Happiness, Meaning, & Personal Ethics
Project Reflection:
For this project we focused on finding our own happiness and meaning philosophy. With my personal project I took the direction of Pausing in the Pursuit of happiness focused around a quote by Guillaume Apollinaire: “Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy”. I was answering the question of what happiness means to me. In Freshman year we did a similar project to this, both of these projects actually happened during a rough time in my life while led to some deep thought on the subject. During Freshman years project I also focused around the same quote and realized that it still resonates with me today, however in a deeper way. Personally I constantly find myself thinking that something will happen soon and I will be happy, not recognizing when I am in the present. I used this project as a way to focus myself on what truly matters to me and feel I have come through the process with a new insight on life.
Towards the beginning of this project when we were studying existentialism I saw a lot of these tendencies in myself. I realized that I wasn’t sure what I thought my point in life was, we go through school, work, retire, and die. I wasn’t sure what the point is and for a while through this project that freaked me out immensely. I did not want my life to be pointless, but how could it not be? I believe that this is where my ideology for this project began, I realized that I needed to focus on the now because the future will never be certain and if there truly is no point then it is important to live life while it lasts. A quote that really resonated with me in the beginning of our project, “Faith is not about finding meaning in the world, there may be no such thing-- faith is the belief in our capacity to create meaningful lives.” by, Terry Tempest Williams, Leap. I believe that Terry Tempest Williams had it right, we have to find our own meaning, create it within our own lives. I believe that through this project and my own crisis about the meaning of life I have come through with a better understanding of myself and the world around me. Going through our lives, being stressed, feeling loss, it's all just for ourselves. Our lives consist of so much that seems to matter, and it does. To ourselves. Only to us because nothing else really cares. It does matter. There is a reason for life, simply living.
In conclusion to this project i am left with a few questions:
How can I keep this ideology as a firm part of myself and not losing this over time?
How can religion influence this way of thinking?
Could religion be existentialist?
Is it important to also make plans of happiness in the future, as well as living in the now?
Could thinking there isn’t a point in life of some aspect help people move forward?
Towards the beginning of this project when we were studying existentialism I saw a lot of these tendencies in myself. I realized that I wasn’t sure what I thought my point in life was, we go through school, work, retire, and die. I wasn’t sure what the point is and for a while through this project that freaked me out immensely. I did not want my life to be pointless, but how could it not be? I believe that this is where my ideology for this project began, I realized that I needed to focus on the now because the future will never be certain and if there truly is no point then it is important to live life while it lasts. A quote that really resonated with me in the beginning of our project, “Faith is not about finding meaning in the world, there may be no such thing-- faith is the belief in our capacity to create meaningful lives.” by, Terry Tempest Williams, Leap. I believe that Terry Tempest Williams had it right, we have to find our own meaning, create it within our own lives. I believe that through this project and my own crisis about the meaning of life I have come through with a better understanding of myself and the world around me. Going through our lives, being stressed, feeling loss, it's all just for ourselves. Our lives consist of so much that seems to matter, and it does. To ourselves. Only to us because nothing else really cares. It does matter. There is a reason for life, simply living.
In conclusion to this project i am left with a few questions:
How can I keep this ideology as a firm part of myself and not losing this over time?
How can religion influence this way of thinking?
Could religion be existentialist?
Is it important to also make plans of happiness in the future, as well as living in the now?
Could thinking there isn’t a point in life of some aspect help people move forward?
Project Visual and Artist Statement:
Pausing in the Pursuit of Happiness
There is a common idea that happiness is an obtainable, objective goal. There is constant talk of the pursuit of happiness. Reflecting on my own life I see that I have always thought of this as a goal, that when achieved, I will be happy. But why is that? Why is it that when we think about our lives we always push happiness out into the future. That seems to defeat the goal doesn’t it? When we constantly think about happiness as something that will happen as opposed to something that is happening we keep ourselves from truly understanding what it means. Every day, we need to slow down and appreciate what is all around us. Don’t say you will be happy later. Find happiness in now.
My art piece represents that beauty is in the now. We need to take moments and pause to appreciate what is all around us. Our lives are so busy we need to learn to love what we have. The sunset over the ocean is calming to me, tranquil, slow, and in the moment. A single sunset can only be viewed once. Another cannot be created the same. To experience a sunset, just like a single moment, we must be there. In that way we can truly begin to find a different kind of happiness, the truest kind, where the future doesn't hold a constant promise for every one of us.
“Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy”
-Guillaume Apollinaire
There is a common idea that happiness is an obtainable, objective goal. There is constant talk of the pursuit of happiness. Reflecting on my own life I see that I have always thought of this as a goal, that when achieved, I will be happy. But why is that? Why is it that when we think about our lives we always push happiness out into the future. That seems to defeat the goal doesn’t it? When we constantly think about happiness as something that will happen as opposed to something that is happening we keep ourselves from truly understanding what it means. Every day, we need to slow down and appreciate what is all around us. Don’t say you will be happy later. Find happiness in now.
My art piece represents that beauty is in the now. We need to take moments and pause to appreciate what is all around us. Our lives are so busy we need to learn to love what we have. The sunset over the ocean is calming to me, tranquil, slow, and in the moment. A single sunset can only be viewed once. Another cannot be created the same. To experience a sunset, just like a single moment, we must be there. In that way we can truly begin to find a different kind of happiness, the truest kind, where the future doesn't hold a constant promise for every one of us.
“Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy”
-Guillaume Apollinaire
Rhetoric & Ideology Project:
Project Reflection:
For this project we were focusing on rhetoric and how it can shape people's view point, persuading the public into a frame of thought. Our assignment was to choose a topic that we felt strongly about, write an Op-Ed, and perform a speech for exhibition using some form of rhetorical discourse. The definition of rhetoric is: “The art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.”. By using this art of effective speaking many public figures, including politicians, are able to sway their audience one way or another depending on the topic. For my rhetoric project I chose to focus on the growing extinction rate in the animal population caused by human evolution. My project was first inspired by a documentary called Racing Extinction. Upon watching this documentary I realized how much I truly cared about the way humans are affecting the animals who share our planet and thus my topic came to light.
My presentation incorporated many aspects of the Art of Rhetoric, discovering facts, shaping knowledge, and assisted in advocacy. Mostly focusing on Pathos, my project called Extinction Climbs the Ladder, tugged at people's hearts. Based around making the audience feel a certain emotion this was an effective form of rhetoric for my cause. “Extinction is climbing the ladder, because of us. And soon we could be the last species on the list.”, this is a quote from my rhetoric speech. Using wording like this brings people's focus to the emotion of loss and sadness, intentionally doing so creates more interest in the cause. Overall there are many effective forms of rhetoric that help in any form of speech or public announcement.
My favorite part of this project was seeing how effective both my own and others’ rhetoric can be. I found it very intriguing to see how much someone’s words can make a difference. I connected with this project in the way of being connected to my topic. The more I delved into the problem I sought to bring to light I realized how severe the issue is, because of this I believe my rhetoric was more powerful. Because I truly cared about what I was saying it was easier to convince other people to as well.
I believe that the most challenging part of the project for me was choosing a topic. Throughout the course of a month in the beginning, my topic changed multiple times before I was able to settle on a final idea that I truly cared about. A close second to this however would be my fear of speaking alone in front of a crowd for my speech. I was so nervous I was shaking the whole time. If I had the chance to redo any part of this project I would give myself more time to practice so that when the time came I may not have been as scared and nervous as I was. Overall however I believe that my project came together nicely and am proud of the final outcome.
Through this project I learned about all the different forms of rhetoric and how they can be used. I also learned how effective rhetoric in itself can be, I think that the one thing that stands out to me now the most if double speak. Before this project I noticed how politicians used this but didn’t understand it. Now that I do it I see it in ways I never would have noticed before. The strongest realization I had about myself in this project was that my ideology strongly revolves around the people and animals around me or effected by people like me. One of my main moral bases revolves around this. I do not want to have a negative impact in this world and I realized through this project a way that I can have a positive one.
My presentation incorporated many aspects of the Art of Rhetoric, discovering facts, shaping knowledge, and assisted in advocacy. Mostly focusing on Pathos, my project called Extinction Climbs the Ladder, tugged at people's hearts. Based around making the audience feel a certain emotion this was an effective form of rhetoric for my cause. “Extinction is climbing the ladder, because of us. And soon we could be the last species on the list.”, this is a quote from my rhetoric speech. Using wording like this brings people's focus to the emotion of loss and sadness, intentionally doing so creates more interest in the cause. Overall there are many effective forms of rhetoric that help in any form of speech or public announcement.
My favorite part of this project was seeing how effective both my own and others’ rhetoric can be. I found it very intriguing to see how much someone’s words can make a difference. I connected with this project in the way of being connected to my topic. The more I delved into the problem I sought to bring to light I realized how severe the issue is, because of this I believe my rhetoric was more powerful. Because I truly cared about what I was saying it was easier to convince other people to as well.
I believe that the most challenging part of the project for me was choosing a topic. Throughout the course of a month in the beginning, my topic changed multiple times before I was able to settle on a final idea that I truly cared about. A close second to this however would be my fear of speaking alone in front of a crowd for my speech. I was so nervous I was shaking the whole time. If I had the chance to redo any part of this project I would give myself more time to practice so that when the time came I may not have been as scared and nervous as I was. Overall however I believe that my project came together nicely and am proud of the final outcome.
Through this project I learned about all the different forms of rhetoric and how they can be used. I also learned how effective rhetoric in itself can be, I think that the one thing that stands out to me now the most if double speak. Before this project I noticed how politicians used this but didn’t understand it. Now that I do it I see it in ways I never would have noticed before. The strongest realization I had about myself in this project was that my ideology strongly revolves around the people and animals around me or effected by people like me. One of my main moral bases revolves around this. I do not want to have a negative impact in this world and I realized through this project a way that I can have a positive one.
Extinction Climbs the Ladder
In the next one hundred years we could lose 50% of all species on earth. We are destroying ecosystems and costing thousands of creatures their lives.
We live on this earth and take for granted the gift we have been given. We live among many other creatures, many suffering because of our indifference. The extinction rate of many species is sped up a thousand times because of the way we treat our world. A thousand times. Animals that once flourished now exist in only hundreds. We go about our lives, littering, wasting, without a single thought. Now, if we turned that around, opened our eyes to the damage we are doing, began to reverse our negative effects, just think how different our lives would be. Our survival on this planet is interwoven like poetry. It is not too late, we can make a change, however if we continue to live in our bubbles without a thought the health of our earth will continue to decrease at incredible rates.
Today, there is increasing pressure to redevelop conservation lands for high-priced food and biofuel crops. Lands that once provided wildlife habitat has been converted to housing developments, roads, office parks, strip malls, parking lots and industrial sites, continuing even during the current economic crisis. Using dams and other water diversions we are siphoning off and disconnecting, waterways, stopping essential nutrients from traveling down steam. During the dry season, the Colorado River has little to no water in it by the time it reaches the Sea of Cortez.
As we continue to expand we destroy habitats that some animals simply cannot live without, the golden lion tamarin loses more of its forest home as the minutes tick by. We need to protect these areas instead of tearing them down. “Here I am, I’m in a tree, keeping my baby close to me. My mane of gold, my face shows fear, my leafy home could disappear.” (Dillon). Soon, there will be nowhere left to expand to and no creatures left to lose.
We are losing what makes our world truly beautiful, someday we will have to explain to our children what happened before them. We have a choice now what story we will tell them, a story of loss and redemption where we turn our world around, or a story of how all the animals they hear about became a myth. Which story do you choose to tell your children? Which one do you want to be responsible for? We as a world wide community need to make this decision, and soon, before it is to late to reverse our negative affects. These animals will go extinct unless we drastically change our ways, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and recreate the way we develope our world to include more safe havens for those who share our world. “I see the world through all my tears; as you watch my tracks, they’ll disappear.” (Dillon)
We live on this earth and take for granted the gift we have been given. We live among many other creatures, many suffering because of our indifference. The extinction rate of many species is sped up a thousand times because of the way we treat our world. A thousand times. Animals that once flourished now exist in only hundreds. We go about our lives, littering, wasting, without a single thought. Now, if we turned that around, opened our eyes to the damage we are doing, began to reverse our negative effects, just think how different our lives would be. Our survival on this planet is interwoven like poetry. It is not too late, we can make a change, however if we continue to live in our bubbles without a thought the health of our earth will continue to decrease at incredible rates.
Today, there is increasing pressure to redevelop conservation lands for high-priced food and biofuel crops. Lands that once provided wildlife habitat has been converted to housing developments, roads, office parks, strip malls, parking lots and industrial sites, continuing even during the current economic crisis. Using dams and other water diversions we are siphoning off and disconnecting, waterways, stopping essential nutrients from traveling down steam. During the dry season, the Colorado River has little to no water in it by the time it reaches the Sea of Cortez.
As we continue to expand we destroy habitats that some animals simply cannot live without, the golden lion tamarin loses more of its forest home as the minutes tick by. We need to protect these areas instead of tearing them down. “Here I am, I’m in a tree, keeping my baby close to me. My mane of gold, my face shows fear, my leafy home could disappear.” (Dillon). Soon, there will be nowhere left to expand to and no creatures left to lose.
We are losing what makes our world truly beautiful, someday we will have to explain to our children what happened before them. We have a choice now what story we will tell them, a story of loss and redemption where we turn our world around, or a story of how all the animals they hear about became a myth. Which story do you choose to tell your children? Which one do you want to be responsible for? We as a world wide community need to make this decision, and soon, before it is to late to reverse our negative affects. These animals will go extinct unless we drastically change our ways, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and recreate the way we develope our world to include more safe havens for those who share our world. “I see the world through all my tears; as you watch my tracks, they’ll disappear.” (Dillon)
#AnimasRiverSpill Project
Project Reflection:
Our first project of junior year in Humanities was focused on the animas river spill, the causes, community questions, and perspectives. We started out the project with the goal of becoming educated on the subject and all its many facets as well as to educate our community. With many walks of life comes many different perspectives and our community as well as those surrounding it are chalk full of them. By researching these perspectives we were able to create very well rounded viewpoints on the issue itself and the aftermath of it. We then set out to share those viewpoints with the world. We did this by conducting interviews with community members in Durango and surrounding areas. Concluding our project we uploaded these interviews to the Library of Congress via Storycorps. At the end of this project we had created something beautiful, a way for the Animas River Community Stakeholders voices to be heard.
Through this project I learned a lot about our rivers history and what actually happened. When I was made aware of the Gold King Mine spill and the EPA’s involvement it seemed very simple. The Environmental Protection Agency had caused an environmental disaster, they became an enemy in my mind almost instantly and that was it. When we started this project I didn’t understand the importance of it, I only had my own anger at the destruction of our river. Delving deeper allowed me to learn the history of the river that has always run through my home town. Also my viewpoint changed completely, I don’t blame the EPA anymore, but I now look for a solution. Silvertonians don’t all vote for superfund, and our children are worried about the river. An issue so big isn’t just a blame game anymore, we need to look farther to solve this issue before it gets worse, it’s not just going to go away.
For my interview I went with a small group of other 11th graders at Animas High School to Needham Elementary School to interview second graders in order to see what they knew about the river spill. The interview went great, the students knew way more than I personally expected and it truly brought to light for me how pressing the issue is. What was really difficult was when it came down to editing the interview together, due to some technical difficulties everything came down to the last minute. If I were to do things differently I would have used a different audio editing software that was easier for beginners to use. Through conducting the interview and the process leading it up to I learned how important it is for people's voices to be heard as well as how to go with the flow of answers. Interviews are not always just a set list of questions, you can’t anticipate where the conversation will go.
At exhibition I saw community members listening to our interviews with tears in their eyes. I saw how truly important the river is to the people of my hometown. While I would change some things about exhibition was conducted I would not change the effect it had on those around me. It meant something to them and I truly realized the meaning of this project. I am truly thankful for this project, I saw my community come together for something that meant a lot to them and I wouldn’t change that for anything.
During this project I believe I gained a deeper understanding of the importance in different perspectives. I have always understood that everyone has a different view point but through this project I have been able to see how they all integrate. I have now seen first hand how communities so close together can see things so differently. How nothing can get done without finding a middle ground. Overall this project has opened my eyes to the needs and ideologies of those around me, as well as a better understanding of the history of mining in Durango and Silverton.
Through this project I learned a lot about our rivers history and what actually happened. When I was made aware of the Gold King Mine spill and the EPA’s involvement it seemed very simple. The Environmental Protection Agency had caused an environmental disaster, they became an enemy in my mind almost instantly and that was it. When we started this project I didn’t understand the importance of it, I only had my own anger at the destruction of our river. Delving deeper allowed me to learn the history of the river that has always run through my home town. Also my viewpoint changed completely, I don’t blame the EPA anymore, but I now look for a solution. Silvertonians don’t all vote for superfund, and our children are worried about the river. An issue so big isn’t just a blame game anymore, we need to look farther to solve this issue before it gets worse, it’s not just going to go away.
For my interview I went with a small group of other 11th graders at Animas High School to Needham Elementary School to interview second graders in order to see what they knew about the river spill. The interview went great, the students knew way more than I personally expected and it truly brought to light for me how pressing the issue is. What was really difficult was when it came down to editing the interview together, due to some technical difficulties everything came down to the last minute. If I were to do things differently I would have used a different audio editing software that was easier for beginners to use. Through conducting the interview and the process leading it up to I learned how important it is for people's voices to be heard as well as how to go with the flow of answers. Interviews are not always just a set list of questions, you can’t anticipate where the conversation will go.
At exhibition I saw community members listening to our interviews with tears in their eyes. I saw how truly important the river is to the people of my hometown. While I would change some things about exhibition was conducted I would not change the effect it had on those around me. It meant something to them and I truly realized the meaning of this project. I am truly thankful for this project, I saw my community come together for something that meant a lot to them and I wouldn’t change that for anything.
During this project I believe I gained a deeper understanding of the importance in different perspectives. I have always understood that everyone has a different view point but through this project I have been able to see how they all integrate. I have now seen first hand how communities so close together can see things so differently. How nothing can get done without finding a middle ground. Overall this project has opened my eyes to the needs and ideologies of those around me, as well as a better understanding of the history of mining in Durango and Silverton.
Project Pictures:
Link To Interview Archive:
https://storycorps.me/?s=%23voicesfromtheanimas&post_type=interviews
Link To My Interview:
https://storycorps.me/interviews/voices-of-the-animas-needham-elementary-second-graders-with-hailey-redding-and-vivien-doucette/