Month: October 2019

In this week discussion, Meghan and I discussed how it’s possible to not always live/be in the moment 100% of the time. As a society we tend to want to flaunt what we have, where we’ve been, how much we have, and the quality of our lives and possessions. It is so easy to get caught up in that lifestyle but it’s important to take a step back and really look at the bigger picture. If possessions is all that matters to you in life, so many other good things will pass you by without your acknowledgment. If we just live behind a camera or screen in order to convince others we live a perfect life, we aren’t seeing the real picture. Percy talks about how if you take a picture of the Grand Canyon, you get a different result than what you would see if you were standing right in front of it. Applying this to life, when we only focus on a sliver of something, we are not spending that same amount of time an effort to appreciate the whole thing.

Discussion Participants: Amanda, Mia, Laura, Isabella, and Adam

In the group discussion, we talked about the negative impact of social media on the daily lives of people. We discussed how, instead of enjoying the moment people start recording the moment and drift away from the actual experience. We also talked about how social media distorts reality. For example, Instagram shows people living a happy and perfect life but behind the curtain, they could be sad and depressed. Therefore, we concluded that social media takes the happiness out of people and puts pressure on the people to display a perfect life. We also talked about how ironic social media is because the purpose of social media is to socialize but people rather get distracted by social media and don’t actually socialize in real life. At last, we talked about how all of these problems can affect a person’s mood and attitude. I think the use of social media should be minimized and more focused on the fact to socialize and not to judge other people.

Group: Rabi, Jason, Gabbi, Shawn, Jake, Riley, Christian

During the discussion we talked about how people take shortcuts and the benefits of not taking shortcuts. Also, we then all talked about are opinion of the situation. My view on it is that taking shortcuts will only result into not growing at all because you are copying off of someone’s work. The worst part about it is that people will do that and pretend like it is there own stuff which is crazy to me. To add, people also tend to make mistakes because they acted very quickly. When people acted quickly they don’t think about what they are doing until after its over. Since you are quick on your decision you don’t have time to process the pros and cons of the choice your making. Lastly, if you take shortcuts you cannot be original at all. Like I said before if you take a shortcut you are not being creative and can’t think of others ways to reach whatever your suppose to be looking for.

Juliana and I had a lively discussion on how humans learn better when they take an interest in a topic rather than being forced to learn based on what the ‘experts’ tell them to learn. Not to say ‘experts’ don’t help people in the learning process. But if they don’t take a personal interest- then the ‘predetermined experiences’ which are set up by the ‘experts’ will fall flat and lifeless in the learner’s mind and will soon be forgotten. As soon as a student takes an active interest in information and ideas, the learning becomes concrete. We talked about how difficult the Freire article to read and write about. Because we had to work hard to understand it, and the information wasn’t straightforward, we had to engage with his writing in thought-provoking ways. We had to wrestle with ideas and ask questions. In the end, Freire found a permeant place in our minds. Yes, we had to read and write about the article because our professor ‘predetermined’ us to engage with it. But it was up to us to take an interest.

Group members- Bella DiPasquale, Dana Roeder, Michael Lindholn, Sam Livorno

In this discussion, we talked about Percy’s quote of “The Present is surrendered to the past and future,” and what that could possibly mean. It was said this quote could represent how history is known to repeat itself. Trends of the past often resurface years later. There are many big examples of this throughout the world. Even smaller things such as clothes people used to wear returning back through next generations. In a way, many things make a comeback. It was also said that nobody really lives in the moment. When you’re in the present, you really just think about the future. This is especially portrayed in today’s society. Overall the group discussed how it’s impossible to just be in the present with resurfacing problems and trends, and people always thinking about what comes next. We connected all of this to the quote of the present is surrendered to the past and future.

Leader: Robby Followers: Jason, Riley, Shawn, Gabby, Christian, Jake

In this weeks discussion group we talked about the People repeatedly taking shortcuts which in turn does not make it a shortcut any longer, it instead becomes a regular or beaten path. We all agreed that in the short sight, shortcuts benefit you, but in the actual long run they are less helpful. We talked about taking shortcuts through real life examples, such as cheating on a quiz and then wondering why they did poorly on the exam. It is because they were short sided on getting a good grade and not actually learning the material. Shortcuts also take away from creativity and individual thinking and gives people their options instead of allowing them to actually think for themselves. Our discussion group hit all aspects of the stated question by Robby and we all agreed that it is a fair assessment to say that shortcuts do not actually help anyone and are not a positive theory as stated by Percy.

Leader: Sean Redding

Topic: In the reading ,The Loss of The Creature, Percy Walker writes about how media has impacted our interpretation on things such as the Grand Canyon. We will also discuss on how once something gets viewed, it starts to lose value in our eyes.

Location: Sunday 1PM @ Tables outside of library/starbucks

Group: Rabi, Jason, Gabbi, Shawn, Jake, Riley

In the discussion group we talked about what harm could come form taking short cuts. When someone takes a short cut they end up cheating themselves more in the long run. An example we discussed was someone cheating on an assignment, they copy the answers from a friend and get a good grade. However when the test comes around they fail and wonder why. They end up limiting themselves and end up lacking real understanding of what is going on. Through that lack of understanding they would also bring a lack of creativity. By taking shortcuts we limit creativity in the way that they only understand one way to go about things when their are many possibilities. We gain no other ways of doing something that could have been done a more efficient way if we would not take the shortcut. We discussed that by ignoring the possibility of creativity they also end up ignoring other people. There becomes this lack of interaction when everyone just takes shortcuts and doesn’t collaborate, interaction with others allows for life lessons and without that we lose so much from a society.

Bella Dipasquale

John Camperson

Haley Clark

Micheal Lindholn

Sam Livorno

In our discussion groupie talked about the quote “The present surrenders the past and the future.”

One students related this to history repeating itself. An example of history repeating itself is cigarettes to Juuls and other E- cigarettes. In the past there was a huge epidemic and teenagers smoking cigarettes. Today teens use E cigarettes which is just as bad, if not worse for your body.

Another example we related to this quote was fashion. Recently styles and trends from the 90’s have been very prevalent in teenage and young adult wardrobes. My friends and I love these clothing trends and wear them often.

Another way a student interpreted this quote was people tend to dwell on the past and focus on the future. While doing this they forget to prioritize the time they have right now. People tend to think about what they want to be, not what they are currently. If more people focused on what they are in the moment, they would be able to better themselves for the future.

Timothy D, Michal T, Kyle, Michal R

When someone is the first to discover something it is at its most value for someone but as more people see it it starts losing its value. Walker Percy says that it loses its value by how many people see it so if a million people see it it has one millionth of the value. Our Idea is similar that the first couple people who see for instance the grand canyon it is very special but ounce a lot of people start seeing it the value decreases because it becomes known but at a certain point the value stops decreasing with the amount of people who see it kind of like a graph where it starts coming close to zero but never touching. The author said that ounce a million people see it it has one milithon of the value. A similar thing that could happen to us is going to a restaurant that not a lot of people know about and it is like you discovered it unlock going to a popular restaurant. Even if something has been discovered it can still be very valuable like getting to the top of mount everest a lot of people have been to the top but the journey makes it more valuable.

During our discussion we talked about how the present is irrelevant in many peoples lives. We as a society dwell on what could have been and what could be in the future rather than what we have right now. In todays society, people tend to want to be something and think ahead to prepare themselves for what they could be. History repeats itself in the way that everything will come back into style eventually. Cigarette used to be the way kids looked “cool” and now it is electronic cigarettes. Another example we talked about was clothing. Old clothing styles come and go, thrown out when they are not in style and brought back later when they are “back in.” This idea of there being no present is shown through these ideas. Because things from the past are brought into style in the future there really is no present style, just a past style brought back to life. New ideas come and go and are reentered into our lives throughout time, so the present is just the futures past.

Dana Roeder, Bella DiPasquale, Haley Lark, Sam Livorno, David Heffron

Leader: Rabbi

Jake, Riley, Christina, Gabby, Shawn

In this discussion group we talked about how everyone always takes the beaten track or the shortcut to get where they want to be. But the problem is, is that if everyone always takes the shortcut then the shortcut will no longer be short. We also talked about the benefits of not taking the “beaten path” or shortcut. We talked about how taking a shortcut does not always help in the long run. For example, on homework’s in class. If one student is just copying off of another, then when it comes time for the exam that student who copied will not understand what is going on and will then get a bad grade. By taking the easy and short way, people often make mistakes. When also writing a paper if you are copying another’s work, it is taking away from the creativity from yourself and then you receiving a worse grade rather than you just working hard and taking the long way and getting a better grade because you are being lazy.

Leader: Rabi Others: Riley, Gabby, Shawn, Jake, Christian, Jason

In this discussion group we talked about why it is bad to take shortcuts. One reason it is bad is because shortcuts don’t allow creativeness and people tend to make mistakes when they take shortcuts. Also taking shortcuts gives people the ability to not talk or interact with others, which is a big part of learning. Interacting with others allows you to see their mistakes and learn from their mistakes, so taking a shortcut in life will lead you to miss learning from others. One example of how taking a shortcut is bad is if you don’t pay attention during class and you just copy other people’s homework answers, you will not know the material for the test. Also when you write a paper if you take shortcuts just by looking at others work, it is less creative and you will most likely make a mistake or get caught cheating by your professor or teacher.

Rabi, gabby, riley, Shawn, jake, Christian, Jason

The Loss of the Creature, Percy talked about everyone taking the beaten track or shortcut which does not make it short anymore. In our discussion group today, we talked and discussed about the benefits of not taking the shortcut and everyone else’s opinion if people should take the shortcut or not. It’s not short and effective because everyone takes it. People always take short cuts and think their gonna get the best results and be successful. For example, if you use a short cut in a test or a project by using something online because it’s easier and faster, but it’s less creative and ur more likely to get a less advanced score or grade. When people take shortcuts they ignore other people. But when people listen to reach other and others point of view it helps you open more ideas and be more creative as a person. Someone’s opinions was people tend to make more mistakes due to quickness. Change is a creative process which is similar to going to college because that’s what we’re taught since childhood from our families influences.

Group Members: TJ Fitzpatrick, Gabe Jsinski, and Nick Gamba

The main focus of our group is how Walker Percy believes that technology is ruining the thrill of seeing something for the first time. In our discussion we discussed both sides of the argument. One of our main points was the comparison of our generation and our parents generation. For most of our generation we had technology at the palm of our hands, which made it so much easier to see things on our devices which we felt we may never see in real life. For our parents generation, since they didn’t have the easy access to technology, like we do now, they feel that seeing things first hand are much more exhilarating and real than seeing it on a screen. Technology takes away the mystery and the chance for imagination to overtake young ones minds when it comes to something they have never seen before. Kids will no longer “wonder” what something looks like because the second they have that thought, they can access an image almost immediately. On the other side of this argument, there are things in life that we would never actually get to see if technology was not so advanced. For example, Gabe mentioned the photographed picture of a black hole NASA was able to get. This definitely helps with studies and discoveries of space, but I still feel that it takes away our chance to paint our own mental picture of what we think a black hole truly looks like (Besides just a black circle in space). In the end, I still agree with Percy’s viewpoint, nothing compares to seeing something in person for the first time, with your own eyes.

During today’s discussion group I met with Sabrina Lindley, David Macmulle, and Haley Myers discussed Mikayla Medycki’s topic of what changes an experience for someone. There was a misinterpretation of where to meet due to the cold weather, so the 4 of us met separately. Our group discussed different things that can influence someone’s experience. One of those ways is by going with a tour guide. By this people cannot see things for their own. They are told all information by the guide leaving nothing for them to find out for themselves. Another thing that can affect someone’s experience is the time of day that you go. If you go at night you will not get to see the natural colors of the environment as someone who goes during the day. Lastly, we talked about how researching where you are going can affect your experience. By researching where you are going before you actually go, you have a preconceived idea of what you are going to see. Once you have this idea in your head, you will not be able to experience your trip for what it is. You will just continue to compare what you found online to what you are actually experiencing. 

Seamus, julia, maura, liv, amanda, nik

In this group we talked about a question percy asked “is looking like sucking: the more lookers, the less there is to see. Basically what we discussed is that when you are looking on to somebody else’s life and not being your own person, you dont see the world for how its supposed to be. Being your own person opens your own horizon and will show you what the meaning of YOUR life is. If you live your life being a follower you will never see that side of life. We also discussed that when people see something or get something the less value it becomes to them. Its like when you really want something and you finally get it and realize its not that good. We also discussed that everyone sees certain things differently which goes back to the point that its YOUR life.

Group: TJ, Nick, Gabe, Donny

TJ said how he thinks technology supports Walker Percy’s belief that seeing something is less interesting and not as great then the first person to see it. Donny and I agreed with him with saying that seeing things online can be better than visiting or it could lessen the feeling of seeing something for the very first time. I said that technology is helpful for the people that either can not or do not want to visit a place. Since all phones have a camera, it is very easy to see something, take a picture of it, and forget about it. Gabe agreed with us but also said that it can debunk Percy’s belief in that some things we will never be able to visit in person. For example, the first picture of a black hole is something that was amazing to see but if it wasn’t taken, nobody would know what it looked like. We agreed with Gabe on that and TJ added that sometimes a picture does not do a place justice and that actually going there makes the viewing experience a whole lot better.

Tj (Leader), Nick, Donny, Gabe (Myself)

Today’s discussion had revolved around the idea that seeing something via technology ruins the experience for someone rather than enhances it, this goes with the idea of Walker’s concept. Personally technology fills in the gaps that ignorance inevitably holds for us, for instance this year NASA discovered and documented a black hole, something that no one could possibly view without the aid of technological advancements. Still we must look at the domestic capabilities, like vacations or ‘adventures’ cannot be recreated with a screen as these are stuck together with experience. Ultimately we see this as a means of preference despite the complexity of the topic, if we were to ask the generation before ours, it’s likely the answer would lean towards debunking as their generation could not have these resources whereas our generation would most likely go towards the benefits of technology as our entire lives (Or the better part of it) have been enveloped within technology, and what it holds, that being not only our world but the vastness of its external surroundings.

Today Kenzie Neidierer, Sabrina Lindley, David Macmulle, and I met to discuss Mikayla Medycki’s intended discussion of what could change or ruin an experience for someone. There was a misinterpretation of where to meet due to the cold weather, so the 4 of us could not find her; however, we still discussed the same topic. Percy speaks of a metaphor of seeing that demands the reader to differentiate seeing and knowing. We agreed that on a trip to the Grand Canyon, it’s better to not know what you are about to see so that your eyes will interpret the canyon by how your mind processes what it is seeing. If you see post card or pictures online of the canyon before you go it may ruin the experience since the landscape will not be an unfamiliar to the human eye. Researching the canyon before you see the canyon will ruin the experience since it won’t be something unknown to you triggering your curiosity to arise. In a sense, Percy recognizes that you see the Grand Canyon as a symbolic complex – with a deeper value and impact on the experience. David made a good point that Percy emphasized that if you go on tours instructed by a tour guide, you are limited by its rails and paths, and to achieve a better experience you should go off the track to create your own unique experience.