Not for all, but here is a link to an excellent video on the nature of reality and how we can hang on to our equanimity - a sense of unshakeability. The teacher is wise and also very funny. The video is named "How to Survive Election Night" but is mostly a crash course on Tibetan Buddhism and on how to nurture an intense, deep love for all beings. Highly recommended. You have to give basic info to "pay" but the cost is $0.
Great thoughts as always, John. I keep saying, capitalism is the enemy, comrades. It gave us racism, slavery, and now..... whatever this is. As you said, our lives, relationships, and experiences should not be transactional. An eerily timely book, despite its age, is Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart.
My daughter is in her final year of college and has been assigned several group projects in different classes. She was lamenting the fact that her other group members simply don’t want to do the assigned work. We were brainstorming why this was such a problem. You gave me the answer-they have all reached the next “destination”. They have jobs secured for after graduation, so why do the work? On another note, one member of one of the groups completely checked out for nearly three weeks because he was the social chair for his fraternity in charge of planning Hallow-weekend. I commented that his priorities seemed to be skewed, but then corrected myself in noting that his future is secured more by the frat contacts than the coursework.
It's a shame that she's having this experience because it doesn't have to be this way. When I was teaching, I had a great mentor who helped me better understand how to set students up for success on their group projects, even students who are checked out of school. It's too late for your daughter, but I wrote a piece about my experiences a while ago: https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/just-visiting/group-projects-dont-need-be-miserable
Yes.
Not for all, but here is a link to an excellent video on the nature of reality and how we can hang on to our equanimity - a sense of unshakeability. The teacher is wise and also very funny. The video is named "How to Survive Election Night" but is mostly a crash course on Tibetan Buddhism and on how to nurture an intense, deep love for all beings. Highly recommended. You have to give basic info to "pay" but the cost is $0.
https://momence.com/Three-Jewels/video/Election-Night%3A-Breaking-the-Cycle-with-Hector-Marcel/1123346
Hmmm... Would you call your writing this week "The Weave?" ;-)
Too soon, Terry, too soon. (I did laugh, though.)
Thank you. Especially for “pro-human.”
Thank you for your thoughtful insights and the time spent in sharing them. Definitely an invitation for pondering.
I'm going to be thinking of "consume" all day now. Thanks for your reflections on such a hard week/month/years. The work will continue.
Great thoughts as always, John. I keep saying, capitalism is the enemy, comrades. It gave us racism, slavery, and now..... whatever this is. As you said, our lives, relationships, and experiences should not be transactional. An eerily timely book, despite its age, is Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart.
You are reminding me here of the flash fiction story by Hugh Behm-Steinberg called "Taylor Swift": https://gulfcoastmag.org/journal/28.2/2015-barthelme-prize-winner-taylor-swift/. Strong consumerism vibes in that one--and a hilarious take on the meme-ification or obsession with pop stars.
Thank you for this John.
My daughter is in her final year of college and has been assigned several group projects in different classes. She was lamenting the fact that her other group members simply don’t want to do the assigned work. We were brainstorming why this was such a problem. You gave me the answer-they have all reached the next “destination”. They have jobs secured for after graduation, so why do the work? On another note, one member of one of the groups completely checked out for nearly three weeks because he was the social chair for his fraternity in charge of planning Hallow-weekend. I commented that his priorities seemed to be skewed, but then corrected myself in noting that his future is secured more by the frat contacts than the coursework.
It's a shame that she's having this experience because it doesn't have to be this way. When I was teaching, I had a great mentor who helped me better understand how to set students up for success on their group projects, even students who are checked out of school. It's too late for your daughter, but I wrote a piece about my experiences a while ago: https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/just-visiting/group-projects-dont-need-be-miserable
I was also interviewed as a group project "fixer" on a podcast. There's some real horror stories in this episode. I hope your daughter's wasn't as bad as these: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2023-08-29-group-project-horror-stories-and-how-to-avoid-them