Your Life on Earth:
Reflection:
“Your Life on Earth” is a beautiful project in which we, students, explore the idea of philosophy. Throughout the unit, we were given many different readings that contain different points of view on the matter. following our study of the subject, we were prompted to create our own project that reflects our personal perspectives of philosophy. I decided that the best way to express my own beliefs about the universe was through poetry. Poetry is a beautiful way to express complex and abstract ideas and compare them to things that we see as real. The only answer I sought to answer in my project was, “What is MY own purpose?”
During this project, I wouldn’t say that I changed my way of thinking or that I was directly influenced in any way by the material. There was a lesson that we had that did, though. During this project we read and analyzed a book, “Into the Wild,” by Jon Krakauer. It is about a young man who decides to give up his seemingly well set-up life in order to act on extreme transcendentalism. He gets rid of all the materialism and obligations that filled his life to spend the rest of his days in the Alaskan wilderness. It is a very amazing story that shows a human's connection to nature. No, I don't plan on running away, but this book really showed me that we haven’t lost our connection to nature. And though we don’t have to be this extreme, we can always use nature as a form of escapism from the burdens that we carry in society.
The journey in philosophy never ends. There are many questions to be asked and many ideas to ponder over. After this project, I have had many opportunities to look, in depth, on many different pieces of great literature that focus on the ideas of philosophy. They made me think of being open to others ideas. I feel like I have reached a good point in my thinking, though this project leaves me thinking on one thing, “is there someone else that I will meet in my life that thinks the same way I do?” It also left me with these questions as well:
During this project, I wouldn’t say that I changed my way of thinking or that I was directly influenced in any way by the material. There was a lesson that we had that did, though. During this project we read and analyzed a book, “Into the Wild,” by Jon Krakauer. It is about a young man who decides to give up his seemingly well set-up life in order to act on extreme transcendentalism. He gets rid of all the materialism and obligations that filled his life to spend the rest of his days in the Alaskan wilderness. It is a very amazing story that shows a human's connection to nature. No, I don't plan on running away, but this book really showed me that we haven’t lost our connection to nature. And though we don’t have to be this extreme, we can always use nature as a form of escapism from the burdens that we carry in society.
The journey in philosophy never ends. There are many questions to be asked and many ideas to ponder over. After this project, I have had many opportunities to look, in depth, on many different pieces of great literature that focus on the ideas of philosophy. They made me think of being open to others ideas. I feel like I have reached a good point in my thinking, though this project leaves me thinking on one thing, “is there someone else that I will meet in my life that thinks the same way I do?” It also left me with these questions as well:
- What places will bring me the most peace in life?
- How can I practice healthy escapism more throughout life?
- How can I help others in there philosophy journey
- How will I introduce my future kids and family to this topic?
Project:
Artist Statement:
Poetry is another form of art that can lead a path to the soul. Unlike an essay, it is a way to connect the real word, to the metaphorical, to the emotional, to the interpretive. Each poem shows the meaning that individual artists make out of different details of the universe. For me, I see the beauty of life in every single crevice, or space. I even sometimes look in dusty corners of rooms that I sit in and think about how each speck of it got there and what it took to get there. Even in the things we humans find so ugly, there is beauty.
We all strive to find meaning in our lives. Sometimes these ideas get too complex, and we are so easy to focus on the larger picture before we focus on the details. That is where I find meaning, the simple things. This poem is a reflection of that beautiful concept. Though I may or may not have a decided purpose, I have one for myself. My purpose is to listen to the universe, just take it all in.
What the Universe Gives Me
From the dust that floats around my room,
Fleeting,
Like the life we seem to live,
But in its own current of time
I have a thought.
To that particle of old dirt,
How had it been made?
God?
The hands of existentialism?
To the tree that I sat under as a child,
Rooting like our veins through the sodder,
The wind glistens through their leaves that blow and gives me a message,
They always have.
To the shore and seas once travelled,
Sand between my toes,
Not an inch without,
I hear the blue whale call,
It always has.
To the people I see,
In their eyes,
I see.
The touch of their skin against mine,
It says to me, something.
It always has.
To the things I can’t see,
The idea,
The concept,
The thought,
The vastness, or perhaps, the fullness,
It brings to me a memorandum.
It always has.
To the music I make
I strum the tight metal strings,
It brings to me a new feeling that never before had taken place.
The keys I touch on the old acoustic,
Sends chills down my bent elbows.
It always has.
To the ideas that take up so much space,
And the ones that dont,
The small piece of dust that floats down the air onto my hand,
I understand,
The universe gives to me the will,
The faith…
It always will.
Poetry is another form of art that can lead a path to the soul. Unlike an essay, it is a way to connect the real word, to the metaphorical, to the emotional, to the interpretive. Each poem shows the meaning that individual artists make out of different details of the universe. For me, I see the beauty of life in every single crevice, or space. I even sometimes look in dusty corners of rooms that I sit in and think about how each speck of it got there and what it took to get there. Even in the things we humans find so ugly, there is beauty.
We all strive to find meaning in our lives. Sometimes these ideas get too complex, and we are so easy to focus on the larger picture before we focus on the details. That is where I find meaning, the simple things. This poem is a reflection of that beautiful concept. Though I may or may not have a decided purpose, I have one for myself. My purpose is to listen to the universe, just take it all in.
What the Universe Gives Me
From the dust that floats around my room,
Fleeting,
Like the life we seem to live,
But in its own current of time
I have a thought.
To that particle of old dirt,
How had it been made?
God?
The hands of existentialism?
To the tree that I sat under as a child,
Rooting like our veins through the sodder,
The wind glistens through their leaves that blow and gives me a message,
They always have.
To the shore and seas once travelled,
Sand between my toes,
Not an inch without,
I hear the blue whale call,
It always has.
To the people I see,
In their eyes,
I see.
The touch of their skin against mine,
It says to me, something.
It always has.
To the things I can’t see,
The idea,
The concept,
The thought,
The vastness, or perhaps, the fullness,
It brings to me a memorandum.
It always has.
To the music I make
I strum the tight metal strings,
It brings to me a new feeling that never before had taken place.
The keys I touch on the old acoustic,
Sends chills down my bent elbows.
It always has.
To the ideas that take up so much space,
And the ones that dont,
The small piece of dust that floats down the air onto my hand,
I understand,
The universe gives to me the will,
The faith…
It always will.
Rhetoric and Ideology:
Reflection:
Describe the project that you did and the way you shared it with an audience.
For my final project that observes ideology is in the format of a letter. It is intended for the general public, or anyone that has an interest in opinion. The goal of my project is to share my ideas and solutions for the extreme divide we are experiencing in America. I acknowledged the interest of different sides of the political spectrum in order to establish proper ethos. Throughout the project< I learned about the use of rhetoric and how important it is to form an open mindset even with disagreement. There is only one, truly effective way to reform such a toxic divide, and that is to accept that others can and will disagree with you. You cannot force your individual agenda on a person with their own values. Even those one the extreme side can agree on certain things. This is what my project is about, the healing and the accepting of difference.
Now that you have looked at the political spectrum more deeply, how and why has your perspective shifted?
I have always tried to be cautious about the way I view other people and ideologies. Even in times when I felt a strong dislike for another person based on their views, I refrained from acting with violence or harmful speech. This came even before this project, the idea of “keeping cool.” Though, prior to learning more about others, I would consistently get frustrated at the fact that most of the people around couldn't view things like I did. Then I realized that this contradicts my whole view. I am aware that not everyone can share these views of acceptance. This is just how we develop. I can try and share my message, but if people do not listen, that is perfectly fine. We live in a world with such diversity; even in our country.
What have you learned about rhetoric, ideology, and the “democratic experiment”?
I hold most of the same values as I did before this project, but I now understand the more complex systems of influence in politics. Before, I was not aware of what these terms referred to. When we first started to go in depth on what rhetoric means, I thought that it meant some sort of deep influence (which it totally can be), but it can also mean subconscious persuasion. We use rhetoric all day, even in the smallest interactions and each human responds to it. It shows that even on the smallest scale, persuasion can and will always make a difference. On a large scale, rhetoric can mean something extremely big. Now, ideology is interesting. Ideology in a general sense is a group of beliefs that one person or a group of people can have. This is extremely complex, though. Ideology can differ between every single person. Ideology can represent morals, eugenics, religion, race, sexuality and every small belief. To be a democracy, we have to use both of these on others. Democracy is supposed to somewhat acknowledge the different ideologies we have.
What role could Rogerian rhetoric and/or a “willingness to be disturbed” play in a democratic society?
I believe that ignorance is what holds everyone back; ignorance to others, facts, morals, etc. I see through observation that peoples constant need to settle or “be safe” is the root of all the ignorance we hold. In life, the majority of people just want to be happy or away from stress/danger. So even those who come from the bottom to the top can become too settled. We fight for what we believe in, but once we reach contentment we leave every man for themselves. We need to be disturbed, we need to have passion. If/ once we reach that level of contentment, we shouldn’t just stop our morals or beliefs because we are happy. The people of America are disturbed to break this ignorance that holds us back so much.
For my final project that observes ideology is in the format of a letter. It is intended for the general public, or anyone that has an interest in opinion. The goal of my project is to share my ideas and solutions for the extreme divide we are experiencing in America. I acknowledged the interest of different sides of the political spectrum in order to establish proper ethos. Throughout the project< I learned about the use of rhetoric and how important it is to form an open mindset even with disagreement. There is only one, truly effective way to reform such a toxic divide, and that is to accept that others can and will disagree with you. You cannot force your individual agenda on a person with their own values. Even those one the extreme side can agree on certain things. This is what my project is about, the healing and the accepting of difference.
Now that you have looked at the political spectrum more deeply, how and why has your perspective shifted?
I have always tried to be cautious about the way I view other people and ideologies. Even in times when I felt a strong dislike for another person based on their views, I refrained from acting with violence or harmful speech. This came even before this project, the idea of “keeping cool.” Though, prior to learning more about others, I would consistently get frustrated at the fact that most of the people around couldn't view things like I did. Then I realized that this contradicts my whole view. I am aware that not everyone can share these views of acceptance. This is just how we develop. I can try and share my message, but if people do not listen, that is perfectly fine. We live in a world with such diversity; even in our country.
What have you learned about rhetoric, ideology, and the “democratic experiment”?
I hold most of the same values as I did before this project, but I now understand the more complex systems of influence in politics. Before, I was not aware of what these terms referred to. When we first started to go in depth on what rhetoric means, I thought that it meant some sort of deep influence (which it totally can be), but it can also mean subconscious persuasion. We use rhetoric all day, even in the smallest interactions and each human responds to it. It shows that even on the smallest scale, persuasion can and will always make a difference. On a large scale, rhetoric can mean something extremely big. Now, ideology is interesting. Ideology in a general sense is a group of beliefs that one person or a group of people can have. This is extremely complex, though. Ideology can differ between every single person. Ideology can represent morals, eugenics, religion, race, sexuality and every small belief. To be a democracy, we have to use both of these on others. Democracy is supposed to somewhat acknowledge the different ideologies we have.
What role could Rogerian rhetoric and/or a “willingness to be disturbed” play in a democratic society?
I believe that ignorance is what holds everyone back; ignorance to others, facts, morals, etc. I see through observation that peoples constant need to settle or “be safe” is the root of all the ignorance we hold. In life, the majority of people just want to be happy or away from stress/danger. So even those who come from the bottom to the top can become too settled. We fight for what we believe in, but once we reach contentment we leave every man for themselves. We need to be disturbed, we need to have passion. If/ once we reach that level of contentment, we shouldn’t just stop our morals or beliefs because we are happy. The people of America are disturbed to break this ignorance that holds us back so much.
Letter:
Informal Letter to a General Audience: Save America:
Dear citizens of America,
Around me, I constantly see the demise of connections between humans. Our economy has become so complex and intricate, what we are being exposed to is unfamiliar. Through every issue that is up for debate becomes deeper than just the problem at hand. The relationship between different groups of people with a variety of ideologies is interfering with the decisions we make. I would like to point out that argument and debate is rooted out of hate for others than passion for the solution. We need to break our current system and bring America to a better well being and view on life. Though this a general letter of information, I give you this suggestion of change because I care about the next steps that we take together, as a whole community; not a place of arrogance.
Issues in politics, all relevant and important to a functioning society. Disagreement and challenge between different groups offers missed points on each side. In America, there is much freedom and choice, but behind that there is division. We are in a constant battle with those who share different views; perhaps this is America’s biggest issue. I am asking you, reader, to consider your own interests as well as the interests of others in a world like ours. It is important that people can understand that opposing opinions will always exist and our own opinions cannot be the root of all politics. We have to think about why we believe what we believe, which is most likely because we consider it to be morally correct. Even if we support ideas that we think to be right, we still subconsciously cast out important aspects of community: communication, equality, fair judgement. So, our consistent need to be right over one another may be the biggest problem we are facing today. Through this battle, we lose sight of the situations at hand, instead of trying to look for a solution, we want to be correct in our own arguments.
Think about this; when you encounter someone who you disagree with on a certain topic, what is your initial reaction? When you begin to argue, what are you thinking? It is most likely that you are going to get frustrated, and you want so badly for them to understand why you believe in your point. You also will most likely get confused as to why they would think otherwise because you are “doing what's right”. But consider that, they are thinking the same way. Based on how they have lived their life and seen certain things, that is what they truly believe to be right, too. Even on the most extreme sides of the spectrum, there can be a common resolution.
One thing that almost everyone wants is peace in their own life. They want the government to function in a way that supports them. On the basic political spectrum, between conservative and liberal, there is a space in the middle that shows a population of people who share common interests, even in different places. The topic of abortion is a good example of division, there is a huge gap. The problem is that people are quick to make assumptions about people on the “other side” For example, most liberal people assume that others want to take away their choice- conservative’s might think that the others are reckless and don’t consider other aspects of choice. And yes, both can be very true. What is frustrating, though, is that a population of people who do not believe in abortions and would not carry one out themselves, don’t want to take away other’s choices. People who believe that abortion is a handy option, don’t see it as a form of birth control, but rather a way to prevent a hard life for the child and mother.
So, there is always a place to share common ground. Even if that means “agree to disagree” because then it means you can have the opposer have shared that value to accept one another and avoid unnecessary conflict.
I used to be an extreme liberal, I was not accepting of religion, racism, homo/trans phobia because in my mind, anyone who opposed it was ethically not right. Then, I started to realize something, I had become so focused on disagreeing with the other side, that I was more focused on fighting them, then resolving the issues taking place in society. I realized that being a liberal meant accepting everyone's opinions, even the extreme conservative. In just half a year, I went from extreme, to middle. Though it was hard to come to these conclusions I hold, I did it. Before I had the idea that I would never be able to understand “their” side of things, but I do.
I was in a position where I would never even ;listen to those who opposed me, so I understand why people may struggle with it as well. I encourage you to look at the bigger picture. Though, it can be said that having a divide is important in society. Some say that having challengers makes them gain new insight on their own beliefs, even if that means developing hatred. It is important that we have all these different opinions.
I would like to believe that there is a solution to this divide. The same may be quite easy, but for others it may be difficult. It can be said that I have formed these views based on the way I have gone through life so far, and it may change more over time. I believe in equality of both political parties because I would like to think that I understand both sides to a certain extent. In my opinion, just simply understanding one another will benefit the way we carry out solutions in society. You have to understand that people who do not share the same ideas with you will ALWAYS exist, we cannot try and ignore this fact! It is so crucial that when we act in politics we know that no matter what we do, our values will never be the same. It is not always about agreeing, because that could be nearly impossible. It is about truly, truly understanding or trying to understand someone else, even if they do not do this back. I believe in being the “bigger person” and sometimes that means leaving a conversation after trying your bets to understand.
Now, this letter may just be another frustrating piece of information for you, but I strongly encourage that you think about these ideas next time you find yourself in a disagreement. Process these questions, try and open your mind. Even if you continue to not understand their side after listening, you can simply agree that you cannot come to terms, but you accept them as a human being. You support their rights as an american citizen. We cannot continue to function a society where we ignore the existence of opposition. This divide is at a dangerous edge, especially through 2020. I believe that you, and a majority of people can work together. It's time for the next step, America, wake up.
Thank you for your consideration to change no matter where you stand,
Jaslin Lindsay
Dear citizens of America,
Around me, I constantly see the demise of connections between humans. Our economy has become so complex and intricate, what we are being exposed to is unfamiliar. Through every issue that is up for debate becomes deeper than just the problem at hand. The relationship between different groups of people with a variety of ideologies is interfering with the decisions we make. I would like to point out that argument and debate is rooted out of hate for others than passion for the solution. We need to break our current system and bring America to a better well being and view on life. Though this a general letter of information, I give you this suggestion of change because I care about the next steps that we take together, as a whole community; not a place of arrogance.
Issues in politics, all relevant and important to a functioning society. Disagreement and challenge between different groups offers missed points on each side. In America, there is much freedom and choice, but behind that there is division. We are in a constant battle with those who share different views; perhaps this is America’s biggest issue. I am asking you, reader, to consider your own interests as well as the interests of others in a world like ours. It is important that people can understand that opposing opinions will always exist and our own opinions cannot be the root of all politics. We have to think about why we believe what we believe, which is most likely because we consider it to be morally correct. Even if we support ideas that we think to be right, we still subconsciously cast out important aspects of community: communication, equality, fair judgement. So, our consistent need to be right over one another may be the biggest problem we are facing today. Through this battle, we lose sight of the situations at hand, instead of trying to look for a solution, we want to be correct in our own arguments.
Think about this; when you encounter someone who you disagree with on a certain topic, what is your initial reaction? When you begin to argue, what are you thinking? It is most likely that you are going to get frustrated, and you want so badly for them to understand why you believe in your point. You also will most likely get confused as to why they would think otherwise because you are “doing what's right”. But consider that, they are thinking the same way. Based on how they have lived their life and seen certain things, that is what they truly believe to be right, too. Even on the most extreme sides of the spectrum, there can be a common resolution.
One thing that almost everyone wants is peace in their own life. They want the government to function in a way that supports them. On the basic political spectrum, between conservative and liberal, there is a space in the middle that shows a population of people who share common interests, even in different places. The topic of abortion is a good example of division, there is a huge gap. The problem is that people are quick to make assumptions about people on the “other side” For example, most liberal people assume that others want to take away their choice- conservative’s might think that the others are reckless and don’t consider other aspects of choice. And yes, both can be very true. What is frustrating, though, is that a population of people who do not believe in abortions and would not carry one out themselves, don’t want to take away other’s choices. People who believe that abortion is a handy option, don’t see it as a form of birth control, but rather a way to prevent a hard life for the child and mother.
So, there is always a place to share common ground. Even if that means “agree to disagree” because then it means you can have the opposer have shared that value to accept one another and avoid unnecessary conflict.
I used to be an extreme liberal, I was not accepting of religion, racism, homo/trans phobia because in my mind, anyone who opposed it was ethically not right. Then, I started to realize something, I had become so focused on disagreeing with the other side, that I was more focused on fighting them, then resolving the issues taking place in society. I realized that being a liberal meant accepting everyone's opinions, even the extreme conservative. In just half a year, I went from extreme, to middle. Though it was hard to come to these conclusions I hold, I did it. Before I had the idea that I would never be able to understand “their” side of things, but I do.
I was in a position where I would never even ;listen to those who opposed me, so I understand why people may struggle with it as well. I encourage you to look at the bigger picture. Though, it can be said that having a divide is important in society. Some say that having challengers makes them gain new insight on their own beliefs, even if that means developing hatred. It is important that we have all these different opinions.
I would like to believe that there is a solution to this divide. The same may be quite easy, but for others it may be difficult. It can be said that I have formed these views based on the way I have gone through life so far, and it may change more over time. I believe in equality of both political parties because I would like to think that I understand both sides to a certain extent. In my opinion, just simply understanding one another will benefit the way we carry out solutions in society. You have to understand that people who do not share the same ideas with you will ALWAYS exist, we cannot try and ignore this fact! It is so crucial that when we act in politics we know that no matter what we do, our values will never be the same. It is not always about agreeing, because that could be nearly impossible. It is about truly, truly understanding or trying to understand someone else, even if they do not do this back. I believe in being the “bigger person” and sometimes that means leaving a conversation after trying your bets to understand.
Now, this letter may just be another frustrating piece of information for you, but I strongly encourage that you think about these ideas next time you find yourself in a disagreement. Process these questions, try and open your mind. Even if you continue to not understand their side after listening, you can simply agree that you cannot come to terms, but you accept them as a human being. You support their rights as an american citizen. We cannot continue to function a society where we ignore the existence of opposition. This divide is at a dangerous edge, especially through 2020. I believe that you, and a majority of people can work together. It's time for the next step, America, wake up.
Thank you for your consideration to change no matter where you stand,
Jaslin Lindsay