Week 11 - Its Over Now!!!

First of all, I would like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this class. It has been an eye opening experience. I learned about community and government. I learned about social changes and percieved inequalities. I learned about perception and reality. I could go on and on but my classmates, I am sure, have said the same thing. There is so much that can be taken out of this class. The interactions between classmates have been phenomenal. Sometimes there were confrontations but that led to fascinating discussions about various topics as well as life in general. I also liked the human side of the class where classmates showed their emotion. Thank you all for your candor, participation and feedback.

This class will be thoroughly missed.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions....

This week we looked at things from a varying perspective. We looked at profit versus social responsibility, and a host of other things. The class is going fast and I wish it was still going. I have learned so much about the community and how we interact within it. I have a renewed sense of community and am looking forward to serving more.

The two projects we are working on are coming along great. I had to take a little delay because my mom is in the hospital and I had to take care of some things for her. I am trying to keep my head above water. It will be all good. 1 week to go!!!!

Equality

This week we examined equlaity and how it relates to the Kirkpatrick Signature Series. Equality can be presented from any given persons perspective. The three readings that were the most intriguing to me were the "I Have a Dream Speech" by Dr. Martin Luther King, "Celebrity Bigots" by Richard Goldstein and "The Mother of All Problems" by Danielle Crittenden. These readings were not that hard but they tackled hard topics. I am sure we are all familiar with the I Have a Dream Speech. It is one of the most powerful oratories of the 20th century. It symbolizes a movement that was long overdue and very effective. Celebrity Bigots was very eye opening. It discusses a part of society that people dont really talk about that much. Our curious is what keeps these bigots around. The Mother of All Problems was the most influential one for me. My wife thought the story was very thought provoking.

This course has been very challenging at times but has been very rewarding. I have learned so much about values and traditions and customs and how I incorporate them into my life. Writing the capstone and doing the phooto story have further enhanced my thinking on those topics.

Social Trends

This week we talked about social trends. the world that we live in today is a differnet world than the one that our parents grew up in. We have so much pressure with our jobs and demanding schedules that we put social interactions on the back burner. we also looked at wealth and capitalism and how the rich and the poor differ. How there is inequality between the social classes and it is ever expanding because of the prevalant attitude of the rich and famous. We only have a short while to go in this class but I think a lot of people need a relaity check on how they view the world. It would be enlightening if the rich and the poor could switch places.

The Economy

This week we talked about property and how it creates a sense of ownership among Americans. Being a homeowner is one of the most important things for a lot of Americans. It bring s Americans into the political and legislative process. We are afforded the opportunities that capitalism affords us. In this day and age, especially with the economy the way it is, ownership is a great asset for most Americans.

We also looked at capitalism and how law has an effect on it. In my paper this week I used oil as an example. Most Americans percieve a correlation between big oil and current political posturing. The ybelieve politics and greed are dictating the policy in the US. Political rights and freedoms are dictated by the leadership of a country even in a democratic society. In a democratic society once politicians are elected they make laws. They have the power in their hands to craft policy for the country.

Heroes and Democracy

Heroes are everywhere. They are around you all the time. They are not noticed but they are loved and respected. They are our parents, teachers, construction workers, police and military. The country is in a state of denial. Since the days of the civil rights movement we have made monumental strides in racism and racial equality, but we still have a ways to go.

The democratic process in the country is alive and well. Through the presidential election we are seeing America at its best. The fact that we had a woman candidate and an African-American candidate speaks volumes about the progress of the country. The world is speaking to us and asking us to change our ways. We are losing our democracy due to greed, corruption and abuse of power in the government.

I am starting to see the world in a different light.

Individual Rights Versus Community Rights

This week was particularly hard for me. The readings were really difficult for me. The readings by Douglass and Lincoln were really eye opening. As a black man in America, we are faced with suttle forms of racism in our lives. We constantly deal with how we are percieved and how we percieve others.

I believe that some black people use racism as a crutch not to achieve their goals. They blame the "white man" for all of their despair. They believe that their individual rights have been violated. The community that bred this type of behavior is partially to blame for this thinking. Black people believe this kind of thinking is warranted. Some push for slavery reparations and think they are owed something for their ancestors suffering. Sally Joe from New Jersey born in 1982 does not owe them millions of dollars because their great, great grandfather owned two slaves. All Americans need to work hard to get ahead.

Individual rights are very important to the populus and must be maintained. There needs to be a harmonious balance between community rights and individual rights. Community rights re important to establish order within that particular community. There will be instance where these two ideas cannot co-exist but as long as the parties try there is the ability to compromise.