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1. Join the blog. You have been invited to join the Ethics Class blog. Follow the instructions you have been emailed to join.
2. Read Deacon deGravelles "Quote du Jour" report and comment with your own thoughts and ideas. For instance, does this quote make sense? Is it right? Is there another way to think about this idea, something that the original author or Deacon deGravelles has not considered. If I agree with these ideas, why. If I don't agree, why. Use personal examples and thoughtful arguments to make your case.
Quote
”Ideals are like the stars: we never reach them but like the
mariners of the sea, we
chart our course by them.” Carl Schurz (1829-1906) U.S.
Senator.
Terms
Ideal
- a person or thing conceived as embodying such a conception or
conforming to such a standard, and taken as a model for imitation: Thomas
Jefferson was his ideal.
- an ultimate object or aim of endeavor, especially one of high
or noble character: He refuses to compromise any of his ideals.
Mariner - One who navigates or helps navigate a ship
Context
- Carl Schurz was an American statesman and reformer, and Union
Army General in the American Civil War.
- He was also an accomplished journalist, newspaper editor and
orator, who in 1869 became the first German-born American elected to the
United States Senate.
- Schurz also said: “My country right or wrong: if right, to
be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right."
What this means to me
- The older I’ve gotten, the more I realize how imperfect I am.
I strive to do things well. Sometimes I do, sometimes I fall short, but I
never reach the perfection I’d like to.
- This quote helps me to understand that we use ideals not as
goals in themselves but to help guide us in the right direction. If and
when we fail, we can continue to strive for them and mark our progress
against them.
- Especially when you wear a clerical collar, people expect
perfection. Accepting my faults (for instance, I can be grumpy or lazy at
times) helps while continuing to strive to improve.
- It also helps me not to be so judgmental of others, to accept
them as they are while helping them to strive to improve.
I think this theory works well for people who have expectations of themselves to reach their ideals. Our society trains us to set goals and then only allows us to feel fulfilled if we achieve these goals. This creates a society of people who are perfectionists. These people must have goals that are achievable. If you categorize ideals as their own separate thing, then they become some free floating concept, unachievable and therefore not expected to be achieve.
ReplyDeleteI believe people who are capable of taking in their own faults and short coming can strive to meet unachievable ideals. Those who need the gratification of achieving their ideals (being "perfect") should make their ideas sub-perfection. If they aim to only kill one person a year, and then they don't kill anyone, they will reach their goal. But, you know stuff happens, and they kill this guy, then the mistake is no longer a real mistake. It is simply in a zone of acceptable amounts of mistakes. These people can forever live in a world where they can be perfect.
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DeleteCassie, Socrates’ teaching to “know yourself” really applies here. Learning who to emulate and what ideals to follow is really a lifetime process, not something you necessarily get with graduation or graduate school or adulthood. As you said in class, it’s a journey, and our ideals will determine where our journey is taking us so we ought to carefully consider what they are. This class will certainly not give us all the answer but it will give us some methods of evaluating what our ideals should be.
DeleteAfter reading this quote it is actually very interesting what the person is saying. People today set the goals so high that they are unattainable and because of us trying to accomplish them we disregard everything else in order to achieve. I know that sometimes I will try to do things that are not realistic and do not worry about anything else because I am more focused on this idea.
ReplyDeleteThis is surreal to realize this. People probably do not realize that this is happening but it actually is. If you think you can see this everywhere.
Chuck, I come from a family of "over-achievers." We are very competitive and family reunions can sometimes feel like a game of "one-upsmanship." I try to keep in proper perspective what's really important; for instance, I left a lucrative field in order to take a substantial cut in pay to become a teacher, but I think what I do here is much more valuable --in the true sense of "value."
Deletethe ideals that we have are the things that influence our personality, ethics, and help form who you are, by forming the decision process that takes place in your mind. we have certain ideals that we want to live by almost like artists or philosophers of a lost past and how they lived their lives, we cannot be them, or walk exactly in their foot steps, but we can learn from what they have left for us and use that to influence who we are as a person. Because every one is unique, no ideal will completely mold to an individual and no individual will sit flush with an ideal so the end result is that the ideal affects the individual and helps them to become the person who they are. The ideals are, like stars.
ReplyDeleteExcellent point, Cody. Who we admire and what we strive for will influence our lives --for better or worse. Once, I asked students to write about their heroes. It was a revealing exercise, because their answers reflected their value system (and their destinations). Deacon deGravelles
DeleteI feel that this quote can easily be applied to any person, no matter their age or life experience. As you mentioned in your post, humans will never be perfect. Though this fact can be discouraging at times, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't constantly try to better ourselves. Schurz promotes this way of thinking; he explains that our ideals may be impossible to reach, the journey of trying to do so has many unexpected benefits. We learn more in our attempts to succeed in our ideals rather than not attempting them at all. Schurz's wise metaphor definitely makes sense to me. For instance, at school, my ideal scenario would be to make all "A+"s all of the time. Though the chance of me achieving this goal is quite slim, having this perfect picture in my mind has pushed me to try better in my classes. This motivation truly impacted me sophomore year. It's true that these ideals can feel unachievable and depressing if we don't take them for what they are. By looking up to these scenarios in our minds, we are able to be lead upon a path with accomplishments we hadn't first intended.
ReplyDeleteMaddie, I really like your example of the "All A's" ideal. And you raise another interesting and important side point: some of greatest learning experiences come from our failures. The trick in both cases is let failure (or not achieving an ideal) motivate you and not drag you down. It's not an easy lesson to learn, but if you can, you'll greatly improve your changes for success and happiness.
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ReplyDeleteTo me, this quote applies best to the sports I play. Sometimes in track or cheer I may get over confident in my abilities. I tend to set my goals in a range that may not even be reachable at that time. But setting these ideals give me the perseverance to guide me towards someday accomplishing the goals that I have set. This quote also leads me to thinking about being thankful. Although I may not be at the ability level that I would like, I should be thankful for the level I am at and continue to set closer goals so that I one day can be at the point where I would like.
ReplyDeleteKayeci,
DeleteIt's interesting to me that the same principles of seeking excellence apply no matter whether it's physical (like cheer and track) or attitude (being grateful). We have to keep ourselves inspired to improve without getting discouraged when we don't get where we want to be all at once.
Deacon deGravelles
Cody Day replies: I believe this quote makes sense. I understand what the quote is saying. The quote can be applied to everyday life. Ideals are good things to look up to and strive to be like them. But, in day to day life we will be subject to different obstacles than our ideal. So, by this we will ultimately end up different because we are on our own course. Such as, I want to be as good as Ray Lewis. I will never be him but i can use him as an example for myself. My journey will be his but I can use his work as a guide.
ReplyDelete