Happiness and Meaning
This project was a project to teach us about when and why people are happy, what the difference between false happiness and true happiness is, what part meaning plays in finding happiness, and how to personally find our ultimate happiness. False happiness is something that comes from getting a new iPhone or a fancy house but true happiness is something that comes from inside, something that you get from giving to others. Although it was said in an article that happiness is for the takers and meaning is for the givers, I think that people can use a combination of pleasure and meaning to find their happiness. I learned in this project that to find my ultimate happiness, I must discover the things I must sacrifice in order to achieve this goal, decide what I most value in life and focus my attention on these things.
Pleasure + Meaning = Happiness
George McQuinn
Are we happy? What do we believe is necessary to make us happy? We need cool stuff, social status, pleasure, and money. No, we need family, friends, love, and passion. We need the things that we personally value the absolute most, the things that contain meaning. Ultimately, our goal is to create the perfect combination of meaning and pleasure in our lives. In Brave New World the whole idea of their society is to make everyone happy. To them, they value things like sex, simplicity, and easy access to everything pleasurable and this is what makes them satisfied and content. The things that mean a lot to us like love, freedom, fear, and sadness don't exist in their dystopian world. I think that our society is slowly progressing to be more like the Brave New World society. We are obviously not making test tube babies but we are however starting to value pleasure more than meaning. Most modern parents even value TV and food more than spending time with their own children. Although most of the people of Brave New World think that everything is perfect, a very few individuals realize that everyone is missing out on the emotions of meaning that give us true happiness. To discover true happiness, we must realize everything that makes us falsely and truly happy, find meaning in our lives, and figure out what we should sacrifice in order to achieve our ultimate happiness.
Status, money, and stuff, are these objects really the source of happiness? When we buy something cool, we think that it make us happy but it only makes us happy for a very short amount of time. After having this cool thing for a little while it becomes normal and we just want more stuff. Although we can get super stoked on a pay check or a new outfit, this is just a short lived false happiness that is not true happiness. A clear example of false happiness is a Happy Meal from McDonalds. It is advertised to make you feel happy because it tasted good and is really cheep when actually it is very unhealthy and doesn't give you a sense of satisfaction for very long. The satisfaction will probably only last for the first few bites or so. Things that we think make us happy may actually be ruining us.
So if these things that we think make us happy don't, then what does? In the documentary "Happy", they talk about a very poor asian rickshaw driver, barely making enough money to scrape by, who says that he is happy. He is not happy because he has a big house or fancy clothes. He is happy because he has family and friends that love him. Although his job is hard and tiring, he makes enough to live and that's all that matters. He said "I do not feel like a poor man but as if I am the richest of men. Also in the movie, it was said that joy comes from connections. These connections can be family, friends, or complete strangers. One great example of this was a comment made by Jimmy during our seminar. He said that buying groceries for a homeless person and seeing their reaction can give him a feeling of happiness that lasts for days. What really makes us happy is making other people happy and having close family and friends to love us.
Which is more important, meaning or happiness? Well maybe we can find happiness through meaning and get both. It was stated in the article "There's More to Life Than Being Happy" that "having meaning in life is for the givers and having happiness in life is for the takers". Now this may be true to some extent but isn't it possible to have meaning in life and still be really happy? One example of someone having meaning with not much happiness is parents who have kids. No matter the situation, parents love their children because they are part of their own creation. In the article it was said to have been proven that parents are happier when watching TV or eating than than they are spending time with their kids. This may be true for some families but I know that my parents seem their absolute happiest when they are doing something fun with me and my brother. This is a good example of how some people have been able to find happiness through meaning.
If we want to be truly happy, what should we give up in order to achieve this? In the movie "I am", Tom gave up his mansion in Beverly Hills and went to live in a trailer park community. For Tom he realized that he was no happier living in his multi million dollar house than living in a mobile home and so he moved. This does not mean that you have to give up your entire life in order to be happy but it does show us that if we have the things that really matter like friends and family, it doesn't really matter how awesome our house is. A really interesting example of what people give up for happiness is the story "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas". In this town called Omelas, everyone is truly happy. They have friendship, family, love, passion, and everything else that really matters but in order to have this happiness for all these people, they have to make a sacrifice. This sacrifice is a child in a dungeon with barely any food, no light, and nowhere to go to the bathroom. This child suffers all day and all night all year round. If anyone is nice to this child, allows the child to see light, or does anything to please the child in any way, the happy town will be happy no longer. So what is this story telling us? It is telling us that no one can have happiness unless they or another experience suffering. The story also gives a perspective on what is worth giving up in order to have happiness. For the people of Omelas, it was worth a child's life. For Tom, it was worth giving up his fancy stuff. I think that for any one person to discover true happiness, they must first discover what they must sacrifice in order to achieve this goal.
Why is it so necessary for us to bring about happiness in our lives? Well if you walk around town and ask people what their goal in life is, many of them say "I want to be happy". In the movie "Happy", a random guy was asked what he wanted to achieve in life. The man said that he wanted to be successful and happy. When asked about what was going to make him successful and happy he said "money, lots of money". So is he wrong because money doesn't buy happiness? Lots of people are saying that money isn't happiness but it could be that this man wants lots of money so that he can provide a good life for his children and his wife. In my opinion, false happiness could ultimately turn into true happiness if combined properly with meaning. Nobody can tell you exactly what you need to do to be happy. One needs to discover the happy life by themself because it is not only the goal, but the journey to happiness that will really make a person happy. True happiness will only be reached with the personally perfect combination of pleasure an meaning.
George McQuinn
Are we happy? What do we believe is necessary to make us happy? We need cool stuff, social status, pleasure, and money. No, we need family, friends, love, and passion. We need the things that we personally value the absolute most, the things that contain meaning. Ultimately, our goal is to create the perfect combination of meaning and pleasure in our lives. In Brave New World the whole idea of their society is to make everyone happy. To them, they value things like sex, simplicity, and easy access to everything pleasurable and this is what makes them satisfied and content. The things that mean a lot to us like love, freedom, fear, and sadness don't exist in their dystopian world. I think that our society is slowly progressing to be more like the Brave New World society. We are obviously not making test tube babies but we are however starting to value pleasure more than meaning. Most modern parents even value TV and food more than spending time with their own children. Although most of the people of Brave New World think that everything is perfect, a very few individuals realize that everyone is missing out on the emotions of meaning that give us true happiness. To discover true happiness, we must realize everything that makes us falsely and truly happy, find meaning in our lives, and figure out what we should sacrifice in order to achieve our ultimate happiness.
Status, money, and stuff, are these objects really the source of happiness? When we buy something cool, we think that it make us happy but it only makes us happy for a very short amount of time. After having this cool thing for a little while it becomes normal and we just want more stuff. Although we can get super stoked on a pay check or a new outfit, this is just a short lived false happiness that is not true happiness. A clear example of false happiness is a Happy Meal from McDonalds. It is advertised to make you feel happy because it tasted good and is really cheep when actually it is very unhealthy and doesn't give you a sense of satisfaction for very long. The satisfaction will probably only last for the first few bites or so. Things that we think make us happy may actually be ruining us.
So if these things that we think make us happy don't, then what does? In the documentary "Happy", they talk about a very poor asian rickshaw driver, barely making enough money to scrape by, who says that he is happy. He is not happy because he has a big house or fancy clothes. He is happy because he has family and friends that love him. Although his job is hard and tiring, he makes enough to live and that's all that matters. He said "I do not feel like a poor man but as if I am the richest of men. Also in the movie, it was said that joy comes from connections. These connections can be family, friends, or complete strangers. One great example of this was a comment made by Jimmy during our seminar. He said that buying groceries for a homeless person and seeing their reaction can give him a feeling of happiness that lasts for days. What really makes us happy is making other people happy and having close family and friends to love us.
Which is more important, meaning or happiness? Well maybe we can find happiness through meaning and get both. It was stated in the article "There's More to Life Than Being Happy" that "having meaning in life is for the givers and having happiness in life is for the takers". Now this may be true to some extent but isn't it possible to have meaning in life and still be really happy? One example of someone having meaning with not much happiness is parents who have kids. No matter the situation, parents love their children because they are part of their own creation. In the article it was said to have been proven that parents are happier when watching TV or eating than than they are spending time with their kids. This may be true for some families but I know that my parents seem their absolute happiest when they are doing something fun with me and my brother. This is a good example of how some people have been able to find happiness through meaning.
If we want to be truly happy, what should we give up in order to achieve this? In the movie "I am", Tom gave up his mansion in Beverly Hills and went to live in a trailer park community. For Tom he realized that he was no happier living in his multi million dollar house than living in a mobile home and so he moved. This does not mean that you have to give up your entire life in order to be happy but it does show us that if we have the things that really matter like friends and family, it doesn't really matter how awesome our house is. A really interesting example of what people give up for happiness is the story "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas". In this town called Omelas, everyone is truly happy. They have friendship, family, love, passion, and everything else that really matters but in order to have this happiness for all these people, they have to make a sacrifice. This sacrifice is a child in a dungeon with barely any food, no light, and nowhere to go to the bathroom. This child suffers all day and all night all year round. If anyone is nice to this child, allows the child to see light, or does anything to please the child in any way, the happy town will be happy no longer. So what is this story telling us? It is telling us that no one can have happiness unless they or another experience suffering. The story also gives a perspective on what is worth giving up in order to have happiness. For the people of Omelas, it was worth a child's life. For Tom, it was worth giving up his fancy stuff. I think that for any one person to discover true happiness, they must first discover what they must sacrifice in order to achieve this goal.
Why is it so necessary for us to bring about happiness in our lives? Well if you walk around town and ask people what their goal in life is, many of them say "I want to be happy". In the movie "Happy", a random guy was asked what he wanted to achieve in life. The man said that he wanted to be successful and happy. When asked about what was going to make him successful and happy he said "money, lots of money". So is he wrong because money doesn't buy happiness? Lots of people are saying that money isn't happiness but it could be that this man wants lots of money so that he can provide a good life for his children and his wife. In my opinion, false happiness could ultimately turn into true happiness if combined properly with meaning. Nobody can tell you exactly what you need to do to be happy. One needs to discover the happy life by themself because it is not only the goal, but the journey to happiness that will really make a person happy. True happiness will only be reached with the personally perfect combination of pleasure an meaning.
Happiness and Meaning Project Reflection
If you were to ask me how to find happiness, I would tell you to find your true values and do whatever you have to to make these values more prominent in your life. If you most value your family, then maybe you should make more time in your day or your week to spend with them. If you say that you value love, then maybe you should spend more time with your wife or girlfriend. Another piece of advice I would give for discovering happiness is to focus on the things that you enjoy and not on the things that you hate. Also to look at the good things in the things that you hate. If you hate your job, you should realize that there are thousands of people who would love to have your job and you're lucky to even be employed. To find happiness in life, one must put focus on the good things and enjoy to the full extent what they value in life.
This summer, I am going to try to fully incorporate my new understanding of happiness into my life. During this project, I learned that to be happy I must life my life fully by giving attention to the things that I most value. I am going on a trip to the north west and Canada with my family and some friends. During this trip, I am going to do everything that I value. I will play music, spend time with my brother and parents, do physical activities such as paddle-boarding, skiing, and riding my bike.
Last summer I got an iPhone. I believe this device is draining my life of certain experiences by sucking up a lot of precious minutes every day. I am not addicted to my phone but when I add up all the minutes that I spend pulling it out of my pocket and looking at it for just a few minutes in one day, it is astonishing how long I spend on it each day. This summer, I am going to try to us my phone less and less. I am still going to use it for communication and Instagram but I'm going to eliminate my habit of taking it out just because I am bored for a few seconds. Every time I reach to take it out, I am going to ask myself if it is really necessary.
After doing this project I will have a new outlook on everything I do and every decision I make. After learning about how having stuff doesn't make one any happier, I will always second guess buying something just because I think it's cool. I think that another thing that I took away from this project that will impact my life is taking advantage of every moment of my time. I think that it is still ok to have days where you just relax and do nothing but these days have to be planned for that. If there's a day where I want to get a lot done and I am very unproductive, I won't feel accomplished. This project will have a great affect on my entire future, I think that everyone should learn about this in high school in order to know what happiness truly is. When people don't know what happiness really is, it's like searching in the dark for something that you don't really know what it is.
If you were to ask me how to find happiness, I would tell you to find your true values and do whatever you have to to make these values more prominent in your life. If you most value your family, then maybe you should make more time in your day or your week to spend with them. If you say that you value love, then maybe you should spend more time with your wife or girlfriend. Another piece of advice I would give for discovering happiness is to focus on the things that you enjoy and not on the things that you hate. Also to look at the good things in the things that you hate. If you hate your job, you should realize that there are thousands of people who would love to have your job and you're lucky to even be employed. To find happiness in life, one must put focus on the good things and enjoy to the full extent what they value in life.
This summer, I am going to try to fully incorporate my new understanding of happiness into my life. During this project, I learned that to be happy I must life my life fully by giving attention to the things that I most value. I am going on a trip to the north west and Canada with my family and some friends. During this trip, I am going to do everything that I value. I will play music, spend time with my brother and parents, do physical activities such as paddle-boarding, skiing, and riding my bike.
Last summer I got an iPhone. I believe this device is draining my life of certain experiences by sucking up a lot of precious minutes every day. I am not addicted to my phone but when I add up all the minutes that I spend pulling it out of my pocket and looking at it for just a few minutes in one day, it is astonishing how long I spend on it each day. This summer, I am going to try to us my phone less and less. I am still going to use it for communication and Instagram but I'm going to eliminate my habit of taking it out just because I am bored for a few seconds. Every time I reach to take it out, I am going to ask myself if it is really necessary.
After doing this project I will have a new outlook on everything I do and every decision I make. After learning about how having stuff doesn't make one any happier, I will always second guess buying something just because I think it's cool. I think that another thing that I took away from this project that will impact my life is taking advantage of every moment of my time. I think that it is still ok to have days where you just relax and do nothing but these days have to be planned for that. If there's a day where I want to get a lot done and I am very unproductive, I won't feel accomplished. This project will have a great affect on my entire future, I think that everyone should learn about this in high school in order to know what happiness truly is. When people don't know what happiness really is, it's like searching in the dark for something that you don't really know what it is.
Model United Nations
This project was a project to teach us about the role of the United Nations in todays world changing decisions. Each student in the class is assigned a country except for two people who are assigned the position of the chairs, me and Emily. The job of the students with the countries is to research their country's perspective on the issue and represent that perspective in the conference. The chairs task is pretty much to run everything. We make decisions on which resolutions are chosen for the docket as well as write issue briefings and most importantly, organizing and running the final exhibition conference.
Israel Palestine Conflict Brief
George McQuinn Sara Price Israel/Palestine February 10, 2014 Israeli Palestinian conflict The Israelis and the Palestinians have been fighting for hundreds of years over one thing; the rights to a specific parcel of land. This land is called Israel. During the world wars the Zionist movement started. This movement was begun by the Jews, who had been cruelly prosecuted by the Nazis, moving back to Israel where their the place where their religion was born. The problem with the Jews moving back into Israel is that the Palestinians were already there. In 1917, the British decided to support the Zionists in their retaking of the "homeland". On the timeline of Israel and Palestine by Negar Katirai, I found the following1 quote: "The British government was motivated by both sympathy for the Zionist cause and by British desire to rally Jews to the side of the Allies. The spirit of the time emphasized the “self- determination of small nations,” and the British thought that supporting Zionism was the easiest way of securing lasting British influence in the region east of the Suez Canal." The British ruled over the Jews and Arabs together in Israel from 1918 to 1948. In 1948, with the support of the US, the Jews took most of Israel leaving only the Gaza Strip and another small section of the country for the Palestinians to cram into. The timeline also stated that "The war is known as “al-Nakbah” or “the Catastrophe,” by Palestinians. Some 700,000 Palestinians fled or were driven from what had been British-mandate Palestine. Israel annexed large tracts of land and destroyed some five hundred Palestinian villages." In 1967, the tension between Israel and it's Arabic neighbors finally broke through in a six day war. In a timeline by BBC News, it was stated that in this war "Israel seized Gaza and the Sinai from Egypt in the south and the Golan Heights from Syria in the north. It also pushed Jordanian forces out of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The territorial gains doubled the area of land controlled by Israel". After this war, the UN Security Council created resolution 242 that called for "withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict". Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982. This attack was triggered by the attempted assassination of the Israeli leader London Shlomo Argov. On the BBC timeline, they describe the catastrophe that occurred because of the attack: "From 16 to 18 September, the Phalangists, who were allied to Israel, killed hundreds of Palestinians in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps as they were encircled by Israeli troops in one of the worst atrocities of nearly a century of conflict in the Middle East." The Phalangists were completely ruthless and killed hundreds of refugees that were completely defenseless. This horror happened only because of the Israeli's greed for land. More currently, how are the people living now? In an article on the website "What every American needs to know about Israel/Palestine" I found that "Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip live in an odd and oppressive limbo. They have no nation, no citizenship, and no ultimate power over their own lives. According to international law, an occupying force is responsible for the protection of the civilian population living under its control. Israel, however, ignores this requirement". Israel is simply ignoring these human beings that deserve to be cared for. The article also gave this example: "When a child is arrested, – often by a group of armed soldiers in the middle of the night – parents can do nothing. Knowing that their son is most likely being beaten by soldiers on the way to the station, stripped and humiliated in prison, quite likely physically abused in multiple additional ways, and destined to be held – perhaps in isolation – for days, week, or months (all before a trial has even taken place), parents are without the ability to protect their child. Quite often, in fact, they cannot even visit him." Questions to Consider Is it possible for the Israelis and the Palestinians to live together in peace? Should the country be split between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Why hasn't the UN already figured this out after it having lasted for centuries? Possible solutions The Jews and the Arabs living together in one state. The land being split between the Arabs and the Jews. Reinstate the borders before the 1967 war. Lift blockade unconditionally. Semi-independence for Gaza, under leadership of Jordan. Inspection points (run by Israel or the UN?). UN Involvements 1947 partition plan. 1956–1967 First United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF I) Campaign, Six-Day War. Israel. 1973–1979. Second United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF II) in Israel and Egypt because of the Yom Kippur war. UN resolution 242 was passed to establish principles that were to guide the negotiations for an Arab-Israeli peace settlement. Conclusion Clearly, this is an issue that needs to be resolved. People are being slaughtered ruthlessly by the strong Israeli forces and the Palestinians are simply being robbed of their space to live. The question is, who is the bad guy? The Jews or the Arabs? How do we fix this century old conflict? Should the country be divided? Should it be shared? We obviously don't yet know the solution, or it would have already been solved. Works Cited "A History of Conflict, Israel & Palestine." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2014. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/middle_east/03/v3_ip_timeline/html/1967.stm>. Katirai, Negar. "HISTORY OF THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT." PBS. PBS, Dec. 2001. Web. 05 Feb. 2014. <http://www-tc.pbs.org/pov/pdf/promiese/promises-timeline.pdf>. "A Synopsis of the Current Situation in Israel/Palestine." A Synopsis of the Current Situation. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2014. <http://www.ifamericansknew.org/cur_sit/>. |
North Korea conflict brief.
-George McQuinn Recent history has shown that North Korea is very indecisive with it's foreign policy and with it's decisions about it's nuclear weapons program. In 1991, North Korea and South Korea agreed to ban nuclear weapons. After the ban, Americans discovered evidence that North Korea was using the waste from its main nuclear reactor to produce weapons grade plutonium; a clear violation of it's agreement with South Korea. Two years after the agreement was made, North Korea withdrew from the agreement and began to stockpile plutonium. They tested their first successful launch of missiles which were believed to be capable of carrying chemical weapons or a small nuclear device. The CIA claimed that they might have bombs. 1 year later, 1994, North Korea granted the UN access to nuclear plants for investigation but did not allow inspectors to take radioactive samples. The United States and North Korea then signed a pact and North Korea agreed to freeze and then dismantle their nuclear complex. NK also agreed to replace graphite reactors with safer light-water reactors. In 2002, 8 years after the agreement with the US was signed, NK admitted to their nuclear program and canceled the agreement to freeze nuclear production. 3 years later, North Korea once again agreed to cease production of nuclear weapons in order to return to security and for economic and energy benefits. After only 12 months, they set off their first nuclear test. This test was very unstable and unsafe and although the results of the bomb were inconclusive, the test was enough to impose new economic sanctions. After agreeing to close their main nuclear reactor and then testing another bomb between 2006 and 2012, North Korea stated in January of 2013 that they will continue nuclear testing and rocket launches aimed at the US. In February of last year, they conducted their 3rd nuclear test. Right now, North Korea doesn't have enough plutonium to produce more bombs. It is estimated that they have less than half the number of fuel rods required to create a bomb. Satellite data from December shows that NK may have started producing more fuel rods,for their reactor. Proof that leader Kim Jong-Un is crazy is that he recently had his uncle executed by feeding him alive to a pack of hungry dogs. Questions to consider Are sanctions enough to keep North Korea in line? If the UN intervenes, how will they do it? Will the US try to independently deal with North Korea? Is Korea threatening in order to receive aide? What would it take to pay them off? Possible solutions To reason with North Korea and convince them to dismantle all nuclear arms. All out military attack. To pay off Korea. Give Korea money or aide in exchange for peace. UN involvements Resolution 1718 prohibits North Korea from conducting future nuclear tests or launching a ballistic missile. Resolution 1974 has strengthened suspensions on arms exports and imports. The UN has condemned North Korea's satellite launch. Why should this issue be resolved? I think the reason this issue needs to be resolved is to prevent death. If North Korea were to bomb the US, thousands of people would die and the country would be enraged. While the US is angry, they might bomb Korea and kill more people. After this catastrophe, everything would go downhill from there. If the US and Korea went into nuclear war, millions of innocent people would be killed. This situation of North Korea must be resolved. Bibliography http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/02/05/world/asia/northkorea-timeline.html?_r=0#/#time238_7085 http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/29/world/asia/north-korea-nuclear-timeline---fast-facts/ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/25/world/asia/experts-say-north-korea-may-be-producing-fuel-for-nuclear-reactor.html?_r=0 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/14/sanctions-north-korea-nuclear-program-un-report_n_3276318.html http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/14/17745795-japan-us-agree-north-korea-must-not-have-nuclear-weapons?lite http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/07/world/asia/un-north-korea-sanctions/ http://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/UN-Security-Council-Resolutions-on-North-Korea |
MUN Reflection
1. If another student asked me why the MUN project was important, I would say something like this. The MUN project was important for many reasons. It taught us about current events and the perspectives of other countries. We see our countries perspectives on events every day on the radio and on TV but this project forced us to learn everything about what other countries think about these situations. This project also made us learn parliamentary procedure and the organizational skills of having a world changing meeting. If I were to ever become a politician or some kind of diplomat, I would think back on this early high school experience. The most important part of this project to me was putting a 9th grade class into the positions of adults who are making some of the most important decisions of the modern world.
2. Although I was a chair at the conference, I think that I succeeded in seeing perspective. I listened to everyones speeches and heard their country's views on the issue. After the delegates used their perspectives to write amendments that included other country's approval, Emily and I revised and read their amended resolutions and this forced me to look at the issue from every point of view. 1.
3. The greatest challenge that I faced throughout this project was organization. Being the chair, I had to know exactly what we needed at all times and what we needed to get done each day. A couple of weeks before our exhibition, there was a week where we had to get a ton of things done. Most of these things were small tasks but the hard part about it was making sure that every one was actually completed. For example, making changes to the script. This was a task that was fairly simple but because the script was already finished and only needed refinement, it was hard to put it into our schedule with the more important assignments. I kept putting this off and the day of the exhibition, we ended up finding crucial mistakes that could've been fixed in the first place if we had just organized it into our work time.
4. The most prominent moment for me during the conference was after somebody's speech during the comments. After the person was done with their speech, I asked if there were any comments and a delegate raised their placard. I called on them and they asked "why is your solution any better than these many previous failed solutions?" the speaker replied "I have no idea. This really stood out to me because It made me think that maybe many of the previous solutions to this situation have been very similar and that maybe people need to start thinking way way outside the box.
1. If another student asked me why the MUN project was important, I would say something like this. The MUN project was important for many reasons. It taught us about current events and the perspectives of other countries. We see our countries perspectives on events every day on the radio and on TV but this project forced us to learn everything about what other countries think about these situations. This project also made us learn parliamentary procedure and the organizational skills of having a world changing meeting. If I were to ever become a politician or some kind of diplomat, I would think back on this early high school experience. The most important part of this project to me was putting a 9th grade class into the positions of adults who are making some of the most important decisions of the modern world.
2. Although I was a chair at the conference, I think that I succeeded in seeing perspective. I listened to everyones speeches and heard their country's views on the issue. After the delegates used their perspectives to write amendments that included other country's approval, Emily and I revised and read their amended resolutions and this forced me to look at the issue from every point of view. 1.
3. The greatest challenge that I faced throughout this project was organization. Being the chair, I had to know exactly what we needed at all times and what we needed to get done each day. A couple of weeks before our exhibition, there was a week where we had to get a ton of things done. Most of these things were small tasks but the hard part about it was making sure that every one was actually completed. For example, making changes to the script. This was a task that was fairly simple but because the script was already finished and only needed refinement, it was hard to put it into our schedule with the more important assignments. I kept putting this off and the day of the exhibition, we ended up finding crucial mistakes that could've been fixed in the first place if we had just organized it into our work time.
4. The most prominent moment for me during the conference was after somebody's speech during the comments. After the person was done with their speech, I asked if there were any comments and a delegate raised their placard. I called on them and they asked "why is your solution any better than these many previous failed solutions?" the speaker replied "I have no idea. This really stood out to me because It made me think that maybe many of the previous solutions to this situation have been very similar and that maybe people need to start thinking way way outside the box.
The mask project
Learning to be George
Socialization is how we have been taught to act, dress, and do what we do. Some of the ways we are socialized are by our family, instructors, and the media. These influences teach us how to be who we are especially based on our gender identity. Gender identity is a very significant contributor to the way we act in our everyday lives. I identify myself as a boy. Boys are socialized to think that certain clothes are good or bad, that we should wear our hair a certain way, and that we should act a certain way. I have been socialized by the media, various instructors, and my family to know what is expected of me as a man.
I have been socialized by the media to believe that men must act a certain way and do certain things. Most kids watch hours of TV every day and see thousands of commercials showing how boys and girls behave. For example, girls play with dolls and boys play with superheroes. In magazines, the female models usually have long hair and the male models typically have short hair. Not having TV in my house has somewhat isolated me from some of the expectations that the media portray. Not seeing commercials everyday has made me somewhat oblivious to the media telling me that men should wear this deodorant or use this hair gel. This socialization can be positive and negative. It can teach us how to be like the rest of our gender, and how to fit into American culture. The harmful part about this socialization is that the media might teach us to make assumptions about our gender. In the spoof Photoshop by Adobé, they are showing how the media affects us in a bad way. One of the models says “my skin feels like plastic” in a very cheery and positive tone. This is an example of the media portraying to girls that their skin should always look and feel perfect. This is not reality.
I have been socialized by my teachers and coaches on how to dress and act as a boy. My music teachers have been role models for me throughout the years. I have noticed that although some people think that playing classical music is feminine, most of my music teachers have been men. People’s reactions when I tell them that I play violin are mixed. Some tell me how awesome it is and some just say that violin is for girls. My various ski coaches have contributed greatly to how I have been taught to be a man. If I were to wear a pink ski suit, I would receive mixed reactions from my coaches. Some would congratulate me on my style but others would ask me if I was a girl or tell me that the color of the suit is girlish. This shows the ways in which I have been taught to believe that wearing pink is too feminine for a male. I have been socialized by my instructors to know what clothes are acceptable but also that I can become whatever I want even if it is not the norm.
My family has had the most to do with how I have been, and continue to be socialized as a boy and a man. When I was younger, I put on dresses and played with girls and my parents allowed it. By this, I have been socialized by my mom and dad to believe that it is ok to dress as I want as long as I’m happy. In the video My Princess Boy, the mother says “my initial reaction was to redirect”. She as a mother had been socialized to not allow her boy to dress like a girl. Later in the video, the boy’s older brother tells his mom to “just let him be happy”. This is how other family members contribute to the socialization process. My dad, a sensitive and caring man, has been my male role model for all of my life. He is the provider for the family but he also helps clean the house and he never tells me to stop crying or that I shouldn’t express my emotions. He has been an example to me to know that it is ok to not be the stereotypical man. Once when I was really young, I fell down and began to cry. My grampa said to my mom, “He’s fine, that didn’t hurt.” This is a clear example of how one of my family members expected a boy to behave, boys don’t cry. My mother responded with, “You try falling down and see how it feels!”. I have been home schooled since first grade and therefore I have not been socialized as others have at school. Because my mom was my teacher for eight years, my education has also taught me to have many of the same beliefs as my parents. I have not had the experience of kids telling me how to dress or act every day of the school year. I have not heard that certain people are inferior. Instead, my parents have been teaching me to be accepting of everyone no matter their race, age, or gender identity.
How can we break the harmful cycles of socialization? I think the best ways to break away from the harmful norms is by accepting and speaking up for those who don’t follow the norms. Both girls and boys can do things that they are not expected to do such as activities that they are not expected to do or wearing clothes that they’re not expected to wear. I have been socialized by the media, my family, and my instructors on how to express myself as a man. By my parents I have been taught to be whoever I am no matter what people tell me. Different coaches and instructors have shown me that I can be whoever I want but others have tried to tell me that I can not do certain things like wear pink or purple ski clothes. The media has told me that I must wear certain clothes and do certain things to make me more attractive as a man.
The mirrors on my mask represent the looking-glass self and how I view myself as a man. The words on the left side of the chin show how the media affects how I think of myself and my gender as a whole. The pictures of me skiing, and playing music symbolize the ways I have been socialized by my coaches, instructors, and fellow athletes to act as a man. The photos of my family and friends show my first socialization as a boy and how these people love and accept me for who I choose to be.
Socialization is how we have been taught to act, dress, and do what we do. Some of the ways we are socialized are by our family, instructors, and the media. These influences teach us how to be who we are especially based on our gender identity. Gender identity is a very significant contributor to the way we act in our everyday lives. I identify myself as a boy. Boys are socialized to think that certain clothes are good or bad, that we should wear our hair a certain way, and that we should act a certain way. I have been socialized by the media, various instructors, and my family to know what is expected of me as a man.
I have been socialized by the media to believe that men must act a certain way and do certain things. Most kids watch hours of TV every day and see thousands of commercials showing how boys and girls behave. For example, girls play with dolls and boys play with superheroes. In magazines, the female models usually have long hair and the male models typically have short hair. Not having TV in my house has somewhat isolated me from some of the expectations that the media portray. Not seeing commercials everyday has made me somewhat oblivious to the media telling me that men should wear this deodorant or use this hair gel. This socialization can be positive and negative. It can teach us how to be like the rest of our gender, and how to fit into American culture. The harmful part about this socialization is that the media might teach us to make assumptions about our gender. In the spoof Photoshop by Adobé, they are showing how the media affects us in a bad way. One of the models says “my skin feels like plastic” in a very cheery and positive tone. This is an example of the media portraying to girls that their skin should always look and feel perfect. This is not reality.
I have been socialized by my teachers and coaches on how to dress and act as a boy. My music teachers have been role models for me throughout the years. I have noticed that although some people think that playing classical music is feminine, most of my music teachers have been men. People’s reactions when I tell them that I play violin are mixed. Some tell me how awesome it is and some just say that violin is for girls. My various ski coaches have contributed greatly to how I have been taught to be a man. If I were to wear a pink ski suit, I would receive mixed reactions from my coaches. Some would congratulate me on my style but others would ask me if I was a girl or tell me that the color of the suit is girlish. This shows the ways in which I have been taught to believe that wearing pink is too feminine for a male. I have been socialized by my instructors to know what clothes are acceptable but also that I can become whatever I want even if it is not the norm.
My family has had the most to do with how I have been, and continue to be socialized as a boy and a man. When I was younger, I put on dresses and played with girls and my parents allowed it. By this, I have been socialized by my mom and dad to believe that it is ok to dress as I want as long as I’m happy. In the video My Princess Boy, the mother says “my initial reaction was to redirect”. She as a mother had been socialized to not allow her boy to dress like a girl. Later in the video, the boy’s older brother tells his mom to “just let him be happy”. This is how other family members contribute to the socialization process. My dad, a sensitive and caring man, has been my male role model for all of my life. He is the provider for the family but he also helps clean the house and he never tells me to stop crying or that I shouldn’t express my emotions. He has been an example to me to know that it is ok to not be the stereotypical man. Once when I was really young, I fell down and began to cry. My grampa said to my mom, “He’s fine, that didn’t hurt.” This is a clear example of how one of my family members expected a boy to behave, boys don’t cry. My mother responded with, “You try falling down and see how it feels!”. I have been home schooled since first grade and therefore I have not been socialized as others have at school. Because my mom was my teacher for eight years, my education has also taught me to have many of the same beliefs as my parents. I have not had the experience of kids telling me how to dress or act every day of the school year. I have not heard that certain people are inferior. Instead, my parents have been teaching me to be accepting of everyone no matter their race, age, or gender identity.
How can we break the harmful cycles of socialization? I think the best ways to break away from the harmful norms is by accepting and speaking up for those who don’t follow the norms. Both girls and boys can do things that they are not expected to do such as activities that they are not expected to do or wearing clothes that they’re not expected to wear. I have been socialized by the media, my family, and my instructors on how to express myself as a man. By my parents I have been taught to be whoever I am no matter what people tell me. Different coaches and instructors have shown me that I can be whoever I want but others have tried to tell me that I can not do certain things like wear pink or purple ski clothes. The media has told me that I must wear certain clothes and do certain things to make me more attractive as a man.
The mirrors on my mask represent the looking-glass self and how I view myself as a man. The words on the left side of the chin show how the media affects how I think of myself and my gender as a whole. The pictures of me skiing, and playing music symbolize the ways I have been socialized by my coaches, instructors, and fellow athletes to act as a man. The photos of my family and friends show my first socialization as a boy and how these people love and accept me for who I choose to be.
Socialization project reflection
1) What are you most proud of about your mask?
I am super proud of the variety of my mask. I took time and perseverance to properly complete my mask just the way I wanted it. I put 4 different symbolic representations and made them all look professional. However, there are some things that I would do differently. If I had the time, I would put another layer of paint over every little triangle on the lower half of the face. I would also be more patient with sticking the photos to the mask. The construction of the mask as made me realize the thing that are really significant in my life.
2) Quote the section of your essay that you are most proud of and describe why you are proud of it.
In my essay, I am most proud of my paragraph about how the media affects us. I feel that this paragraph has good evidence, analysis and personal examples. My personal quotes and quotes from our research are clear. I analyze my evidence with my personal opinions and views on my personal socialization. As well as using evidence from class, I used a few personal examples from my personal life.
3) What will you remember from this project? Why?
About this project, I will remember most my change in perspective on why we are who we are. After doing all of the research and watching videos, I have a very different view on our socialization. This taught me to look at stereotypes and norms that we don’t even think about in out everyday lives. My view on everyone I meet from now on will be different than it was before this project.
4) Which habit of heart and mind do you need to work on in your next project to get better at project based learning?
For my next project, I need to work on refinement. I need to be more patient at the beginning of the writing of my essay and create a good outline so that I have more time for refinement towards the end of the project. My mom read my essay and told me that it was a good essay but that it wasn’t at all what the teacher was asking for. That night, I stayed up and rewrote the entire thing. This shows me that next time, I need to take my time with the first draft so that I can refine it as opposed to rewriting the whole thing.
Greek tragedy project
Prologue:
The Story of Juan-Pedro
(Juan-Pedro is sitting at the dinner table with his family and telling one of his childhood friends José why he had to come back to Juárez Mexico)
JuanPedro: I was illegally moved from Mexico to the US as a kid at 6 years old.
After High school, my parents went back to Juárez and I stayed in the US to go to college.
I met and married a very attractive blonde white lady named Brittany and had a wonderful son. We lived happily together in Detroit paying taxes and obeying all laws just as all legal citizens would.
A few months ago, I ran for senator and the government found out that I was an alien. They put me in jail until I was supposed to get deported, along with the other 1.5 million people that were to be deported that year.
José(Juan’s childhood friend): Why would they deport you? I thought you were a good contributor to their country.
Juan-Pedro: You’re right. I built myself up from the bottom, never committing any crimes and paying all of my taxes.
José: How did you end up back in mexico?
JuanPedro: As I was showering in prison, I dropped my bar of soap. A man slipped on the soap and fatally cracked his skull. When the warden found out about this, I was blamed for attempting to murder another prisoner. They immediately deported me without letting say goodbye to my family or even giving me a fair trial.
Scene One
(In Mexico Juan receives a voicemail from his wife)
Brittany(sobbing into the phone): Our fifteen year old son, Jesus, has run away and I can’t find him anywhere, I miss you so much and I want you to come home and make everything better.
Chorus:
(as American people)
Brittany, you must not weep so Your family will be ok
You have to hold yourself together And don’t let go of hope Everything will turn out fine.
Chorus:
(as US government)
Your husband was here illegally
Illegal households create a net fiscal deficit of more than $10 billion a year.
Many of the immigrants are wasting our money and not paying taxes.
We cannot treat him any differently than them because they all made the same mistake of crossing the border.
Scene Two
(After listening to the voicemail)
Juan-Pedro: I have to call my son to find out where he is.
José: Thats fine just be back in time for dessert.
Juan-Pedro(on the phone): Where are you? Your mother has been searching for you everywhere.
Jesus(on the phone): I am crossing the border. I want to come live with you.
(Jesus on the phone) Gregory: Get off my land!!! And when you get home, tell all of your friends to stay in their own God damn Country...(gunshot goes off)
Juan-Pedro: Who was that? Hello. Jesus? Estas bien? Que pasó? (Phone beeps)
Juan-Pedro: (JuanPedro gets down on both knees and starts to cry) No! No! my dear son, why is life so cruel, what did I do to deserve this?
(Juan receives a text message from his friend Dwayne in Detroit).
Dwayne: Brittany has tried to contact both you and your son.
Neither of you answered your phones. Thinking that both of you are dead, she has gone into shock and she may be thinking about killing another or herself.
Juan-Pedro: I have prayed for my family to live happily in the afterlife and I wish to be with them, since I have no one left here that I love anymore. My suffering will only end with my death.
Chorus(as conscience):
Your wife wouldn’t want you to do this to yourself,
everyone makes bad choices,
but you can get through this.
Do you want everyone to remember you as a quitter and someone who gives up when
something bad happens?
Or someone who perseveres through it and at least tries to be happy again?
You have done it before,
When you came to the US, you had nothing but with hard work and perseverance you were able to make a life for yourself,
and be successful.
JuanPedro: My wife is freaking out. She is considering suicide, she has no say in the matter! Besides, if there is an afterlife, I would be with her and my dear son.
Dwayne: I’m sorry. JuanPedro: What?
Dwayne: I just heard the news. The border patrol believes they’ve found your wife’s body in the desert just outside Tijuana. They have reasons to believe that she was bitten by a rattle snake and later died of poison and dehydration. They found a letter of her last words clutched in her hands.
Brittany (writing letter): I am writing this letter in hopes that my beloved husband JuanPedro will one day read this.
Dear juan, I love you so much and I wish that I could have made it to Mexico so that we could start a new life together. I tried to get to Tijuana so that i could get anti venom but I couldn’t make it, im sorry. Please dont give up, hold on and try to be happy for me
Juan-Pedro: Nooooooo!!!!!!!!!
(Juan falls to the floor screaming at the top of his lungs)
I will live out my life in misery, waiting for the day that nature claims my life. I will live in a mud hut and eat leaves and fish.
Chorus (as divine power):
Juan, I’m sorry.
You have been separated from your family And because you were deported,
Your family has died
And you are living alone in misery
These laws are ruining peoples lives
They are separating families
And causing people to hurt and to get hurt Because of these laws children grow up Without parents to teach them
And without siblings to model after
These immigration laws
Have ruined many people’s lives And will continue to do so
If we don’t stop them.
The Story of Juan-Pedro
(Juan-Pedro is sitting at the dinner table with his family and telling one of his childhood friends José why he had to come back to Juárez Mexico)
JuanPedro: I was illegally moved from Mexico to the US as a kid at 6 years old.
After High school, my parents went back to Juárez and I stayed in the US to go to college.
I met and married a very attractive blonde white lady named Brittany and had a wonderful son. We lived happily together in Detroit paying taxes and obeying all laws just as all legal citizens would.
A few months ago, I ran for senator and the government found out that I was an alien. They put me in jail until I was supposed to get deported, along with the other 1.5 million people that were to be deported that year.
José(Juan’s childhood friend): Why would they deport you? I thought you were a good contributor to their country.
Juan-Pedro: You’re right. I built myself up from the bottom, never committing any crimes and paying all of my taxes.
José: How did you end up back in mexico?
JuanPedro: As I was showering in prison, I dropped my bar of soap. A man slipped on the soap and fatally cracked his skull. When the warden found out about this, I was blamed for attempting to murder another prisoner. They immediately deported me without letting say goodbye to my family or even giving me a fair trial.
Scene One
(In Mexico Juan receives a voicemail from his wife)
Brittany(sobbing into the phone): Our fifteen year old son, Jesus, has run away and I can’t find him anywhere, I miss you so much and I want you to come home and make everything better.
Chorus:
(as American people)
Brittany, you must not weep so Your family will be ok
You have to hold yourself together And don’t let go of hope Everything will turn out fine.
Chorus:
(as US government)
Your husband was here illegally
Illegal households create a net fiscal deficit of more than $10 billion a year.
Many of the immigrants are wasting our money and not paying taxes.
We cannot treat him any differently than them because they all made the same mistake of crossing the border.
Scene Two
(After listening to the voicemail)
Juan-Pedro: I have to call my son to find out where he is.
José: Thats fine just be back in time for dessert.
Juan-Pedro(on the phone): Where are you? Your mother has been searching for you everywhere.
Jesus(on the phone): I am crossing the border. I want to come live with you.
(Jesus on the phone) Gregory: Get off my land!!! And when you get home, tell all of your friends to stay in their own God damn Country...(gunshot goes off)
Juan-Pedro: Who was that? Hello. Jesus? Estas bien? Que pasó? (Phone beeps)
Juan-Pedro: (JuanPedro gets down on both knees and starts to cry) No! No! my dear son, why is life so cruel, what did I do to deserve this?
(Juan receives a text message from his friend Dwayne in Detroit).
Dwayne: Brittany has tried to contact both you and your son.
Neither of you answered your phones. Thinking that both of you are dead, she has gone into shock and she may be thinking about killing another or herself.
Juan-Pedro: I have prayed for my family to live happily in the afterlife and I wish to be with them, since I have no one left here that I love anymore. My suffering will only end with my death.
Chorus(as conscience):
Your wife wouldn’t want you to do this to yourself,
everyone makes bad choices,
but you can get through this.
Do you want everyone to remember you as a quitter and someone who gives up when
something bad happens?
Or someone who perseveres through it and at least tries to be happy again?
You have done it before,
When you came to the US, you had nothing but with hard work and perseverance you were able to make a life for yourself,
and be successful.
JuanPedro: My wife is freaking out. She is considering suicide, she has no say in the matter! Besides, if there is an afterlife, I would be with her and my dear son.
Dwayne: I’m sorry. JuanPedro: What?
Dwayne: I just heard the news. The border patrol believes they’ve found your wife’s body in the desert just outside Tijuana. They have reasons to believe that she was bitten by a rattle snake and later died of poison and dehydration. They found a letter of her last words clutched in her hands.
Brittany (writing letter): I am writing this letter in hopes that my beloved husband JuanPedro will one day read this.
Dear juan, I love you so much and I wish that I could have made it to Mexico so that we could start a new life together. I tried to get to Tijuana so that i could get anti venom but I couldn’t make it, im sorry. Please dont give up, hold on and try to be happy for me
Juan-Pedro: Nooooooo!!!!!!!!!
(Juan falls to the floor screaming at the top of his lungs)
I will live out my life in misery, waiting for the day that nature claims my life. I will live in a mud hut and eat leaves and fish.
Chorus (as divine power):
Juan, I’m sorry.
You have been separated from your family And because you were deported,
Your family has died
And you are living alone in misery
These laws are ruining peoples lives
They are separating families
And causing people to hurt and to get hurt Because of these laws children grow up Without parents to teach them
And without siblings to model after
These immigration laws
Have ruined many people’s lives And will continue to do so
If we don’t stop them.
Tragedy Project Reflection
I am most proud of my visual component to my tragedy. We used stop motion animation to create a play from our script. One specific moment that I am most proud of is when Coleman and I worked for 3 hours non stop, not eating lunch, to take pictures and record our voices. This block of working showed our perseverance and commitment to the project.
My best piece of advice for a student doing this project next year is to make sure you get a hard working partner. Having a good partner was especially important for me because our stop motion animation video required absolute concentration and commitment to finish in time.
Throughout the whole project, Coleman was as dedicated to the project as I was and this helped immensely. If I hadn’t had a good partner, there is no way that we could’ve finished in time and also created our best possible work. So my advice is that if you want to make beautiful work, choose a good partner.
I feel that working with a partner was an excellent thing. I really enjoyed collaborating to come up with the best product possible. Working with a partner was also much more fun than working alone. Coleman and I could talk and have fun together while working. The only thing that was difficult about working with a partner is that it was hard to work on the project at home. My opinion is that working in partners is a really good thing for everyone. It requires us to learn how to cooperate with one and other while also learning all the content of the project.
The most challenging part of the project for me was creating the stop motion video. We had to work slowly and precisely while hurrying to finish in time to turn it in. On Monday, Coleman and I worked for 3 hours straight to accurately make our video. Although this was a very challenging task, it helped us learn that we need to work harder in the beginning to leave more time for refinement towards the end.
I am most proud of my visual component to my tragedy. We used stop motion animation to create a play from our script. One specific moment that I am most proud of is when Coleman and I worked for 3 hours non stop, not eating lunch, to take pictures and record our voices. This block of working showed our perseverance and commitment to the project.
My best piece of advice for a student doing this project next year is to make sure you get a hard working partner. Having a good partner was especially important for me because our stop motion animation video required absolute concentration and commitment to finish in time.
Throughout the whole project, Coleman was as dedicated to the project as I was and this helped immensely. If I hadn’t had a good partner, there is no way that we could’ve finished in time and also created our best possible work. So my advice is that if you want to make beautiful work, choose a good partner.
I feel that working with a partner was an excellent thing. I really enjoyed collaborating to come up with the best product possible. Working with a partner was also much more fun than working alone. Coleman and I could talk and have fun together while working. The only thing that was difficult about working with a partner is that it was hard to work on the project at home. My opinion is that working in partners is a really good thing for everyone. It requires us to learn how to cooperate with one and other while also learning all the content of the project.
The most challenging part of the project for me was creating the stop motion video. We had to work slowly and precisely while hurrying to finish in time to turn it in. On Monday, Coleman and I worked for 3 hours straight to accurately make our video. Although this was a very challenging task, it helped us learn that we need to work harder in the beginning to leave more time for refinement towards the end.