Monday 5 November 2007
Act 2 scenes 2 & 3: Rita's complete make over
Up to this point in the play, we have seen how Rita has developed into a more sophisticated person (according to social standards, mind you! ;-) ) She has now almost achieved her objective of discovering her true self, of seeing life in a different light... but Frank does not feel comfortable with her new self. As said in the previous post, he feels threatened by Rita's new independence, by this new criteria she has, by the way she speaks her mind confidently! Rita is able to sit down with "proper students" on the lawn and discussed poetry! This is a huge success for her... but it turns Frank even more insecure and jealous to the point that he goes to teach being drunk! rita is ready to fly and to try new things by herself but Frank is not ready to let her go... once more this kind of situation rings a bell in our lives as teachers! How generous one has to be to teach and to feel proud and pleased to see our students going places we have never been! How open minded to be ready to listen carefully to them to keep on learning! How wise to let them go when we know there is nothing else we can give them but our admiration and friendship! I hope Frank realises this before the play finishes!
Rita's back!
Rita is back from summer school with a whole new experience under her belt! She has changed a lot from that first shy, insecure student who started to attend lessons with a tutor... She is now living with a friend in her own flat, she now sees life from a totally different perspective and she loves it! This change takes place not only outside, i.e. she wears new clothes, has a new hair style, but also inside: she feels a whole new person and she says so! Frank is happy to see her back: he feels happy about her new look but quite hesitant about her other changes: Rita wants to experience new things together with him, to a point Frank feels threatened as when she insists that he gives up drinking or when she wants to open a window because "a room is like a plant: it needs air..." But what air does Rita refer to? This new air that has changed her completely? The kind of air that will change Frank and will turn him in the man she wants? Even when Frank starts looking for a great poet for her and finds out that Rita has already studied Blake we can perceive a certain frustration in both of them: in Rita because Frank is not offering her those new things she wants to learn; in Frank because he apparently has nothing to offer to Rita... How many times do we have this same feeling as both teachers and students? How many times do we feel that we cannot offer our students more than what we have already offer? I will leave the question open...
Tuesday 16 October 2007
Act 1 scenes 7 & 8: Rita's awakening
Up to this point in the play, we have witnessed a huge change both in Rita and Frank. Frank opened his mind to a totally different world, i.e., teaching an adult from the working class. In this thorough task he had to leave aside lots of prejudices, like going with Rita to see an amateur performance at the local church! :-) He really likes Rita, probably beyond the teacher-student relationship they are supposed to have... but we need to remember that beyond these labels, they are human beings!
As for Rita, she is determined to achieve her goal. She will fight against all odds, even against her husband who she chooses to walk on. She is going through a moment in her life in which she does not know where she belongs to: she feels uneasy drinking beer at the pub with her husband, mother and friends, yet, at the same time, she does not feel ready to interact with "educated" people, such as Frank's wife and friends! This is probably why she could not ring the bell at Frank's house when he invited her for dinner or why she decided to keep on studying despite her husband's opposition. Rita feels moved by her mother's words at the pub while they were singing: "we could sing better songs than those," in a way she can see what her mother means: there is more to life than just conforming to what one already has, there is a moment in which one's urge for knowledge, or self-actualization in Maslow's terms, is stronger than any obstacle one can find in one's way... I simpathise with Rita, I can understand how she feels: I cannot picture life without studying, without satisfying my thirst for knowledge... I would not feel entirely human!
As for Rita, she is determined to achieve her goal. She will fight against all odds, even against her husband who she chooses to walk on. She is going through a moment in her life in which she does not know where she belongs to: she feels uneasy drinking beer at the pub with her husband, mother and friends, yet, at the same time, she does not feel ready to interact with "educated" people, such as Frank's wife and friends! This is probably why she could not ring the bell at Frank's house when he invited her for dinner or why she decided to keep on studying despite her husband's opposition. Rita feels moved by her mother's words at the pub while they were singing: "we could sing better songs than those," in a way she can see what her mother means: there is more to life than just conforming to what one already has, there is a moment in which one's urge for knowledge, or self-actualization in Maslow's terms, is stronger than any obstacle one can find in one's way... I simpathise with Rita, I can understand how she feels: I cannot picture life without studying, without satisfying my thirst for knowledge... I would not feel entirely human!
Monday 8 October 2007
Act 1 scene 6
Rita keeps on trying to find out what the world has to offer. She goes to the theatre on her own and Alas! she loves it! She hasn't chosen any given play, but Macbeth... she's so fascinated with the plot that she wants to write an essay on the play... though first she'll have to stop to think what she wants to say. Rita finds in her own language many expressions to describe how she feels towards the play, words she'd never be able to use in an academic paper! She's so pleased with the world that is unfolding before her that she finds it difficult to explain exactly how she feels...
Her relationship with Frank continues to develop in such a way that she goes to see him on a day she's not supposed to just to tell him about her experience! They're beginnig to trust each other, they even want to spend more time together doing different activities: going for lunch, going to the art gallery and the like. Frank is enthusiastic about Rita's interest in literature and even explains the difference between a tragedy, from the point of view of literature, and a tragic event in real life... Rita takes for granted that "proper" students know all about that... she still looks up to them because they know better than her. But Rita's eagerness to discover this new world takes over her whole self and leads her to explore this world the way a newly-born human being does it...
Her relationship with Frank continues to develop in such a way that she goes to see him on a day she's not supposed to just to tell him about her experience! They're beginnig to trust each other, they even want to spend more time together doing different activities: going for lunch, going to the art gallery and the like. Frank is enthusiastic about Rita's interest in literature and even explains the difference between a tragedy, from the point of view of literature, and a tragic event in real life... Rita takes for granted that "proper" students know all about that... she still looks up to them because they know better than her. But Rita's eagerness to discover this new world takes over her whole self and leads her to explore this world the way a newly-born human being does it...
Act 1 scene 5
Rita begins to be aware what a big change studying entails: little by little she's opening her mind to new experiences, she starts to feel more alive than ever! She's getting to know this new Rita, her "own version of herself..." And she likes it! Though at times she feels selfish about it, she realizes that what she needs now is to be in touch with her new self... Up to now she's behaved in the way everybody expected her to behave, she's worked and after work been to the pub with her husband and family... Rita knows that there's more to life than that and is willing to discover what it is with Frank's help... She continues studying despite Denny's attempt to prevent her from doing so, she feels that nobody can stop her, not even Frank when he invites her to stop talking about Chekhov and go to the pub!! He doesn's realize that what Rita precisely doesn't want is to go on leading the life she's led up to now! She wants to see what there is beyond the pub, what the theatre has to teach her, what authors have to tell her about life, she wants a fresh new start and is determined to pursue her objective...
Monday 17 September 2007
Act 1 Scenes 3 and 4
Rita's first encounter with academic writing is not as good as she had expected... Her essay is far from what examiners want from students. Rita does not know how to support her views in the paper, she believes she knows better than examiners because she has read something they have not... she needs to develop a certain criteria when reading and Frank will help her do so. But this new criteria will not only help her when writing for an audience but also in most other aspects of her life. Rita struggles every time she has to go to her lessons against her family, partner and friends: her partner, especially, does not want to let her go there... he is afraid of Rita's opportunity of opening her mind, of seeing other reality than the one she is used to, of losing her... Rita tries to continue with her course against all odds... By the end of scene 4, we can see that she is succeeding, she is achieving her objective...
Act 1 Scene 2
When Rita gets into Frank's room, she is in a different world; she can see what she expects to achieve by studying, i.e., to develop "good taste," to become somebody different from who she actually is. Though she did not have the chance to become a regular student since it was frown upon by those who surrounded her (and even herself!), she enjoys looking at them, watching or imagining how their lives differ from hers. In a way, Rita idealizes both Frank and regular students: she looks up to them as they have succeeded in doing something she did not: academic life. And this is a contradiction in itself insofar as up to this moment she has been part of a social class who regards academic people as posh, as detached from "real life..." Will Rita change her mind as to what "being educated" implies? Will she try to continue studying in spite of her prejudices? I hope my questions have an answer by the end of the play!
Sunday 19 August 2007
Educating Rita
Rita wants to study because she wants to know everything... She knows there's more to life than meets the eye and she's willing to give it a try! She wants to have a better life and she knows that it is through education that she will be able to succeed. She is an intelligent woman and we know so because of some of her remarks when she talks to Frank. She doesn't want Frank to understimate her, she wants him to help her.
Tuesday 14 August 2007
Term Task
Introduction
Every day, we are faced with decisions: simple, complex, easy and so on and so forth. Most of us are a aware of the fact that we must take responsibility for every decision we make. As teachers, we have this responsibility towards our students. By analysing how other teachers take respoinsibility for their decisions, we learn more about both teachers and learners.
Description of the scene
As part of my term paper I have chosen to analyse a scene from Boston Public, a tv series broadcast by Fox. In episode 220, there is a transgender student running for prom queen. A group of students who oppose the transgender student demand to speak to the Head of the school so as to complain inasmuch as they believe the abovementioned student should not be allowed to run for prom queen. It should be pointed out that only the first minute of the scene has been taken into account for deep analysis, while some other parts of the same scene will be mentioned to avoid confusion. Below is the link to the whole scene:
http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=hnyplzTITzk
Analysis
The analysis is divided into two sections:
- whether the decision was a human act or not;
-whether it was a good decision or not.
Section 1
The decision taken by the school Head not to ban the transgender student from the competition was a human act for three reasons:
- There was consciousness on the part of the Head, i.e., he was in full possession of all his mental faculties when making the decision;
- He was aware of the consequences his decision could ensue. Whenever faced with a controversial issue, it is known that there will be people in favour of it and against it. Nevertheless, the Head of the school decides to be true to his beliefs of equality of opportunities for everybody regardless of sexual preferences. To him, it was more important to be coherent with this line of thought than to avoid controversy and trouble;
- There were other choices available such as banning the student from the contest, suspending him for number of days and the like. Nonetheless, the Head makes the most difficult decision: face the problems that could arise from allowing the student to run for prom queen so as to show the school that discriminating against people leads to misunderstanding, hatred and isolation.
Section 2
The Head's decision to let the transgender student run for prom queen was a good decision for three reasons:
* it was good in itself: it would have been much easier for the Head not to let the homosexual student run for prom queen than to let him do it. His decision caused a lot of controversy among teachers, students and some parents.
*it had a good intention/purpose: his decision was not selfish, had no benefits for him. He did not want to discriminate against any student, he believed in the student's right of self-determination, in his right to come to terms with his own identity.
*the circumstances were good: though at the beggining there is strong disapproval on the part of some students and parents, most teachers supported the Head's decision. They talked to the student to see if he was fully aware of what he was going to do and once they checked he was, they simpathised with him.
In the second place, it was a good decision insofar as it did not go against the principle of kinship . As far as kinship goes, it was his duty as a Head to secure that all students have the same rights, no matter what their sex, religion or race is. As for reciprocity, the Head did not expect anything in return for what he had done, but for students to acknowledge other people's right to do the same for them. His decision had an implicit message: this time the one who was being discriminated against was a transgender student; next time it could be a Jew, African, Catholic, female or male student...
Conclusion
All in all, the Head's decision to allow the homosexual student run for prom queen was both a human act and a good decision for all the elements of which these two concepts are made of are present. He could have banned the student from the competition, preventing any kind of problems with classmates and parents. However, this would have been against his beliefs, something he could not stand given his position in the school.
Every day, we are faced with decisions: simple, complex, easy and so on and so forth. Most of us are a aware of the fact that we must take responsibility for every decision we make. As teachers, we have this responsibility towards our students. By analysing how other teachers take respoinsibility for their decisions, we learn more about both teachers and learners.
Description of the scene
As part of my term paper I have chosen to analyse a scene from Boston Public, a tv series broadcast by Fox. In episode 220, there is a transgender student running for prom queen. A group of students who oppose the transgender student demand to speak to the Head of the school so as to complain inasmuch as they believe the abovementioned student should not be allowed to run for prom queen. It should be pointed out that only the first minute of the scene has been taken into account for deep analysis, while some other parts of the same scene will be mentioned to avoid confusion. Below is the link to the whole scene:
http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=hnyplzTITzk
Analysis
The analysis is divided into two sections:
- whether the decision was a human act or not;
-whether it was a good decision or not.
Section 1
The decision taken by the school Head not to ban the transgender student from the competition was a human act for three reasons:
- There was consciousness on the part of the Head, i.e., he was in full possession of all his mental faculties when making the decision;
- He was aware of the consequences his decision could ensue. Whenever faced with a controversial issue, it is known that there will be people in favour of it and against it. Nevertheless, the Head of the school decides to be true to his beliefs of equality of opportunities for everybody regardless of sexual preferences. To him, it was more important to be coherent with this line of thought than to avoid controversy and trouble;
- There were other choices available such as banning the student from the contest, suspending him for number of days and the like. Nonetheless, the Head makes the most difficult decision: face the problems that could arise from allowing the student to run for prom queen so as to show the school that discriminating against people leads to misunderstanding, hatred and isolation.
Section 2
The Head's decision to let the transgender student run for prom queen was a good decision for three reasons:
* it was good in itself: it would have been much easier for the Head not to let the homosexual student run for prom queen than to let him do it. His decision caused a lot of controversy among teachers, students and some parents.
*it had a good intention/purpose: his decision was not selfish, had no benefits for him. He did not want to discriminate against any student, he believed in the student's right of self-determination, in his right to come to terms with his own identity.
*the circumstances were good: though at the beggining there is strong disapproval on the part of some students and parents, most teachers supported the Head's decision. They talked to the student to see if he was fully aware of what he was going to do and once they checked he was, they simpathised with him.
In the second place, it was a good decision insofar as it did not go against the principle of kinship . As far as kinship goes, it was his duty as a Head to secure that all students have the same rights, no matter what their sex, religion or race is. As for reciprocity, the Head did not expect anything in return for what he had done, but for students to acknowledge other people's right to do the same for them. His decision had an implicit message: this time the one who was being discriminated against was a transgender student; next time it could be a Jew, African, Catholic, female or male student...
Conclusion
All in all, the Head's decision to allow the homosexual student run for prom queen was both a human act and a good decision for all the elements of which these two concepts are made of are present. He could have banned the student from the competition, preventing any kind of problems with classmates and parents. However, this would have been against his beliefs, something he could not stand given his position in the school.
Monday 2 July 2007
Diez años después: ante el nuevo milenio
After ten years, Savater decides to delight us with one more chapter, as if it had been necessary to add anything to his marvellous book!!
Taking into account the times we live in, he says that the key to enjoy a good life is to care about others. We must realize that we're social beings: we need to look after ourselves and, at the same time, take care of others since we belong to the same species. We need to leave aside stereotypes and recognize each other as what we are: humans.
Apart from this, he points out that we need to take care of our "house", our planet. I find this really important, inasmuch as many times governments think about making money at the expense of our environment. There are clear examples in our country such as the paper mills in Gualeguaychú, forests in the south or the jungle in Chaco and Salta... I wonder if they've ever stopped to think that they won't have enough time to spend all the money they've got by selling our country... our planet will be dead before that can happen
Taking into account the times we live in, he says that the key to enjoy a good life is to care about others. We must realize that we're social beings: we need to look after ourselves and, at the same time, take care of others since we belong to the same species. We need to leave aside stereotypes and recognize each other as what we are: humans.
Apart from this, he points out that we need to take care of our "house", our planet. I find this really important, inasmuch as many times governments think about making money at the expense of our environment. There are clear examples in our country such as the paper mills in Gualeguaychú, forests in the south or the jungle in Chaco and Salta... I wonder if they've ever stopped to think that they won't have enough time to spend all the money they've got by selling our country... our planet will be dead before that can happen
Thursday 28 June 2007
Epílogo "Tendrás que pensártelo"
What an enriching experience this has been! I've reflected a lot on many things... and learned a lot! First of all, I'm in charge of my life: nobody can't decide for me, I have this responsibility (luckily :-)!) As Bob Marley says in a famous song
Emancipate yourself from mental slavery
none but ourselves can free our minds
So whether we like it or not, we're in charge of making decisions... Sometimes we're right and soetimes we're wrong, it's within us to take a few minutes and reflect about what we do so as to learn from those mistakes we make...
I leave this link for everybody as a gift, hope you enjoy yourselves!! http://www.alanis.com/
Emancipate yourself from mental slavery
none but ourselves can free our minds
So whether we like it or not, we're in charge of making decisions... Sometimes we're right and soetimes we're wrong, it's within us to take a few minutes and reflect about what we do so as to learn from those mistakes we make...
I leave this link for everybody as a gift, hope you enjoy yourselves!! http://www.alanis.com/
Feeling alive is great: sometimes it's not the best moment, but once we get over, it's worth it!!
Long and wonderful life for all of you!!!
Monday 11 June 2007
Elecciones Generales
Politics and Ethics...(sigh) what a difficult topic! How to consider this in the society we live in, where a political campaign is based on discrediting one another, where politicians make promises they never fullfil? Is there room for Ethics? In my opinion, Ethics is the answer...
Saveter wonders what's the best political organization in order to achieve a good life and proposes different aspects to take into account: freedom and the responsibility that being free entails; being fair, which encompases recognising everybody's dignity and, therefore, recognising each other as unique; and the ability to empathise and help those who are needed but in a way that still considers them free and worthy.
What about our country? What about the people we vote for? Have we ever thought about these aspects when deciding on who to vote? Are we free to choose and use this freedom in a resposible way? (once more, I sigh...)
A good political organization should consider the abovementioned aspects... should strive for real equality and toleration. I once read a comic strip from an American newspaper that read "Patriotism means no questions..." how wrong this is! It's high time we questioned every single thing we do!!!
Saveter wonders what's the best political organization in order to achieve a good life and proposes different aspects to take into account: freedom and the responsibility that being free entails; being fair, which encompases recognising everybody's dignity and, therefore, recognising each other as unique; and the ability to empathise and help those who are needed but in a way that still considers them free and worthy.
What about our country? What about the people we vote for? Have we ever thought about these aspects when deciding on who to vote? Are we free to choose and use this freedom in a resposible way? (once more, I sigh...)
A good political organization should consider the abovementioned aspects... should strive for real equality and toleration. I once read a comic strip from an American newspaper that read "Patriotism means no questions..." how wrong this is! It's high time we questioned every single thing we do!!!
Sunday 3 June 2007
Tanto Gusto
Having a good life (or trying to live one!) implies satisfying our bodies. When the majority of people talk about inmoral behaviour they refer, most of the times, to sex. What is hidden behind this prejudice is the fear that most of us, as society, have regarding pleasure: we live in a society that is so focused on working so as to get whatever the market has to sell that we forget about having pleasure (and trying to find pleasure!) in what we do. Hedonism is a four-letter-word!! When we do something "because we like it," "for the sake of it" society looks down on us... well, not all of the society, but mostly puritans, people who believe that it is through suffering that we are going to have a good life.
Living a good life entails, then, finding pleasure in all the things we do. Enjoying what we do everyday. Not using pleasure as a way of avoiding life, of running away whenever we can't face the consequences of what we do... Pleasure is supposed to enrich our lives, to make it spicy, to make us happy... So, next time you feel guilty because you're having the time of your life and, on the other hand, you should be seeing to your never-ending list of "things I have to do today," relax and ENJOY!
Living a good life entails, then, finding pleasure in all the things we do. Enjoying what we do everyday. Not using pleasure as a way of avoiding life, of running away whenever we can't face the consequences of what we do... Pleasure is supposed to enrich our lives, to make it spicy, to make us happy... So, next time you feel guilty because you're having the time of your life and, on the other hand, you should be seeing to your never-ending list of "things I have to do today," relax and ENJOY!
Sunday 27 May 2007
Ponte en su lugar
What makes us humans is, undoubtedly, living, sharing, listening to other humans. And our humanity is not perfect. Far from it!!! When we label people, we tend to forget that, still, they are people, no matter what they've done. I know that this is particularly difficult when we think of thieves, murderers, rapists and the like... they don't seem human since they don't treat their victims as humans...
Have we ever stopped to think that the reason why these people don't care about others is probably that nobody cares or has cared about them? I'm not just talking about their own families: most of the times, if a child is brought up in neglection, violence and hate, he/she is prone to bring up their own children in a similar way! I'm also thinking about the prejudices we have... There is a song by Bersuit Vergarabat called "La Ribera": if you're familiar with it, it tells us the story of people who live next to Riachuelo (a much polluted river in Argentina), what is like to live there and how they've been isolated from society. There are two verses that are quite touching (at least for me!)
Parece ser que envenenarlos no es violencia (referring to people governing our country, who
neglect them and let them die!)
y es violencia su desesperación (referring to most of the people who live there and who, as a
result of this neglection, have no choice but to steal so as to live!)
We are truly human when we can put ourselves in somebody else's shoes... more technically speaking, when we can emphatise, when we can see things (and understand them!!) from somebody else's perspective... when we can be objective in our judgements...
Have we ever stopped to think that the reason why these people don't care about others is probably that nobody cares or has cared about them? I'm not just talking about their own families: most of the times, if a child is brought up in neglection, violence and hate, he/she is prone to bring up their own children in a similar way! I'm also thinking about the prejudices we have... There is a song by Bersuit Vergarabat called "La Ribera": if you're familiar with it, it tells us the story of people who live next to Riachuelo (a much polluted river in Argentina), what is like to live there and how they've been isolated from society. There are two verses that are quite touching (at least for me!)
Parece ser que envenenarlos no es violencia (referring to people governing our country, who
neglect them and let them die!)
y es violencia su desesperación (referring to most of the people who live there and who, as a
result of this neglection, have no choice but to steal so as to live!)
We are truly human when we can put ourselves in somebody else's shoes... more technically speaking, when we can emphatise, when we can see things (and understand them!!) from somebody else's perspective... when we can be objective in our judgements...
Monday 21 May 2007
Aparece Pepito Grillo
Choices, choices and more choices!! And, once more, the fact that if we want to live a good life we're in charge of making choices. No one can do this for us...
Being concientious and responsible seems to be key. This depends both on inborn characteristics as well as on the social context in which we're born. Do you remember when I said in my last post that if we're not treated as humans we won't consider others humans, just things?
Reflect. Always give ourselves time to reflect upon what we do and take responsiblity for the decisions we make. We need to try to get what is best for us. A good life! This doesn't mean that in order to get what we want we should do whatever it takes "The end doesn't justify the means," says Kant. Selfishness can have a positive connotation as well: devoting time to ourselves and striving for what we want, always being responsible for what we decide to do, always being free...
And freedom, at times, implies feeling guilty when we do something that does not match what we really want to obtain...What to do , then?? Take responsibility for what we do incorrectly and correctly, however disgusting it is what we have done!! Face the consequences... that's when we are truly free. What a great responsibility we have as teachers...searching for a good life and inviting others to do the same... defining ourselves with every decision we make... setting the example?
Being concientious and responsible seems to be key. This depends both on inborn characteristics as well as on the social context in which we're born. Do you remember when I said in my last post that if we're not treated as humans we won't consider others humans, just things?
Reflect. Always give ourselves time to reflect upon what we do and take responsiblity for the decisions we make. We need to try to get what is best for us. A good life! This doesn't mean that in order to get what we want we should do whatever it takes "The end doesn't justify the means," says Kant. Selfishness can have a positive connotation as well: devoting time to ourselves and striving for what we want, always being responsible for what we decide to do, always being free...
And freedom, at times, implies feeling guilty when we do something that does not match what we really want to obtain...What to do , then?? Take responsibility for what we do incorrectly and correctly, however disgusting it is what we have done!! Face the consequences... that's when we are truly free. What a great responsibility we have as teachers...searching for a good life and inviting others to do the same... defining ourselves with every decision we make... setting the example?
Monday 14 May 2007
Despierta Baby!
What's a good life? Does it have anything to do with getting our own way at all times? Is it in keeping with owning more and more things?Is it possible to agree on only one idea of what "a good life" entails? Or is this concept going to change from individual to individual? Complex questions for a complex concept...
Material possessions have a saying in this. We own things and yet, at the same time, they own us... if not look around you, and you'll see what materialism does to people. Wars, corruption, opportunism... and a never-ending list of negative concepts. Money is necessary, but greed is no good.You can buy lots of things with money: the house of your dreams, a great car and so and so on. What you cannot buy is love, real love. Friendship. Sympathy. A shoulder to cry on when you're feeling blue. A warm hug. Respect. Treat people like things, and you'll get things in return. What a difference it makes when you treat people for what they are: human beings!
A good life is not about money, I guess... Most probably has nothing to do with what the majority of people believe... A good life is a personal choice. Once more it has to do with reflecting. With understanding what is convenient for us and what is not. It's important to listen to each other: in my last post I stated that it is when we listen to one another that we recognize ourselves and the others as humans. Nevertheless, when it's time to make up our minds, nobody can (or should!) decide for us. We are free. We decide.
Material possessions have a saying in this. We own things and yet, at the same time, they own us... if not look around you, and you'll see what materialism does to people. Wars, corruption, opportunism... and a never-ending list of negative concepts. Money is necessary, but greed is no good.You can buy lots of things with money: the house of your dreams, a great car and so and so on. What you cannot buy is love, real love. Friendship. Sympathy. A shoulder to cry on when you're feeling blue. A warm hug. Respect. Treat people like things, and you'll get things in return. What a difference it makes when you treat people for what they are: human beings!
A good life is not about money, I guess... Most probably has nothing to do with what the majority of people believe... A good life is a personal choice. Once more it has to do with reflecting. With understanding what is convenient for us and what is not. It's important to listen to each other: in my last post I stated that it is when we listen to one another that we recognize ourselves and the others as humans. Nevertheless, when it's time to make up our minds, nobody can (or should!) decide for us. We are free. We decide.
Monday 7 May 2007
Date la Buena Vida
What a title for this chapter... and I was so naive as to believe that this chapter was going to be enlightening! At least, I think that I've found one more answer to my questions!!!
Reflecting seems to be the word. It's not only thinking what we're supposed to do, but also reflecting on the choices we make. It's a question of trying to find out how to live a better life...
This, at the same time, should be reciprocal: we're all human beings and what makes us human is recognising each other, listening to each other, being there for each other...
More food for thought...
Celebrar la vida...
Pensar libremente.
Practicar la paciencia.
Sonreir con frecuencia.
Hacer nuevos amigos.Redescubrir los de antes.
Perdonar a un enemigo.Tener esperanzas. Crecer.
Ser LOCO!! Contar cada día nuestras bendiciones.
Dar. Crecer. Tener esa confianza que permite recibir.
Cumplir una promesa. Ser prudente. Tratar de comprender.
Reservar tiempo para la gente. Reservar tiempo para uno mismo. Esparcir la alegría.
Aceptar un riesgo. Ofrecerse. Abrirse a alguien. Probar algo nuevo. Aminorar la marcha.
Ser blando, a veces. Creer en uno mismo. Confiar en otros.
Mirar un amanecer. Escuchar la lluvia
Rememorar. Llorar cuando sea necesario.
Tener fe.
Cometer errores.
Celebrar la vida...
Jan Michelsen
LOL,
Andre
Reflecting seems to be the word. It's not only thinking what we're supposed to do, but also reflecting on the choices we make. It's a question of trying to find out how to live a better life...
This, at the same time, should be reciprocal: we're all human beings and what makes us human is recognising each other, listening to each other, being there for each other...
More food for thought...
Celebrar la vida...
Pensar libremente.
Practicar la paciencia.
Sonreir con frecuencia.
Hacer nuevos amigos.Redescubrir los de antes.
Perdonar a un enemigo.Tener esperanzas. Crecer.
Ser LOCO!! Contar cada día nuestras bendiciones.
Dar. Crecer. Tener esa confianza que permite recibir.
Cumplir una promesa. Ser prudente. Tratar de comprender.
Reservar tiempo para la gente. Reservar tiempo para uno mismo. Esparcir la alegría.
Aceptar un riesgo. Ofrecerse. Abrirse a alguien. Probar algo nuevo. Aminorar la marcha.
Ser blando, a veces. Creer en uno mismo. Confiar en otros.
Mirar un amanecer. Escuchar la lluvia
Rememorar. Llorar cuando sea necesario.
Tener fe.
Cometer errores.
Celebrar la vida...
Jan Michelsen
LOL,
Andre
Sunday 22 April 2007
Haz lo que quieras
In my last post I wondered whether it was right or wrong to follow orders and costums or act on whims without taking into account the consequences of our actions. After reading chapter 3, I've come up with a "temporary" answer (those who are reading this book know what I mean ;) !)
Think. That's the first of the answers I found to my question. Not once, but twice, three times, as many times as necessary. And, once more, bear in mind that your decisions carry consequences. We are free when we examine what we do: nobody else can do this for us.
Do whatever you want... I still haven't made up my mind as to what to say about this... I figure I'll just have to wait for chapter 4!
Think. That's the first of the answers I found to my question. Not once, but twice, three times, as many times as necessary. And, once more, bear in mind that your decisions carry consequences. We are free when we examine what we do: nobody else can do this for us.
Do whatever you want... I still haven't made up my mind as to what to say about this... I figure I'll just have to wait for chapter 4!
Monday 9 April 2007
Órdenes, costumbres y caprichos
In my last post I asked myself whether Ethics had practical implications for our daily lives. After the unfortunate events which took place in our province of Neuquén, I firmly believe Ethics is intrinsically related to how we live day by day.
Is obeying orders ethical, no matter what we are being asked to do? To what extent can we abide by the law? How can we measure the importance of priorities in life? I wonder if the person who shot Carlos Fuentealba at least asked these questions to himself when he decided to follow orders. When he aimed at him. When he pulled the trigger. When he killed him. When he left a woman and children without a husband and dad respectively. When he caused the whole of the school community to lose a committed teacher...
We are individuals and, at the same time, part of a community. There are laws that are to be respected. We cannot be subjected to whims. Nevertheless, we cannot obey every order we are given without thinking about the consequences they carry. Everything we do has a purpose and a consequence. We should bear this in mind every day...
To Carlos Fuentealba and his family, all my respect and love. To those who killed him on a whim, giving nonsense orders, following a tradition of disrespect for life... I have nothing to say but to express my public and strong disapproval.
Is obeying orders ethical, no matter what we are being asked to do? To what extent can we abide by the law? How can we measure the importance of priorities in life? I wonder if the person who shot Carlos Fuentealba at least asked these questions to himself when he decided to follow orders. When he aimed at him. When he pulled the trigger. When he killed him. When he left a woman and children without a husband and dad respectively. When he caused the whole of the school community to lose a committed teacher...
We are individuals and, at the same time, part of a community. There are laws that are to be respected. We cannot be subjected to whims. Nevertheless, we cannot obey every order we are given without thinking about the consequences they carry. Everything we do has a purpose and a consequence. We should bear this in mind every day...
To Carlos Fuentealba and his family, all my respect and love. To those who killed him on a whim, giving nonsense orders, following a tradition of disrespect for life... I have nothing to say but to express my public and strong disapproval.
Monday 2 April 2007
De qué va la ética...
What is it that we understand by Ethics? Is it just a subject? Does it have practical implications? What does ethical behaviour comprise? And so and so on... The more I read chapter 1, the more questions I ask myself!
First of all, the concept of Ethics is going to vary from individual to individual. I can think that at times lying is ethical whereas someone else may regard lying as a terrible thing!! Then, all of us have an ethical system of our own: we may share some ideas but we may not share some others. This ethical system is culturally-bound: from birth we're taught that some things are good or bad. From this point onwards, we choose...
Secondly, it is because we're free that we're capable of choosing. And in every choice we make, we're also taking ethical decisions. We decide what is convenient for us or not, whether we care about others or just us... we decide how we want to live our lives. The way we live, honouring or not our lives, is what we call Ethics!
First of all, the concept of Ethics is going to vary from individual to individual. I can think that at times lying is ethical whereas someone else may regard lying as a terrible thing!! Then, all of us have an ethical system of our own: we may share some ideas but we may not share some others. This ethical system is culturally-bound: from birth we're taught that some things are good or bad. From this point onwards, we choose...
Secondly, it is because we're free that we're capable of choosing. And in every choice we make, we're also taking ethical decisions. We decide what is convenient for us or not, whether we care about others or just us... we decide how we want to live our lives. The way we live, honouring or not our lives, is what we call Ethics!
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