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.

American Values

Another week bites the dust. This week we looked at traditional American values from the eyes of the former leaders of this country. Many of the readings were from importan documents in American history. These documents were the framework that the laws and traditions of our country were created from. The Delaration of Independence layed out our rights as citizens and the Constitution layed out the structure of the government.

The story that I took the most from was The Way to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin. This story provided a common sense apppoach that shows us the way to get things done. I was particularly impressed with the way that the concepts presented in that story are applicable to today. We have a lot to teach the world about governance and culture. Different countries have a differnt set of values based on their religion, previous history and way of life. Our values may work in some countries but will not work in all. If our values are recieved by those countries than we will see how they work for different cultures.

This class is coming together quick. It is already the end of the fourth week and we are almost complete. 7 weeks to go!! This is an exciting time. This week the candidates for president brought up these same subjects. They focused on patriotism. As we come near the day of our independance we need to sit back and reflect on our history and acheivements over the past 220+ years as an independent nation.

Dual Vision

I bet the professor is sitting in his trench coat and fedora reveling in the readings that we are being assigned each week. Just Kidding.

As we dwell deeper into the class the structure and layout of the class is evident. This week we focused on a civil society and where and how it is derived. The main premise behind this weeks readings were to see how different groups of people saw civilization. From their many different perspectives we learn some things about ourselves. Our culture appears to be one of Greco-Roman heritage. The ideas that were presented seemed to agree with our way of life. I did my posting on civilians leading the military. We in the military see this quite often now. With the demands and financial constraints of the military, the military is outsourcing shore duty jobs to civilians because overall it is cheaper. The leaders of the military are civilians and are appointed by the president.

We are affected by the way they lead. They are not held to the same laws and standards that military personnel are held to. This was the one topic that affected me the most because it hits home. The presidential election this year will provide us with a new civilian in charge. A Senator who was a prisoner of war and a freshman Senator who is a lawyer by trade. I respect both of their records but they are not intune with the demands of todays military. We have Sailors, Soldiers, Airman and Marines fighting side-by-side on the ground because our military is stretched thin and we want to help our fellow servicemembers get the job done.

This class is put into succession so you can see how the society was created and how the laws and common western values fall in line. The sequencing is superb and should be required in all institutions of higher learning. The context makes you think and provides the opportunity to see things from other perspectives.

Week 2

Wow, what a week. This week was one of those weeks that had you scratching your head saying hmm. There were two stories that I think would cause a lot of controversy: The AntiChrist and A Postmodern Feminist Approach. The first story talked about how religion made people weak. The second story talked about the freeedom of sexual expression. Both of these stories have the potential to be very controversial. Overall the theme for the week was differentiating perception from reality. Many people have their own reality but the truth is the truth. Overall this class is a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. Truth be told, I like it (at least, this week). The correspondence on the message board is very good but I think can be elevated a bit with a little controversy.

First Week in Class

By far this is the hardest class that I have taken at Bellevue University. These are my last three classes and I am ready to finish my bachelors degree. I am taking this class because it is a degree requirement. I am not sure what to expect in the following weeks but I am sure that it will involve a lot of corresponding with my classmates. I think the university requires this class to heighten the awareness of issues and traditions in the western world. Some of the stories that were read this week were really enlightening but a common theme was that they apply to situations today and they call for reform of those situations. I am in the military and traditions are a big part of the military. Crossing the equator, crossing the date line, getting your sea legs are all traditions and rites of passage that a civilian may feel uncomfortable with but are parts of military service. I think my views are unique in the fact that I tell it like it is. I use book knowledge but I use common sense first and that is what guides me. Ths course is going to be interesting and I look forward to the next 10 weeks with all my classmates.