Try to address 2 or 3 of the following prompts. Respond to 1 or 2 of your classmates' postings.
- What is human nature?
- Why is a conception of human nature of important? What does it do for us?
§ What ought we to do?
§ How ought we live?
§ What kind of society should we have?
§ Who is responsible for what and why?
§ What kind of economic & political system is just?
- What have you learned about death & dying that is important to you? Is surprising to you?
- Has this helped you reflect on the meaning of life?
- What does life mean?
- Am I living a good life?
- What is death?
- What’s my legacy?
I have learned in this class that death and dying is something we should not be afraid of. Instead of ignoring the topic because "it's scary" or "depressing" we should be open to it and embrace it. Before taking this course I was somewhat afraid to take it because I never saw death as a good thing and I never liked talking about it. But with class discussions and reflections, papers, and films I have come to be more open about death. This course has helped me reflect on the meaning of life. Life to me is living every day in the present and to not dwell in the past or future but to live day by day. I often felt like I was living in the past, worrying about things I cannot control and that was not living life. I was too busy about things I had to do in the future which was holding me back from living today. Though death is the end of life, it is in some ways, but what we leave behind lives on forever. My legacy is the memories I've had with others. It is not all about the physical things I leave behind such as money or objects. Though money and objects are a big part of one's will, I want to be remembered by ways I've impacted people around me.
ReplyDeleteEmily, I definitely agree with your meaning of life as living day by day and not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future all the time. This can definitely hold one back from truly enjoying life and being happy. I also agree with your ideas about legacy not being about the material things, but the impact you've made in the world.
DeleteI liked how you began this post by saying "death and dying is something we should not be afraid of" because I would completely agree. We shouldn't be afraid of the inevitable, we should instead take time to understand it more and be able to discuss it.
DeleteI was very nervous when I enrolled in the course becasuse I had just recently lost someone close to me and I didn't know how easy it would be for me to talk about death. However, I now understand that death isn't a bad thing and as Emily mentioned, it isn't something we should be afraid of. No one ever likes talking about death but I'm glad that this class forced me to think and talk about things I normally wouldn't feel comfortable talking about. After hearing stories and talking more about death I have realized how blessed I am and that I should live my life to the fullest with my friends and family while I still have the chance to do so.
ReplyDeleteBrianna, first off, sorry for your loss. I agree with you on the fact that I too was nervous when I originally enrolled in this course. Death is not an easy subject to discuss, especially in a class full of people you don't really know. As this class has gone on, we all seem to have grown much more comfortable with ourselves as well as with discussing such a tough subject.
DeleteI was curious about this course. I didn't know what to expect or how the class was going to be taught. Now that this class is coming to an end, I have grown as an individual. I am no longer afraid to ask my parents questions about death or what their wishes are. Before taking this course I would have no idea to how to approach them with such a serious topic.
ReplyDeleteThe meaning of life is to fulfill my goals and aspirations. I think Lauren Hill is an excellent example of the meaning of life. She is face with cancer and achieved her goal, playing in a college basketball game and now she wants to raise money to find a cure for her brain cancer.
I define death as the cessation of heart and lung movement. I understand the brain death and loss of the person's personality but I still believe that if a persons heart is pumping blood then they are still alive.
Lauren, I don't think you could have said it any better about Lauren Hill. The timing of her unfortunate situation allowed us to really think about death as something that could happen to any one of us. This class definitely helped me get over the enormity of death as a topic to be discussed. Like you, it is also a difficult topic for me to discuss with my family. This class definitely helped find ways to have that conversation.
DeleteWhat have you learned about death and dying from this course?
ReplyDeleteFor so long, I have always viewed Death as an enemy and Dying an unwanted inevitability. But after taking this course and a whole lot of reflection, I can see that it is not that simple. Death and Dying are not the enemies of life, but rather they are the next steps. No one knows what happens after we die. We may move on to heaven, we may be born again as an Oak tree, we may just cease to exist. Whatever the outcome, Death and Dying are just the next steps towards the unknown. The real enemies of Life and Living are Ignorance, Hatred, Laziness, and Fear. These are the things that hold us back from truly living; these are our enemies and they must be defeated.
Has the course helped me reflect on the meaning of life?
I can honestly say the answer to this question is 100% yes. As I have mentioned in other posts, this course has helped me gain some new perspectives and the ability to look at things in different ways than before. With these, I have thought a lot about the true meaning of life and how to truly live my life. I have come to the conclusion that life does not have the same meaning to everyone. There is no blanket definition that sums up what life means to everyone. To me personally, the meaning of life is to love like never before. Not just love those close to you, but to love all people as best you can. That is not to say that you should want to marry all people but rather help those who need it, care for those that are sick, heal those that are hurt and respect all people.
Onto the question about legacy...
I really like this question about legacy and it has been on my mind ever since the cemetery. To me, a person's legacy should not be material at all. A true legacy should be a passing on of the love they have shared and of the goodness they have done onto others. It shouldn't be a building or a giant statue built in remembrance of them but rather the stories of love and kindness held in the hearts of those the person has helped.
Craig, I like how you said that death and dying are not to be feared and are not enemies, but that ignorance, hatred, laziness, and fear are. These are definitely things that do nothing to make our world a better place and hold us back from a good life. I also really agree with your meaning of life. Mine is very similar, and if we all lived our lives in such a way, the world would undoubtedly be a better place.
DeleteI think that a conception of human nature is important because it can guide us through life and teach us about ourselves and others. Without a conception of human nature, we cannot understand one another or even ourselves. With my conception of human nature, I believe that human beings ought to help others and grow individually and as a society. We ought to live a happy, fulfilling, and honorable life that we can be proud of and not have regrets about when we are on our death bed. Our society should be be one that places importance on human life and respects all humans. People are responsible for their own actions, but there is also social responsibility for those who cannot be responsible for themselves or who present a threat to the dignity or life of other humans. Humans still have flaws, so the political system should not be ruled by one person. Humans do need to be collectively responsible, so they should all be able to take part in defining their political system, at least to some extent.
ReplyDeleteI have learned a lot about death and dying throughout this class. It was something I had not previously thought about often, but now I have learned that the only reason it isn't really talked about is because it scares most people and our society has deemed it "impolite" to talk about. I think it is important because it happens to everyone and we will be more prepared if we actually accept that fact and are able to talk about death. What has surprised me the most is that death is feared so much by some, but welcomed by the elderly who have lived a fulfilling life and the sick who just want their pain to end. I hadn't really thought about this much before this class, but death doesn't have to be something to fear, and often isn't.
These ideas about death have definitely helped me reflect on human nature, and I definitely believe that life is made special and precious because of death and its uncertainty. I feel that I am living a good life, but there are definitely things I want to do before I die that I hope I have time to do. I hope that my legacy will be of someone who was compassionate and understanding and helped others whenever possible, because I do my best to live my life in this way as I believe this makes my life meaningful and fulfilling.
I like how you said that "human nature is important because it can guide us through life and teach us about ourselves and others". Because isn't that what being a person is all about? To learn more about everyone? Humans also should grow together but also apart like you said, to form their own person.
DeleteThe question of what kind of society should we have is intriguing to me. It would be easy to say we need to live in a perfect world where everything is sunshine and roses. But, that is not a realistic idea. The best idea I can imagine would be a society where all ideas are tolerated and taken for what they are without fights or conflicts. Obviously a world where everyone thinks the same thing would be very boring. But, it would be nice if our society was one in which everyone had an open mind and weren't as judgmental about other's ideas not only about death and dying but other philosophical topics as well.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely say this class has made me question the meaning of life. Especially with the integration of the videos we watched, the idea that life is fleeting was reinforced every week. But before I took this class this concept was something I thought of as too overwhelming and I often pushed the idea out of my head whenever possible. After taking this class, I've learned better ways to think about death and dying in a more productive, less scary way.
Meghan, you made an excellent statement. I think that through taking this class, we all have a better understanding of death and how to approach to the topic to our loved ones without "stepping on toes" or offending anyone.
DeleteMeghan, I agree with both of the points you made. I wish to live in a society that is more open and less judgmental. I will be the first to admit that I have passed judgement over other people many times in my life, and I wish I could take all of it back. As humans, it is natural to judge and compare those around us because we are such observant creatures. However, judgement is never productive and more open minds would be beneficial to society.
DeleteI would definitely say that this class has made me question the meaning of life as well. Life is a weird thing to ponder, but not as much as death. To think about not living a human life anymore is mind-blowing because it's all we've ever known. But it is beyond interesting to think about what death will bring and what happens to us once we are gone from the earth.
Looking back on the questions above, I wanted to mention the legacy I want to leave behind. I want to teach my future children and grandchildren all of my family traditions. I them to have some of jewelry or a wedding ring to remember me by. I want them remember the holidays I spent with them. I want to be remembered as kind, caring, loving nurse, wife, mother, daughter, and friend to all. I think everyone has similar aspirations to.
ReplyDeleteLauren, I also agree with you about being remembered by who I am as a person and not necessarily physical things.
DeleteLauren and Emily, I agree that the most important thing I would like to leave behind is a fond memory. While there will be material things that I'll want to pass on to my family, I am more concerned with what type of feeling people will have when they think about me after I'm gone. I can only hope that I've made a positive impact on those I've come in contact throughout my life so far. It is my goal to share God's love to everyone I meet, in whatever form that may be (friendship, missionary work, etc).
DeleteI am going to be addressing the second half of the questions that were posted having to deal with what death and dying has become important to me and my personal meaning of life. What I have learned about death and dying that is important to me would be the fact every little thing a person does is seen as significant in one way or another. Another thing would be that wanting complete power over what a person would want when they die is sometimes not in the cards and the opinions of complete strangers can impact an individual so much. The little things that may seem insignificant at one time can come back to us at random moments when something happens. The insignificant things can sometimes become the most important, it all depends on the situation. The thing about death and dying that surprised me was the amount of stories that were told about similar situations that were taken different ways. When the patient was in a coma and the family was told by doctors that there was nothing else that could be done, some went the route of leaving them on while other families took their loved ones off the ventilator. All family dynamics are different and what the patient wants is also a factor that has to be thrown in there too. Yes, I do believe that this class has helped me reflect on the meaning of life more because we focus on the end more making us think more about what is the importance in life. The meaning of life is different for all people, but for me I believe it means having a support system there for me and my family will always be my main focus. Life is about being happy and finding what means the most to you. I do believe that I am living a good life because my family is my main focus and I live by my own code of ethics, plus I follow the law. Death to means the ceasing of our living body, but not our spiritual body and our memory. Everyone's beliefs are different, so who am I to say that theirs is not as good. Right now my legacy is not that much, just my family and my friends because I have not made that big of an impact in the world around me.
ReplyDeleteHuman nature I have always thought was in search of self actualization. This was reflected throughout the course but was more prevalent on the topic of suicide which we spent many weeks on. I believe that people are in search of being the best person they could possibly be.
ReplyDeleteThis class has certainly made me realize the complexity of the event itself. I knew instinctively of its permanent nature but not on how many different views surrounded it. This is surprising to me because I found myself periodically thinking about how there were certain content which I was siding with during each separate chapter. I believe that we usually think that we have a pretty firm grasp on what we think we want, but to question that in this class was very interesting.