Hello world.
The first class has commenced each day by talking about some of the deepest, most important and intriguing values, beliefs and ideas a group of people can talk about.
We began the course with cultural pluralism: the world is made of many different peoples who are all the same at the core, because they come from the same core. The country that best manifests this diversity is the United States of America. An example of this is the fact that we are a group of people from around the world discussing these ideas together, and we are all in America because we want to spend time in a place where there are many different people.
Then we talked about making generalizations about American beliefs. I allowed the class to generalize either way they wanted, for or against, and everyone had plenty to say on both sides. We're not all as great as we think we are, but we're not all as bad as everyone says.
Afterward, the book, American Ways by Maryane Kearny Datesman, JoAnn Crandall, and Edward N. Kearny, defined the core American values: individual freedom and self-reliance, equality of opportunity and competition, and material wealth and hard work.
Of course, there were a lot of comments about how much people from my country truly embodied those values, which meant I had to do a huge balancing act to allow them to get in their shots without allowing them to take cheap shots that weren't actually true. Obviously many people in this country embody those values, and many more humans from other countries embody those values. After all, every American either came from another country or came from people who came from another country.
We began this week talking about whether the well-being of the individual is more important than the well-being of the group, if there is such a thing as free will, if life is basically a "competitive race for success," if "money and material possessions are the best indicators of high social status," and "if I work hard, I am sure to get what I want in life." Obviously there was much debate.
Today we talked about religion, because the book told us to. We can talk about whatever we want, but these are as good starting points as any for a discussion, so we went with them.
As much as I try to steer the conversation to the students with follow-up questions or simple nods and points to other students to solicit opinions, very often they ask me, "What do YOU think?" because I'm teaching them.
I think that if you don't believe in yourself, then the world will eat you up, because the world is hungry for love and wants people representing it on behalf of its ability to create euphoria. I think that you can only experience true euphoria if you know the joy of making others euphoric.
I accept everyone else has freedom to do what they want, but when it comes to judging souls, I know that everyone is of the world. As for myself, I accept that the world allows me to do what I do, and sometimes gives me clues that the world always knows, always will know and always knew what I will go through. Even so, I still say that I decide to do what I do because I think it's the best way to love true.
I know competition only exists to enhance experience, and is a never-ending process. Life is only a competition with yourself to be the best you can be, even if that means matching your abilities with those of others you see so you can rise to a higher quality. But life is also an opportunity for humans to realize they are playing irreplaceable stories in the cosmic symphony. If you want your soul to feel happy, you must also learn to sometimes just be amongst all this ever-flowing eternity. Who do you think you are competing against now? What are you competing for? Are they bringing out the best in you? If not, then let them go. If so, just know that it won't always be so, and whoever you think you have defeated or not, you still have the rest of your life to go.
I know that money can be traded for material possessions, some of which, amongst everything else, have the power to deepen and lengthen your experience. I also know that too much of anything can cloud your view of what is always beautiful and there for you, and you don't want that to happen to you. There is so much wonder to go through, so to spend your time worrying about what others think of you, what you do, or the things you buy to express something about you would be simply dancing a circle around what is always the inner true.
I know that I don't know what we will get for our work, but I do know that life is working, and life is a reward. I do know that you're very lucky if you enjoy working, because joyous work is its own reward. If you want any rewards, regardless of what they are, you have to work for them. What else would they be worth without the work? Any view from a mountain can be spectacular, but trust me, I've done both, and hiking to the top gives your eyes beauty lenses you don't get when you just drive. I believe it has something to do with your heart pumping more blood, your brain receiving more air, the fact that you clearly care because you're willing to dare to hike up there, risking an easy opportunity to survive in the name of feeling more alive.
I know that words such as religion and science represent approaches to life that are making some people survive and other people thrive. I think that one without the other is like living at the north or south poles during winter or summer. Sunlight and starlight need breathers, and are happy to balance each other every day so they can both enjoy love in full play.
The first class has commenced each day by talking about some of the deepest, most important and intriguing values, beliefs and ideas a group of people can talk about.
We began the course with cultural pluralism: the world is made of many different peoples who are all the same at the core, because they come from the same core. The country that best manifests this diversity is the United States of America. An example of this is the fact that we are a group of people from around the world discussing these ideas together, and we are all in America because we want to spend time in a place where there are many different people.
Then we talked about making generalizations about American beliefs. I allowed the class to generalize either way they wanted, for or against, and everyone had plenty to say on both sides. We're not all as great as we think we are, but we're not all as bad as everyone says.
Afterward, the book, American Ways by Maryane Kearny Datesman, JoAnn Crandall, and Edward N. Kearny, defined the core American values: individual freedom and self-reliance, equality of opportunity and competition, and material wealth and hard work.
Of course, there were a lot of comments about how much people from my country truly embodied those values, which meant I had to do a huge balancing act to allow them to get in their shots without allowing them to take cheap shots that weren't actually true. Obviously many people in this country embody those values, and many more humans from other countries embody those values. After all, every American either came from another country or came from people who came from another country.
We began this week talking about whether the well-being of the individual is more important than the well-being of the group, if there is such a thing as free will, if life is basically a "competitive race for success," if "money and material possessions are the best indicators of high social status," and "if I work hard, I am sure to get what I want in life." Obviously there was much debate.
Today we talked about religion, because the book told us to. We can talk about whatever we want, but these are as good starting points as any for a discussion, so we went with them.
As much as I try to steer the conversation to the students with follow-up questions or simple nods and points to other students to solicit opinions, very often they ask me, "What do YOU think?" because I'm teaching them.
I think that if you don't believe in yourself, then the world will eat you up, because the world is hungry for love and wants people representing it on behalf of its ability to create euphoria. I think that you can only experience true euphoria if you know the joy of making others euphoric.
I accept everyone else has freedom to do what they want, but when it comes to judging souls, I know that everyone is of the world. As for myself, I accept that the world allows me to do what I do, and sometimes gives me clues that the world always knows, always will know and always knew what I will go through. Even so, I still say that I decide to do what I do because I think it's the best way to love true.
I know competition only exists to enhance experience, and is a never-ending process. Life is only a competition with yourself to be the best you can be, even if that means matching your abilities with those of others you see so you can rise to a higher quality. But life is also an opportunity for humans to realize they are playing irreplaceable stories in the cosmic symphony. If you want your soul to feel happy, you must also learn to sometimes just be amongst all this ever-flowing eternity. Who do you think you are competing against now? What are you competing for? Are they bringing out the best in you? If not, then let them go. If so, just know that it won't always be so, and whoever you think you have defeated or not, you still have the rest of your life to go.
I know that money can be traded for material possessions, some of which, amongst everything else, have the power to deepen and lengthen your experience. I also know that too much of anything can cloud your view of what is always beautiful and there for you, and you don't want that to happen to you. There is so much wonder to go through, so to spend your time worrying about what others think of you, what you do, or the things you buy to express something about you would be simply dancing a circle around what is always the inner true.
I know that I don't know what we will get for our work, but I do know that life is working, and life is a reward. I do know that you're very lucky if you enjoy working, because joyous work is its own reward. If you want any rewards, regardless of what they are, you have to work for them. What else would they be worth without the work? Any view from a mountain can be spectacular, but trust me, I've done both, and hiking to the top gives your eyes beauty lenses you don't get when you just drive. I believe it has something to do with your heart pumping more blood, your brain receiving more air, the fact that you clearly care because you're willing to dare to hike up there, risking an easy opportunity to survive in the name of feeling more alive.
I know that words such as religion and science represent approaches to life that are making some people survive and other people thrive. I think that one without the other is like living at the north or south poles during winter or summer. Sunlight and starlight need breathers, and are happy to balance each other every day so they can both enjoy love in full play.
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