If there is anything I learned this quarter about contemplative exercises, it is that mindfulness is a state of mind itself and once you think about it, you break the concentration. I determined that being led in a practice in a group setting brought me more individual focus, rather than hearing a practice online on my own. For me, mindfulness… Read more »
Lately, I’ve started actually reading the newspaper again. Every day it is a reminder that I am connected. I picked it up a few days ago, and the recent decision on Net Neutrality hit me. The current administration and our descent into privatization, benefits for corporations, and a very divisive cultural standard upheld by our president, make me question which… Read more »
In class we were asked to think up what would be our perfect world. In my perfect world I was sitting on top of a green hill with one tree, and the image I came up with I believe I had imagined once many years prior when reading a book I enjoyed as a kid. In the this place if you… Read more »
The life of a 21st century college student seems to move in fast forward. In my first semester as a college student, I have never been so busy and stressed. The constant barrage of homework, tests, and essays added to the ever-constant worry of admission into my major often puts me on edge. In this sort of mindset, it is… Read more »
The 2013 ritual rebuilding of the Ise Shrine in Mie Prefecture, Japan Active Hope helped me to understand that building trust is key to action. One must find strength from others to become an active participant in the greater rhythm of the earth. Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone define active hope as a practice that “like tai chi… Read more »
The Anthropocene offers a lot to think about in the way of Being. Of course, the questions of how to Be and what Being means are some of humanity’s first documented memories, but their framing changes in our epoch defined by the power and impact of humans. Join me in my examination of life in the Anthropocene by seeing its… Read more »
“There is no reason why good cannot triumph as often as evil. The triumph of anything is a matter of organization. If there are such things as angels, I hope that they are organized along the lines of the Mafia.” Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s words resonated with us. We wanted to create positive change, and like many, we didn’t know how… Read more »
Humans are unique in our ability to analyze our own position in the world. This special power comes with its limits, like our denial of our own demise. However, through exercising our own awareness and sense of agency, I believe it is possible to overcome this psychological limitation. Throughout history, art has been a key method for grappling with big-ticket… Read more »
Throughout this quarter, my peers and I were invited to complete an action project. This project has three key goals: to create and implement a response to the course material, create an offering to the larger community, and to integrate a reflective component in both inception and implementation. My group’s final product after extensive deliberation is a website about climate… Read more »
Be it the vexing half-hour chirrup of the old wall clock, Professor Litfin’s pager beep, or perhaps the sighs of the student beside you, it’s hard not to be cognizant of time’s passage. In the classroom, we are beholden to this ever-present tick-tock. We’re getting older by the second, damnit! Even closing our eyes, as we do in contemplation, does… Read more »
