Up@dawn 2.0

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

More TIB

Quiz Sep 2/3
Podcast: More core conviction/Back (to 2009) to the future... Why we don't share

W 2/Th 3 - READ TIB II Intro, & find/share another essay you like on the TIB website and post a comment briefly telling us why;  WATCH: Pale Blue Dot (Sagan); LISTEN: Why Exploration Still Matters (Tyson). 

1. What question is more important than what you think of a given TIB essay?

2. In the aggregate, TIB essays are a celebration of what?

3. What subjects are young TIB contributors more likely to write of?

4. Why has TIB become popular among educators? (Or, what can young people encounter through these essays?)

5. Rivers of blood have been spilled by generals and emperors so they could become what, says Sagain?

6. What does the distant image of earth taken by Voyager underscore, according to Sagan?

==
DQ

In your discussion group today, take turns briefly describing one of your favorite TIB essays and what you like about it. Listen, then discuss.

Do you agree with Sagan's conviction that really seeing the earth as a tiny "mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam" should make us kinder, more tolerant and civil, and less violent? Would a renewed commitment to space exploration have that effect? What do you think of Neil deGrasse Tyson's view on this? - Why America needs to explore space... Dreaming Big (YouT)... Why Exploration Still Matters




A Pale Blue Dot

This excerpt from Sagan's book Pale Blue Dot was inspired by an image taken, at Sagan's suggestion, by Voyager 1 on February 14, 1990. As the spacecraft left our planetary neighborhood for the fringes of the solar system, engineers turned it around for one last look at its home planet. Voyager 1 was about 6.4 billion kilometers (4 billion miles) away, and approximately 32 degrees above the ecliptic plane, when it captured this portrait of our world. Caught in the center of scattered light rays (a result of taking the picture so close to the Sun), Earth appears as a tiny point of light, a crescent only 0.12 pixel in size.
The Pale Blue Dot of Earth
NASA / JPL
The Pale Blue Dot of Earth
This image of Earth is one of 60 frames taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft on February 14, 1990 from a distance of more than 6 billion kilometers (4 billion miles) and about 32 degrees above the ecliptic plane. In the image the Earth is a mere point of light, a crescent only 0.12 pixel in size. Our planet was caught in the center of one of the scattered light rays resulting from taking the image so close to the Sun. This image is part of Voyager 1's final photographic assignment which captured family portraits of the Sun and planets.

Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.
-- Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994

http://www.planetary.org/explore/space-topics/earth/pale-blue-dot.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

(I believe in) the next 40 years

Phil - Nashville, Tennessee
Entered on July 20, 2009
Themes: America & patriotism, hope, humanism, parenthood, patriotism, purpose, science, values & spirituality

I believe that humans have a bright future among the stars.

A 12-year old boy might have been excused, on July 20, 1969, for picturing the world of 2009 as far closer to Captain Kirk’s than this.

The “space race” had been run and won in a few focused frenetic years, from Sputnik in the year of his birth, to JFK’s “we choose to go to the moon” speech, to “one small step.” We’d slipped Earth’s pull with unprecedented energy and elan. Where did we want to go today, and tomorrow? We were surfing space then, not just cyberspace.

And although Neil and Buzz were compelled by their governmet to plant and salute Old Glory, we were the world. ”We came in peace for all mankind.” Our collective confidence was higher than the sky. Future visions were bright, even utopian.

Fast-forward forty years.

The man that boy became might be excused again, today, for deriding his own youthful optimism as laughably, pitiably naive. Not only have we failed “to boldly go” to the planets and stars, we actually seem to have gone backwards. We’ve certainly not curtailed the ancient human proclivity to suicidal, homicidal, fratricidal, genocidal violence. We’ve made a greater muddle of our economic and political institutions. Diseases, hatred, and ancient hostilities rage worse than ever.

I excuse them both, the boy and the man. I excuse myself for my continuing ambivalence. Of course I am that boy, and that man. I am now a professor of philosophy, and a father. I want my students and my children to live full, happy, hopeful lives. I want them not to be disillusioned, forty years from now.

Would it be better, then, to lower their expectations? Should I teach them to live without dreams of an expansive future?

I say no, with a dash of Thoreau: “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” Some of our castles should be out among the stars.

Odds still favor the eventual arrival of some version or other of Tomorrowland, albeit on a timetable no one can foretell, and with environmental complications we were mostly blind to, in ‘69. When it comes there will be conflicts and troubles not now on anyone’s radar. But it likely won’t be Neverland.

The philosopher William James said “the really vital question for us all is, What is this world going to be? What is life eventually to make of itself?”

I believe life is going back to the stars whence it came, boldly and beautifully.

63 comments:

  1. http://thisibelieve.org/essay/98400/ I found this podcast on the TIB website while searching under the keyword community. It really stuck with me because she talked about how going through a seemingly tough time in life such as relocating to a completely different part of the country could be turned into something positive. Something as little as treating people as though they are family in order to avoid being left out of the proverbial loop. This stuck with this young woman all the way up to her current life, and I think it something we should all strive a little harder to achieve because it could have a huge pay off in the end. I am Jimmie Blake from section 11, and this comment is something I believe.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Haley Harwell7:19 PM CDT

    Section 12

    https://thisibelieve.org/essay/170973/ It's All in the Details," I really like this essay because I can really relate to the speaker. She talks about how minor details can really color someones life, and how people remember one another's minor details makes them feel special.

    https://thisibelieve.org/essay/1717/ "Moving Beyond Stereotypes" this author talks about images and assumptions made by the media that serve to stereotype him as a black man in america. He speaks about how he breaks these stereotypes in various ways. He also speaks of a patient he had that he thought felt uncomfortable with him because of his race, but when he asked him if there was a problem, the patient spoke about how he'd had a son who died at 18 who wanted to be a nurse and that he hoped he would've been half the nurse of the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous7:23 PM CDT

    kali sunstrom (12) from this I believe two I like the a way to honor life by Cortney Davis. because she feels awkward people who are sad but still wants to cheer them up.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Justin fox8:26 PM CDT

    I found Combating the Tyranny of the Positive Attitude by Barbara Held (http://thisibelieve.org/essay/34187/) quite inspiring. Being a psychology student finding an essay by a psychologist exciting. Her essay was a bit controversial, addressing the idea found within our culture that you should always look on the bright side of things. She makes a powerful argument that this may be not only wrong but hurtful to people. An essay such as this is not only relevant to psychology students/practitioners but to everyone. It addresses a topic that affects us everyday.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Section 12

    http://thisibelieve.org/essay/34/

    I was a little hesitant to read Penn Jillette's essay, which came up on a first click under the atheism tab. I rolled my eyes and listened rather than read. Something however struck a cord with me by the end of his essay. "No god means the possibility of less suffering in the future." What he means by that, to my mind, is that rather than suffering alienating us from people not experiencing our pains and brining us closer to a divine being, the absence of god makes others all the more necessary in times of need. The lack of a divine being for Penn Jillette, and many other atheistic people, means that there is more room for emphasis on other people, loved ones and strangers alike.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Tiffany Champion9:39 PM CDT

    https://thisibelieve.org/essay/10494/

    Section 011

    I enjoyed this essay because I also believe in facing all your fears! " I shall overcome my fears and in my efforts, I shall encourage others to follow the same path, one based on truth." This quote in the essay states almost my exact thoughts. One will never know what it feels like to live unless they face these fears. Some people let these fears define their life. I do not believe this is a healthy way of living. I believe everybody should step out of their comfort zone and experience what could be the best thing that has ever happened to them.

    ReplyDelete
  7. http://thisibelieve.org/essay/110386/

    In my 19 years, I have never found an opinion regarding anything that I have agreed with more wholeheartedly than I do this one. This young woman discusses the way in which the American society defines each other by the differences in appearance. I have dealt with sheer ignorance and, at times, racism regarding my own ethnic origin. People cannot fathom that who I am as a person is not representative of the stereotypes for either a Mexican American or of a Black American. I fully embrace each of the backgrounds I represent, but neither of them define who I am or who I will be. It is tragic that despite the decades separating our society from its era of blatant prejudice, it is still just as prevalent today whether we choose to admit it or not.

    Section 012

    ReplyDelete
  8. Vincent Thompson12:39 AM CDT

    http://thisibelieve.org/essay/42464/

    I feel like this article touches on an idea not often thought of. I've experienced love and had people in my corner that were not required to be there for me. For this i am eternally grateful and i will do the same for people. This has made me a better person overall and made me be committed to positive.

    Section #12

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous9:44 AM CDT

    https://thisibelieve.org/essay/1000/
    Mariem Farag 12
    This essay stood out the most to me. The title of this essay is "Seeing With The Heart". Stephanie Disney talks about her adopted daughter, and her experience. People never quite understood their bond. The child was of three different races, but Stephanie was "whitest of white women", as she said. Stephanie believed that family was only defined by heart, and not necessarily by blood. I truly enjoyed reading this essay, because it relates a lot to what I believe.

    ReplyDelete
  10. (12) A Drive to Achieve the Extraordinary. By Juliet Frerking - I enjoyed this essay because it talked about how anyone from any background, race, gender, etc. has the ability to be extraordinary at whatever they want with enough self-determination,and how she was inspired by the Guinness book of world records to do that.

    https://thisibelieve.org/theme/self-determination/

    ReplyDelete
  11. Trent Dillihay (12): My personal favorite (so far) is The Questions We Must Ask by Tamar Duke-Cohan. The essay concerns something that I think is pretty important these days, and that's the ability to critically, honestly examine and debate tough issues. The author and their mother are actually divided on a major issue of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank (The author supports it, the mother doesn't). Nonetheless, they both have strong arguments and it comes down to whether or not they think the security it provides to Israel is worth the negative impact on Palestineans or not. Both people are able to really see both sides and respect the opposition while forming their own opinion apart from blind faith to ideology, which is a system the world really needs more people to use instead of just agreeing with whatever someone in a particular party says. In an era as divided politically and ideologically as this, where any semblance of compromise or open-mindedness is treated as treason, it's refreshing and promising to see that human reason can still overcome that and honestly examine and debate the tough questions that everyone wants an easy answer to but that are really uncomfortable to actually discuss.

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  12. You guys are finding so many great TIB essays, I'm so glad we decided (OK, I decided) to spend another class on them. I hope you'll continue to look for inspiring and instructive essays there and tell us about them here, even after we turn next week to other texts. It seems like a great way to break down the resistance so many of us have built up against having significant conversations and exchanges of belief in public.

    ReplyDelete
  13. An Ideal of Service to Our Fellow Man - Albert Einstein
    https://thisibelieve.org/essay/16465/
    Mikayla Briggs (12)
    I picked this essay because I thought is was really interesting that someone held to such high esteem, and who was listened to by many already took the time to add to this collection of thoughts. I value wisdom and the process of actually thinking a great deal and Einstein was, to say the least, a great thinker. It was really interesting to hear what Einstein had to say. I agree with his thoughts on serving others and actually caring about people: doing things for the good of society not simply ourselves. I share this value with him. It's a great read! A nice peak into and amazing mind!

    ReplyDelete
  14. https://thisibelieve.org/essay/24791/ "Creating Our Own Happiness" - Wayne Coyne
    This musician speaks about his philosophy that everyone has the power to create their own happiness. I think that is a powerful thought, and it speaks to the idea that circumstance does not have to directly influence your happiness.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Grady Burnham11:06 AM CDT

    http://thisibelieve.org/essay/27770/
    This essay hit me at a personal level. I have always been fortunate to get what I need and want from my parents. However, they always made me work for it and this has instilled a great work ethic in me. As the author of this essay said, children need to work in order to be prepared for the future.

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  16. Found another TIB essay from the '50s I like a lot, and that fits our scorekeeping format nicely: "Baseball Has a Religion Too," Joe Williams - http://thisibelieve.org/essay/17101/

    "...If I were asked to define Americanism-what made our country what it is to date- I would say it was the American’s willingness and ambition to stand on his own two feet. I keep a box score on every baseball game I cover. There is a credit column in which hits are recorded and there is a debit column in which errors are listed. These are often deceptive. They will give hits to a batter who has been lucky and they will charge errors against a fielder who has been unlucky. This is a small mirror of life itself. These things over a long run even up just as they do in life.

    I’ve seen shortstops make errors on plays another shortstop would not even try to make. He had his record in mind. The shortstop who made the errors had the team’s success in mind. He was willing to sacrifice his personal record in the greater interest of the team’s success. There is a kind of religion in that attitude.

    I’ve often wondered how it would be, how it would affect the lives of our people if we all kept a daily box score on ourselves..."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. P.S. -but I'd actually prefer to say that baseball has a PHILOSOPHY, more than a religion... depending on how we define our terms.

      Delete
  17. Anonymous11:53 AM CDT

    Ashley Stancil (12) One of my favorite essays is titled This I Believe http://thisibelieve.org/essay/3804/ and it is a very powerful and encouraging essay.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Alexis Arriaga11:54 AM CDT

    http://thisibelieve.org/essay/90323/ "You Snooze You Lose"

    I enjoyed this essay because I can relate to it. In it the author makes a direct correlation between ambition and alarm clocks, he states that "A rarely used alarm clock foretells a life of lowered ambition and waning plans. A regularly used one promises a long horizon of first steps and daily plans that could lead me in miraculous directions."
    I have the same attitude the author does, although I will admit to having a couple of lazy days in which I like to sleep in and spend a couple of hours relaxing before moving on to do more productive things. Nevertheless, there is always something to be done that will put me closer to where I want to be in life.

    ReplyDelete
  19. https://books.google.com/books?id=5rdWvllR4V0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=this+i+believe+ii&hl=en&sa=X&ei=gqJjVcTUCIS9sAWh6YHwBQ&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=this%20i%20believe%20ii&f=false

    (11) I was really impacted by TIB's "Integrity" essay mainly because I just reccently had my best friend of 10 years come out to me as transgender two weeks ago. I felt as though reading this brave man's story helped me fully grasp a more personal side to that of my friend's.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Jeri (12)12:32 PM CDT

    http://thisibelieve.org/essay/42464/

    I really liked the essay mainly for the topic. I believe love is a really strong thing. I also believe that it is awesome when people are selfless like the people in this man's his life. To have so much love from people and to not feel worthy of it is a great feeling, and I feel everyone needs a little bit of that.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous1:33 PM CDT

    Eli Price

    http://thisibelieve.org/essay/12459/

    Interesting testimony. I think Americans sometimes forget how fortunate we are to be so far displaced from the brutality this author is writing about.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Mohandas Ghandi: Elixir of Growth
    http://thisibelieve.org/essay/16872/
    I have read a few books produced by Ghandi and have found each of these writings to be filled with love, compassion and hope. The philosophy of Ghandi has in many profound ways improved upon my life perspective and taught me how to better love.

    Jimmy Dale Gilmore: All the Joy the World Contains
    http://thisibelieve.org/essay/22084/
    I chose this one because I have someone very dear to me who has suffered with addiction. I long to empathize with this situation without having to submit to first-hand experience. I DO, however, empathize with the rebuilding after reaching some proverbial "bottom" of life. This essay reiterates the value of caring for others in order to find value in oneself, and that how living a life for personal gain will leave one empty.

    ReplyDelete
  23. http://thisibelieve.org/essay/90323/
    Justin Huggins (12)
    I would have to choose this essay because it helps people be more open minded about wha philosophy is and who can be a philosopher. Gives people a good chance to think for themselves.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous3:23 PM CDT

    http://zenpencils.com/comic/33-edgar-mitchell-a-global-consciousness/

    This was astronaut Edgar Mitchell's reaction to seeing the earth from space.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Lucas Rogers (12)3:25 PM CDT

    http://thisibelieve.org/essay/8551/

    This relates to my family. My family is obsessed with sports and I hardly ever had much free time because I was always playing or practicing sports.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Haley Harwell3:27 PM CDT

    Myself, Vanessa, Ashley, Mikey, and Mariam discussed various prejudices society has regarding race and societal norms within those races. We related these topics back to two TIB essays.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Lucas R, Jeri R, Alexis A (12)3:31 PM CDT

    Lucas- "Ath(l)e(tic)ism?" http://thisibelieve.org/essay/8551/
    This essay related to my life personally. I also agree that sports can be like a religion toward some families. It is a way of life with mine.

    Jeri- "Love Without Requirements" http://thisibelieve.org/essay/42464/
    This essay was about how love can be a great thing, especially when it is not forced, which Jeri agreed with.

    Alexis- "You Snooze, You Lose" http://thisibelieve.org/essay/90323/
    Alexis thought this essay was very wise. It said that people who set their alarm early have ambition, which Alexis agreed with.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I'm having difficulty with creating a link to it, but I enjoyed Jeffrey Hellender's essay Living in the Here and Now. While I have never lost a loved one to suicide like the author, circumstances in my past have led me to try living in the present and letting go of the past. It's one of my favorite essays so far.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Morgan Massey4:06 PM CDT

    Morgan Massey (8)
    http://thisibelieve.org/essay/3583/
    "Paying Attention to the Silver Lining" - Annaliese Jakimides.
    In her essay, Jakimides explains how losing her son taught to her live her life to the fullest. Jakimides now lives her life fearlessly speaking out to other people and sharing the silver lining with them.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Tynisha Lewis
    https://thisibelieve.org/essay/1949/
    I enjoyed this essay because it talks about respect. Growing up this was something my parents were adamet about instilling in myself & my siblings. Respect is a very important characteristic to posses.

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  31. Tyneisha, Lauren and myself discuss how the TIB that someone wrote talked about teaching respect and respecting themselves. It hit home because as children we're taught to treat everyone with respect and as women you need to respect yourself in order to gain respect (11)

    ReplyDelete
  32. Our group discussed the essays Be Nice To the Pizza Guy and To Live in the Here and Now. Basically, treating others with respect and living in the present, without being inhibited by our pasts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I read the Be Nice to the Pizza guy essay when I got home, and it's fantastic! As someone who was worked in food service before, I know what it's like to be the pizza guy (so to speak), and it taught me to be more respectful to people who do that sort of work for a living.

      Delete
  33. Anonymous5:35 PM CDT

    Kelsey Tucker, Chelsea Giesler, Brian Wulf (11). We discussed Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot" and wether his vision of global kindness would ever be achievable. We also discussed competition and how that hinders his goal.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Anonymous6:20 PM CDT

    http://thisibelieve.org/essay/54048/
    Noah Silver (8) I'm a big fan of Eno's work and I found his views on singing and group singing in particular to be extremely interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anonymous6:37 PM CDT

    sierra cox, rushadi, and grady (#11 mw 4:10-5:35) today our group discussed responsibility and stereotypes in society. As we began our walk we discussed how responsibility can be taught at an early age through working hard to gain job experience or having another's life within your grasp. As we continued our journey we then discussed stereotypes and how society along with media can impact our thoughts or views of another race or religion

    ReplyDelete
  36. (8) Janet Peoples. http://thisibelieve.org/essay/2578/

    The essay The Essentials to Happiness by Alexxandra Shuman was very interesting and was
    personal to be because I could relate to what she was feeling and went through. “To live happily is an inward power of the soul,” this quote popped out to me because it's very true. You have to find happiness in your own way and with Alexxandra Shuman she found happiness by not relying on medication. I'm the same way because I've been through a dark time in my life and I struggle still today with being happy but I know I will become fully happy one day. “The essentials to happiness are something to love, something to do, and something to hope for,” is also a good quote I found in this essay. This essay can help people find there way to become happy in their life and I hope to be one of those people.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Anonymous8:15 PM CDT

    Phil Giguere (8) http://thisibelieve.org/essay/170973/ I'm a big fan of " The Details" which is what this essay is about. I find that the big picture cant work without first following through with the details of the plan. I find its important to sometimes acknowledge the little things and not just block out everything other than the main focus. I also find that people in general usually appreciate when you know the little things about them.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Anonymous8:25 PM CDT

    (8) 8am TTr
    A Calling We Should Heed
    http://thisibelieve.org/essay/1574/
    This essay deals with how a homeless man leaves a lasting impression on a woman and how she helps him( food, hotel etc.) She asks " are we our brothers keeper?" and this is a hard question for many to answer.
    Austin Wilson

    ReplyDelete
  39. Today in class Morgan, Aimee, and I (Megan Cortes 12) discussed how we are a fraction of the pale blue dot. We also talked about the TIB essays that we had read from the book, "This I Believe II." The essay called, Creating your own happiness was one that we all agreed was a good philosophy to have in life. Us three believe that happiness is created from within.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Anonymous8:57 PM CDT

    Will Nelson (8) https://thisibelieve.org/essay/13122/ I really like this essay because it opened my eyes to the "Rocking Chair Test". The way I look at it, is if you wanna do what makes you happy now, then do it. When you're sitting in a rocking chair when your older you don't want to look bad and say, "Boy, I wish I would've done this different or not done this". Live life now, you only have one and it goes by quicker than what everybody thinks.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Anonymous9:06 PM CDT

    Reyna Shellhart (#8) https://thisibelieve.org/essay/23/ I liked this essay because it was funny and very true in content. The most relate able thing in there is when she writes about everyone taking jobs just to have a job because some money is better than none.

    ReplyDelete
  42. http://thisibelieve.org/essay/156357/ this essay really speaks to me about how the quality of life is more important than the quantity.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Justin fox9:26 PM CDT

    (12) The main ideas my group agrees upon were that humans are insignificant in the grand scheme of things. We are codependent upon each other. Humans are often destructive towards nature and other creatures.

    ReplyDelete
  44. sierra cox9:33 PM CDT

    sierra cox (#11 mw 4:10-5:35)http://thisibelieve.org/essay/21254/ this essay really shows how our generation does not simply slow down and appreciate the little things in life.

    ReplyDelete
  45. (#8) https://thisibelieve.org/essay/13122/ ("I Didn't Wash My Car Last Month")
    I found this TIB essay to quite the relevant read. It basically states that we are all slowly running out of time in our lives, and we need to seize the moment and enjoy ourselves more. Overall, I felt this essay was a neat way to put a fun spin on a more serious matter.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Imran Khan9:40 PM CDT

    I really enjoyed this essay. It shows no matter where you are in life or what you have you always have the power to create your own happiness whether you are rich or poor.
    https://thisibelieve.org/essay/24791/

    ReplyDelete
  47. (#8 TR) http://thisibelieve.org/essay/109353/
    I really like this essay because of the quote “lighting a candle instead of cursing the darkness.” Which means in a bad situation it’s better to do something good rather than complain about the circumstance. Keeping a positive mindset in a crisis is a key component in getting through one.

    DQ: Do you agree with Sagan's conviction that really seeing the earth as a tiny "mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam" should make us kinder, more tolerant and civil, and less violent?

    No I don’t, people are people. You can always count on humans hurting other humans, no matter what happens. It is certainly nice to think something like that could happen, but I doubt Sagan’s thoughts even grace the mind of an average person, much less if they even know who he is.

    ReplyDelete
  48. (#8 TR) https://thisibelieve.org/essay/57159/
    Last year, my senior English teacher introduced us all into the This I Believe concept. We studied, read, and created our own. This was one of the examples given in class, and it still sticks with me today. A little boy was recorded about the 30 things he believed. It's not the most eloquent essay with the best words and transitions, but it gets down to the simplistic view of our true beliefs. The little kindergartner created a list of his beliefs which in my opinion is a lot harder than it seems.

    ReplyDelete
  49. (#8 TR) https://thisibelieve.org/essay/57159/
    Last year, my senior English teacher introduced us all into the This I Believe concept. We studied, read, and created our own. This was one of the examples given in class, and it still sticks with me today. A little boy was recorded about the 30 things he believed. It's not the most eloquent essay with the best words and transitions, but it gets down to the simplistic view of our true beliefs. The little kindergartner created a list of his beliefs which in my opinion is a lot harder than it seems.

    ReplyDelete
  50. (8) https://thisibelieve.org/essay/12446/
    I like this essay because it basically just says that you have to love yourself, and value your own words over anybody else's.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Anonymous7:50 AM CDT

    #8 Steven Sheffey
    https://thisibelieve.org/essay/16872/

    I enjoyed this essay by Mohandas K. Gandhi because it demonstrated the prioritization of beliefs over any sort of harmful materialism. My favorite quote from this essay was "if I have any right to speak about myself it is only thanks to my successful experiments in living.", because to live is to form a perspective on life.

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  52. (#8) http://thisibelieve.org/essay/3427/

    I've always had this interest in the After life and/or Carp diem. Reading this essay, I can connect with Mari (the essay writer) on the thought filled nights about what would it be like, what happens when you die? How will you die? So many thoughts can race through the mind. But, rather than be afraid and hold yourself back, it's best to keep moving forward with conviction and purpose than be afraid of Death standing at your door.

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  53. (#8) http://thisibelieve.org/essay/30261/

    Holding on to something negative is the best way to mentally drain you. Remembering, but forgiving is the best way to move on with your life and understand the true meaning of forgiveness.

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  54. http://thisibelieve.org/essay/42464/ Axle here, This essay is titled "Love Without Requirement" And it's interesting because people who are religious about ONE topic bother me sometimes because there's always a "what if" but no one out there is really willing to accept it. In psychology and biology, one would predict that a man with the story of Charles (He became an orphan) would not give go out and give love as he does but would instead seek it. This is one of many examples that objects to nature.

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  55. (#8) http://thisibelieve.org/essay/232/

    We can't always attack people because of some things they say that may offend us. Every person is not always brought up to know equality. We must also speak after thinking so that no one is misguided by our words.

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  56. Anonymous10:05 AM CDT

    (8) Imran Khan, Will Nelson, Reyna Shellhart, Phil Giguere. We talked about how the Earth is so small compared to the universe and one of the essays we read had corresponding ideas to the topic. It was about details. We as people need to pay attention to detail, because without detail there is no big picture. Earth is the detail and the universe in the big picture.

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  57. (#8 TR) There are many essays that I have read throughout my schooling career, but one I read on "I believe" a few days ago really stuck with me. It was about a teenager who claims to still believe in Santa Claus. Santa Claus in their mind is a metaphor for people constantly trying, trying to make this better, make people happier, and just keep trying no matter what the situation. I have a similar belief of Santa during Christmas time, because Santa gives a person the ability to send a letter and ask for whatever we want without judgment. A child can have hope and feel as if anything can happen.

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  58. (8) Austin, Zion, Karole, and Janet. We talked about what essays we liked. Austin liked the essay called My Brothers Keeper, it was about this woman that has to think about if she wants to help out this homeless man or not. I liked the essay about this girl that finds what truly makes her happy and life.

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  59. (#8) Kaitlyn, Layne, Ty, and I discussed the Blue Dot theory and believe that our personal problems do seem small in comparison to what the world has to offer. Just as the comparison of earth to our universe us, as people on earth, are such a small part of something so much larger. We also discussed that in TIB the story we enjoyed the most was the girl that fought depression. She seemed to find the positive in such a large amount of negative energy. Our decision about the space race would be that if it were brought back many ideas that are opposing would merge together because of such a push to create greatness in the world.

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  60. (#8) Nick, Matt, and I discussed whether or not realizing the world as a pale blue dot would change the views of the people. We agreed that it would not affect the views of the people as it would only cause a greater feeling of insignificance which would lead to a "who cares" or "why bother" mentality. Arguably, the converse could also be considered as this idea could cause people to become more motivated. Anyways, we also discussed the TIB essays that we read. The subject matter of these varied from human reason being destructive to living a meaningful life.

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  61. Morgan Massey7:58 PM CDT

    (#8) Whitney, Elsbeth and I discussed essays that really spoke to us. Whitney talked about an essay written by a little boy that included all of the things he believed in. Elsbeth talk about an essay written by a woman who was a holocaust survivor and how important this was to her because members of her family were holocaust survivors as well. We then discussed how the blue dot made us feel. Whitney made a comment about how it made her feel as though life is very temporary. Elsbeth shared how this kind of thing really makes her think about how there is a greater good despite an trials she may face. I commented on how the blue dot made me feel insignificant, but in a good way.

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