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updated: 1/21/14
TODAY'S GOALS: [2A2] ETHICS
[2A2] The second goal of the required leadership/ethics flag courses -- learn to make real-life ethical choices -- is closely related to the core purpose of the University of Texas, to transform lives for the benefit of society. It is also one of the basic education requirements of U.T.: “have experience in thinking about moral and ethical problems.” Our ethics goals are
[2A2e] To return to the traditional college goals of developing character and conscience.
[2A2f] To practice replacing fear and greed with love, compassion, tolerance, and the sympathetic imagination.
TODAY'S TOPICS: Demonstrating the Sympathetic Imagination
TODAY'S ACTIVITIES: fear vs. love, FERPA, Einstein quote,EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING, guided imagery, BEST AND WORST for first half of alphabet: LAURA, CHRISTIAN, ETHAN, MADDIE, AUDRA, SAM, CONOR, P1A and B INSTRUCTIONS, quiz on two of the items from pp. 334-349, and four of the items from 847-885;Blog Discussion etc. led by Jacek:
Jacek "My goal for the class discussion is to get a standard for what empathy and sympathy are, who deserves them, I also plan on being accompanied by an awesome golden retriever Colter and at the end of the questions asking people to put themselves in his shoes and then put themselves in the shoes of a suffering animal of their choice (empathize with) and to remember that all animals feel. Lastly we can all identify what are some personal 'barriers' in us and society that prevent empathy, and what are some personal ways we can spread empathy in the world (write down a daily or weekly goal)
So for the class discussion I will start off by asking
- What is the difference between empathy and sympathy, examples? (Since many students wrote about this contrast I think many will have something to contribute. good warmup)
- What determines if a creature deserves empathy/sympathy or not?
- What is the difference between humans and other animals?Colter will then go in the middle and everyone can empathize with him and other animals
- What are some personal 'barriers' in your life that prevent you from empathy? (After colter because students might have realized a difficulty in showing empathy from the exercise)
- Write down a goal, big or small, daily or yearly to help spread empathy to animals."Jacek's summary
Blog 1 Sympathy and Empathy
- Focused on the contrasts of sympathy and empathy (one being a feeling for, the other a becoming of)Blog 2 Importance of Empathy
- Contrasts of Empathy and Sympathy and Empathy proven again to but more powerfulBlog 3 Art of empathizing
- Empathy is act of connecting, is the opposite of spiritual meanness, empathizing is to understand need and wantsBlog 4 Understanding Empathy
- Empathy and sympathy
- Empathy's usefulnessBlog 5 Einfuhlung
- Understanding (knowledge and experiential) and empathy's relationship.
- Importance of knowing vs ignoranceBlog 6 Hide and Seek
- How animal suffering is put under the rug
- Left and Right brain advertisement to raise animal awareness
- Empathy and PracticalityBlog 7 Selfishness and Empathy
- The inverse relationship of empathy and selfishnessBlog 8 Empathy and Sympathy
- Barrier of self and others need to broken to emphasize
- Empathy is easier for us to give to those closer to usBlog 9 Empathy and Morality
- Animal's deserve same moral treatmentBlog 10 You are more than you
- Realization of others beyond self creates empathyBlog 11 Empathy and Man's Best friend
- Truly putting yourself in the shoe's of others
- Empathy and justice, Empathy and animalsREQUIRED REVIEW: EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
REQUIRED READING:
DEFINITIONS OF EMOTIONS ETC.
- Definition of Passion + Churchill on Emotion……………………………….....334-336 “Compassion”……………………………………………………………………………..........337-338*
- “Empathy”…………………………………………………….………………………………339
- Dalby, “Empathy for All”........................................................340-346
- “Sympathy”……………………………………………………..…………………………........347-348
Sympathetic Imagination……………………………………………………………349
- ETHICS IN ACTION: SHELTER ANIMALS
- Hempel, “At the Gates of the Animal Kingdom”……………………........847-851
- “In the Animal Shelter”………………………………………………………852
- DOGS
- “Calvin’s..Story”…………………………………………………….………….…………..853-854 “Hector”……………………………………………………………..……………………….……855 “Cracked”…………………………………………………………..………………………………856
- ELEGIES
- “Zach”…………………………………………………………………..……………………………857
- “From One Old Dog”………………………………………….……………………..……….858
- “Still..Thawing”…………………………………………………………………………….……859 “Meanwhile”……………………………………………………………………………………..860 “Jake”………………………………………………………………..…………………………..….861
- “A Bouquet”……………………………………………………..…………………………............862
- “Maggie”.......................................................................................................863
- “For Pine Goose”……………………………………………..………………….........…864
- FROM THE DOG’S POINT OF VIEW
- Rick Bass, Intro……………………………………………………………..…………………...865
- Rick Bass’s “The Odyssey,”……………………………………..……………………....866-876
- “Max,” ………………………………………………………………..……………………….…….877
- “Envoy”; “Devotion”…………………………………………….…………………….………878
- “Hunting Accident”………………………………………………..………………………….879
- “Gus Speaks”………………………………………………………….………….………. 879-880 “Coach”……………………………………………………………………….…………………….881 “Samantha”……………………………………………………………….……………..……….882
- “When I Died On My Birthday”……………………………….…………………………883
- “Buster’s Visitation….”…………………………………………..…………………………..884
- “Lola’s Lament”…………………………………………………..…………………..…………885
*A human being is a part of the whole, called by us "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security. Albert
REVIEW, CONNECT, HAMMER INTO UNITY: emotional intelligence, compassion, and the sympathetic imagination
LOOKING AHEAD: Extending your sympathetic imagination to your animal guide (P1) and your shelter animal (P2); 1-23 Animals in Native American Culture Black Elk Speaks “What is Your Power Animal?” TOTEM AND POWER ANIMALS; OUR ANIMAL BONDS; NATIVE AMERICAN ANIMAL BONDS
FEELING STRESSED?
Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, once wrote, "to allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to the violence of our times.
More than that, it is cooperation with violence. The frenzy of the activist neutralizes his work for peace. It destroys her own inner capacity for peace. It destroys the fruitfulness of his own work because it kills the root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful."
One interpretation: The fear of failure and the need to get things done create this downward spiral of the spirit. To break this "circle of violence" we must step back, reflect, meditate. While at rest we may be able to see things anew, which will increase our "fruitfulness at work" and at home.
“Stress Recess” Stressed by papers? Tests? Relationship issues? For these and other stressors, take a few minutes to check out a new interactive website called “Stress Recess” at http://www.cmhc.utexas.edu/stressrecess, a component of the UT Counseling and Mental Health Center. This site is loaded with videos, animation, video games, body scans, quizzes, clickable charts and graphics and practical information tailored to YOU. Learn what causes stress, signs of stress and—most importantly---what you can do to manage stress in healthy ways!
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