Ethics vs. Sadism

After reading about the experiments about sadism I was shocked. I was very surprised to see how easy it was for the participants to show sadistic characteristics. One experiment in particular was the prison experiment. The guards began treating the "prisoners" very poorly and even punishing them. "Several guards became increasingly cruel as the experiment continued. Experimenters said that approximately on-third of the guards exhibited genuine sadistic tendencies. Most of the guards were upset when the experiment concluded early..." (488). All of these experiments come to the horrible conclusion that humans are more likely to be sadistic, which is "Enthusiasm for inflicting pain, suffering, or humiliation on others" (485). If humans are easily persuaded to be sadistic towards humans, I'm sure they are even more likely to be cruel to animals. People are beginning to link animal cruelty to the person's probability of committing other sadistic acts against humans. This is one of the reasons people are beginning to pay more attention to animal cruelty. "Another significant reason for the increased attention to animal cruelty is a mounting body of evidence about the link between such acts and serious crimes of more narrowly human concern" (497). This fact was demonstrated in William Hogarth's experiment. He traced the life of the fictional Tom Nero over the "Four Stages of Cruelty". In stage one the boy Tom is torturing a dog, and stage 4 shows Tom's body after he had been hung for murder. Animal cruelty has "long been recognized as a signature pathology of the most serious violent offenders" (497). After doing the reading, I was not surprised to find all of the studies that confirm the link between these two offenses. Cruelty towards animals is not an act that should be ignored, but a serious problem that must be addressed before it goes even further.

Vegetarianism

I really enjoyed the assigned reading in the anthology on eating meat, especially since I am a vegetarian myself. I especially liked the discussion on the attributes possessed by a vegetarian. Many people place a stereotype on people who call themselves vegetarian assuming they are "tree huggers" or have weird values and views. This, however, is not the case. Many people that choose to be vegetarian maintain what is considered a very "normal" lifestyle by non vegetarians. What really stuck out to me about the section on Carnism was the fact that vegetarians are labeled but "meat eaters"are not. "We don't see meat eating as we do vegetarianism- as a choice, based on a set of assumptions about animals, our world, and ourselves. Rather, we see it as a given, the "natural" thing to do" (446). People assume vegetarians are the different ones who have chosen to live a life unlike the rest. In reality, meat eaters choose what goes into their mouths as well. This invisible belief system about eating animals is what is called "carnism." Not only are people ignoring the fact that they have a choice not to eat meat, but they are buying into to well concocted myths. For example the relationship between the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and the National Dairy Council. The national Dairy Council is one of the ADA's leading sponsors, explaining their recommended daily dose of milk. They do this, however, despite "evidence linking dairy consumption with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, various cancers, and diabetes" (454). It is evidence like this that prompted me to become a vegan. After reading Alicia Silverstone's book, The Kind Diet I had a much better understanding of the meat industry and the cruelty involved in getting my food to my plate. It also shed some light on some of the myths that we are told ever since we were young. Including that you can only get protein from meat and a glass of milk a day is good for you. As a society we have bought into these food myths and just assume them to be true without actually checking for ourselves. We need to take some initiative and find out not only what is actually in our food but where it comes from as well.

LBJ Library and Museum

After looking through the LBJ museum, I took noteof a few important characteristics that LBJ possessed. All of these characteristics focus around leadership and ethics and they all have something to do with making him a great leader and President. The three main characteristics I am going to focus on are patriotism, determination to fight for what is right and courage. LBJ exhibited patriotism and a willingness to fight for his country when he enlisted after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He set an example for the rest of the country by being one of the first congressmen to fight in the army. An example of LBJ's determination has to do with civil rights. LBJ signed the 1964 civil rights act which forbade discrimination in public accommodations. Upon signing this he pushed it through to passing without compromise. He was determined to do what was right in that situation and end race discrimination forever. He says, " At times history and fate meet at a single place to shape a turning point in man's unending search for freedom. So it was at Lexington and Concord. So it was a century ago at Appomatox. So it was last week in Selma, AL." He believed strongly in civil rights and his determination to make things right aided him in succeeding. The determination and will to change things is a leadership quality that is especially important to me. I want to emulate LBJ by standing up for what I believe in and know is right. Finally, LBJ exhibited courage when he had to take over the presidency after Kennedy's assassination. After that awful event LBJ had to step up to the plate with strong leadership in order to calm down the country. He had to have courage to face the nation that was in shock and depression after what had taken place. Overall LBJ definitely displays qualities of a leader. He displays these qualities while fulfilling his duties in the white house as well as at home. He was depicted as a family man and seemed to love his family. In the family picture below he seems to be a loving and dedicated father even to the family's dog Yuki.

Bob Bullock Texas History Museum

After exploring the museum I found that there are two animals that had a major impact on the history of Texas, the Horse and the Longhorn. On the first and second floor of the Museum horses are a major theme. One of the first things you see when you walk into the museum on the first floor is a Spanish conquistador looking very noble perched upon his steed. In the early history of Texas the Spanish horses transformed life for the native peoples. Spanish explorers brought horses to America in 1400 and they were very useful. They used them to hunt buffalo, carry possessions, travel long distances and even as valuable trade items. Horses allowed the people to develop a new mobile way of life. From the people's point of view horses were a great new commodity, but I am not so sure the horses felt the same way. Long days of hard work in the hot texas heat probably wore them out. Although the horses had to work hard they probably developed a sense of loyalty to their owners since horses became such an important part of a Texans life. The second floor reiterates the Texans new found dependence on horses. The development of the idea of a Cowboy became a specifically Texan theme. These cowboys were very dependent on their horses and were always depicted either riding a horse or standing next to it. Another dependency on horses can be seen through the civil war in Texas. During the civil war many Texans fought for the Confederacy by joining the calvary. So many joined the calvary because it was said that, "No Texan walks a yard if he can help it." Upon walking up to the third floor you immediately notice the huge Longhorn statues. Longhorn cattle is a huge part of life in Texas. They are a hybrid breed descended from Spanish stock and English cattle. They are strong, ornery, and they weigh over a ton. They were almost bred to extinction but were saved by the Texas Forest Service. Longhorns were a very important part of ranches in Texas. Again, Texans showed a reliability on animals as a life source. I'm sure the Longhorns loved the large open plains they got to graze and enjoy in Texas. They were probably a little perturbed when they had to travel long distances during cattle drives and they probably did not expect the fate that awaited them. In conclusion, Texans have been very dependent on these two types of animals. Horses were used for a myriad of purposes including trade purposes, driving cattle, carrying supplies and even in the military. Longhorns on the other hand became a staple part of the Texas ranch and are still seen as a symbol of Texas today. 

Sympathetic Imagination

Humane is defined as, "Marked by sympathy with and consideration for the needs and distresses of others; feeling or showing compassion and tenderness towards human beings and the lower animals; kind, benevolent" (anthology 418B). The man in the story from the Anthology Rick Bass was a prime example of what it means to be humane. He had compassion for the animals and rescued the poor stray dogs and even came back three times in order to rescue the second one. He then took them home and took care of them. The dogs returned the favor through unconditional loyalty and love. "People pull their punches, refer to dogs' love with words such as loyalty, obedience, or even submissiveness, but it is love"(anthology 430). This a touching example of the relationship between pet and owner, especially when the owner looks upon the animal with compassion and rescues them from a horrible situation.

This story reminds me of when we rescued our cat, Pancake, after she had been run over by a car. The person who hit her with the car just left her to die and she was badly injured when we found her. We decided to try and save her so we took her to the vet. She is perfectly fine and happy now living with us! She is a little timid but she is the sweetest cat I have ever met and I bet she is very grateful that we chose to save her life. It is the humane thing to do to try and save desperate animals lives. That is why I enjoy writing the craigslist ads so much. I was just informed that another one of my dogs was adopted and that is the best feeling. Knowing that I was able to save a life makes it so worth the effort! 

Most recent dog I wrote a craigslist ad about. I had a tough time finding a family to adopt her. I wrote 4 different ads and almost gave up hope but on the last day before we pulled her from craigslist she got an adoption application!

Emotion, Compassion, the Ethics of Care

I found the readings about people with an absence of emotion fascinating. I have always wondered why it is possible for people to commit such horrible crimes and have no remorse. "This inability to feel their victims' pain allows them to tell themselves lies that encourage their crime" (pg. 413). This quote in the anthology explains how this is possible. Molestors, rapists, and other criminals tell themselves lies in order to condone their actions. The absence of compassion and sympathy is something that most people have a hard time understanding. Compassion is described as, "The feeling or emotion, when a person is moved by the suffering or distress of another, and by the desire to relieve it; pity that inclines one to spare or to succour" (399). Most of us experience compassion quite often in our daily life. Watching a movie, reading a book or even hearing someone retell a story of a tragic event can all stir up compassion in our hearts. I was also interested in the readings about alexithymia, the inability to feel emotions. People with alexithymia, "lack words for their feelings. Indeed, they seem to lack feelings all together, although this may be from their inability to express emotion rather than from an absence of emotion altogether" (409). All I could think about while reading this is how frustrating that must be. Not only for the person with the disorder but for their friends and family as well. We can see this through the story of Gary and Ellen. She was so frustrated with him that she had to send him to therapy. In therapy he tried to express his emotions but found he was confused by them and could not put them into words. Emotion is such an important thing in our world. However, there are people with the inability to express emotion properly and even people, some criminals, who feel no remorse or compassion at all.

Natural Sciences Museum

Giant Sea turtle 

Dragonfly Fossil 

The dinosaur footprints, bones and the Saber toothed tiger all have one main thing in common. They are extinct. Also, all three animals are huge in comparison to us. My feet are miniature compared to the dinosaur's! All three things are meant to be studied; we are meant to learn something from them. They
all seem to have a scientific purpose. Upon analyzing the objects I realized that they displayed a very science orientated relationship between homo sapiens and the animals in the Natural Science Museum. All of the objects outside of the museum were things that we don't know much about; therefore they fascinate us. Likewise, the objects inside the museum evoke this human fascination with things of the past. On the first floor I observed the giant sea turtle. It was a partial skeleton from the cretaceous period. On the third floor I observed the Prehistoric and modern day dragonflies. I learned that the older dragonflies had a large wingspan due to the difference in respiratory biology between the older and modern day dragonflies. When I climbed the steps to the fourth floor the whale skeletons caught my eye. I took notes on the skull of Rodhocetus which was from a 47.5 million year old whale. After looking at all of these things I began to consider what my spirit animal would think if I had embodied the turtle at that moment. I assumed it would feel the same way I would if I was looking in on human remains in glass cases. The animal specimens are depicted on in an objective, scientific manner. This can tell us something about the relationship between animals and homosapiens. To many people animals are just another scientific thing to study. In the future I expect that we will continue to be fascinated with things from the past. I only hope that in the future we will still have the animal species that we have today. I hope we will not have destroyed them causing us to be searching and attempting to explain the remaining specimens as scientists have done in the Natural Science Museum.

Pictures of the Rodhocetus (whale skull) 

Craigslist ads for APA

Craigslist ads for Jeremiah: 

Quick! Look here! Chow dog put on kill list!

Due to recent hospitalization of his owner, Jeremiah was placed at the town lake animal shelter...but he is running out of time! Jeremiah is incredibly gentle and sweet! He is great with adults, kids, and other dogs, but not so friendly with cats. He passed all of the shelters evaluations and we have witnessed for ourselves his sweet disposition! Poor Jeremiah has been put on the kill list due to circumstances that he cannot control! Jeremiah is a gorgeous dog and he is just in need of a little grooming! No one took the time to take care of his fur so he has very painful looking mats in it. Someone needs to come rescue this poor dog! Only one year old, he is an awesome dog and doesn't deserve to die because of his owner's hospitalization!

If you want to adopt Jeremiah you MUST come to Town Lake Animal Center by 6:30pm Wednesday! He is in Kennel 243 A585166. There will be a medical eval done before adoption can be confirmed. Town Lake is open 11:30-7 weekdays and 11:30-5 weekends.

Video of Jeremiah

Revision:

 Help! Chow dog in need of adoption! Put on kill list!

Due to recent hospitalization of his owner, Jeremiah was placed at the town lake animal shelter...but he is running out of time! Jeremiah is incredibly gentle and sweet! He is great with adults, kids, and other dogs, but not so friendly with cats. He passed all of the shelters evaluations and we have witnessed for ourselves his sweet disposition! Poor Jeremiah has been put on the kill list due to circumstances that he cannot control! Jeremiah is a gorgeous dog and he is just in need of a little grooming! No one took the time to take care of his fur so he has very painful looking mats in it. Someone needs to come rescue this poor dog! Only one year old, he is an awesome dog and doesn't deserve to die because of his owner's hospitalization!

If you want to adopt Jeremiah you MUST come to Town Lake Animal Center by 6:30pm Wednesday! He is in Kennel 243 A585166. There will be a medical eval done before adoption can be confirmed. Town Lake is open 11:30-7 weekdays and 11:30-5 weekends.

Craigslist ads for Dante the lab: 

Urgent! Lab in need of a good home!

This beautiful lab dog was surrendered by his owner due to financial difficulties and needs a new home! It is so unfair for him to suffer because his owner could no longer take care of him! He is a gorgeous dog with a very calm and tender disposition. He is gentle and sweet with all people and dogs but not always so great with cats. This adorable 7 year old lab is missing his family! He is whining and crying all of the time and looking towards the parking lot because he wants to be taken away from the shelter. He is constantly looking for his old family, wanting them to come back...how sad! He is in need of a new loving family! Won't you come adopt him?

If you want to adopt this sweet dog you must come to Town lake by no later

than 6:30pm on Wednesday! He is in Kennel 119 A477918. A medical eval will

be done before adoption can be confirmed. Town Lake is open from 11:30-7

weekdays and 11:30-5 weekends.

Quick! Look here! Lab needs to be adopted!

A gorgeous and lovable lab dog was surrendered by his owner due to financial difficulties! How unfair for him to suffer because of circumstances beyond his control! He is very sweet and gentle and gets along well with people and dogs alike. However, he does not get along well with other cats. This incredibly sweet 7 year old male lab is missing his family so much! He is constantly seen whining and looking towards the parking lot searching for his previous owner. How sad! He really needs a wonderful new family to adopt him. Won’t you come adopt him??

If you want to adopt this sweet dog you must come to Town lake by no later

than 6:30pm on Wednesday! He is in Kennel 119 A477918. A medical eval will

be done before adoption can be confirmed. Town Lake is open from 11:30-7

weekdays and 11:30-5 weekends.

APA Reflection:

When I first started this project, I had no idea that the dogs whose lives I would attempt to save would have such a huge impact on me. When I first walked in to Town Lake Animal Shelter I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t know very much about what Patty Alexander, an APA employee and Town Lake Animal Center volunteer, did nor did I know much about the dogs that she worked with. Upon entering the shelter I was taken back at the amount of animals they keep there. There are rows and rows of kennels filled with dogs of all different kinds. Patty led me to one cage in particular and pointed out a dog that she said we were going to try and save. I expected the dogs that were put on the kill list to be savage. I expected them to have horrible behavioral problems and be uncared for or mean. However, this was not the case. I learned that a large majority of the dogs that have to be put down are actually good dogs, they just don’t get adopted. I also learned that the majority of the animals at the shelter are owner surrender. That means that their owners gave them up either because they could not care for them or because they no longer wanted the animals. Patty told me that most people do not know that Town Lake Animal Shelter is not a no kill shelter, therefore they leave their dogs there assuming they will be taken care of and adopted. After I was introduced to Jeremiah, a gorgeous one-year-old chow, we lead him to a grassy area where we played fetch and assessed his behavior. Jeremiah’s story was especially heart wrenching for me because his owner was hospitalized leaving no one to take care of Jeremiah. The unfair circumstances that caused Jeremiah to end up in the shelter made such an impact on me that I rushed home that night to write my first craigslist ad. I got no response after my first posting that night but after reposting the ad the next morning I got an email from someone interested in adopting the dog. Later that day Patty emailed me saying I could take off my craigslist ad because, thankfully, Jeremiah had been adopted. I was ecstatic. I was so happy that I was able to make a difference, even if it was only in the life of one dog.

After such a success I am always excited to go back to the shelter and receive my next assignment. I view each dog as a challenge and my goal is to get him or her adopted. Looking back to the beginning of this project I did not expect to be as involved as I am now. I expected to go visit a dog or two, write my blogs, turn them in and that would be the end of it. Instead, I have become a part of a rescue effort to save animals from undeserved death. Every time I walk into the shelter and greet the members of the Austin Pets Alive team I develop even more respect for what they do. It is not an easy task to walk by and interact with dogs that you know might not be there tomorrow. It is especially difficult when you get to know one animal, try to save their life and fail. Not all of my ads have had the success that Jeremiah’s did, but every adoption is such a blessing that it motivates me to keep trying. I believe that there is no better way to learn something than to get out and experience it yourself. No matter how much we talked about APA or animal cruelty in class, the lasting affect comes from getting involved and experiencing those things for your self. I am so glad that this class gave me the opportunity to be a part of an organization that works for such a noble cause. Most people don’t realize what is going on in animal shelters today and they unknowingly drop their dogs off at their doors. The conditions that the animals have to live in are horrible and unfair. These animals cannot speak for themselves and if we don’t help them, who will? 

Word Count: 

Blogs for Jeremiah: 364

Blogs for Dante: 339

Craigslist Blog total: 703

Reflection: 721

Totat P2 project: 1,426

Buffalo on the Platte River by Worthington Wittredge 1886

Wittredge's oil painting on canvas depicts a scene of a herd of buffalo. The landscape focuses on the Platte river valley with a mountainous terrain in the background. The skies are stormy but not foreboding and a few wild flowers and trees scatter the landscape. The landscape is beautiful, detailed, and realistic. His dramatic use of color helps paint the scene of peacefulness. There is nothing too bright or too harsh about the colors and they are mostly muted and neutral tones. The buffalo are grazing and drinking from the Platte River. They are very realistic looking, especially the ones drinking from the River because we have a closer view. We see the buffalo in their natural habitat, undisturbed and peaceful. They seem to be unaware that they are being watched and they just go about their business. Wittredge depicts the wild buffalo as a thing of beauty. They are peaceful, beautiful and serene without the interference from man.  His use of color, realistic landscape, and detail all contribute to the relaxed feeling of beauty you experience when you look at the painting. By depicting the wild buffalo this way; Wittredge is trying to relay the message that wild, untouched animals are a thing of beauty. 

Whale Wars: The Fight to end Whaling in Japan

Many think that whaling is a thing of the past; a practice no longer adhered to in our society, but this assumption is incorrect. The practice of whaling and all of the cruelty that it involves is very much a part of our society today. People are led to believe whale myths concocted by the governments of communities participating in whaling. These myths lead us to believe that the whale population is actually growing, but this is not the case at all. For example, according to Greenpeace, “The Japanese government continues to cite an outdated estimate of 760,000 minke whales in the Southern Hemisphere.”[i] My focus is going to be on stopping whaling off the coast of Japan. Whaling is definitely a problem in our society today and it is something that other college students should have more interest in. My overall goal would be to stop commercial whaling off the coast of Japan, but I will start with creating an organization on the University of Texas campus to raise awareness about this issue. The inhumane killing of whales for commercial profit is a problem that still haunts our oceans today, in order to solve this problem we must become educated about the whaling controversy that exists in our society today, we must raise awareness, and we must support those who are currently working hard to defend our oceans.

            First and foremost we must become educated about this issue, as well as encourage others to learn about whaling. We must know that despite the International Whaling Commission’s Moratorium on Commercial Whaling, Japan has continued to kill whales. Japan gets away with it by calling it “Scientific Whaling” even though the whale meat still ends up in high-end Japanese restaurants.[ii] Also, “Most Japanese ‘research’ objectives are directed towards finding data to support a return to commercial whaling, and/or studies on how to make whaling more efficient.”[iii]Another important factor to know and understand is the consequences of whaling. Blue Whales and Minke whales seem to be suffering the most. Blue whale numbers have been reduced from 220,00 to now a measly 500 while recent reports show that there could be fewer than 250,000 Minke whales in the Southern Oceans.[iv] Besides becoming educated about the topic of whaling today, we must attempt to raise awareness and draw attention to the issue that our oceans face. By creating a group on campus to raise awareness and educate people about this problem, we will be taking one step closer to saving the whale population in the oceans off the coast of Japan.

            Increasing education about the issue and raising awareness will be a huge help in stopping whaling, but there are people who are currently working hard in the field everyday to stop whaling and they need our support. Supporting those who are trying to put a stop to this cruel practice is probably the biggest way we can help. One organization that is attempting to stop whaling is Greenpeace. Greenpeace has been working against environmental destruction since 1971 and is currently working to put a stop to the whaling crisis. They accept donations from individuals and they also have a campaign allowing you to write to the Japanese government expressing your feelings about whaling. Another more radical approach to whaling can be found by watching the show “Whale Wars” on Animal planet. The Sea Shepherd and its crew go out into the middle of the “whale war” taking place off the coast of Japan. They try to end whaling for themselves by ramming the Japanese ships, spraying the ships with water canons, and throwing stink bombs aboard in order to get them off the trail of the whales. Although this is a much more radical approach, they have succeeded in saving the lives of multiple whales and could use our help. The University of Texas group focused on whaling would also work to raise money to support these two causes in order to assist them in saving the oceans.

            The fact that whaling has serious consequences cannot be ignored. Therefore, the importance of becoming educated about the situation in Japan and raising awareness cannot be stressed enough. By creating an on campus group dedicated to stopping the practice of whaling, we will be able to spread the news about whaling and raise money to support those who are working in the field. Taking this class on leadership and ethics is giving me the tools needed to start such a group on campus. Over the next four years of my college experience I hope to create and manage this group so that it can grow and develop into something that can actually make a difference.

Notes:

1.     Greenpeace. Whaling. 2010. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/whaling/ (accessed October 17, 2010).

2.     Muller, C. George. Whaling Facts Summary . http://www.cgeorgemuller.com/summary.htm (accessed October 17 , 2010).

3.     Muller, C. George. Whaling Facts Summary . http://www.cgeorgemuller.com/summary.htm (accessed October 17 , 2010)

4.     Greenpeace. Whaling. 2010. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/whaling/ (accessed October 17, 2010).

Bibliography

Greenpeace. Whaling. 2010. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/whaling/ (accessed October 17, 2010).

International Whaling Commission . IWC Information . April 4, 2010. http://iwcoffice.org/commission/iwcmain.htm#history (accessed October 17, 2010).

Muller, C. George. Whaling Facts Summary . http://www.cgeorgemuller.com/summary.htm (accessed October 17 , 2010).

Sea Shepered Conservation Society . Defending Whales. http://www.seashepered.org/whales/ (accessed October 17, 2010).

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Animal Abuse

After finishing the readings for this Thursday I felt sick to my stomach. The stories and accounts about vivisection made my stomach churn. The very thought that people can inflict such immense pain on another living creature and have no afterthought is terrible. A quote from Lewis Carrol's letter to the editor of the "Pall Mall Gazette" sums up most scientists view on vivisection, "You shall suffer that I may know" (384). We make the assumption that we have the right to inflict pain on animals just because we are considered "superior". They are inferior therefore the pain they go through is not important. This assumption of superiority of our own species is called speciesism. Earthlings defines this term as, "a prejudice or attitude of bias in favor of the interests of member of one's own species and against those of members of other species" (366). Everyone practices speciesism. We all assume we are more intelligent than animals therefore causing us to be superior. "Humans view themselves as the elite species on the planet. Throughout history, humans distinguished themselves from animals by claiming the ability to reason as a specifically human characteristic" (387). The vivisection of animals is a practiced that should be stopped. Inflicting pain on underserving and unknowing animals is unfair and inhumane. It is not morally right to inflict pain on others just so we can try and learn, especially since there is no garuntee that the research will produce the desired results.

Tales from Previous Longhorns

I really enjoyed reading these accounts from previous students at UT. It is always nice to be able to gain some insight from those who have gone before you. Especially as a nervous freshman, upperclassman or alumni are a very useful tool. One of the things that stuck with me from the reading was the excerpt by Margaret Cousins. She put an emphasis on the importance of her professors at UT. She says, "I never saw any of my mentors again. But in the heat and struggle and exhiliration of forging a life, I found the heat that their names and faces, their words and precepts, their values and standards recurred to me consistently"(895). I have been very focused on meeting and acquiring relationships with other students here at UT. I had not even thought about creating relationships with my professors. After reading her story I realized the wealth of knowledge and wisdom many professors at Texas have. They can be a wonderful resource to any student here and we have much to learn from them. She also says that, "against formidable odds, they taught me how to think, and in ways they would not have deemed possible, they have illuminated my fortunate life" (895). She viewed her professors as one of the most important encounters she had at UT and she was able to learn a lot from them.

Another observation of a previous UT student caught my eye. Alan Bean said, "When I did begin to put out effort I did really well. That was a big eye-opener. Then I began to put out more effort and do more, and maybe that's the story of my life, because now I realize that you can do what you want" (925). He observed that by putting out effort in college, especially UT, you have the possibility to achieve great success. He noted that at the University of Texas "if you put out effort you could change your results very quickly" (925). He realized that you can change your situation and decide how well and where you want to go in life. That is a great lesson to learn. Nothing about where we came from needs to affect our future. The university of texas provides so many opportunities to its students, they want us to succeed. By putting in effort in college we have the opportunity to achieve great success. 

Readings for September 16

We have all heard the common excuse, "Well thats just the way I was raised" when referring to a differing belief or type of behavior. Covey defines this as psychic determinism, "your parents did it to you. Your upbringing, your childhood experience essentially laid out your personal tendencies and your character structure" (Covey 68). This is a part of three different social maps based on a stimulus/response theory. The other two social maps are genetic determinism and environmental determinism. Genetic determinism refers to the excuse that your grandparents did it to you, "It just goes through the generations and you inherited it" (Covey 68). Environmental determinism says that, "someone or something in your environment is responsible for you situation" (Covey 68). Covey puts down this theory, he claims that we have the ability to act based on our own self awareness without any other influences. Essentially, we have the freedom to choose. I know in my life I struggle with this. I tend to put a big emphasis on determinism in my life and therefore limit myself. Instead of assuming that I have independent will and the ability to act based on my own self awareness I let outside influences limit me.

Another subject that really struck close to home in the readings came from the excerpt of Covey's book, Principle Centered Leadership, in the Anthology. One important quote that stuck out to me was from John Henry, "One secret act of self-denial, one sacrifice of inclination to duty, is worth all the mere good thoughts, warm feelings, passionate prayers, in which idle men indulge themselves" (192). The act of self sacrifice is something that everyone struggles with. Why would I give up my precious time when I could be doing something fun to help tudor a friend? When do I have the time to help volunteer in the community? "It takes sacrifice to serve the needs of other people- the sacrifice of our own pride and prejudice, among other things" (194). In order to be a good leader, sacrifice and humility are required. I know in my life it is hard for me to take the time to sacrifice for others, but I have learned that the rewards acquired from doing so far surpass the small personal sacrifice you had to make.

Wide Open Spaces

After finishing the reading, I found the section about Table Cloth, the free-spirited steer, particularly interesting. I admire his determination to get freedom and to stay that way. Dobie refers to these "outlaws" as, "magnificent preserves of their freedom" (154). Table Cloth earned his freedom, after fifteen years no one had been able to bring him in. My favorite quote from this section is, "Among his kind he was rarer than cow-man out of debt, as outstanding as Bugger Red among riders of pitching horses. By God, he deserved to live among the cedars and canyons he loved so well" (153). It is a rare thing to find a steer that manages to obtain and keep freedom for so long. It is only natural for him to get to live among his natural habitat, where he belongs. In keeping with the theme of freedom, Mustangs are another animal that embraces its freedom. "No one who conceives him as only a potential servant to man can apprehend the mustang. The true conceiver must be a true lover of freedom- a person who yearns to extend freedom to all life" (168). Mustangs are beautiful, spirited and lively creatures. Dobie argues that after they have been tamed and their spirit broken, they are no longer beautiful. He portrays the taming of horses as a cruel and terrible practice. He says, "One out of every three mustangs captured in southwest Texas was expected to die before they were tamed. The process of breaking often broke the spirits of the other two" (168-169). Reading this section on mustangs reminded me of a cartoon movie I used to watch when I was little called Spirit. The main character is a wild horse and in the clip below he is captured and they try to "break his spirit."

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2mppbi9QX4

Sources(pictures):
http://mylifestylevisions.com/page/3/
http://www.freespiritart.com/horse-mustang.php
http://www.muralsforkids.com/product_info.php?products_id=1487

Animal Spirit Guides, Power Animals, and Totem Animals! Oh my!

After finishing the assigned reading for this week, I discovered that my preconceived notions about spirit animals were a little off base. I was surprised to learn that by discovering and learning about your spirit animal you can also learn more about yourself. As Ted Andrews put it, "As you begin to identify and recognize your animal totems, you will begin to understand your life more effectively," he also says, " You will find yourself filled with new inspiration, and you will find yourself more creative within your life. The more you understand your totem, the more you will understand yourself"(pg. 114). Previously, when I thought about totem animals, I thought they were just animals that you shared similar characteristics or qualities with. Now I realize that they are much more than that. A totem animal is actually, "any natural object, animal, or being to whose phenomena and energy you feel closely associated with during your life"(pg. 113). Your totem animal is something that you feel a strong connection to, something that connects you to nature and the human spirit. Another concept that I found intriguing was the fact that, "you don't necessarily choose your spirit animal- you and your animal choose each other" (pg. 121). The act of just being peaceful and meditating and letting your spirit animal come to you is not how I viewed the process. I am the kind of person who is always busy and on the go, so to think about slowing down and letting my spirit animal find me is a hard concept to grasp. However,  I now know from the reading that I cannot just pick whatever animal I think suits me best. I have to take time to get back to nature and allow my spirit animal to find me. Some advice that I hope will prove very helpful in helping me discover my animal is, "Meditation takes practice, but it's extremely rewarding. There are as many ways to meet your spirit animal guide as there are animals in the wild" (pg. 122). This was comforting to me because, as I stated earlier, meditation is not an easy thing for me. Finding my spirit animal may be harder than I though but I expect it to be a rewarding and enriching experience. Anything that brings me down out of the stress of the day and back to nature sounds like a good experience to me.

Time Management

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I started reading the assigned readings in Covey's book and the anthology with a closed mind. I assumed I had a good grasp on my time management and that I didn't need any help organizing my life. After I completed the readings, my perspective had changed. I realized that I was making many of the mistakes they addressed in the readings in my own life and that I did not have as good a grasp on my personal time management as I thought. For example, after reading the article about procrastination by Carl Pickhardt on pages 86-87 I realized that I was guilty of some serious procrastination. One of the points that he made that really stuck with me was, "Procrastination requires both delay and denial. Delay is the 'putting off until later' part; denial is the 'putting out of mind' part"(pg.86). Earlier today I had been thinking about all of the things I needed to get done and I remembered that I have a paper for a class that I am not too thrilled about writing. I decided to just forget about it for now or "put it out of my mind." I was guilty of trying to ignore the task until the last minute. After realizing that I was guilty of procrastination I decided to put into effect some of the ideas from the Design your own Anti-Procrastination Plan on pages 92-93 of the anthology. I decided that from now on I am going to implement the suggestion, "Start with the most unpleasant task---to get it over with---and work down until you get to the easier ones"(pg. 92). I decided that if I start with the task I am dreading the most I will definitely be less stressed than if I waited until the last minute to get it done. After all of this reading on procrastination I decided to do a little research on the affects of procrastination on college students. I found an article titled, "Procrastination in College Students is a Marker for Unhealthy Behaviors, study indicates," by David Glenn. A study performed by Fuschia M. Sirois, a psychologist at Carleton University, concluded that, "Such avoidant styles translate not only into late term papers but also to higher rates of smoking, drinking, and a tendency to postpone seeing a doctor for acute health problems." The point of the study was to show that procrastination can not only affect your school work, but your personal health as well (1). The principle of procrastination ties in with our readings in the Covey book as well. The third habit is all about putting "first things first" and prioritizing the important things in your life. Covey states that, "Effective management is putting first things first" (pg. 148) with Management referring to the discipline to carry things out. I know that I need to work on my self management, I tend to put what Covey calls "urgent" things first instead of the truly important. It is definitely more difficult to make myself write my paper than it is too get on Facebook or watch TV,  but I know now that it is important to start working to reverse my habit of procrastination and try understand what it means to put "first things first."

Notes:
1. Glenn, David. "Procrastination in College Students is Marker for Unhealthy Behaviors, Study Indicates." August 26, 2002.http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~wilkins/writing/Resources/essays/procrastinate.html (accessed 9/4/2010).