P2: Passion

Representing the Silenced Other

I’ve heard it referred to the “f-bomb” before. No, I’m not talking about that word, but many, if not all of us are quite familiar with the term “feminist”. And naturally, we have all derived certain stigmas from a word. For some time, I had consciously withdrawn myself from identifying as a feminist. After all, society’s perception of feminism often conjures up images of brute women, hostile towards men and imposing militant beliefs upon others. Yet, I frequently caught myself adhering to the rehearsed response, “No, I’m not a feminist but I do advocate equal representation of gender roles.” What was I afraid of? As Dass explains, Nevertheless, the thought of identifying with an arguably “radical” social position was surely intimidating. But as Dogen Zenji, Zen Buddhist expresses, we must uncover what we find inherent compassion towards. 

On a personal level, my discovery of the “other” was most signified during my senior year of high school. Participating on the school’s policy debate team undeniably opened the floodgates to discovering new literature and schools of thought. Doing so, I had harbored an explicit concern for gender representations and women’s discourse.  In all spheres of the political, social, cultural, and civil realm, academics have advocated the end of structural violence and patriarchy within society.

As part of an earlier debate assignment, I read through several narratives of Native American women who had been affected by the laws prohibiting prosecution of alleged rapists on tribal grounds. For hours after school, I sat in the debate office engrossed in the literature. Beyond the fact that the stories were for the sake of a debate argument, the words of every woman came alive and truly spoke to me. More than just a new argument strategy against opposing teams, this became a pressing ethical concern of mine. Consequently, this issue has undeniably instigated a passion for ending the patriarchal atrocities committed on a daily basis.

[1]

While women have become rising players in politics, their voices are often silenced or offered little ethos in the policy arena. Despite drawbacks, political feminists have continued shed light on the injustices of hierarchical social discourse. One of the crucial issues policymakers have addressed is the prevalence of American military prostitution overseas. Despite the federal government’s promise to secure human rights on foreign lands, the nation has silently condoned military prostitution and inhumane sexual violence in the military bases of Asia. As an ardent advocate against the exploitation of women, I have grown most passionate about issues pertaining to the social normality of oppression.

A common Western assumption is that where there are soldiers, there are women who exist for them. Since 1945, an estimated 28,500 U.S troops have been stationed near the Korean peninsula acting as a deterrent against North Korean attacks towards allies.[2] Due to the increase in military presence, locals and observers have noticed a regional influx of prostitution rings surrounding camp bases.[3] In some ways, military prostitution, prostitution catering to, and sometimes organized by the armed forces, has been incorporated into the common military life and warfare.[4] Even further, the Vietnam War is notorious for some of the most coercive acts of massive raping of local women. During wartime, this form of sexual torture developed into a war strategy to humiliate the enemy. For decades, policymakers have condemned the acceptance of prostitution in the U.S military. . In fact, many insist that the nation’s Department of Defense enact policies to dismantle sexual oppression, inequality, and corruption in both the American forces and the respective locales they occupy. In the recent years, feminists have blamed the government and military for condoning the exploitation both domestic and foreign. There has been some reduction in prostitution near Korean base camps, however most of this has been mediated by non-governmental organizations. As a result of negative publicity, military authorities have spoken against the atrocities but neither laws nor regulations have been pushed. Despite the zero-tolerance policy the United States assures to In fact, it is quite clear soldiers of the Korean bases continue to abuse local sex-workers.[5]

[6]

            In addition to condoning such structural violence, the U.S military continues to perpetuate the cycle of patriarchy in small Eastern communities. Although efforts are made against labor repression, thousands of Korean prostitutes are placed below political priority because the women themselves are viewed as “dirty” and “tainted” for their associations with foreign soldiers. Many of these women have been exiled from both their families and the larger Korean society for their “shameful” lives. However society never blames the rapists and perpetrators for their actions. Eighty-percent of these women remain in poverty for the rest of their lives, often suffering from contracted diseases and poor health.[7] 

Agreeably, it’s impossible to dismantle every instance of patriarchy, but it’s important to acknowledge our gender discourse. To further pursue my passion towards women’s rights, I have recently decided to minor in Women and Gender Studies to further my awareness on these issues. Hopefully, following this passion will translate into making physical changes in both the norms and practices that violate gender rights. Even the language we embrace has the ability to establish oppressive gender roles. Certain discourse tends to objectify women or establish a hierarchy of gender. Even seemingly trivial language not only reflects sexist realities, but also helps reproduce them. Thusly, we need to change society in radical ways by reforming language and addressing the fundamentals patriarchy. Not only is this an infringement on women’s liberation, but also an issue of human rights. Brooke Ackerly a professor of political science explains, Just as women’s rights has become a passion of mine, Ackerly critiques the status quo’s lack of urgency towards the ongoing suffering women face in the world. . Currently, laws and action have been insufficient in terms of securing women’s human rights. Given the current social norms and gender hierarchy that violate women’s rights, I hope to legally speak out for the current and past injustices.

[8]

Apart from simply reading about gender issues, I have sought to take action by supporting worldwide women’s liberation. One organization I have joined is the World Affairs Council. A non-partisan organization, WAC provides cross-cultural humanitarian assistance throughout the world, specifically to third world countries. One of the yearly projects implemented is to raise money for schools in rural and volatile regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan.[9] These schools primarily target young girls who would not otherwise receive a proper education. Inspired by Greg Mortenson’s novel Three Cups of Tea, the project serves to educate young women who would otherwise not be given academic opportunities.[10] As of 2009, Mortenson, with the help of international support, has established 131 schools providing an education to over 4,400 young girls in K-12 classes.[11] As Mahatma Gandhi wisely said, “we must be the change we wish to see in the world.” Similarly, I have felt most fulfilled taking part in the revolution I have been most passionate about.

 [12]

           

As the mantra of Texas goes, “what starts here changes the world.” The journey we take as budding students will inevitably transform our tomorrow and “have an impact In Covey’s book, he emphasizes the value of a personal mission in order to effectively achieve our goals and ambitions. He says we must “invent” our missions as[13] Similarly enough, I now know that my contribution to this world is to dismantle systematic patriarchy and gender barriers within society. But as Covey further clarifies, simply affirming our passion does not fundamentally address its ethical value. Instead, we must achieve personal leadership by [14] Hopefully, pursing my passion of gender equality through studying law can assure a future where I become a leader in humanitarian justice. As Plan II students, we are all encouraged to broaden our academic horizons while applying our education to a greater realm. We have become students who seek enlightenment and leadership. With that said, it is our moral duty to achieve what we are most passionate about.

Despite my premature hesitations for identifying as a “feminist”, I have come to terms of who I am and where my passion lies. Feminism is a movement that seeks to defeat the forces that contribute to the discrimination and violence towards women. Feminism is a movement that speaks for justice. Whether it be the revolution in social righteousness, or simply engage in discussion about the ethics of gender discrimination, I can confidently assure myself that I possess the compelling force to pursue my passion.

Word Count: 1587

W/o Quotes: 1418

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[1] Native American ceremony, Dave Bender, “Native American Ritual, Oregon,” http://betbender.blogspot.com/2008_03_03_archive.html (date accessed: October).

[2] Zoltan Dujisin, “Prostitution Thrives with U.S. Military Presence,” IPS, http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47556, 7 July 2007.

[3] Dujisin.

[4] Gwyn Kirk, “Making Connections: Building an East Asia: U.S Women’s Network Against Militarism,” The Women and War Reader: New York University, 1990, http://www.gwynkirk.net/pdf/making_connections_paper.pdf.

[5] Kirk.

[6]  Example of military media, Vietnam Media, “Media Coverage of the Vietnam War,” http://vietnammedia.wikispaces.com/ (accessed: October 19, 2010).

[7] Kirk.

[8] The logo for WAC, World Affairs Council, “Dallas Chapter,” http://www.dfwworld.org/Page.aspx?pid=276 (date accessed: October 19, 2010).

[9] World Affairs Council “International Education Programs,” 2010, Mail Online,

http://www.dfwworld.org/Page.aspx?pid=194 (date accessed: October 19, 2010).

[10] World Affairs Council.

[11] World Affairs Council.

[12] Mortenson with a school of children, Jordan Rudess, “Three Cups of Tea,” http://www.jordanrudess.com/forthemoment/ (date accessed: October 19, 2010).

[13] Stephen R. Covey, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Restoring the Character Ethic (New York: Free Press, 2004), 138.

[14] Covey, 138.



Video:
Rape Crisis on Indian Reservations: Vanguard, [Video]. (2010). Retrieved October 26, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqVkL_oogx8. 

Helplessness vs. The Helper

By adopting the Listening Mind, we garner
 a sense of natural compassion for others.

“In effort to express compassion, we end up feeling estranged” (125)

“when we have been used to knowing where we stand at every moment, the experience of resting in awareness without any specific thoughts to hold onto and trusting our intuition, turns our to be a refreshing and exciting adventure” (111).

A reoccurring theme of Ram Dass’s book is the “us vs. them” dichotomy. The problem with this relationship is that, neither the self nor the other ever feels a true connect or, compassion.  Although our intentions may sound warranted, Dass says that “In effort to express compassion, we end up feeling estranged” (125). Thus Dass offers the solution of being aware, in other words: The Listening Mind. And “when we have been used to knowing where we stand at every moment, the experience of resting in awareness without any specific thoughts to hold onto and trusting our intuition, turns our to be a refreshing and exciting adventure” (111).  When we begin to just take a stance of listening, we grow a sense of trust with the other. By growing trust in turn, we also eliminate prejudice and preconceived notions of others.

We often stigmatize the poor as "helpless" or
those inferior to the Self. 

            Another problem with this relationship is the unhealthy self-identity as the “helper”. This often imprisons us because we will always be associate the other as one that needs help. This separateness and division further stigmatizes the “helpless”. This type of relationship has often been critiqued in social efforts against poverty. Many organizations and government policies often stigmatize the poor as “lazy”, “dependent” or “weak”. In attempt to do service for the greater good, this may perpetuate things like sexism or racism. 

            With these associations attached, society has told us that needing help or being dependent is an act of weakness. Society celebrates independence in every possible. Even so much as that our eighteenth birthdays are considered a milestone because we receive legal independence. This is just one instance of our desire to be independence, to have self-autonomy. 

Com[passion]

The impulse to all we can to relieve one another’s pain is the automatic response of our native compassion.  56

Expressing our innate generosity, we experienced our “kin”-ship, our “kind”-ness. It was “Us”. In service, we taste unity.” 6

I was never a fan of reading “self-help” type of books, but I have undoubtedly grown a liking to Ram Dass and the wisdom he has to offer. In the first pages of his novel, Dass explores the causes of our ability to show compassion towards others- even those who we identify as the “other”. As he reflects past personal experiences, I too found myself looking back at the instances where I believed to show the most instinctive compassion.

Compared to those in need, our problems seem so minute.
Traffic is far from a burden  in relation to the
suffering the orphans have endured. 

The most memorable of these instances was not too long ago. This summer, my family visited our family and friends in India. Apart from the busy days of shopping, sightseeing and meeting even the most extended family members, we took one day out of our trip to visit an orphanage school for disabled children a couple hours away from the city. The trip itself was brutal. There was traffic everywhere in sight and the rain pounded on our little car. Finally, we reached the school with feelings of deep relief. As stressed and distraught as we felt, our feelings of agitation were washed away at the sight of 60 girls greeting us with warm smiles. Why was I complaining, I asked myself. Compared to these girls, the burden of a two-hour car drive was absolutely nothing.

A group of some of the students at the school. 

For the rest of the day, my family and I met each and every student of the school, sharing gifts and serving lunches. In my mind this didn’t seem like a service at all. I was simply doing what I thought was right. There was truly an instinctive “impulse to all we can to relieve one another’s pain is the automatic response of our native compassion” (Dass 56).  Though we didn’t know who these students were, or what their background was, my family found a sense of unity with each and every individual. The most endearing moment of the day was when a little girl, Laxmi, looked in my eyes and simply said, “Thank you for everything akka (sister)”. I had no relation to this girl, yet there was a unique bond formed by the kind act of just showing compassion. Just one day with the students gave me a sense of unity and togetherness. By expressing this “innate generosity, we experienced our “kin”-ship, our “kind”-ness. It was “Us”. In service, we taste unity” (Dass 6). This affinity has become something I will never forget. 

Compassion and Ethics

Perhaps it’s the future politician in me, but this week’s assignment reminded me of the various rhetorical strategies employed by leaders, specifically in the government. Beyond just the political realm, politicians and officials must know how to read and connect with the masses. I think we can most clearly identify with this during our presidential elections.  Probably the greatest position one could assume, the American president has to understand that “gifted leadership occurs where heard and head-feeling and thought- met. “ (326).  This was probably most consciously displayed during President Barrack Obama’s campaign in 2008.  A pretty strategic decision in my opinion, Obama constructed a story of being ‘a man of the people’. He focused on the emotions of the Americans while simultaneously addressing his political platform. An intelligent leader builds resonance by “tuning into people’s feelings- their own and others’- and guiding them in the right direction” (227). To address his advocacy of public health care, Obama painted a story of American struggle and addressed the issue as a question of ethical human rights. As voters, we become sympathetic to the, as Obama quotes, “the millions of Americans denied the basic right of health care”.

Obama emotionally connects with his audience by channeling
feelings of camaraderie with the Texas Longhorns.

            In more instances than one, a successful leader will always emotionally target his audience.  In order to win the hearts and minds of the people, one must possess “social awareness—particularly empathy—[which] supports the next step in the leaders primal task: driving resonance” (30). Another emotive strategy political bodies will employ is the use of Compassion. Self-aware leaders will always build an emotional relationship with others in order to gain support. However, there are also circumstances when this empathy can be mistreated. To justify policies, often we embrace the compassion fatigue, the “apathy or indifference towards the suffering of others or to charitable causes” (347).  A good political example of this would be the conflicts surrounding the Middle East.  Prior to the events, leaders of America justified counterinsurgency and spending of taxpayer’s dollars by channeling compassion from citizens. Supposedly, the War was an opportunity for the United States to free a nation of tyranny and spread democracy to a falling nation. The media portrayed countries such as Iraq to be in a state of desperation and fear for their then leader, Saddam Hussein. In order to earn acceptance and support, the government evokes suffering to appeal to the public. We then begin to diminish responses to and grow numb to the “frequent charitable appeals” (347).  From then on, it was more justifiable for the government to continue its actions overseas.

Government policies are often felt justified by emotionally
persuading the public through compassion fatigue.

            Certainly, instances of compassion and empathy are found in more ways than one. If it’s one thing we’ve learned through empirical history, it is that a leader must always possess a sense of affinity towards others and his ultimate goal. This is a pretty strong lesson we can learn from our leaders. As we all try to “take initiative and reach our to less self-consciously to those in need” we must remember to embrace self-less acts of compassion (Dass 47).

P2

Reading through Ram Dass’ How Can I Help, one of the most profound excerpts I came across was his distinction between the self and the other. Dass explains, “All of us seem to be born into the experience of separateness…we come to distinguish between “self” and “other”. [1] For most of us, it’s quite easy to become aware of the “self”. We are the self: the daughters, the students, and the children. Naturally, we are always fulfilling roles for ourselves based off of models and identities. Dass then continues to explain that we create a disparity between us and “them”. But who exactly, is the other?  In the context of Dass, the Other is the that which we find the most compassion towards. Through this compassion, we explore unity between the self and the other. Dogen Zenji further supports this union, “To be enlightened by all things is to remove the barrier between Self and Other”.[2] Similar to Zen Buddhist Dogen Zenji, I believe one can discover their unique passion by first uncovering the values of the Self, while consequently, revealing what or who we find inherent compassion towards- in other words, the Other. On a personal level, I would have to say my discovery of the “Other” was during my senior year of high school. More than just an extra-curricular activity, high school debate allowed me to open the gateway to new literature and understandings. Doing so, the topic that I have become truly passionate about pertains to women’s rights and gender equality. In all spheres of the political, social, economic, cultural and civil realm, academics of all contexts expressed their advocacy for ending the structural violence and patriarchy within society.  

For one of my earlier debate assignments, it was my job to read through narratives of American Indian women who had been affected by laws prohibiting victims to legally persecute their rapist on tribal grounds. For hours, I sat in the debate office engrossed in the in the literature. Although each story was the same, every individual spoke out to me. More than just a new argument to read against an opposing team, the words of these women came alive and truly spoke to me. Since then, I have harbored an explicit concern for the social representation of women in our community.

Three Cups of Tea: a project making global
change.

But apart from simply reading about gender issues, I have chosen to take physical action by speaking in support of women’s liberation. An organization I have become a part of is the World Affairs Council. A non-partisan organization, WAC serves to provide cross-cultural humanitarian assistance throughout the world, specifically in third-world countries. One of the major projects of the year raised money to build schools for young girls in rural and volatile regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Inspired by Gred Mortenson’s novel, Three Cups of Tea, the project was implemented to educate young women who would otherwise not be given academic opportunities. For most of these women, there are very little options in terms of their future. But as of 2009, Mortenson, with the help of international activism, has established 131 schools providing education to over 44,00 young girls in K-12 classes. As Mahatma Gandhi wisely said, “we must be the change we wish to see in the world”. Similarly, I have felt most fulfilled for actively taking part in the changes that I was so passionate about.

Even though there are efforts are being made towards gender equality across the world, women still continue to suffer from the normalization of gender bias and patriarchy. Another issue that left a pressing impact on me was the increase of American military prostitution in third world countries. Throughout our education, classes like American History have always constructed the United States has a nation that holds the wellbeing of other nations to a great priority. In fact, most of our international policies have been enacted for the sake of “preserving democracy”. However throughout the recent year, the US military has silently permitted the military prostitution and inhumane sexual violence of women located within Asian military bases. As an ardent advocate against the exploitation of women, I grew most passionate about issues pertaining to the social normality of women’s oppression.

            A common assumption of the West, many believe where there are soldiers, there are women who exist for them. Since 1945, an estimated 28,500 U.S troops have been stationed near the Korean peninsula in attempt to act as a deterrent against North Korean’s attacks towards the Americans allies. As a result, many locals and observers have noticed a regional increase in prostitution surrounding military stations. A few kilometers from bases one can find small alleys where notorious sex-workers or “camp followers” establish prostitution centers. In some ways, military prostitution, prostitution catering to, and sometimes organized by the military, has been incorporated into the common military life and warfare. During the Vietnam war, prostitution became a wartime sexual exploitation of Vietnamese women. Prisoners and the South Vietnamese forces were coerced into watching massive raping of local women. During wartime, this form of torture developed into a sexual violence-rape war strategy in attempt to humiliate the enemy.  For decades, delegates for women’s rights have condemned the acceptance of prostitution in the U.S military. In fact, many have insisted the nation’s Department of Defense enact policies dismantling the sexual oppression, inequality and corruption in both the U.S military and the respective locals occupied by American forces. In the recent years, feminists have heavily blamed the patriarchal tendencies of communities as result of the U.S military condoning the exploitation and violence of women of these regions. There has been some reduction in prostitution of Korean women, which has been more to do with the work of non-governmental organization, but there has not been much contact with U.S authorities pertaining to this issue. As a result of negative publicity, military official spoke against military prostitution but concrete laws or regulations have yet to be placed. Despite the U.S zero tolerance policy on prostitution, it is quite clear soldiers of the Korean bases continue to abuse local sex-workers. A recent human rights article says, “Though the policy has been implemented to deter sex trafficking and prostitution around the military base abroad, the news reports consistently say that they are still very much in existence”.[3]

            In addition to condoning the ongoing structural violence, the U.S military continues to perpetuate the cycle of patriarchy in small rural communities. Although activists have attempted to fight against military dictatorship and labor repression, thousands of Korean prostitutes are placed below political priority because the women themselves are viewed as “dirty” and “tainted” because of their associations with foreign soldiers. Many Korean military prostitutes have been exiled both the larger Korean society and their family upon learning about their “shameful” lives. 80% of these women remain in poverty and destitute for the rest of their lives, often suffering from contracted diseases.

Mary Wollstonecraft:
renowned as the mother
of feminism

            Agreebaly, it’s impossible to dismantle every instance of patriarchy, but it’s important to acknowledge and become aware of our gender discourse. To further pursue my passion in women’s human rights, I have recently decided to minor in Women and Gender Studies. Hopefully, following this passion will translate to making physical changes in the policies, practices and norms that violate gender rights. Brooke Ackerly, a professor of political science says in her writing, “Despite sex’s being an illegitimate basis of discrimination in all human rights documents, women’s human rights violations were persistently unseen or ignored by mainstream policy”.[4]  Just as women’s rights has become a passion of mine; Ackerly fervently critiques the status quo for the current policymaking that neglects the ongoing suffering of women in the world. Currently, laws and action have been insufficient in terms of securing women’s human rights. Given the current social norms and gender hierarchy that violate women’s rights, I hope to speak out for the current and past injustices. As the infamous mantra of Texas goes, what starts here changes the world. The exploration and journey we take as budding students will inevitably transform our tomorrow and “have an impact on the university and beyond” [5]. In Covey’s book, he emphasizes the value of a personal mission statement in order to effectively achieve goals and ambitions. He says we must invent our missions as, “each of us has an internal monitor or sense, a conscience, that gives us an awareness of our own uniqueness and the singular contributions that we make” [6]. Now that I read this, I know my “contribution” is to dismantle instances of patriarchy and gender barriers within society. But as Covey also explains, simply affirming our what our passion is doesn’t fundamentally address its ethical value. Instead, we must achieve personal leadership by, “keeping your vision and values before you and aligning your life to be congruent with those most important things”[7]. Hopefully pursuing my passion of women’s rights and the study of law will assure a future where I can become the leader for humanitarian justice.

            As Plan II students, we are all encouraged broaden our academic horizons and apply our college education into the greater realm. We have become students who seek enlightenment through what we are most passionate about, and that “humane something along guarantees any qualifications for important leadership”[8]. With that said, it is our moral duty to fulfill and achieve what we are most passionate about. Whether it be a revolution in global social justice, or simply to change the minds of a few friends on the ethics of gender discrimination, I can confidently assure myself that I possess the necessary driving force to accomplish any ambition.

 Word count: 1601

 Word count w/o quotes: 1445

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[1] Ram Dass & Paul Gorman, “How Can I help?” Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.(1985): 14

[2] Dass, 34

[3] Brooke A. Ackerly, Associatie Professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University, 2008, “Universal Human Rights in A World of Difference,” p. 133-34

[4] Ackerly 134

[5] Anthology, 314

[6] Stephen R. Covey, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Restoring the Character Ethic (New York: Free Press, 2004), 138.

[7] Covey 138.

[8]  Anthology 315. 

Leadership, Success and Commitment

“Success became more of a function of personality, of public lubricate the processes of human interaction. This personality ethic essentially took two paths: one was human and public relations techniques, and the other was positive mental attitude" (18).

“Personal leadership is not a singular experience. It is rather, the ongoing process of keeping your vision and values before you and aligning your life to be congruent with those most important things” (132).

“Keeping a commitment or a promise is a major deposit; breaking one is a major withdrawal” (192).

Really seeking to understand another person is probably one of the most important deposits you can make, and it is the key to every other deposit” (190).

Columbia: the definition of success?

            The word success is always been a subjective concept. For my parents, success was an Ivy League law school and the respect of those around you. In high school, success was excelling in policy debate and acing one of Mr. Kemp’s AP Statistics tests. But now I’ve come to realize, all of these interpretations only address the surface of what success can really mean. Covey says, “Success became more a function of personality, of public lubricate the processes of human interaction. This ethic essentially took two paths: one was human and public relations techniques, and the other was positive mental attitude’ (18).  We often dismiss success for being a cause of personality and who we are. A reoccurring theme in our class, ‘who we are’ is a question all of us have been asking and discovering throughout college. Covey discusses how this question is rooted in what we determine what is successful or not.

Agreeably a leader to the Western hip-hop
 subculture, Tupac embraced his fundamental values and
virtues through music. Consequently
fans and listeners followed.

            In terms of finding success, leadership is another quality many yearn to attain. With excellent leadership usually follows success and respect from others. During my college application process, a common essay topic was, “Give an example of an instance where you became a leader.” Just one instance?, I thought. It seemed to me, the ideas of true “leadership is not a singular experience. It is rather, the ongoing process of keeping your vision and values before you aligning your life to be congruent with those most important things” (132).   As most would agree, leadership and success are both formative of each other. Covey explains leadership is an innate quality that one displays through defending personal values and implementing them in various situations of life. To do so, one must keep in mind how their values relate to those around them as well. By relating to the values of other, we are conditioned to also adopt other's principles into our own. Covey calls this a social paradigm in which we "have acknowledged the tremendous power of conditioning in our lives, to say that we are determined by it" (67). Meaning, even unconsciously, we have no control over how others influence or shape our values and beliefs. In my opinion, a leader should be able to self-aware of other principles and then evolve them into personal projections. Some confuse leadership to be imposing or asserting personal views on others. Covey explains rather, by upholding fundamental values “congruent with deeper values in daily life”, others will consequentially follow or emulate (132). Another key factor in becoming an leader, is to really understand people. By “really seeking to understand another person is probably one of the most important deposits you can make, and it is the key to every other deposit” (190). For most, this is the bright line between compassion and apathy. A true leader takes consideration of the values of others while also keeping in mind their own virtues. 

The Idea of University

“This journey of education is lifelong it began in your family and your place of worship and in your earlier schools and in the spaces of your soul that are yours alone..” (293).

“education is a higher world it implies and action permanent, and is commonly spoken of in connexion with religion and virtue” (289).

“it allows students to practice roles unfamiliar to them and fully immerse themselves in experiences that generate authentic knowledge” (44)

Prior to actually entering college, I underestimated exactly how much of an impact this transition would be. And not just in terms of the physical move from high school to college, but also the depth of knowledge that is covered in contrast to our previous education. High school consisted of AP analytical summaries and memorizing functions of the human cell, almost shallow in comparison to the new level of education embraced at UT.  Because of this, I never garnered a natural fervor for learning. School was just an obligation, rather than an opportunity to seek intellectual enlightenment. In A. Bartlett Giametti’s speech he says, “This journey of education is lifelong it began in your family and your place of worship and in your earlier schools and in the spaces of your soul that are yours alone” (293). But what we should also recognize that this innate “education” is in fact always transforming and changing. As a child, a majority of our learning is through observation. We take after our parents. Follow our siblings. And model the characters of our favorite storybooks and movies.

           

            The next stage of education, middle school and high school, consisted of how well we retained information. The “smartest” student was one who could effectively recollect and memorize facts and data. Once again, I never truly appreciated this approach to an education, because frankly, it was uninterested and rather dry. Finally coming to college, I feel that Plan II has uncovered a new interpretation of what an “education” really is.  Now, “education is a higher world it implies and action permanent, and is commonly spoken of in connexion with religion and virtue” (289). Rather than being coerced to take required classes, I am free to learn what I willingly choose to. From Philosophy to Microeconomics, for once in my institutional education, I am able to acquire the “liberal knowledge” (288).

            As far as stages of education go, this is what would be the Experiential learning. It’s considered most meaningful because “it allows students to practice roles unfamiliar to them and fully immerse themselves in experiences that generate authentic knowledge” (44).  So as I have entered this new institution of education, I have my harbored fascination with knowledge will meet its needs.