After reading chapter 2 on the three major practical philosophies I had to sit back and do a little reflecting as most of what they said is true. Our society is all about “me” and the materialistic things in life. Who has the better boat, house, etc. Children are exposed to this daily and it is no wonder that they bully others over the clothes, shoes that they wear. Where are the days of using your imagination to play instead TV, computers, video games? Where are the days when you help someone without expecting for something in return? Individualism, Hedonism and Minimalism are self-destructive philosophies and can soon destroy us if we don’t fight now and take action.
I agree with Patty completely. The people in our world care less for each other. People don't care what happens as long as they benefit from what they are doing. Individualism, Hedonism, and Minimalism are killing our society. That is one of the reasons that we have people that are willing to be suicide bombers. They don't care. Minimalism is something we often see. "What is the least I can do to get by?" It is a very bad attitude, but we see more of it all of the time. Many students want to just get by. However, the staff at Seton does not go by this philosophy. The bare minimum is not done. Each of us works to our full potential making Seton the best school it can be. We go out of our way to help others. The following statement from the book should give all of us something to think about. "The crisis of the modern world is a crisis of ideas. Thought determines action. Ideas shape our lives. It would not be too soon for us to learn that ideas have consequences." This is something we need to make our students aware of. Most of us live in small communities. We are very lucky because in small communities many people look out for each other. They do thoughtful things for others and don't expect to be repaid. People do things for others because they genuinely care. That is what the Seton community is all about. What a great place to teach! However, there are people in every community, all over the world that think of ME first. Or what they have is better than others. We all need to learn to make do with what we have instead of always wanting more.
When I read the second chapter, it really made me think about my many philosophies of life. What do I truly believe in? What is important to me? What is all influenced by the individualism, hedonism, and/or minimalism philosophies? The scary truth is that most of us are somehow influenced by the three philosophies. As the book says, “They are self-destructive philosophies.” If we continue to live in communities that believe in these philosophies, we are only hurting ourselves.
When I read the third chapter, it made me understand what I think makes me happy and what truly makes me happy. Some of the things I thought of were spending time with my family and friends, seeing my students’ success, and taking time everyday just for myself. I agree with the book when it says, “We are constantly yearning for happiness.” The sad part is with the individualism, hedonism, & minimalism philosophies, our generation is moving away from God’s philosophy: self-donation. I believe that if we live a life in which we make God and his philosophy our main priorities, we will become happier individuals and communities.
When I think about the individualism, hedonism, and minimalism philosophies it is true that we are all affected by them. I can see myself fitting into all three at different times in my life. I think if the entire world were able to bring God to the forefront of their lives what a different world we would live in. We could quit worrying about ourselves and what others think of us and concentrate on what is really important. God's love and sharing his love.
It is very true that people are overly concerned with what they have/don't have. Jealously will eat you up if you can't learn how to be happy for others and accepting of what you have in your own life. Sadly, I think people tend to give more and be kinder to others when tragedy strikes, it doesn't seem to be an everyday thing. We shouldn't have to wait for something bad to happen to remind us what is really important in life.
Natalie, I think that is very true. It does take a tragedy such as a death or a fire to make us reach out to those around us. Yet as Christians shouldn't this be an every day thing! Shouldn't we be seeing those who need an extra pat on the back, or those who need food or clothing to survive be our focus.
It is very sad that our society has turned into such a "me" society. The big question is, though, how can we try to turn it around? What are steps we can take to help make sure it doesn't get any worse than it already is.
I always tell my students when they tell me about someone who isn't making a good choice on the bus or at recess, "We can only be responsible for our own choices" After reading these chapters, I ask myself "to what depth am I show individualism, hedonism, and mimalism? What can I do to change this? What can I do to be more like my mom, who really does try hard to help others and puts them first in all matters.
I was depressed after reading about the 3 philosophies, how pathetic is our culture if that is true. I just cannot believe that everyone fits into those. We might have some of those selfish traits at times but because God created all, I believe that we are more good than bad! I have to believe different! I want to believe in the good of all.
After reading these chapters I got thinking about the question Is Jesus relevant? He is relevant to me but it seems that a lot of people only see his relevance when they need him on their side or any extra prayer. They tend to go on with their life without worry about him and only thinking of themselves until they need him helping them along.
It was very stressing to hear this week that certain religious authorities told the Peosta students that they shouldn't be forced to come to daily mass if they didn't want to be there. Isn't that just feeding right into the philosophies of individualism and hedonism? Given the choice, kids would never go to church, never eat their vegetables, never do their homework or go to bed when they should. For those of you who had the pleasure of having Mrs. Kessler, or have heard of her, we were forced to do lots of things we didn't want to do. Cutting the squigglies off of our papers (and not one better end up on the floor), diagramming sentences, and using a ruler and red pen to neatly underline each and every word of our science vocabulary perfectly. Looking back now, she was the best teacher I ever had--her expectations were high and she never expected anything less than the best from each of us. Isn't that what we want for today's kids? Not for us to be the "cool" parent or the "fun" teacher, but for these kids to grow up to be decent adults.
I felt similar to Lori when reading these chapters; it made me depressed reading through the author's perspective of our current culture. I completely agree that there are aspects of our lives, and society in general, that need to change, but I also felt like the tone of chapter two was negative and somewhat judgmental. One of my pet peeve's concerning people that align themselves closely with the Catholic Church is when they are judgmental. Jesus himself sat with the sinners and condemned people who treated them unjustly. I agreed with a lot of what the author had to offer, but I also like to look for the good in people and I refuse to completely buy into the philosophy that all of our society is plagued by Individualism, Hedonism and Minimalism. Qualities of these three atrocities, yes. Completely marred by these philosophies, not quite yet. I believe we still have time to make a difference and make change. Isn't that part of why we are all teaching in a Catholic School?
I was struck by the section where the author discussed the attitude of Christ. When he quoted Jesus saying "Go therefore and make disciples of every nation" and made it a point to differentiate between being a disciple and a follower, it gave me pause. I think sometimes I am more of a follower than a disciple. I need to make changes to ensure that I don't continue to merely follow the Church, but instead continue to be a disciple of the Christ.
The philosophy I have seen the most lately is minimalism. You constantly see people who do the least amount of work possible, but do expect the greatest reward. This seems sad to me. We should not expect to be rewarded for something if we do no put the time in to receive it. Happiness is different for everyone. For some it takes material possessions and others are happy just to help. For me, the things that make me happy are the people in my life who are kind, helpful, trustworthy, and make me laugh.
Sandy, you brought a laugh to my Friday morning, Mrs. Kessler was a great teacher. All of her "rules" were a bit crazy to an 8th grader, but looking back she did have very high expectations. If you don't expect the best you will not get the best out of them. I feel as if I am always saying to my 4' and 5's "Is this Sally's best job." It is a bit sad that children this young are willing to do the least that is required. Too, the same goes for church, if you do not expect them to show a respect and love for Christ, how can you expect them to learn it on their own.
I also was thinking about the part about Jesus being relevant in our lives. I feel like a lot of people are guilty of Jesus only being relevant when we need him or when it is convenient for us when really he is always there for us so we should always make sure that he is an important part of our lives as well. I also thought it was so true about how people worry about what they don't have. I feel like sometimes we are always overly concerned with those things that others around us have and we don't when in reality, if we have exactly the things that we really need, we shouldn't worry about the rest.
I have to agree a lot with what Patty said. There are many people in the world who feel the need to be happy by having things that are bigger and "better," only to still not feel happy or satisfied. With the "me" attitude so prevailing in society as well, I think that when people do want to do something for others without expecting anything in return, people can sometimes be suspicious because that isn't usually the "norm."
In chapter 3, something that struck me was the sentence about love being the core of Jesus' philosophy and it reminded me of my aunt Nancy. My aunt was 52 when she died of cancer last year, but through all that she went through she loved God more each day and thought of everyone around her with love and care even though she was suffering in her own pain. Fr. Phil Gibbs is the priest at her parish and gave a beautiful homily about how Nancy was like a sunflower that each day turns to face the sun in whatever direction it is, because she turned to God and followed Him everyday. I think for me that she embodied what it means to love as Jesus did. I believe that we all know someone who shows us what it means to live a life like Jesus, it is a matter of continuing to pass it on.
Everyday we make hundreds of decisions and our philosophy of life is defined by the choices we make. How interesting! I remember one of my college professors telling me that writing my philosophy of teaching wouldn’t be hard because all you have to do is think of what you say and do when you’re in the presence of children. People know what we find important by simply watching us! What we spend our time doing, how we deal with others, the looks on our faces, the words we use, how we react to change or disappointing circumstances, etc. Uh, really makes me step back and think about my words and actions!
Our culture is focused on hedonism, individualism, and minimalism, but I’m hopeful and convinced that these philosophical trends are going to change. People are searching for truth, love, and ultimately God! We, as Catholic Christians, need to get the “Good News” out to the hungry people. Our world is in need of freedom through Christ- through his philosophy: self-donation, a life of discipline, strength of character, and love! Simplicity was a word that hit home with me. Slowing down, realizing what’s important, and living for God should always be our goal!
After reading about the 3 philosophies, it made me sad to think about this is what has happen to society. We have people who think only about what they will get out of doing something, or the "me factor." I can't help to think about is how did we get here and what can we do as Catholic educators to change it. I look back at my experience in Catholic school that impacted my life. I had teachers who taught me to give to others and help those in need. They taught me what service is all about. I want to find a way to impact our students to help them to think of others. Hopefully they will live a life of service after they leave Seton. After a positive learning experience they will make decisions to help their church or community when they are out of school. Hopefully we can influence them to think of others.
I didn't want to believe it when I read about hedonism, individualism, and minmalism, but after thinking about it, I think it is a true statement about our society. Natalie, I agree with everything you said. It does seem that people give when something tragic happens and that it is not something we think about every day.
I agree with many of you that we live in a selfish society. I see in many of my students the ideas of "what is the least I can do to get by." I also felt guilty because at times I see my own children express these types of ideas in their actions or words. This chapter forced me to think about my own life and changes I need to make to avoid following into the trap of Individualism, Hedonism, and Minimalism.
After reading chapter 2 on the three major practical philosophies I had to sit back and do a little reflecting as most of what they said is true. Our society is all about “me” and the materialistic things in life. Who has the better boat, house, etc. Children are exposed to this daily and it is no wonder that they bully others over the clothes, shoes that they wear.
ReplyDeleteWhere are the days of using your imagination to play instead TV, computers, video games? Where are the days when you help someone without expecting for something in return? Individualism, Hedonism and Minimalism are self-destructive philosophies and can soon destroy us if we don’t fight now and take action.
I agree with Patty completely. The people in our world care less for each other. People don't care what happens as long as they benefit from what they are doing. Individualism, Hedonism, and Minimalism are killing our society. That is one of the reasons that we have people that are willing to be suicide bombers. They don't care. Minimalism is something we often see. "What is the least I can do to get by?" It is a very bad attitude, but we see more of it all of the time. Many students want to just get by. However, the staff at Seton does not go by this philosophy. The bare minimum is not done. Each of us works to our full potential making Seton the best school it can be. We go out of our way to help others.
ReplyDeleteThe following statement from the book should give all of us something to think about. "The crisis of the modern world is a crisis of ideas. Thought determines action. Ideas shape our lives. It would not be too soon for us to learn that ideas have consequences." This is something we need to make our students aware of.
Most of us live in small communities. We are very lucky because in small communities many people look out for each other. They do thoughtful things for others and don't expect to be repaid. People do things for others because they genuinely care. That is what the Seton community is all about. What a great place to teach! However, there are people in every community, all over the world that think of ME first. Or what they have is better than others. We all need to learn to make do with what we have instead of always wanting more.
When I read the second chapter, it really made me think about my many philosophies of life. What do I truly believe in? What is important to me? What is all influenced by the individualism, hedonism, and/or minimalism philosophies? The scary truth is that most of us are somehow influenced by the three philosophies. As the book says, “They are self-destructive philosophies.” If we continue to live in communities that believe in these philosophies, we are only hurting ourselves.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the third chapter, it made me understand what I think makes me happy and what truly makes me happy. Some of the things I thought of were spending time with my family and friends, seeing my students’ success, and taking time everyday just for myself. I agree with the book when it says, “We are constantly yearning for happiness.” The sad part is with the individualism, hedonism, & minimalism philosophies, our generation is moving away from God’s philosophy: self-donation. I believe that if we live a life in which we make God and his philosophy our main priorities, we will become happier individuals and communities.
When I think about the individualism, hedonism, and minimalism philosophies it is true that we are all affected by them. I can see myself fitting into all three at different times in my life. I think if the entire world were able to bring God to the forefront of their lives what a different world we would live in. We could quit worrying about ourselves and what others think of us and concentrate on what is really important. God's love and sharing his love.
ReplyDeleteIt is very true that people are overly concerned with what they have/don't have. Jealously will eat you up if you can't learn how to be happy for others and accepting of what you have in your own life. Sadly, I think people tend to give more and be kinder to others when tragedy strikes, it doesn't seem to be an everyday thing. We shouldn't have to wait for something bad to happen to remind us what is really important in life.
ReplyDeleteNatalie,
ReplyDeleteI think that is very true. It does take a tragedy such as a death or a fire to make us reach out to those around us. Yet as Christians shouldn't this be an every day thing! Shouldn't we be seeing those who need an extra pat on the back, or those who need food or clothing to survive be our focus.
It is very sad that our society has turned into such a "me" society. The big question is, though, how can we try to turn it around? What are steps we can take to help make sure it doesn't get any worse than it already is.
I always tell my students when they tell me about someone who isn't making a good choice on the bus or at recess, "We can only be responsible for our own choices" After reading these chapters, I ask myself "to what depth am I show individualism, hedonism, and mimalism? What can I do to change this? What can I do to be more like my mom, who really does try hard to help others and puts them first in all matters.
I was depressed after reading about the 3 philosophies, how pathetic is our culture if that is true. I just cannot believe that everyone fits into those. We might have some of those selfish traits at times but because God created all, I believe that we are more good than bad! I have to believe different! I want to believe in the good of all.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading these chapters I got thinking about the question Is Jesus relevant? He is relevant to me but it seems that a lot of people only see his relevance when they need him on their side or any extra prayer. They tend to go on with their life without worry about him and only thinking of themselves until they need him helping them along.
ReplyDeleteIt was very stressing to hear this week that certain religious authorities told the Peosta students that they shouldn't be forced to come to daily mass if they didn't want to be there. Isn't that just feeding right into the philosophies of individualism and hedonism? Given the choice, kids would never go to church, never eat their vegetables, never do their homework or go to bed when they should. For those of you who had the pleasure of having Mrs. Kessler, or have heard of her, we were forced to do lots of things we didn't want to do. Cutting the squigglies off of our papers (and not one better end up on the floor), diagramming sentences, and using a ruler and red pen to neatly underline each and every word of our science vocabulary perfectly. Looking back now, she was the best teacher I ever had--her expectations were high and she never expected anything less than the best from each of us. Isn't that what we want for today's kids? Not for us to be the "cool" parent or the "fun" teacher, but for these kids to grow up to be decent adults.
ReplyDeleteI felt similar to Lori when reading these chapters; it made me depressed reading through the author's perspective of our current culture. I completely agree that there are aspects of our lives, and society in general, that need to change, but I also felt like the tone of chapter two was negative and somewhat judgmental. One of my pet peeve's concerning people that align themselves closely with the Catholic Church is when they are judgmental. Jesus himself sat with the sinners and condemned people who treated them unjustly. I agreed with a lot of what the author had to offer, but I also like to look for the good in people and I refuse to completely buy into the philosophy that all of our society is plagued by Individualism, Hedonism and Minimalism. Qualities of these three atrocities, yes. Completely marred by these philosophies, not quite yet. I believe we still have time to make a difference and make change. Isn't that part of why we are all teaching in a Catholic School?
ReplyDeleteI was struck by the section where the author discussed the attitude of Christ. When he quoted Jesus saying "Go therefore and make disciples of every nation" and made it a point to differentiate between being a disciple and a follower, it gave me pause. I think sometimes I am more of a follower than a disciple. I need to make changes to ensure that I don't continue to merely follow the Church, but instead continue to be a disciple of the Christ.
The philosophy I have seen the most lately is minimalism. You constantly see people who do the least amount of work possible, but do expect the greatest reward. This seems sad to me. We should not expect to be rewarded for something if we do no put the time in to receive it.
ReplyDeleteHappiness is different for everyone. For some it takes material possessions and others are happy just to help. For me, the things that make me happy are the people in my life who are kind, helpful, trustworthy, and make me laugh.
Sandy, you brought a laugh to my Friday morning, Mrs. Kessler was a great teacher. All of her "rules" were a bit crazy to an 8th grader, but looking back she did have very high expectations. If you don't expect the best you will not get the best out of them. I feel as if I am always saying to my 4' and 5's "Is this Sally's best job." It is a bit sad that children this young are willing to do the least that is required. Too, the same goes for church, if you do not expect them to show a respect and love for Christ, how can you expect them to learn it on their own.
ReplyDeleteI also was thinking about the part about Jesus being relevant in our lives. I feel like a lot of people are guilty of Jesus only being relevant when we need him or when it is convenient for us when really he is always there for us so we should always make sure that he is an important part of our lives as well. I also thought it was so true about how people worry about what they don't have. I feel like sometimes we are always overly concerned with those things that others around us have and we don't when in reality, if we have exactly the things that we really need, we shouldn't worry about the rest.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree a lot with what Patty said. There are many people in the world who feel the need to be happy by having things that are bigger and "better," only to still not feel happy or satisfied. With the "me" attitude so prevailing in society as well, I think that when people do want to do something for others without expecting anything in return, people can sometimes be suspicious because that isn't usually the "norm."
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 3, something that struck me was the sentence about love being the core of Jesus' philosophy and it reminded me of my aunt Nancy. My aunt was 52 when she died of cancer last year, but through all that she went through she loved God more each day and thought of everyone around her with love and care even though she was suffering in her own pain. Fr. Phil Gibbs is the priest at her parish and gave a beautiful homily about how Nancy was like a sunflower that each day turns to face the sun in whatever direction it is, because she turned to God and followed Him everyday. I think for me that she embodied what it means to love as Jesus did. I believe that we all know someone who shows us what it means to live a life like Jesus, it is a matter of continuing to pass it on.
Everyday we make hundreds of decisions and our philosophy of life is defined by the choices we make. How interesting! I remember one of my college professors telling me that writing my philosophy of teaching wouldn’t be hard because all you have to do is think of what you say and do when you’re in the presence of children. People know what we find important by simply watching us! What we spend our time doing, how we deal with others, the looks on our faces, the words we use, how we react to change or disappointing circumstances, etc. Uh, really makes me step back and think about my words and actions!
ReplyDeleteOur culture is focused on hedonism, individualism, and minimalism, but I’m hopeful and convinced that these philosophical trends are going to change. People are searching for truth, love, and ultimately God! We, as Catholic Christians, need to get the “Good News” out to the hungry people. Our world is in need of freedom through Christ- through his philosophy: self-donation, a life of discipline, strength of character, and love! Simplicity was a word that hit home with me. Slowing down, realizing what’s important, and living for God should always be our goal!
After reading about the 3 philosophies, it made me sad to think about this is what has happen to society. We have people who think only about what they will get out of doing something, or the "me factor." I can't help to think about is how did we get here and what can we do as Catholic educators to change it. I look back at my experience in Catholic school that impacted my life. I had teachers who taught me to give to others and help those in need. They taught me what service is all about. I want to find a way to impact our students to help them to think of others. Hopefully they will live a life of service after they leave Seton. After a positive learning experience they will make decisions to help their church or community when they are out of school. Hopefully we can influence them to think of others.
ReplyDeleteI didn't want to believe it when I read about hedonism, individualism, and minmalism, but after thinking about it, I think it is a true statement about our society.
ReplyDeleteNatalie, I agree with everything you said. It does seem that people give when something tragic happens and that it is not something we think about every day.
I agree with many of you that we live in a selfish society. I see in many of my students the ideas of "what is the least I can do to get by." I also felt guilty because at times I see my own children express these types of ideas in their actions or words. This chapter forced me to think about my own life and changes I need to make to avoid following into the trap of Individualism, Hedonism, and Minimalism.
ReplyDelete