Happy and You. - Deacon deGravelles

In the documentary film, “Happy,” directed, written, and co-produced by Roko Belic, the sources for happiness are sought using scientific studies from the last twenty years and through interviews with men and women who have achieved some aspect of this elusive goal. Science suggests that after biological and environmental factors are accounted for, 40% of a person’s happiness is his or her own responsibility.

Using the class blog site (http://cnd-ethicsteacher2.blogspot.com/), choose ONE of the characters or groups we’ve seen and heard about, and comment:

1) Explain what it is that has helped this person (or this group of people) find happiness. Give good examples.

2) Analyze how their “secret” of happiness corresponds to your own life experience. Use plenty of detail.

3) List some practical things you could do to improve your life using the example of this person (or group of people.

4) Comment with critical thinking skills on the answer of another student. Don’t comment on a student’s blog which already has a comment unless there are no other choices.

• Roy Blanchard and family, Louisiana
• Aging surfer, Brazil
• Divorced mom and her children, Denmark
• East Indian rickshaw driver and his family, Calcutta, India.
• Former beauty queen who suffered terrible facial injuries, Texas
• Japanese businessman, his widow and child, Tokyo
• Okinawa islanders

War, Terrorism, and Counter Terrorism--Michael

While studying war, terrorism, and counter terrorism I've learned a lot more than simple scare tactics and issues that take place within our government. What I've learned is that there are several different ways to approach war, terrorism, and counterterrorism than just simply acting rashly and sending countless lives into a firefight miles away from home.

I'm going to be frank with you. I'm completely against the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. What this has led to is nothing more than innocent lives lost, countless American soldiers lost, and a discombobulated national defense here at home. With our efforts faced on solving those around the world, we forget that our primary mission is "to provide for the common defense." This means here in the United States. Sure, if you want to break it down morally, America is justified in their decision to invade Iraq and other areas overseas--but only when it involves them. Otherwise, we're left with the moral issue that keeps representing itself throughout the chapter--that a country has a right to be able to defend itself first and must do so for the betterment of the infrastructure and global image it projects. Basically, having someone come in and "fight your battles for you" doesn't bode well when you're already under attack. This only means that the warring nations will just pick out the situations where the "body guard country" is no longer protecting. It goes on forever.

Also, there is a huge portion of the chapter that discusses the morality of war and terrorism whatsoever. If we are to advance as a planet, towards an imminent peace, we must realize that countering a jarring attack with an equally jarring attack will evoke the same response. The moral issue suggests that war is a neverending cycle and until all opposing sides are killed off or silenced, it never ends. This makes me think--is war really worth it? Is there anything we can do or is it just an inevitable thing that we can't stop? To me, it seems like the best course of action would be to sit down and discuss differences, but the reality of that ever happening is a big fat zero percent. People are too stuck to their own values and too closed minded to realize that there's a BIG world out there and they're missing out.

World Hunger- Maya

When doing my research about World Hunger, I discovered the viewpoints of various different people on this topic. While reading the article “An Introduction to the Moral Issues,” they discussed both pros and cons on the situation. I was now reading the part where they were against helping other countries. The Liberation Article stated a quote that said, “no one is entitled to take my life from me, but no one is obligated to support my existence.” Then we would now proceed to the Particularity Argument that argued there is something suspicious about a moral theory that requires us to care so much about strangers that we diminish that quality of life for those nearest and dearest to us. This argues that we cannot put others before the people who are here in our own country, but in my opinion why not? There will always be someone willing to lend a helping hand, but most countries do not have that because everyone is doing just as bad there. So why be greedy? It kind of made me reflect on the video Michael presented for his Ethics in a Favorite Song. We today are so caught up in greed, which we forget to help others and the virtues that matter most.

Death Penalty

In Helen Prejean’s essay “Crime Victims on the Anvil of Pain”, she made a very good point that the death penalty is just another killing and that it clearly doesn’t do anything for the criminal and from her experience it doesn’t do anything for the victims families either. Only last year did I decide that I was definitely opposed to the death penalty, but I never really considered how the killing affected the families of the victim’s. I was originally opposed to it because it was another killing and almost an “easy” way out. However, Prejean made me also see that not only is it another killing, but it also doesn’t provide much comfort to the victim’s families. Helen Prejean attended a meeting for families who have lost their child and many of the families witnessed their child’s killer be put to death. What she saw is that even though their child’s murderer is now dead, they still grieve just as much for their child as they did before. The death of the murderer does nothing to bring back or even ease the pain of the loss of a child. 

Abortion:Sarah Day

I learned a lot of arguments supporting pro-life and pro-choice while reading my reading about abortion and the value of a person! The main idea in my reading was "what is the value of a person" and how do you choose between the rights of the mother and the little tiny baby inside! This is a very tough decision, deciding the importance of one person over another "person"and throughout this article many different arguments are made. One of the argument  I found really interested was a counter argument to the Pro-choice argument for the baby inside not being a person yet. The argument ties in the protection of animals. Saying that  even though animals  like dogs and cats aren't people and don't possess the same rights people do it still isn't right o torture them and hurt them and even kill them.They related this to the babies. Saying even if they aren't people it's still wrong to kill them! After reading all of these arguments I think when it comes down to abortion it can go either way. And it is hard to distinguish the value of one person over another. 

Abortion

An interesting fact I learned in my research of abortion is the argument that Jane English presents in "Abortion and the Concept of a Person."  She has a hypothetical situation where a mad scientist has hypnotized innocent people and is making them do whatever he wants. If the scientist then orders one of the hypnotees to kidnap a person who is a highly trained surgeon, and bring him back to the scientist who will block all his knowledge of medicine.  English argues that it would then be OK to kill the innocent hypnotized attacker because it presents harm your future.  She says this is the same thing as aborting a baby who may ruin your future, but I don't think so because a baby can be given up for adoption and does not have to be killed to protect your future.

Anna: Reproductive Technologies and Cloning

From the article "Parenting in the Age of Genetics," I learned that researchers are on track to discovering the gene that could possibly determine homosexuality. The moral issue is that, if manipulable, should parents be allowed to change the gene of their child? One argument is that the parents might want to change the gene so that their child has an "easier" life on earth, free from the controversy and drama found in the homosexual battle for rights. On the other hand, people who are against reproductive technologies argue that we should not be allowed to manipulate the genes of our children because it is unnatural, and could cause problems for the children later in life. I believe that we should not be allowed to manipulate the genes of our children because then, not only could children potentially become very sick from such tampering, most people would probably choose to have children that are "perfect." The problem with this is that parents would put too much pressure on their children to be perfect, and possibly take away the child's freedom.

Reproductive technologies and cloning

I was surprised by the view of this book. I thought this book was going to present both arguments equally but it seems that the entire book is one sided. For stem cell research most of it is against it but doesnt take into account the possible medical advantages of stem cell research. We can cure so many diseases that dont have a cure through stem cell research and cloning. I understand the advantages and disadvantages and moral issues of these problems. Then again I feel the book should present the evidence for and against each issue and let the reader decide on their own instead of trying to persuade the reader.

Polk: Capitol Punishment (Death Penalty)

  When I was reading our first article in the book Contemporary Moral Issues by Lawrence H.  Hinman,  I noticed one argument that I found surprising.  In the introduction, the section labeled The Empirical Findings said something that kind of shocked me.  It said that the death penalty deterred crime and studies have proved it.  Some studies suggest that it saves between 7-8 lives a year. Other studies show that states with the death penalty have less capitol offenses than the ones that do; North and South Dakota are perfect examples.  I was pretty skeptical about this argument.  In my opinion,  the last thing on a murderers mind is ohh I might get the death penalty so I wont do this.  When you murder someone, I believe most criminals are assuming that they will escape and have no consequences.  Who would murder if they knew it for sure meant life in prison or the death penalty?  I am very interested to do more research about what studies uncovered this info. While I am skeptical, I am certainly open to all arguments.

Marisa: Race and Diversity

The topic I'm focusing on is race and diversity. In the essay "Beyond Mestizaje: The Future of Race in America," written by Gregory Velazco y Trianosky, I was surprised by how he said Americans classify ourselves. Velazco argues that there are only white Americans and "nonwhite" Americans, more specifically usually white and black, and if you are American you are automatically classified into one of those two groups. I've never really thought about it, but it really is how I think. At first I disagreed, saying there are whites, blacks, Asians, Africans, Mexicans, etc., but then I realized I was just classifying all those other groups as "nonwhites." Velazco argued that people could change their classification, usually only by assimilating into white culture and leaving behind whatever culture they came from. One of the groups he focused on for this was the Irish immigrant group. They were previously considered "inside out" black people but now are seen as a type of white person.  He also said that people like him, those classified as Nuevo Mestizaje's, are currently considered black, but in future years may turn to be considered white. I think it's interesting how we just classify all Americans and immigrants into one of two groups, but how those opinions can change with some changed strategies. I think we should be more conscious of who we classify and what we classify them as, as our thinking may be about temporary issues, the times evolve, and people change their minds over classifications. This was really interesting to me and hopefully it interests you!
 

Using this class blog, read and respond to three of your classmates’ posts about their ethical topics. Make sure that every student’s posting has one or more responses, so favor writings that have no or few responses. I encourage you to respond to a student who has a different topic than your own. Make sure that your response:

• Is deeply thought and clearly written.
• Is respectful, but which questions any unsubstantiated assumptions and/or incomplete thinking by the student.
• Has examples and/or evidence of your own to substantiate your response.

 Post your responses on our class blog.

Homework assignment due Wednesday, November 7.

By this time, you should have read some introductory articles about your chosen ethical topic. Describe in detail one argument or idea from your readings that particularly surprised or impressed you. It can be an idea that you agree or disagree with, but it should be one that you hadn’t considered before, or that you hadn’t considered fully in your original opinions about this topic. Be sure that your writing:

• Attributes the person (cites the source) whose idea or argument this is.
• Explains clearly the idea or argument
• Uses some of the evidence and examples the original source used to make his or her case for this idea.
• Is sufficiently complex to warrant your attention.

Post your writing on our class blog.

The following is Maya Williams’ Quote du Jour. Please comment using your critical thinking skills.

The Quote

“Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing. Use the pain as fuel, as a reminder of your strength.” -August Wilson

Definitions

Illumination is defined as:

Lighting or light:

Spiritual or intellectual enlightenment.

Context

Every human being at some point has to face themselves. Although most people would just rather ignore their emotions, in hope that they will go away, people will eventually find out that emotions and conflict will never go away. They will always come back unless you take the time to deal with them. No matter what possessions or “solutions” you may try to find, until you stop ignoring them, they will always find a way to come back into your life and play some type of role.

Meaning for Me

To me this quote means:

You have to find peace within yourself, and in order to find peace, you have to seek forgiveness.

When you tend to forgive and stop feeling as if you are the victim, you can overcome the negative thoughts and vibes that you think about and be able to concentrate more on the good in your life

The film, V for Vendetta, is an example of man vs. self

Man against himself

With "man against himself" conflict, the struggle is internal. A character must overcome his own natures or make a choice between two or more paths-good and evil; logic and emotions

Not dealing with his issues within causes him to be angry, which leads to A mysterious masked revolutionary who calls himself “V” works to destroy the totalitarian government, profoundly affecting the people he encounters

Man vs. self then leads to a man vs. society conflict

His goal: V, an anarchist revolutionary dressed in a Guy Fawkes mask, begins an elaborate, violent, and intentionally theatrical campaign to murder his former captors, bring down the government, and convince the people to rule themselves.

The following is Lindsay Redhead’s Quote du Jour. As you comment, please include a personal example to help make your point.

Quote

  “Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. (The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race).”-Calvin Coolidge

Terms

Proverb= short popular saying, usually of unknown and ancient origin that expresses effectively some commonplace truth or useful thought

Derelict=a person abandoned by society, especially a person without a permanent home and means of support; vagrant; bum

Omnipotent= almighty or infinite in power; having very great unlimited authority or power

Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933)

Born in Plymouth Notch, Vermont, July 4, 1872

United States Vice-President in 1920

30^th President of the United States 1923-1929

Attended Amherst college and became a lawyer through apprenticeship

1918 became Governor of Massachusetts

Meaning to Me

Every time I read this quote I am impacted and reminded that hard work and perseverance are how things are accomplished. Not being complacent and expectant of success is more important than natural talent and skill.

The following is Lindsay Redhead’s Quote du Jour. As you respond to this particular quote, use at least one personal example from your own experience.

The Quote

“A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.”  -Harry S. Truman(May 8, 1884 – December 26, 1972)

Meaning to Me

This quote to me means that you have to find the positives of difficult situations, or you risk them dragging you down.

The following Quote du Jour is from Polk Kellam. Please add your comments, using clarity, precision and the other Universal Intellectual Standards.

The Quote

“It’s not about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward….That’s how winning is done.”  Rocky Balboa in the movie, Rocky Balboa, 2006

Terms

—  Motivation: Giving of reason to act.

—  Perseverance: Determined continuation with something.

—  Unyielding:  Never giving up

—  Determination: Firmness of purpose.

Context

—  This quote is from the movie Rocky Balboa (2006)

—  The quote is directed at Rocky’s son when he begins to give up and start pointing fingers. He blames his dad for his own failures and asks his dad to stop fighting so that he can live a normal life.  His son says, “The only thing I have going for me is my last name”.

Meaning for Me

—  I find this quote to be very meaningful in many ethical situations.

—  There are times in everyone's life when giving up or blaming others seems like the best decision. By following this quote, I find that not giving up is always the best option and will be the right choice in the long run.

—  This falls under the short term vs. long term ethical scenarios.

—  A good general example is in school. It is often very hard and it can be easy to blame a teacher for bad grades or give up and say that you will take the F. In the long run working hard and not giving up will produce better grades and be more rewarding.

The following is Andrew Miller's Quote du Jour and his reflections on it. After reading and considering these, add your own comments, reflecting good critical thinking. Don't be afraid to think outside the box, questioning and testing to see if it is right and how it applies to you personally.

“Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.” Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)

Definition

• Integrity means honesty.

About the Author

•       Born September 18^th 1709, Lichfield, Staffordshire, England

•       Samuel Johnson was an English Poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor, and lexicographer( craft of writing and editing dictionaries).

•       Samuel Johnson has been described and “ arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history.”

Meaning for Me

•       To me this quote is very true in the sense that having a strong moral character relies on multiple traits to act with each other. What Samuel Johnson meant by “integrity without knowledge” is that you can be honest, but still make the wrong decisions. Samuel Johnson also states that “knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.” by this Samuel Johnson means that having knowledge without the right intentions can be a weapon when used to do bad things.

The following is Gillon Davis’s Quote du Jour. Please reflect thoughtfully, critically, and respectfully about it and respond with comments.

“Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.” Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

This quote comes from an essay Albert Einstein wrote called “The World as I See It.”

What It Means to Me

•       I chose this quote because I believe in every word of it

•       There are so many people out there that work more than most of us will ever have to but don’t get any credit for it. Our garbage men, the people who grow our food, the people who pave our roads and sidewalks.

•       Not only them though, most people in our community work and the work they do has some impact on our society. It is our duty to do our jobs and do our jobs well because someone somewhere out there is affected by what we do even if you don’t think so.

•       The other day a huge tree fell in my neighbors hard because of a bad storm, this man is 83 years old, he is a veteran of Vietnam and has run a farm up until recently when he got sick. He was to sick to cut the tree up himself and as much as I wanted to sleep in and not go cut up a tree on a Saturday morning in 100 degrees I thought about how this man put his life on the line for my freedom and he has worked extremely hard his entire life and it made me feel bad for even thinking about not wanting to cut up a single tree.

Deacon D’s Questions and Reflections

•       My own quote du jour was about an African concept called “ubuntu,” the idea that we are who we are not by virtue of ourselves alone but through our relationship with others. How is that concept related to Einstein’s quote?

•       Learning about one’s ancestors, their characteristics and accomplishments, can be a fascinating means of learning about your own. What personality traits and values of your grandparents (or an even earlier generations) do you see in yourself?

•       Einstein is widely regarded as one of the greatest minds and scientists of all time, and yet he speaks of his debt to others –both living and dead. Outside of our family, who has left a lasting imprint on your life, helping to make you what you are today..

The following is Marisa Zellmer's Quote du Jour.

“Physical bravery is an animal instinct; moral bravery is a much higher and truer courage.”  Wendell Phillips, Slavery Abolitionist (1811-1884)

About Phillips

•       Born in 1811 in Boston, Massachusetts

•       Graduated from Harvard and Harvard Law School

•       Opened his own law practice

•       Stopped practicing law so he could dedicate himself to abolitionist cause

•       Sought good through Christian morality and justice

•       Believed slavery was morally wrong and wanted to make all states free states

•       Later focused on women’s rights, universal suffrage, temperance, and labor movement

•       Wanted to find a moral solution to all situations

Meaning to Me

•       Everyone is able to be physically brave, but very few people will succeed in being morally brave when put in difficult situations

•       To be strong in body and mind are two different things

•       Sometimes we’re scared to go against the grain because of what others may think of us, but we should really only look at how we think of ourselves and stick to what we believe to be right choices

•       Makes me want to be morally brave, even when faced with a hard decision, so people know my true beliefs (not taking the easy way out)

“Stand up for what you believe in-even if it means standing alone.”

Deacon D’s Questions and Reflections

•       Give specific examples of physical bravery and moral courage? How are they similar as well as different?

•       Can a person be physically brave and not morally brave? Vice versa? Can a person be both? Examples?

•       Does brave mean not feeling fear? Why or why not?

The following is Anna Singletary's Quote du Jour. Please review it thoughtfully and give comments that reflect good critical thinking: clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, logic and fairness.

“Do not do unto others as you would that they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same.” - George Bernard Shaw, 1903

George Bernard Shaw

      July 26, 1856 - November 2, 1950

      From Dublin, Ireland

      He was a playwright (60 plays) and co-founder of London School of Economics

      Also wrote music and literary criticism

Context

      This quote is from Shaw’s play “Man and Superman” in 1903.

      It was also published in 1903 in his collection of satirical epigrams, called “Maxims for Revolutionists.”

      It was a short essay/article of sayings that were untraditional and harshly realistic.

      http://www.bartleby.com/157/6.html

What It Means to Me

      I agree and disagree with this quote because Shaw’s moral applies to some instances, but not all. But I have always found the Golden Rule not to work in some instances, so this quote kind of relates to my beliefs.

      Example: Some people like to be treated with sarcasm, so the Golden Rule says that they should treat everyone with sarcasm. Me personally, I take sarcasm way too seriously.

      I still believe that everyone should treat each other with respect, though.

Deacon D’s Questions and Reflections

•          Shaw’s quote is a good example of critical thinking: questioning assumptions to see if they’re always true, playing “devil’s advocate” to see if/how/why or why not they are really true.

•          Is the main idea of the Golden Rule still true –even if there are exceptions? Why or why not?

•          Try to re-write “the Golden Rule” in a way that takes into account that some people would like to be treated in ways that you might not find right or comfortable.

The following is Emilee Root's Quote du Jour. Please add your comments based on your thoughts and our discussions in class earlier today.

Quote:

“Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.” -John Lennon (October 9, 1940- December 8, 1980)

Context

•       The meaning of this quote is that if you spend your life planning what you are going to do, and never do it your life will be gone with no spontaneity. If you want to do something do it now, don’t put it off.

•       It is in his song “Beautiful Boy” written to his son Sean Lennon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt3IOdDE5iA

What It Means to Me

I’ve always planned and scheduled things out throughout my life, and from this quote I have learned to look out for the things that are unplanned. The little things that could be passed by sometimes could effect your life the most.

Deacon D’s Questions and Reflections

•       We live in a culture where time is divided into smaller and smaller increments and more and more “productivity” is expected out of the same number of hours. Do you spend time to “be” and not to “do”? How? How are the two different? What is the value of the “be” time?”

•       What does success mean?

•       What things matter most in life, and how do you go about getting those things?

Quote du Jour by Duncan Pearce. Presented August 27, 2012

“It’s alright letting yourself go, as long as you can get yourself back.” Sir Michael Philip

 “Mick” Jagger

Biography

•Born July 26, 1942 in Dartford, England

•Helped to start the band “The Rolling Stones” in 1962

•Was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989

•Jagger’s career has spanned over fifty years and he is often seen as a image of counter culture

Meaning To Me

• It’s ok to go out and have a good time as long as your ready to work when the time comes
• There’s not one way to do things, everyone has to find their own groove, but everyone must figure out how to balance their time

   Personal Examples

•       Becoming an upperclassman and getting my license at the same time

•       A lot more freedom was given to me

•       Had to find my balance between work and play

The following is SARAH DAY'S QUOTE DU JOUR assignment. Please think carefully about her work, and then add some thoughtful responses as a Comment. Your Comments will receive up to 3 points.

“See the good all around you, even if you have to squint.”

Author: Unknown, Anonymous From my Quote Book “Live Happy, Inspirational Thoughts on Life, Love, and Laughter” that my Mom gave to me. It sits on my desk, every time all of my friends come over they always look through it, just because it makes you think about how you should live your life!

What it means to me:

This quote can have multiple means:

* To look at life in a positive way, try to see the good in everything and everyone even though it is hard sometimes

* To keep an open mind for things you don’t understand, there is a little bit of good in everything

* Don’t let little things get you down, remain hopeful