Lesson Plan 28 January 2010

Off to St. Mary's we go to discover ourselves!!!

Listening activity. After clearing the mind, instead of letting go of everything, search for the meaning of faith and spirituality. What are your beliefs?

What, ultimately, is most important in spirituality/religion? What are some of your personal beliefs?

Everybody has their own spiritual beliefs and their own sense of faith. Whoever wants to should share what they believe.

"Love, in the end, is what truly matters." ~Helen

"But I still believed in a greater meaning – whether it be the harmony of nature or personal success, or simply the quest for joy in life. " ~Alice

"And, he loves others, believes in their potential goodness of heart." ~Helen

"Personally, I feel that the means to do this rests in the one divine concept fully expressed here on our imperfect world. Love." ~Chris

"I gathered that Man has free choice disassociated of a deity and that his only redemption is to himself upon his every action, reaction, and interaction." ~Thuyen

"My leap is faith in the infinite, or more precisely, the infinitely small uniform composition of matter. Within that infinite rests a force – the force that causes all physical reality, the first force that determined the history of everything. To believe in this force is to have faith, my faith, in the idea that everything is connected, and everything follows a path of elegant uniformity." ~Alice

"My faith has never wavered in my belief that there is something out there for us to grasp onto. A greater force or divine being, or sorts, to create, protect, guide." ~Emily

"That energy, to me, as silly as it sounds, was proof of a God, my God." ~Maysie

"So, like Pi, I feel I can make my own reality, my own 'faith.'" ~Katherine

What are some moments that can make or break your faith?

It's always fun to reflect on moments that made you so sure about something out there. I remember just this weekend I went running with some friends at Town Lake. We finished and lay down in a patch of grass outside the Wells Fargo building, looking up at shapes in the clouds. To me, these are the moments that make it so clear. Just that there can be such beauty in life is enough.
And, sadly, there are those times that made of question faith very strongly. Why do certain things happen to good people? Why do certain things happen to bad people for that matter?

"But I’ve thought that maybe this reason comes from the fact that all events in life play out in a certain way that will never change. Time, until the end of time, is set in stone and events will happen as they have been planned by some greater figure."~Emily

"For me, I’d have trouble trusting that greater force who just let my family die and left me stranded with zoo animals in the middle of the ocean (possibly to face death soon as well)." ~Emily

"I usually find him in the most unexpected places." ~Lauren

"And it was so beautiful...You had to be there maybe, but there was something so... deep about this realization" ~Lauren

"That is something I can relate to except I am opposite from him in that he comes to gain faith in all of the religions while I shied away from them." ~Thuyen

"But in all honestly, the time in which I felt most connected with God was a random Wednesday after school in yoga class" ~Maysie

Moving on...How did this part of the book affect your perspective of nature?

Clearly, the talk about the zoo brought about some responses. What did you guys think about Pi's version of things?

"If you ask me, his religious beliefs are almost zoo-like. They encompass aspects of many religions, much like a zoo encompasses creatures of all different kinds." ~Jose

"To be honest, I find it somewhat frustrating that he has such strong convictions about animal behavior when there is so much we don't know." ~Jose

"While animals feel pain as we do, they do not necessarily view the world as we do." ~Molly

"We act with the same predatory instincts to those we view as weak, especially as children, before we have truly learned compassion." ~Molly

"'DO YOU KNOW WHICH IS THEMOST DANGEOUS ANIMAL IN THE ZOO?' (31). Behind the curtain that this sign pointed to was a mirror. We are. Since we are neither share the same backgrounds nor are the same species as the zoo animals, we cannot fully understand the animals themselves" ~Jade

"Observing the animals and even witnessing their violent natures foreshadows the manner in which Pi will cope with the circumstances he is placed into." ~Jade

All Religions Are True

This novel didn’t strike me as one that would get me thinking from religious standpoint. I went in unsure of what to expect. All I had ever heard about Life of Pi was that “oh that’s a good book!” What’s so great about it? Shipwreck—we’ve had plenty of those. Animals—based on last semester, you can safely say there are PLENTY of those. Differing cultures—there’s a fair share of those books as well. And at this point in the novel, I’m still unsure of what to expect, but I can venture a guess. Shipwrecked, orphaned, and terrified of being eaten by a giant tiger, the question of faith pops up in my mind. I believe I can safely say that everyone will go through a point in their life that will cause them to question their faith. Whether it could be losing that faith—death in the family, continuous runs of bad luck, unrequited love or gaining faith—witnessing some miraculous event that gives you this insight into something greater, there is always that point in your life.

For me, I’d have trouble trusting that greater force who just let my family die and left me stranded with zoo animals in the middle of the ocean (possibly to face death soon as well). But maybe these events make us stronger in the end. We have a stronger belief in what is out there and why things happen. We are taught from a young age that “everything happens for a reason.” But does it really? Who’s to say that’s true? I don’t even know if Pi knows if that’s true anymore. After such a loss, what could the reasoning be behind that? But I’ve thought that maybe this reason comes from the fact that all events in life play out in a certain way that will never change. Time, until the end of time, is set in stone and events will happen as they have been planned by some greater figure.

My best friend, Emily, and I are not the most religious people. We talk occasionally and when we do, it’s speculating leaves me wondering. One time, I asked her we discussed what happened to atheists after they died. She replied, as though it was obvious, “God forgives them for not believing and they go to heaven anyway.” I had always thought that the case was different. I wondered—if people did not believe in a heaven, how could they arrive there in the end. Atheists clearly did not desire an afterlife, so would they get it anyway? My faith has never wavered in my belief that there is something out there for us to grasp onto. A greater force or divine being, or sorts, to create, protect, guide. But as for everything in between, I remain relatively lost. And after talking to Emily, my belief remains firm in that God is ultimately forgiving and that good people (no matter what they believe) will be rewarded in the best way God sees fit. Perhaps Gandhi was right when he said “All religions are true” (69).

So what if you could practice more than one religion? To me, there are beauties in every religion. My friend told me the other day that he disagrees with practicing more than one religion. He insisted that they could not all follow the same God unknowingly. Ever since I was young, though, I had thought that this was true. That we may all have different religions and traditions and who we follow—but in the end we may all end up in the same place. It is a beautiful thing to me that, despite all our differences in religion, we as humans could all end up together someday. No longer torn apart by our religious prejudices but thrown together. “One nation [in the sky], one passport” (73). Pi’s father discusses how the three different religions can’t work together, stating about Muslims “’They’re outsiders’” (75). I never see people of different religions as outsiders, but that word is there. Different.

Maybe we don’t have to be so different someday. I like Pi’s unwavering faith. He has firm beliefs that he can practice all three religions and no one can tell him otherwise. He is so certain of the three religions he practices and I am confident (I haven’t read it yet!) that this will ultimately guide him throughout the rest of this novel.

Volunteering For Your Own Cause

From this reading, I think I’ve realized a thing or two about service. I tried to be as active as I could be in high school, but usually my commitments to service felt stretched, annoying, and not very enjoyable. I went through the motions because I was being “should upon” (Dass 157). And after reading Dass’ opinion about service, I’ve realized why it wasn’t as rewarding as I always thought it would be. Because I didn’t “discover” (Dass 157). I didn’t do the research on my own, I attended my Student Council meetings and was told about what we could do to volunteer. More than once, I heard my friends say that we were merely the manual workers of StuCo and that our opinion about things didn’t matter. And to an extent, it was true. We tried to express desires about helping certain causes and had little response from the executives. I can’t complain, though, because it is my fault that I didn’t know about what I was volunteering for. I could have researched and found my own ways of helping out and that would have been more me. Maybe I was too lazy or maybe I lacked self-confidence.

Whatever it was, I lacked passion for the things I put effort into. And then my friend had an excellent idea. We were both part of a string quartet and she suggested playing for nursing homes. I realized that I could share my love of music with others and in doing so, I could bring joy to people and I could also do something I love. From what I’ve read by Dass concerning service, this seems to be the ideal of service. Music is a huge part of who I am and sharing it with others and this was the best part.

However, from this StuCo experience, I found I had to respect the opinions of others. I realized how it felt to be ignored and have what you care about pushed aside. Ram Dass said that “if you try to dominate people, you are already defeated” (Dass 168). I have to agree. Student Council dominated me. Our meetings were all mandatory and there was a very strict system to follow. I had trouble dealing with people that couldn’t listen to me and could not respect the opinions of the people that did most of their work. Thus, StuCo activities became a hassle. They were not enjoyable because my heart wasn’t in them and I had no passion for the cause because we knew nothing about it. Volunteering became a way to make the number of points required of each six weeks rather than this rewarding experience of helping people in need.

So I’ve decided that to be involved, I can’t do what is expected of me or what I think would look best to other people. I need to find things that interest me and find groups that have a cause that I have looked into and researched before I dedicate myself to it. “Everybody’s trying to make the best of a nutty situation” (Dass 242) and that everybody includes me. I just need to find my spot in this nutty situation and figure out what I can do to help. After reading Dass, I have more confidence in my ability to listen to the problems of others and assessing what I can do to make situations better. In the movie “Keeping the Faith,” a young rabbi is trying to push his congregation into grow and expand religiously. However, his methods are extreme and the head rabbi tells him that he will get more response if the people feel that they are being “lead and not pushed.” I have to tell myself that I can’t push people into agreeing with me.

When I watched “Earthlings,” I made the decision to give up eating red meat. When I tell people about it, I have to remind myself not to have an “air of superiority” (Dass 158) in how I convey my reasoning for this decision. I have to explain myself at a perspective from how I feel rather than how they should feel. And based on these terms, I am excited about launching myself out into the world and helping out in any way I can.

Listening DB

When I was performing in the local theater company, the director always drilled a certain statement into our heads: "Listening is looking at the person speaking." For little kids (I was in 6th grade at the time), perhaps this was wise advice and it did work to an extent, but I've realized that this does not necessarily hold true. One time, I was chatting with my neighbor while he was talking. He caught me, and said, "Emily, listening is looking at the person speaking." So, I turned my head in his direction. However, my thoughts didn't immediately settle on what he was talking about. They wandered to my own embarrassment that he caught me and to the things that we were talking about. I saw him and took in what he was saying, but I still didn't really care and was more preoccupied. Also, when I'm trying to concentrate on what is being said in class or something, I will do everything in my power to focus on the teacher: look directly at them, sit up straighter, write down what I hear. But no matter what, my mind continues to wander to other matters. Not even more important things, just things that I find more interesting.

What I've realized is that to listen, I have to actually care about what is being said. And when that happens, "our minds become concentrated, sharp and clear" (Dass 100). When it comes to the suffering of people I care about, of course I will want to listen and respond in order to help them out. However, if I'm listening to something less interesting (Calculus for example), my mind is much more likely to wander. And my mind tends to wander back to issues concerning me or the people I've been listening to lately (that I actually care about). However, I have also found that the mind (or we, as people) can be very selfless.

One time, my friend and I were getting ready to go out one night. We were deliberating and fretting over what to wear, how to do our hair, and what color make-up looked good. I resolved to ask my sister what she thought, because her sense of fashion is much better than mine. When I walked into her room, I found her crying. Immediately, my thoughts about our evening out vanished to be replaced with concern for her. She explained her problems and all I could think about was trying to comfort her and deal with this new problem.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that although we are all selfish people and have our own thoughts and problems bubbling at the surface, compassion, in the end, wins. I was truly upset about my sister's troubles and pulled myself out of my own world and entered hers. I'm not entirely sure I can agree with Dass about how "in our zeal to help, we may increase the distance between the person and our own consciousness" (Dass 99). I find that listening to their troubles (while there are always going to be distractions) intensifies my focus and I am able to be a better listener.

So maybe listening is entering another person's world and leaving yours behind. I guess there really is a "breadth to our perspective" in that it's "aerial, wide-screen, panoramic,and yet able to focus quickly" (Dass 105). For my step-mom, it seems natural for her to listen. She's a psychologist and she has always seemed at ease opening up her mind and listening to my problems.

She seems to have advice to offer and always seems very focused on what I'm telling her. When someone listens to me the way she does, I feel this sense of security and like a huge weight is lifting off my shoulders. Truly listening to someone is so beneficial for them. It's like the person speaking can have more faith in you as a person and in how much they care about you.

Helping Out

For some reason, I have always felt that there is this fine line between helping and service. I suppose they should mean the same thing, but the effect on me (my personal character) seems totally different. Service—helping out at church, joining Student Council, volunteering at the nursing homes. That is the stuff that we complain about, the stuff that seems forced and at times, annoyingly out of the way. Simply helping someone, however, is so natural. “Compassion will come forth as needed…simply because it is its nature to do so” (Dass 15).

This reminds me of a time I helped out a random stranger at HEB. A woman was carrying a huge bundle of balloons and was struggling to fight them into the backseat of her car. I rushed over and assisted her in stuffing them into the backseat and then closing the door. Wearily, she turned to me with an appreciative smile and said thank you. I could see the appreciation in her eyes and I could almost feel the change in my mood as I headed into the store. I felt elated and lighter. Happier.

Ram Dass discusses that “our choice of how to help may turn on personal motives and needs” (Dass 14), but I honestly think that it depends. Sure, it felt good to help out the woman, but even without the repercussion, I am relatively certain I would have helped anyway. Because I know that I would appreciate it. I guess it really does boil down to that one simple rule: treat people like you want to be treated. However, I get what he’s saying when he discusses that people want to be doctors to have that title and respectability. I’ve thought about other health professions, but they just didn’t seem like they would be as self-fulfilling. Don’t get me wrong, however. I love the idea of helping people. For a long time now, I’ve considered the idea of being a pediatrician or a cancer doctor. It would be so nice to touch these people’s lives and have a chance to help them recover.

Does that make me selfish that I want to make others feel better? I’m not entirely sure I understand Dass’ whole point of view about that. I mean, surely helping a cancer patient isn’t selfish. There’s the risk that the patient will die and then you will be left to deal with the pain of losing that person and the pain of the people that person left behind. However, you were there and you made that much difference—which could have meant the world to these people even though you got hurt in the process.

I get worried reading too into the whole helping people thing. I like the idea that helping is just natural. It is something that comes with being a person—or an animal for that matter. The dolphin surely didn’t have much to gain from helping out the drowning scuba diver. Dolphins are harmed by people all the time and even hunted, so helping was the last thing that should have been on its agenda. However, the dolphin “was smiling” (Dass 4). It wanted to reassure and help not because it would gain from the experience, but because the diver would.

And it’s true: I do recall images of a place or circumstance “where going out of [the] way was hardly out of the ordinary” (Dass 8). And it still should be. I don’t mind going a little out of the way for people every now and then. And clearly those little actions can make so much difference. If we all did a little bit every day, it could mean so much—but if only some people help a lot and some don’t at all, it’s almost a lost cause. I have faith that people will continue to be friendly and helpful no matter how much changes in our society. And we will see that the people we are helping are not the only ones that leave that situation with a good feeling inside.