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- SSHM ch3 Psychology and the Healthy Mind #5 Jadyn C. #6 briley chandler #7 Emma S
- Setiya 3 Grief. #5 Nathen W. #6 Liz Elam. #7 Carter W.
- Question Everything (QE) IX What is it like to be a woman? (on reserve in lib'y) #5 Inas Issa #6 MacKenzie #7 Claire M.
1. James wrote Principles of Psychology to answer what question?
2. What did Aristotle say about habit?
3. What realization would make young people give more heed to their conduct?
4. James complained in 1884 that what devoured his time?
5. James thought everybody should do what each day?
6. How is habit "the enormous fly-wheel of society"?
7. There is "no more miserable human being" than ...
8. There is "no more contemptible type of human character" than ...
3. What realization would make young people give more heed to their conduct?
4. James complained in 1884 that what devoured his time?
5. James thought everybody should do what each day?
6. How is habit "the enormous fly-wheel of society"?
7. There is "no more miserable human being" than ...
8. There is "no more contemptible type of human character" than ...
LH
- What are three kinds of grief? Have you experienced any of them?
- What's the closest KS has come to grief?
- What "five neat steps" of grief does KS say there is no evidence for?
- What stoic attitude did Epictetus say would prevent you from being grievously upset at the death of a loved one? What does KS say about that?
- What does KS say should be our goal with respect to grief?
- The fact that someone is not alive, says Julian Barnes, does not mean what?
- What does KS call Epicurus's attitude towards death?
- If we did not grieve, we would not ____.
- How do the Dahomey of Western Africa celebrate the life of the deceased?
- What do conventions of mourning give us?
Discussion Questions:
- Do you want to "be somebody"? What does that mean? Does it make happiness harder to achieve?
- Does adult life make it harder to identify your "real" self? 70
- Is it good that "habit is the enormous fly-wheel of society"? 77
- Which comes first, happiness or laughter 87
- Is it bad to entertain emotions you don't act on? Why?
- Is habit, on balance, good for society?
- Are there any small habits you'd like to gain or lose? What's stopping you?
- COMMENT?: Are there any sequences of mental action you want or need to frequently repeat (or stop repeating)?
The idea that the only time someone will reach full happiness is through a bit of discomfort and disease makes sense to me but also is perplexing. The example of a cell only reaching full potential once dead makes me wonder when humans feel they have reached their full potential. I feel like a feeling like that would only strike you in old age – when you have lived a long life and have experienced a lot. Why is that what motivates us? Why does the thought of death motivate us more than the knowledge that we are alive? I think we should shift our attitude from death to life. We should view living above the fear and knowledge that we will die. Not to say that we should completely ignore this that could harm or kill us, but I think the general attitude of why we do things should be because we are alive, and not because we will someday die.
ReplyDeleteI believe you cant really appreciate what you have unless you' know that one day you will lose it, or have experience what life is like without it. A healthy person wouldn't appreciate their health as much as a sick person would in their shoes, nor would we appreciate the time we are alive if we didn't have an end point. A book that goes on forever will become dull at some point.
DeleteI understand the importance of having habits, but to me I have trouble sticking to them for longer than a few months. I am not sure if I outgrow the habit, or if I like to act more spontaneously than others, but habits and I never work out for longer than 2 months max. The only habits I can think of that I do regularly all the time are my basic necessities – shower, brushing teeth, brushing hair, deodorant, drinking water, paying bills, etc. I think the habits I try to have consistently are more impulsive. For example, I journal a lot, but I can never tell myself I will journal every day at a certain time. Instead, I sometimes journal twice a week or multiple times one day. It is never based on a time or day, but rather by a feeling, and my feelings don’t have set times. I understand the idea of having habits and how they can train us to better ourselves, but for me I work better on being intuitive with my body and needs.
ReplyDeleteThe ownership of your own failure and your own success matters so incredibly much to not only me, but I would argue every person. Your own failures and successes are what morphs and makes you your own self. It transforms yourself to your own person, and the act of owning those mistakes or successes showcases who you are and what you value. I think the idea of owning your failure is so important, because it shows growth, and we are always growing as humans and evolving into more authentic versions of ourselves.
ReplyDeleteWhat did Aristotle say about habit?
ReplyDelete"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act. It is a habit."
I would agree with Aristotle on this. Take any sport as an example-- if an athlete has one great play or achievement in a game, but cannot keep it up consistently throughout the season, they are not an "excellent" player. One or two good plays will not earn them a spot in a top league or the title of "MVP". It takes game after game of hard work and skill to be recognized for exceptional talent.
If we want to become "excellent" whether just in general or at any one thing in particular, it is something we will have to continuously work towards everyday. If someone wants to be a renowned powerlifter, they cannot just get one PR and call it a day. They must strive every single day to build that habit of getting greater and stronger to become "excellent" at powerlifting. The same goes for anything one might want to excel at; it takes consistency and effort. To quote my high school JROTC instructor, MSG Pick, "All you need is commitment and desire." He would drill this idea into our heads constantly, and I see more and more in my life that he was certainly right about that.
When we work hard and spend years trying to become "excellent", that makes the rewards all the more better, knowing that you put all your blood, sweat, and tears into something and it finally paid off. It's certainly a tough endeavor, but it is all worth it when your dreams finally come to fruition.
I agree! You cannot call yourself a pro at something just because you've accomplished it once or twice, but because you know the method and have trained yourself to be able to "replicate" it/ keep consistency.
DeleteI agree with your conclusion about excellence. Even in people that are naturally gifted, they still have to act on their gifts. As someone who has been in sports from a young age, persistance and repetition pursued excellent results.
DeleteWhat realization would make young people give more heed to their conduct?
ReplyDeleteWilliam James said, "Could the young but realize how soon they will become walking bundles of habits, they would give more heed to their conduct while in the plastic state. We are spinning our own fates, good or evil, and never to be undone."
The concept of neuroplasticity is very interesting to me. Though it continues throughout our whole lives, it certainly slows down with age, making children and teens more capable of learning and adapting quickly. This is why researchers say it's great to learn a language or instrument when you're younger-- your brain is more malleable at a young age. This is not to say that those in their later years cannot pick up new skills; that take is certainly absurd and not true. However, it is definitely appropriate to say younger individuals have it a little easier.
When we repeatedly act and build these habits throughout our lifetime, they will stick with us. It's important when you're young to do things right and build a strong foundation so that you will be less likely to make mistakes later in life. If, during your freshman year of college, you skip class and party all the time, it will be very difficult for you to get back on track in your later years because now you've built this habit of academic negligence and putting other things first before school.
This is why William James argues that if young people were aware that their very own character and livelihood will be built off of their habits, they would think more thoroughly about the choices they make now. I do think he is right about this. I've encountered many people who realized that they built an incredibly destructive habit far too late. It's important, though, that when we learn this, we don't wallow in regret; in my opinion, regret is a wasted emotion and wasted energy because you are wasting so much time worrying over something that you cannot change or control. One should instead recognize that yes, they may have made some mistakes, but it is not the end of the world. You can come back from mistakes and build a better life for yourself if you would just put in the effort and start now. The longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to do so. No matter the age, we should all spend some time in thorough introspection, consistently reevaluating ourselves and our habits, and changing whatever is "off" to become the best versions of ourselves that we can be. It's never to late to change your life.
Do you want to "be somebody"? What does that mean? Does it make happiness harder to achieve?
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't necessarily want to "be somebody". Certainly, I want to succeed and achieve my goals, but I don't want to be a person of such high importance and recognition that the idea of "being somebody" implies. To "be somebody", that typically means achieving success in terms of fame, riches, or influence, and quite frankly, these are just not things that I really care about. All I want out of life is to honor God, build a beautiful big family, and work a job that I love-- I couldn't care less about getting super rich or famous.
I'm sure plenty of people would be overjoyed to live such a life, and it definitely has its benefits, but I'm not sure how much true, genuine "happiness" you can achieve through it. When you live a simple life with a simple job, simple possessions, and simple goals, you tend to value the little things more, and this can bring happiness. However, if your primary goal is just building wealth or fame, I feel like this will get draining, and it will become more and more difficult to find genuine happiness and satisfaction because you just want to chase the next big high, the next big promotion, the next big whatever. This isn't to say it's bad to have big goals, I can absolutely understanding wanting to do great things, but if you're only doing it for the money or power, your heart is not in the right place, and you will (in my opinion) not be as happy as someone who might be living more lowly, but valuing the small things in life.
Do you want to "be somebody"? What does that mean? Does it make happiness harder to achieve?
ReplyDeleteI dont really want to "be somebody." My interpretation of "being somebody" is being known, being seen, and making an impact. This may sound like a bad mindset but I dont want to be a person like that because you'd be under a lot of pressure and constantly being watched/judged, which isn't something i want for myself. I like to stay in the background and be comfortable. It's a lot less stressful and i can focus on myself and what i like rather than what is expected of me. I 100% believe it makes happiness harder to acheive due to these reasons. Spending more time on yourself and figuring out who you are and what you enjoy are, in my opinion, required in order to find happiness.
Does adult life make it harder to identify your "real" self?
I believe so. When youre an adult youre expected to focus on everything and everyone but yourself. When youre young, you have all the time in the world to find things you enjoy and have little to no responsibilites. That all changes when you grow up.
Are there any small habits you'd like to gain or lose? What's stopping you?
When I get uncomfortable or have a different opinion or other things along those lines, i wont speak up. I'm a people pleaser so I get afraid of telling them no.
2. I would disagree. When you're a child, most of your imagination about "who you want to be when you grow up" is just a feeble idea about your potential future. When you actually grow up, and your mind is closer to fully developed, you start to realize things about yourself you would have never known, and your identity begins to form. While it's true that you have less responsibility, you also have less opportunity to pursue your true desires in life. Many adults despise their life, job, college, etc. because they've been conditioned to believe that's where they are expected to be rather than where they belong. A part of growing up is learning to realize those kinds of situations and developing a plan around it.
Delete1. Does adult life make it harder to identify your real self?
ReplyDeleteYes, I think it is harder because you are so focused on taking the next step whether that be graduating, moving, selecting a career path, etc. I feel like at that stage in life, adults are just trying to succeed
2. What comes first, happiness or laughter?
I believe that laughter comes first. Laughing is just for a moment and happiness is a build up or a good life.
3. Are there any small habits you'd like to lose or gain?
I have a bad habit of being on my phone a lot throughout the day. I put it on silent during the day so I don't check it every time a notification comes through. I have spent less time on it but it gets better every day.
Do you want to "be somebody"? What does that mean? Does it make happiness harder to achieve?
ReplyDeleteI do want to be somebody and what that means is that I want to improve or change part of myself to something different to achieve some satisfaction. I don't believe it makes happiness harder because it a goal to strive and not an obsession (otherwise the question would use "need" instead of "want"). This means that you don't need to completely change but it is very possible to be influence by the "want" and thus can provide a bit of satisfaction and happiness.
4. James complained in 1884 that what devoured his time?
James complained that teaching made him very busy and that it he was helpless against it. It is very understandable for someone to feel this way and possibly more common now. This shows that habit is inherently a bad thing because for James here, he is stuck in a loop that he will stay trapped in with nothing to do.
Does adult life make it harder to identify your "real" self? 70
I would say no because even though adult life is filled with expectations it can very easy to find your true self. For example, you can experience many challenges but your ability or inability to overcome them indicates who you are as a person. Another way is that these times cause you change and experience growth that can be noticeable which can actually make it easier to find your true self.
Does adult life make it harder to identify your "real" self? 70
ReplyDeleteFor me personally I think adult life has actually made it easier to identify my "real" self as I do not feel judgement from people like I used to in high school. I am not sure what it is about adult life but everybody just doesn't care. I feel more able to express my opinions around people, try new things, and overall just do things judgement free. I feel like in high school, the entire goal is to have the most social status. However in the real world, it's can you survive and make enough money. People could not care less about what you do as long as it doesn't affect them and to me, that is the reason I can better find my "real" self.
Is it bad to entertain emotions you don't act on? Why?
I think as with anything, it is not healthy to constantly entertain these types of emotions because in most cases, you are not acting upon them because they are bad or inappropriate. I think even if you begin to entertain these same emotions, it will start to become harder to not actually do them. AKA, yes I do think in constant succession, entertaining these types of thoughts is probably not the best practice to do.
Are there any sequences of mental action you want or need to frequently repeat (or stop repeating)?
While I have gotten way better at controlling it, a habit I still catch myself doing is comparing myself to others. At one point it became so bad that it almost became something that subconsciously would just happen out of nowhere. However recently I have been able to keep it under control. The reason for this habit is because since I often go to the gym, I often look at individuals with either what I perceive as more or less progress than me in a negative or positive light. In a matter of seconds of looking at someone, I immediately think of how much better they are or how much worse they are compared to me. This habit is terrible because it does not take into account how everyone's story is different. Some people work out a lot because they have a lot of free time while others may not work out as much because they work 3 jobs and are a single parents feeding kids. This level of thinking has allowed me to somewhat kick this habit of mine pretty well but I occasionally still catch myself doing it, especially when it is someone who I perceive is further along in their fitness journey than I am. Feelings of jealously and envy should never be feelings that cross my mind. The only feelings should be positive and uplifting thoughts.
4. James complained in 1884 that what devoured his time?
ReplyDeleteWilliam James grew frustrated with correspondence aka letter writing was consuming a significant amount of time. Letter writing was the primary means of communication during James lifetime. These letters would take significant amounts of time to write. James would feel obligated to respond every letter he received.
It feels convenient that the same way James felt about letter writing can often be attributed to our own methods of communication, such as texting. It seems that some people would rather not type out a message as it seems to be a similar time-taking burden, even if it takes vastly less time than writing a letter. Maybe we are just akin to verbal communication more than we think.
DeleteDo you think quick communication looses appreciation for verbal communication?
DeleteHow is habit "the enormous fly-wheel of society"?
ReplyDeleteWilliam James suggests that habit is an all powerful force that dictates the social order of society. Similar to a massive flywheel which stores energy and maintains moments. Habits store our energy much similar to that of the fly wheel. Habits also ensure that we have momentum within our lives.
I think one could argue that habits also reduce needed energy. We often find the lowest path of energy necessary to do an action, typically manifesting in habit. What we tend to do is based on what we have done, meaning that we don't have to use energy on finding new ways to do that action.
DeleteHow do the Dahomey of Western Africa celebrate the life of the deceased?
ReplyDeleteThe deceased is believed to continue playing an active role within the lives off their dependents. The dead are not truly dead, they continue to live on in our daily lives. They hold a ritual called the "Egungun". which has performer represent the spirits of the ancestors. The celebration reaffirms the connections between the living and the dead.
1. James wrote Principles of Psychology to answer what question?
ReplyDeleteWilliam James wrote The Principles of Psychology to explore "What is the nature of the mind?" He was trying to understand how the mind works how we think, feel, perceive, and behave. Essentially, he wanted
to bridge the gap between philosophy and the emerging science of psychology.
2. What did Aristotle say about habit?
Aristotle believed that habit is formed by repeated actions and is central to developing virtue.He emphasized that cultivating good habits leads to good character, and ultimately, a good life.
3. What realization would make young people give more heed to their conduct?
The idea is that if young people realized that their actions are forming habits that will shape their character and future behavior, they would be more mindful of how they act. William James and thinkers like Aristotle suggest that recognizing the long-term impact of everyday behavior would make people especially the young more careful about the habits they're forming.
McKinsley Slicker
To your last point, do you think this has able been a problem with our youth? (Getting them to realize that forming habits that will shape their character and future behavior.)
Delete