Conclusion Weblog 7 December 11, 2008

Conclusion

Initially I had trouble choosing a question to ask. When all the while my life was my question. How do experiences define our identities? Originally my question was “What helps or defines who we are? I started out with a picture in my mind of my question and it was from a personal standpoint but I dismissed my emotional attachment to my question early on and began to lose momentum and found it difficult to stay on track. This topic was way too broad. I learned a lot about the different development stages of identity. The amount of information and theories offered by psychologist was plentiful but none of them truly answered my personal question of identity. I had to narrow my question because of the scope of the question in which I asked. I don’t think I would of reached a pinpoint conclusion with my original question. I researched Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Erik Erikson’s stages of psychological development, and although they aided me in my research they provided no real answer to my question. So, I dug deeper; into my own mind and emotions. I examined my personal life and my experiences, both good and bad. I looked back on my child and the things I heard and saw and turned my attention inward into “Morgan”. In the last 6 months so much has happened to me and in just that short amount of time I have truly changed. Because of the separation from my ex boyfriend I am wiser about relationships, I have appreciate the little things and I love harder. I have been made aware and enlightened by my experiences in yoga. I love and appreciate life with ever waking sun. I have learned to thank a higher being for everything that has happened to me because nothing was by accident. By the law of attraction – feel good, attract good. I am still reading The Kybalion , the Hermetic philosophy; and I have gathered so much from this reading that I am bursting at the seams. I want to tell ever about the seven principles. I know the answer to my question lies within me and only to live my life to the fullest will I answer my question or maybe when I am dead at my funeral someone will say who I am.

Weblog 6 December 10, 2008

Some things come into your life and completely change you forever. Yoga which comes from the ancient Sanskrit language spoken by India elite means “union” or “integration”; was that thing for me. Sparked by interest or my unconscious energy, I immediately signed up for it this semester to find out for myself what was the all the fuss. It was the best thing I could of done, I haven’t been able to stop raving about it and it doesn’t hurt to have a totally awesome instructor who lit up the room. Yoga has helped me become more in touch with my feelings and to balance my emotional life. I had recently split with the father of my children and had a terrible accident within weeks of each other and I was a wreck. I joined yoga to learn meditation and be able to cope with my stress. By learning and focusing on the techniques taught in yoga I was able to accept my flaws as well as others. It has allowed me to feel more comfortable with whom I am. As the semester moved along I began to discuss the techniques and disciplines I was learning with a good friend of mine named Carlos. We would sit for hours and talk about yoga and a book called “The Kybalion”, which was published by the yogi publication society from the Masonic temple. That totally blew my mind. The Kybalion is the study of the Hermetic Philosophy of ancient Egypt and Greece. In this book there are seven Hermetic principles:
The Principle of Mentalism
The Principle of Correspondence
The Principle of Vibration
The Principle of Polarity
The Principle of Rhythm
The Principle of Cause and Effect
The Principle of Gender
It was amazing how similar these principles were with that of yoga. Needless to say I have enlightened- I know no boundary; which is the final goal that yoga looks to achieve. This new world of information has transformed my views of life forever and I am truly a child of the universe. Yoga has become my solitude. It is as much as a part of me as my own skin and I am on a never ending flight of consciousness.

Weblog 5 December 5, 2008

Why do we do what we do? Is it love or a dream or maybe a thought of the
way we want it to be. Life is good, days are long, but with the feeling
of being wanted keep me strong. The night dies the sun is born and oh
how the morning sang the never ending song, however only few can hear it
how about you? Can you hear the ocean ringing in your ear, the harmony
mellowed of birds raining down from the tallest dogwood tree as the wind
plays back up for all to hear, feel, and see? Its living without fear
but having fears to keep you living, yes the little wonders of life that
can keep ones soul on and never ending flight. Its loving the bad in
order to enjoy the good that is over time so as my night die my sun is
born I understand I know now why I do what I do.

Wrote for Morgan

By L.D.L

This is an email/ poem sent to me by a male friend of mine, that I hope to call my husband someday; but I posted this email because it directly asks the question “Why do we do what we do?” His directly ties into my I question about identity formation and how our relationships define who we are. He asked to me to read the email and write a response to what I thought he meant and finally after two denials I was triumphant; appreciation of life. He said he sent it to me because I am always so stressed out about life, single parenthood and work and I need to relax. In asking why do we do the things we so I offer this response, to love and appreciate life we have to love and accept ourselves. Through interpersonal identity development allows an individual to question and examine various personality elements such as ideas, beliefs and behaviors. Having other person analyze and highlight things about my personality has helped me define who I am.

 

Weblog 4 December 3, 2008

Another way to define identity is ask the age old question “who am I?” Maslow’s  Hierarchy of Needs teaches us that in order to be a “ self-actualizing person” you have to satisfy five basic needs as follows: physiological, safety, need to love(belongingness),need for esteem, and self-actualization. Without one need satisfied you cannot for fill another. Maslow’s belief was that the reason people do not move well into self-actualization; which is a person’s need to be or do what he or she was “born to do”, is because of society’s hindrance.  Erik Erikson’s stage of psychological development expands on Freud’s eight stages that describe how individuals relate to their social world. James Fowler’s stages of faith development are concerned with relatedness to the universe. Freud himself describes his stages as “the progression of an individual’s unconscious desires.” Lawrence Kohlberg’s stages of moral development describe how individuals reason morals.  To elaborate in Erikson, he believed identity formation was largely unconscious so he believed that the inner world influenced identity. The inner world is where all internal and inner aspects of self reside.  Self is somebody’s personality or an aspect of someone’s perception of your personality. Erikson said “a process located in the core of the individual and yet also in the core of his communal culture.”  He refers to the complex relationship between the inner self and the outer world; He offers these small requirements to the complex process of identity formation:

-Employs a process of simultaneous reflection and observation

-takes place on all levels of the mental functioning

- Individuals judge themselves in light of what they perceive others to see them

Identity formation maybe indefinite it would just depend on who you agree with. Identity formation is a melting pot that shapes  all our different aspects of ourselves into a unique being.  I have to agree with Erikson mostly, no offense to Maslow but it seems to me that we are this huge ball of energy with a conscious and unconscious mind that motivates and stimulates our inner and outer world. NO kidding there are tons of systems or developmental stages that greatly influence all aspects of a individual. It is said that identity formation leads to a number of personal identity issues where the individual has some sort of comprehension of themselves as a separate entity or something that exists as or is perceived to be an separate object.

 

 

Weblog 3 November 7, 2008

In the opening of Pinker’s “Why they kill their newborn’s” he grabs his audience with a jaw dropping statement as “killing your baby, what could be more depraved”.  Pinker goes on to give two specific cases where two teenage moms were on trial for abandoning their newborn babies.  “How could they do it” he asks offering up paragraphs drenched with sarcasm and distaste as lawyers argue temporary psychosis and blame it on a throwaway society and rock lyrics. Pinker relays that neonaticide was practiced and accepted in history in some cultures.  Although we are never given specific names of cultures he reminds us of past cultural behaviors. Pinker later expresses his own reaction to neonaticide, calling it “an immoral act”. He offers a range of reasoning and views from psychologists and biologists who argue that neonaticide is a built in biological design of our parental emotions.  He gives in great detail the traditions of hunter – gathering societies and how the women are harden to sacrifice their newborns. Pinker states that neonaticide forces us to examine even the boundaries of what is life and what makes a living being a person with a right not to be killed. He continues to offer theories from philosophers tip toeing on boundaries of moral ethics.

Brian Chapman’s, “A Modest Proposal: Should we change our minds about infanticide”, states people’s opinions can be shifted without their realizing it by changing words . He supports this by stating that Steven Pinker “tells us that killing one’s fresh offspring should be regarded less harshly, regardless of how immoral it is; its nature’s way”. Chapman teases Pinker’s idea that a young woman who kills her newborn is merely following an evolutionary instinct to preserve her childbearing capacity for later in the future. Chapman mocks Pinker’s hunt-gathering instincts and teases that Pinker never offers what moral philosophers to credit. Chapman’s article is full of attacks on Pinker’s theories of neonaticide. In his conclusion Chapman teases that he would like to punch Pinker in those nose and blame it on his hunt- gathering instincts.

I believe that Chapman misunderstood Professor Pinker’s article greatly. If read more closely he would see that Pinker never sided with the idea of one killing their newborns. He only educated or offered a variety of theories thought of by philosophers, psychologists and biologists; in order to maybe himself understand the reasoning of women who would commit this crime. Throughout Pinker’s article he is sarcastic, mocking the lawyers and even the mothers of the newborns.

Weblog 2: What do I want to know? October 1, 2008

 What shapes our identities and defines who we are? I can only date my history back as far as my grandmother, the rest of my family history is a blank? As we grow in adulthood we struggle to find a median. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs teaches us the in order to be an “self-actualizing person” you have to satisfy five basic needs as follows: physiological, safety, need to love (belongingness), need for esteem and self actualization. Without one need satisfied you can not satisfy another. Maslow believes that the reason people do not move well into self actualization; a person’s need to be or do what he or she was ”born to do”, is because of societies hindrance. As adolescents we are taught and told what to do and as a teen we rebel and tests our limits. Then as an adult we begin to think about the bigger picture, about who we are and what makes us different from everyone else. In our own minds we trick ourselves into thinking we know the answer to that question. When do we truly realize our potential and worth? Our family and society shapes us as individuals. They influence our morals and beliefs but at what point do we learn to think on our own? If our basic needs are met shouldn’t we be able to reach our full potential? Shouldn’t we know where we’ve been so we’ll know where we’re going? Sounds cliché but has weight. In society today we often compare ourselves to the model or the actress and assume others identites just to fit in. We are bonbarded with what is cool and what is not, it’s no wonder our youth is so messed up. Sometimes you suffer for being unique and not following the trends so how do we teach ourselves that are voices are our own.  The answer to this question seems simple enough but how many people can answer that question with substance?

I am a young black women in my mid twenties and a single mother of two beautiful children but who am I? I have had recent events in my life that have caused me to pose this question. Recently separated from the father of my children and having to face unknown possibilities my strength and faith are tested daily. Being able to be truly happy in my own skin and satisfied with the decisions I have made is my goal. We have all had friends or family members who have responded to their idiotic behavior or reckless life style with ” I am finding myself”. Well , where are you? I think this topic can be very tricking, it may be difficult to stay on track with mu original question. My question may morph into something completely different as my research develops. I hope to discover some intimate things about myself and to grow into the person I was born to be.

Weblog 1 I believe…. September 11, 2008

        I believe that people want to be better

      I believe that society is a fad

      I believe that government is corrupt

      I believe that justice rarely prevails

      I believe that knowledge is power

      I believe that science supports life

      I believe that reality bites

      I believe that life is what you make it

      I believe that happiness comes from within

      I believe that goodness triumphs over evil

      I believe that death is inevitable

      I believe that GOD does exist

I believe that life is what you make it. I believe this is true because of my own personal experiences and the experiences of others. We are taught early in life that we are the makers of our own destiny and that the choices we make will write the story of our lives. We have all witnessed direct outcomes of our own or others decisions whether big or small. An individual who complains about not having a nice car but refuses to work; well we all know how that goes. We are dealt certain cards in the game of life and I believe that the choices that we make will determine those outcomes. Experiences in my life have made me much more open minded and have allowed space for me to grow as a person. Interacting with other people and sharing experiences give us the tools to make wiser choices; to think outside the box. I’ve witnessed family members choose drugs over family relationships and now 25 yrs later have nothing to show for years and (brain cells) wasted. The choices that I have made in my life just recently have turned my little world upside down and I have been forced to constantly deal and cope with those decisions.  A recent car accident on the 4^th of July has caused more turmoil than I’d like but I am learning from it. Deciding to derail a 6 yr roller coaster with the father of my children has greatly altered not only my life but the lives of at least four other people; but it’s my life. I live in America, where I have the freedom to choose an apple or a pear. It is up to us to shape clay into a beautiful work of art, to embrace the life GOD has given us and make the best of a good or bad situation.

Life can be manipulated and we can easily lose control. Some are born into family situations that may alter how they will perceive the quality of life. A person’s decisions may haunt them for the rest of their lives and no matter what they do to change it the past follows. The government invades are privacy and implements laws to guide our lives. So is our lives truly our own? Innocent people die on death row and are imprisoned for life everyday because someone else has more power over their lives then they do. Literally they are told when to eat, drink and sleep. As children our parents mold us into mini clones and choose our friends, education and even in some parts of the world our spouses. We are little robots programmed to reproduce and eat.

Reflection 3 May 3, 2008

I am passionate about children. I am passionate about family. I am passionate about the sunset and how the canvas is painted with vast colors of the rainbow. I am passionate about a good sale at JC Penny’s. I am passionate about a new glossy shade of M.A.C. I am passionate about my daughter’s closest being in order by color and item. I am passionate about love. I am passionate about a good grade in this class. I am passionate about great stiletto that doesn’t hurt. I am passionate about the perfect little black dress. I am passionate about my children’s laughter. I am passionate about my aged journal. I am passionate about my car. I am passionate about education. I am passionate about my culture. I am passionate about you. I am passionate about music and art. I am passionate about the smell of my hair after a day at the salon. I am passionate about Crenshaw Dr and its towering trees. I am passionate about the first time I saw him. I am passionate about Texas. I am passionate about exotic places I have never been. I am passionate about  great banana pudding. I am passionate about the scent of a man. I am passionate about nature and mother earth. I am passionate about the taste of authentic Mexican food. I am passionate about the single mother who struggles to feed her children. I am patient about the sick child who fights for his life. I am passionate about the memories that make you smile. I am passionate about a child’s innocence. I am passionate about a movie that makes you cry every time you watch it. I am passionate about humanity. I am passionate about a page turning novel. I am passionate about echos of a new home. I am passionate about the soldiers in Iraq. I am passionate about Katrina victims. I am passionate about those who lost their lives in 9/11. I am passionate and optimistic about a new president. I am passionate about the future. I am passionate about solar power. I am passionate about freedom of speech. I am passionate about world hunger. I am passionate about Africa and AIDS. I am passionate about a family cookout in mid summer. I am passionate about becoming a PA. I am passionate about acting and theater. I am passionate about the people. I am passionate about medicine. I am passionate about saving lives. I am passionate about food so good you want to slap your momma. I am passionate about crystal. But most of all I am passionate about life.

Assignment 5 April 29, 2008

Does race matter in the classroom? This question is posed by Will Okun in his essay “Understand”, in which the Chicago school teacher surveys both his students and fellow colleagues on the subject. Okun is surprised to learn that half his students do not feel race matters in the classroom as the other half greatly oppose.

They argue that “black teachers are harder on us”, while others debate that a good teacher is excited and wants to see their students succeed and the color of your skin makes no difference.

Okun’s passion and sympathy for the subject bleeds through as he searches within to understand how to be most effective in the classroom.

Black students in America are falling behind in the academic race and in order to bridge the gap we must first figure out how to reach and help these students, that is the greater issue. I do believe that a black teacher may have a greater advantage teaching African American studies (obviously) however; having a black teacher for basic studies may not be necessary. It is the responsibility of parents, teachers and students to make sure the student is excelling and any slack on that; I am afraid is our entire fault. Poverty, abuse and violence know no color and these outside obstacles drastically affect a student’s success in the classroom and having a teacher that knows that struggle can be an advantage to both student and teacher.

I recently took African American Studies last semester on line and I am not sure to this day whether my teacher was black or white. I didn’t get much of a vibe from him. We did a few class discussions on blackboard but he didn’t lecture or email much. I guess in that case I ‘ll never know. My fiance and I watched on T.V. a few months back a white author on C-Span who wrote a book about slavery. His name is forgotten but his passion and knowledge of the subject was amazing. He was very persuasive and detailed about the slave ships and events that took place. I almost forgot he was a white man, I wouldn’t mind him teaching my AA studies class.

Reflection 2 Why I write April 29, 2008

When I think about why I write the reason is not complex or inspiring.

From a early age writing has come fairly easily to me. I am a Pisces so I tend to be very imaginative and elaborate. Writing has always been rather theraputic for me.

When I was 11 yrs old I started keeping a journal. I would write in this journal daily, it was like talking to a friend. All of the days events however exciting or boring would find their way onto its pages. When I was upset or really happy I noticed my actual handwriting would change depending on my emotions. My first real boyfriend and all kinds of incriminating stuff is in there. It has always been my audience.

14 yrs later and I am still writing away, telling all my deepest secrets and innermost thoughts. I can’t beleive its followed me from state to state and relationship to relationship. Its funny that at my lonelist or frustrated hour; there it is. It is still an old friend that I have come to believe and trust in. I do not write to persuade or for an ego boost I write for my sanity and soul. A way to exhale and put all my feelings and pressures of daily life onto paper.

Recently I read a book about religion and the events on 9/11 and it really scared the you know what out of me. Its scary to think that we are just little pawns on a board and some else is playing us. I am definitely more opened minded to unexplainable phenomenon sort of speak.