"Tuesdays with Morrie" Blog

Sooooo,

In the matter of hours that it took for me to read Tuesdays with Morrie, I probably rethought my life plans at least ten times. This book seems to invite people not only to see the difference that a change (albeit one which eventually claimed his life) made in Morrie’s life, but also for readers to examine what a change in their own lifestyles might look like. Also, it is interesting that I read this book in the week following the inauguration of a president who was elected on a platform of change for the country. That one, however, we might have to wait to see what happens.

I have recently found myself in the same kind of situation that Mitch Albom, the author, found himself in during his college career. In the book, I think it was described as life constantly pulling, back and forth. I find myself being attracted to two completely different areas of work and as the clock on my college career ticks down (I know, still more than two years remaining), I am constantly struggling with which would be better suited to me. And not just that, but also, in which would I be able to effect a more tangible positive impact on the world around me. Even as we sit in our classes and discuss the “big questions of life,” my future is a subject which is under constant tension as each moment has the potential to pull it further in one direction or the other.

This book also applies very clearly to our Paideia cohort, Understanding Human Behavior. Morrie was a wise man who, in his last days, was able to describe the problem with modern U.S. culture in a blunt manner so that those of us who wished to hear it could. I do truly believe what he said about having to “create your own culture” if you wish to live connected to other people. American society has always encouraged individuality to the point where we almost advocate a radical individuality, in which anyone who does not find their identity independently – that is, free of familial restraints and any person who wishes to exert influence – is not accepted into American society. One can source the emergence of cliques in schools at early ages to this phenomenon. Not only are we forced to find an identity at an early age to fit in, but then we are also forced to be friends with only those who identify the way we do.

The goal of Paideia is to engage ourselves in our community in a way that not only the community benefits, but so do we. I feel like Morrie sort of lived this every day as a teacher, as do all teachers. He played an integral role in educating minds and gave more than was necessary because it only increased the amount that he received in return. Of course, I might be impartial as my parents are both educators who I have witnessed over the years, give themselves to their students more than was necessary only to have the benefits returned to them tenfold. Morrie taught me a lot, and I hope that his lessons will stay with me as I finally ease the tension when making my future career choice and allow myself to be pulled in one single direction.

Until class,
Brady

Pre-Emptive First Impressions

This is my first post of 2009, so here’s to a good year ahead for all of us!

Thinking about this topic is a little bit strange because, as of now, there seems to be no structure to our plans for the program, nor have we really introduced any concrete ideas for said plans. Of course, I also understand that much of this will be ironed out during the lunch meeting. So for now, I will just speak about my theoretical plans for the program and what it might look like, if indeed my idea of structure is what the rest of the cohort desires as well.

Because I don’t wish to be mauled by a large group of unruly adolescents or start my own backroom fight club like David, I feel that both myself and the children participating would stand to gain more if I was accompanied by at least one other member of the cohort. The only problem this creates, as I have previously expressed, is one of accountability. I want to be in a group with someone whom I know will be in attendance unless it is absolutely necessary that they not be. But each group need not only be two people and we don’t necessarily even have to split up into groups. I just want to know that when I attend, the others who are assigned to show up will also be in attendance.

I really have no preference to the issue of the number of students with which we will be working, but I am sure I will form a strong opinion by the end of lunch tomorrow after listening to what I am sure will two completely different standpoints on the matter. I do see how working with one child might give a person a chance to form a close relationship with that child; but on the other hand, if I am working with a group, then I am allowed to interact closely with a larger number of kids. Also, regarding the amount of time that I am willing to devote to this area of my life, I feel that I could give up no more than 2 ½ hours every week. I would imagine that if, as an entire group, we only visited the club once a week, then it would most definitely have to be for an extended period of time during the late afternoon. If we do decide to split up into groups, then the time can be shorter and scheduled on days and at times that best fit the schedules of those in the group.

We are assuming a large amount of responsibility in undertaking this project. We will be working with the children of Georgetown and hopefully, if nothing more, ensuring that they have a fun time after school. I value structure and preparedness when I enter into any situation, but as this is one which has the potential to impact the relationship between the university and the community, I think that our cohort should take extra care to make our civic engagement project a success. I have high hopes for the program, but I can also see where it might fail because of over-ambitious plans, which are not followed by action. There’s my little self-help/productivity nugget of wisdom for the day. Hope it is enjoyed!

'Til we meet again,
Brady

I'm Reminiscing

This semester has absolutely flown by. It seems as if just yesterday we were meeting as a cohort for the first time. I have had my toughest semester at Southwestern thus far, yet I managed to strike a good balance between work and fun, I think. So, as a toast to the finish of a hellish semester (and which I will be celebrating shortly after I finish writing this), I offer this blog and the many wonderful recollections of times past contained within it.

The Paideia program has been a nice way to have a steady set of lunch plans with a group of people. But, in all seriousness, it means so much more to me than just sitting around a table while we discuss current events. It has been a way that I have become more actively engaged in the Southwestern community, it has opened me up to views other than my own and those which I have already been exposed to (this IS directed toward you, David) and through the program I can see that I am going to be forced to become civically engaged, not that I have never wanted to just that it seems hard to make time for others when it seems as if you don't even have time for yourself. My course load next semester is a little less strenuous so that I can make sure I do not half-ass this civic engagement project. 

I feel like this first semester of Paideia has gone just like the program intends for it to. We are all still in that "getting to know you" stage and that, or so it seems to me, might be the link to the limited discussions during our lunchtime meetings. I feel that once our group progresses past this stage, that is when all of the people in the group will feel comfortable expressing their opinions during the meetings. I hope that this is how our group ends up because there are certain people in the group who I would like the chance to get to know better and an easy way to break the ice is through finding out their opinions and getting a feel for what kind of person they are through hearing them express themselves during our group meetings. Also, the civic engagement project for next semester will help us to get more comfortable with each other, I believe. 

I am satisfied with the civic engagement project we selected, though I did cast my vote for the R.O.C.K. program. I did so because I felt that this program offered each of us the most scheduling flexibility. It would have given me a set time to be there each week that would, more than likely, have been different from most others in the group. Each of us could go depending on our own schedules. This is my biggest concern with the Boys and Girls Club of Georgetown. I don't feel like we are going to be able to hold ourselves accountable for attending in the same manner that the R.O.C.K. program would have held us accountable. But I am completely ready to figure out something to remedy this along with the others members of the cohort.

Here's to a great first semester and five more to come,

Brady

50 Facts

For my 50 Facts presentation, I chose fact 45: “American discard 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour. That’s enough bottles to reach all the way to the moon every three weeks.” I thought it would be interesting to not only talk about the difference in recycling mentalities that each of us holds, but also to see what everyone thought about the view of America as being a wasteful society. Obviously, this last statement is really not debatable, we waste more than any other country, but the different views of how wasteful and what implications this has upon the rest of the world (if any), both today and in the future, are debatable.

In my topic talk (calling it a presentation seems a bit of a misnomer as it was so laid-back), I also chose to include a story from Wired Magazine’s November 2008 issue. The story first talked about the latest agricultural technology, but it went on to focus on actual eating habits, preferences and statistics of different countries, continents around the world. I spoke of how the United States having the largest caloric intake per person, per day, was a bad thing because it showed what a truly wasteful society we have become. If we don’t need all of these calories to survive, then any extra are being wasted. My argument that decreasing the United States’ average daily caloric intake would create less demand for food imports, thus decreasing world demand. Principles of the concept of supply and demand indicate that it was a correct assumption on my part to think that lowering demand would then also lower the price. Supply and demand works on the idea of a system that when demand is high, supply is lower than demand and price is high. When demand is low, supply is greater than demand and price us low. So, if the United States did stop purchasing certain food products, then it would subsequently make those food products cheaper to other countries.

I thought the discussion went well, but I am kind of sad that there wasn’t more time left for my topic. I feel like there was still a lot to be said about this topic and not even everyone in the class had a chance to express their opinions. Also, had I not been so stressed abut the test I was taking immediately following the lunch meeting, I feel like my topic talk might have gone much more smoothly and I would have been able to slow myself down and articulate my ideas and concepts in a clearer manner. It was one of those times where you have everything in your head that you want to say, but you only end up focusing on about one-quarter of those things. I definitely would like to see if anyone has any ideas about our wasteful society and how we might be forced to change due to our current economic situation. Some people skimp in certain areas of spending during times of economic hardship. This time, however, it seems that more and more people are looking to fast food and stores like Wal-Mart to supply them with cheap food and other items. Both of these businesses operate within the upper echelon of most wasteful companies. So, even though we may be looking to cheaper places to fulfill necessities, we are increasingly looking to them even for clothes.

I just wanted to talk about waste in general, in relation to the United States specifically. I feel like the issue of waste doesn’t just extend to recycling, so bringing in more was essential to my viewpoint of the issue.

That's all folks,
Brady

On-Campus/Off-Campus Event

On-Campus Event

My on-campus event sort of just fell into my lap. One of my friends is a member of Student Foundation and the group wanted each member to bring one friend to the Faculty Talkback (not 100% on this name). As I needed an on-campus event that I normally wouldn’t attend, it seemed as if we would both be fulfilling our requirements (the table of deserts didn’t hurt either). This was a cool event in which students get a chance to talk to a faculty member about topics of concern. The topics are set before hand and then all those in attendance, including the members of the Foundation, rotate through the six different tables.

My favorite topic table was the Honor Code table. During the previous table switches, my group had only consisted of another student, a Foundation member, a professor and me. Once we arrived at the Honor Code table, however, our group received the addition of President Schrum, the visiting president of the American University in London and the president of the Student Judiciary. Not to mention the fact that Dr. Leese was leading the table. So, my slightly different-than-most take on the Honor Code was definitely a conversation starter at that table. I can still remember the look on President Schrum’s face when I said that I didn’t think the Honor Code accomplished anything that the threat of getting caught cheating or plagiarizing didn’t already accomplish. Dr. Leese knows me pretty well, so he didn’t seem too surprised when I expressed my concern with the Honor Code, but it seemed that everyone else at the table, say for my original tablemates, was attempting to get me to admit to cheating so that they could place the reason my indifference on some concrete example.

This event was something I hadn’t ever heard of, but I will definitely continue to attend in the future. I am pretty sure that they happen every semester, but you can ask a Student Foundation member to find out for sure (you probably know at least five members and don’t even know it).

Off-Campus Event

Have you ever walked into a building and been expecting to see one thing only to have your expectations turned upside down? This happened to me recently as I ventured off campus to play bingo at Creekside Charity Bingo in Round Rock. I was accompanied on this eye-opening experience by my fellow cohort members Cait and Megan. Just so you know, if you think this sounds like a way to relax and have some fun, this is not your slow, elementary-school bingo.

We walked into the building, after taking several wrong turns and having to call the business’ phone number in order to find it, and went to the counter to purchase some tickets. I remember playing bingo with when I was younger, but the game cards here each contained 12 different BINGO games. We sat down late and the first game was already in progress. A lady sitting near took pity on us and helped catch us up during the game. She assisted us in the rest of the games as well, as we required frequent explanations. She did all of this while she was playing three cards of 12 BINGO games! I was having trouble keeping up with just my one card.

All the players are required to use ink-blotters to cover up numbers that have been called. Some people had several bottles of ink and we even saw some who carried around tote bags with spots around the outside for 20 ink-blotters. It was intense. The numbers were being called blazingly-fast and if one looked down to say, answer a text, it would put them behind. The closest any of us came to winning was in the second to last game in which Cait only needed O63 to win and the next ball called was O64. Win or lose, it was a fun experience. The people in the building were not people that I would normally have spoken to, but they were nice, willing to help and liked to chat.

Civic Engagement Redux

So I have been thinking,

Second chances don’t come around very often, so when they do it is necessary to take advantage of the situation. This is a second chance at articulating my thoughts on the subject of civic engagement and I hope by the end of this blog, my perception of civic engagement is clear not only to whoever might be reading this, but to me.

One of the reasons I elected to become part of the Paideia program was for the civic engagement aspect of it. I am not really into extracurricular activities, though I have become more active on campus this semester, so I liked the idea of helping the community through some sort of class project. I also thought that the civic engagement project would push me through the door of being actively engaged not only on campus, but also in the Georgetown community.

For our group meeting on November 4, 2008, we were assigned to read a transcript of a speech given by Ivan Illich. A large part of this speech is no longer relevant, as the speech was given in 1968, but when he says that volunteers in Mexico can only offer Mexicans their “middle-class ‘American Way of Life,’ since that is really the only life [they] know,” I would have to say that thinks this is still relevant. How ridiculous is it that someone who was born to a Sephardic-Jewish mother and a Croatian father would clump an entire segment of the American population into one group, effectively homogenizing them as closed-off, self-righteous individuals who had no connection to the world outside the United States (Wikipedia)? Of course, I acknowledge that many of the volunteers that Illich came into contact with did indeed fit into the self-righteous stereotype he had observed so many times. But like so many stereotypes, does the person fit into the group if they are similar to the others in just one aspect? So if the volunteer was a white, middle-class student, they were automatically clumped with the others, unable to change his perception of the American volunteer.

I am in extreme disagreement with anyone who says that people volunteer only for self-righteous reasons. I don’t believe that there exists in this world a truly selfless volunteer, but I don’t think that getting a good feeling from donating one’s time to a good cause shows self-righteousness. There is a spectrum, and on one end of that spectrum lies truly selfless volunteerism and on the other end lies completely self-righteous volunteerism, somewhere in the middle of the two is where I believe the majority of volunteering occurs.

As I expressed in our class meeting, I feel that we should interact with people and I feel strongly that the topic of our Cohort necessitates more than one opportunity for interaction. If we are truly to “Understand Human Behavior,” then we must meet with people, be they children or others, and interact with them more than once so that there is a chance for relationships to be formed. My hope is that we choose the children project, with a focus on underprivileged children if possible. Children in schools and communities that are more affluent are usually offered more opportunities for after-school activities that stimulate their minds and bodies, rather than just sending them home. I feel that we can have a large impact not just on the lives on these children, but hopefully on the way they choose to go about their lives in the future. I like the idea of a sports/arts/activities program possibly in a Boys and Girls Club. I think this offers all of us, regardless of specialty or area or expertise, a way to utilize our liberal arts education and show ourselves that we are probably a little bit better at certain things than we might think we are. I also think that these children will be teaching all of us more about ourselves through the course of this program than we could ever hope to teach them. After hearing Dr. G and Suzy talk about the merits of one group or two groups in class and hearing everyone express their opinions, I have been swayed to the one group side because I just don’t think that splitting the group would do much for the dynamic and it doesn’t really create that sense of unity that we were aiming to find with this project.

This is our opportunity to make a difference in the world, to show that we aren’t pompous, self-righteous college students who would rather just get our civic engagement project done in one Saturday without having to have much contact with any real people. Let’s choose to at least attempt to change something in someone’s life for the better, because if one person’s life is better because of what we do, that is good enough for me. Science and research statistics would argue that our project was not effective, but they also don’t consider the human element. That one person could change the lives of many other people in a positive manner (not to assume our project would affect such a change). I feel that we can make the most difference working with kids and I hope that I have articulated my point well enough that you might consider the merits of my argument.

Brady

My Blog Picture

I never explained what I was doing in the (profile?) picture for my blog and because I don't have anything to do until class (and I want to boast a little bit) I thought that you all might be interested ("you all" assuming that more people than just Dr. G reads this post, haha). Okay, delineating from my point. In my picture, I had just climbed one of the ancient pyramid-like structures at Teotihuacán, Mexico and the picture was taken with my back facing the other, smaller pyramid. This place was one of the excursions on the SU Guanajuato trip this past summer and it was truly spectacular to walk among ruins that many different pre-Hispanic peoples had lived in and  helped create. Context, I know. The ancient city cannot be traced back to any one group of people because its architecture reflects that of the Mayans, Aztecs and many other smaller, lesser known groups. But, by the time the Spanish arrived in Mexico, the site was abandoned. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is known as one of the best-preserved sites and greatest mysteries in Mexico. 

Okay, so at the top of the post was a picture I took from the smaller pyramid looking towards the larger one and, in case you didn't notice, I linked the first mention of the ruins to the Wiki page about it, if I whetted your appetite for information about historical archeological ruins.

Brady

P.S. I think that I am beginning to like this blogging stuff.