Discussion question 5

Hi all!  Your response to this blog should appear no later than midnight on Nov. 23.

In the last discussion you were asked to think about a prized possession that it would be difficult to lose.  Building on this (in a way) imagine that you are told you are moving.  You are moving tomorrow.  You will be moved to a place where you will be doing hard labor.  You will not return (EVER!) to your home.  There are no convenience stores or hotels or restaurants awaiting you.

You will be able to bring with you only one small suitcase.  It must weigh less than 50 pounds. 
What are the 15-20 items you will pack into that suitcase to bring?
If you're really motivated and want to figure out a way to actually pack this bag and photograph it---feel free to attach a photo of it!
Good luck!

Discussion Question 4

You've all been doing a very good job of thinking about these questions and then writing thoughtfully about them.  Thanks!  This blog post is due Nov. 9.  (Wednesday-E-Day)

I'd like you to think about something you consider to be a prized "possession"--something you're proud of, worked hard for, feel like it would be hard to do without.  Maybe a car, maybe a pet, maybe a special gift from a grandparent, maybe an award you won, maybe a photo of something special, maybe a family heirloom......

Describe what it is that you consider so important.  Why is it so important to you?  What if the police or some other intimidating government official took it away from you?  How would you feel?  What would you do?

Discussion question 3

Please respond AFTER Sept. 28.  Please respond BEFORE Oct. 9.

Think about a time you've lost at something.  Maybe it was an athletic event.  Maybe it was on the job.  Maybe it was a fight with a sibling.  Maybe it was an audition.  Think about how it felt.  Did you blame someone?  Something?  Did you learn from the situation? 

Now think about how the winner(s) behaved.  Were they "good sports" about it?  Were they gracious?  Did they take advantage of you?  Did they gloat?  Were they patronizing (talking down) to you?  Did they ignore you?

Write a response to the following:  Feel free to work in an example of a situation. 
How do you avoid being a "bad" winner or a "bad" loser?  How do people (you?) avoid misplacing blame when things don't work out the way they (you) want?

Discussion Question 2

Please respond to the following question before midnight Sept. 28 (an E-Day)

 How do you feel when you’re told what to wear or to go to church?  When do you choose to follow what your parents or other authorities tell you to do and when do you resist?

(We're trying to get a sense of when it is right, good, appropriate to follow authority and when it is appropriate or even important to respond to it differently.)

Just a few thoughts-- or really questions.  Does it matter what or who the authority is?  If reasons are given does that make a difference?  Does habit play a factor?  Are friends authorities is any way? What about crossing the line with friends?

Great comments so far.  Thanks for taking this seriously.

If you're a "late blogger" (posting after the 23rd) respond to other responses.  It's a conversation of sorts.

journal discussion 1

AS part of a test run of this blog please answer the following question in a blog post of your own.
THEN respond to at least one blog posting of someone else.  Be thoughtful and focus on the main idea of the writer.

Journal discussion question 1

Why do you think people turn away from bad things?  (Think about tv stories about famine in East Africa, or that ASPCA commercial with the pitiful dogs, or radio reports on unemployment rates going up in Milwaukee.)  In other words why do people change the channel or station instead of listening or watching these types of things?