We are a small part of a large system in the universe. This system is full of rising and falling communities. The act of patterning is natural—and so—“life is inevitable.” The gathering and building of systems between atoms into cells into tissues into organs into organ systems and into organisms is the pattern of nature. Even throughout life this pattern… Read more »
I really liked this particular submission, and if you could give it a read over and comment on anything that strikes your fancy, that’d be great! 2/6/16 I’ve found that as time goes, I have an easier time reflecting on the concepts learned in class to my contemplative practices. I attribute this primarily to holding my practices in the outdoors,… Read more »
Response to David Roberts’ “The Decisions We Make About Climate Change Today Will Reverberate for Millennia. No Pressure”: Let me be clear that I completely agree with the emphasis Roberts (and many scientists) is making, “this long-term view shows that the next few decades offer a brief window of opportunity to minimize large-scale and potentially catastrophic climate change that will… Read more »
A Reflection on Vox’s, “The decisions we make about climate change today will reverberate for millennia. No pressure.” In the Vox article “The decisions we make about climate change today will reverberate for millennia. No pressure.”, David Roberts stresses the idea that the decisions we make this year, who to elect to office and who will be appointed to replace… Read more »
I have found that through participating in contemplative practices, whether they be going for a run when I’m upset about something, or sitting in my thoughts to center myself (even if that’s centering myself in being okay with not being centered). I have become more conscious of my immediate physical reactions. It’s kind of wild how our bodies react to… Read more »
Some of my recent contemplative practices have led me to ask: is there room for Buddhism in the Anthropocene? What will the role of religion be in addressing issues of climate change? What should religion’s role be? In the academic community we rarely talk about religion unless we are in some theology or religious studies class. In fact, it is… Read more »
Jan 7 Chapter one of the book, Anthropocene, inspired me a lot, “No matter where you are and what you do, when you breathe to stay alive or enjoy time outside, when you eat vegetables or buy something made of iron or steel, you are inextricably liked to these revolutionaries” (15). As I think about this quote, I tried to… Read more »
The reading on individualization brings back memories from my youth when my elementary school class in Redmond spent a day planting trees and learning about Earth Day. While it brought awareness to our class such an activity really didn’t make any sort of difference in our ecological footprint or that of our community. A few years before that our entire… Read more »
1/13/16 Studying abroad in Denmark put me so close to the Syrian refugee crisis. In Denmark, it was hard to miss. Denmark is a highly homogenous country; it’s incomparable to the United States. People in Denmark easily notice an influx of people who look different than they do. I find the Danish relationship to “others” to be incredibly fascinating. Denmark’s… Read more »
1/22/16 For years, my mom has tried to make meditation a habit in my life. I’ve tried it a number of times, and each time I’m just as frustrated as the time before. People say you learn how to meditate and it takes practice, so it’s possible that I just haven’t practiced enough. I think I’ve found that the attempt… Read more »