise to you--I believe "good" is a matter of perspective and convenience,
and that "right" is determined by whoever has "the bigger gun" so to speak.
(This is not a political world-view--meaning, regardless of the politics of the times, I always think this way).
I don't know if I am right about this, but it seems to me that the good people of the world outweigh the bad. My perspective on this rarely shifts, and is also reinforced when tragedies such as the one in Parkland, FL, or Aurora, CO, or Newtown, Connecticut, or Ferguson, MO, or San Bernardino, CA, or Berlin Germany, Boston MA, Nice, France (I could go on but why depress us all further) occur. I believe it is an objectively unfair universe we inhabit, although I have a hunch it has a way of righting its ownself from time to time.
So the debate between my friend and I ensued.
My friend's world view was quite a bit different than mine--much more idealistic and much more indicative of his personality. In his eyes, my friend (his name is Ahmed) is certain that good always conquers evil, the meek shall inherit the Earth, all you need is love etc etc etc. He goes on to posit that good things come to good people and eventually, all the pieces will fall into place if you live a good life. Seriously, that's really what he believes. He's a really sweet guy--it boggles me.
(I keep him around, this college buddy, because he gives me hope, and when I am feeling way too misanthropic and cynical for my own good, he gives me balance. All of the other times I mock him shamelessly for his "dreamy" and (what I consider to be) unrealistic view of the world).
So, my question(s) for you this week is--where in our spectrum does your world view fall?
Do you think people are mostly bad or mostly good?
What determines that?
Do you think that the person who does the right thing always wins?
If so, what's the prize?
Are there clear-cut answers about what's right and what's wrong?
How is it all measured? Let's get a little Lang-y and tell a story (real or metaphorical--no matter) to illustrate/exemplify your points.
Try to think of an example about which you feel passionately. It is usually passion that dictates what your true beliefs are. However, when we use passion to describe or talk about them, we run the risk of sounding like we can't be taken seriously. So, try to temper your passion (your pathos) with your logic (your logos).
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)