Empathy

"Empathy depends not only on one's ability to identify someone else's emotions but also on one's capacity to put oneself in the other person's place and to experience an appropriate emotional response" 

-Charles G. Morris

"Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's eye for an instant?"

-Henry David Thoreau

Empathy is something that few people master. Most of us can feel empathy to some level, sociopaths being the major exception, but few of us truly master the art of stepping into someone else's shoes and feeling what they're feeling. 

Empathy is what allows us to live together in a society without ripping each other's throats out. It is a skill we have developed over millennia, and many would say it is a skill that sets us appart from animals. Now, is this true? Are animals incapable of empathy? The answer to this question is no, it is not true that animals are incapable of empathy.

A very clear example is provided by a study that took place recently in the University of Chicago. In this experiment scientists sought to find out wether a rat would release a fellow rat from an extremely unpleasant cage if it could. The answer was yes. The free rat responded to the occasional distress calls uttered by its compatriot, it learned to open the cage, and became more and more efficient at it over time. The free rat would release his companion even if he wasn't rewarded with a reunion afterwards. The most astonishing aspect brought to light by the experiment was the fact that the rat, given a ration of chocolate chips, would save one or two for his companion and would give them to him when he released him. The unavoidable conclusion that the researchers came to was that what they were witnessing was empathy.

Now, think about it. We're talking about a rat here: A RAT. We consider rats to be some of the filthiest and less lovable animals. We associate rats with cheaters and betrayers, and they, generally, have a very bad reputation. If we can see this level of empathy in a rat, this level of caring and understanding, why do we think animals cannot display empathy? Why do we believe we're superior to animals?

Who Am I?

Which of these am I? 

Am I only one, or am I a combination of them all? 

Am I who people see me as, or am I who I see myself as? 

Does a mirror tell the truth? 

Can a mirror reflect everything we are, inside and out? 

Does a mirror see what makes us who we are? 

Can everyone see who we are, or only those closest to us? 

Do we know who we are? 

Do we know why we are who we are? 

Which of these elements makes me who I am? 

Is it all of them together?

I think so

I think we're too complex to describe in one word

No one single thing makes us who we are

It is a combination of everything in our lives that creates who we are and who people see...

The Hunger Games - A Futuristic View on Ancient Rome?

The book trilogy The Hunger Games, is a trilogy about a girl, named Katniss, and her struggle against the power that oppresses her people. The books are set in a future America, though it is no longer called America, it is called Panem. Panem is divided into 13 districts and a Capitol. The districts once decided to rebel against the Capitol, but the Capitol won, and as compensation it asked the districts to send a boy tribute a a gril tribute each year to compete in a thing called the hunger games. The games consisted in releasing the 26 kids into an arena with the knowledge that only the last one standing would be able to go back home, showered with prizes and food for their people. 

The games were televised for everyone to see, their viewing was absolutely mandatory. For the people in the districts it was torture seeing their children dying, but for the people in the Capitol, it was the highest entertainment event of the year; and this is were the allegory with Ancient Rome comes into play.  The hunger games were blood baths designed to entertain the people. The people of the Capitol were controlled by means of keeping them entertained and well fed and, exactly like the Roman Emperors, President Snow knew what he needed to keep them subdued was Panem et Circences (Bread and Circus). He knew that as long as the people of the Capitol has entertainment and were very well fed, they would never rebel against him. He knew all he needed to maintain his position in power was to keep them comfortable. The Roman Emperors did exactly the same thing. They had games were gladiators fought each other for the glory, while the gladiators fought, the people of Rome were kept entertained by these games. During the games the Emperors used to throw bread into the crowd, feeding them. Their logic was very solid: fed and entertained, what reason did they have to complain? This is how the Emperors maintained their power and popularity. 

In my opinion Suzanne Collins, the author of The Hunger Games, is a genius. She managed to create a world that showed us how backwards human beings can be. She showed us how even though time moves on, human beings are still as savage and primitive as always, the only difference being that we've learnt new ways to disguise our primitive ways. We are a race that's primitive in the most fancy and sophisticated of ways, and Suzanne Collins has managed to show us this in her wonderful books.

Let the Hunger Games Begin,

And may the odds be ever in your favor. 

Villa de Leyva

We recently went on a trip to Villa de Leyva, and we did a lot of workshops. I participated in 3 out of the 4 workshops, but I wasn't really there mentally because I was really sick. I tried to participate as well as I could but it wasn't really my best.

My favorite workshop was Mr. Tomalin's Class' workshop. I thought it was an excellent idea to have us create a culture of our own, and think of all the things that being part of a culture implies. I thought the reaction to my choice of role within the tribe (assassin) was really funny. I really didn't think it was thta big of a deal, but apparently my classmates thought it was really weird and kind of freaky. Well really weird and kind of freaky is who I am.

I'm sorry I couldn't tak more advantage of these workshops, but I was really sick and I didn't have the energy to invest into the activities. I really liked the hotel we stayed at, it was beautiful. :)

Homosexuality

Homosexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction to the people of one's own sex.

That's it.

It's not a sin, a mutation, a disease, or a flaw.

It's natural.

It's so natural, that it is found in over 450 species.

But there is one thing that IS unnatural, and it's found only in the human race: homophobia.

Gay Love is exactly the same as heterosexual love. It is just two people who love each other and who wish to be together. 

See this pictures? Do you see any difference? 

Last Friday during our TOK lesson, our teacher showed us a video of a radical group of people who say that everything that is wrong with the world is God's way of telling us that he hates homosexuals. They say "Fags eat poop". They protest at soldier's funerals and they tell everyone that will listen to them that those soldiers died because God killed them for being in an army that welcomes homosexuals. This video made me very, very upset. 

I don't understand how people can be so ignorant. Why do people think being gay makes you abnormal? Do people really think being gay makes you a bad person? A "sinner"? 

Take me for example, I get good grades, I respect my parents and my teachers, I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't do drugs, I've never hurt anyone. Do I sound like a bad person? I don't think so. And I'm gay. The fact that I'm gay doesn't mean that I'll get bad grades, it doesn't mean that I'll stop being respectful to my parents or my teachers, it doesn't mean I wont be me. So can someone PLEASE explain to me why people think that being gay makes me a bad person? 
This image clearly expresses how I feel about this people:

Here are just some "facts" I'd like to share:

• If homosexuality is a disease, let's call in queer to work (or in my case, school): "Hello. Can't work today, still queer.
• I don't check in every few months to see if you're still straight, so stop checking in to see if I'm still gay. My sexuality doesn't have an expiration date. 
• I am a lesbian and just because I pay a girl a compliment, does not necessarily mean I want to get in her pants. 
• Who is the "boy" who is the "girl" is a ridiculous question. Obviously we're both girls. 
• Parenting works the exact same way whether it's with two moms, two dads, or a dad and a mom.

I apologize if this post offends someone, or if it is too much of a rant, but I needed to get it out of my system. 

I have only two things left to say:

1. Remember to wear something purple the 20th of October to show the gay youth that they are loved.
2. Long Live the Rainbow.

Sorrow

"Death remains about the one certain fact in the lives of each one of us, and there will be suffering, sorrow, and sadness next week as there was last week."

-Basil C. Hume-

Sorrow. What is sorrow? Is it sadness beyond sadness? Is it gut-wrenching sadness? Is it despair? Is it anger? Is it fear?

Sorrow. Who feels sorrow? Do only humans feel it? Do animals feel it?

Sorrow. Why is there sorrow?

I ask myself this questions over and over again, and yet I have no answer. When someone we love dies our world os shattered. Even if it is only for a little bit, even if we can control it, we feel it. We feel the sorrow, the overwhelming sense of despair, the emptiness the removal of that presence leaves in our world. And then we have a funeral.

A funeral is closure. It is the last adieu from the living to the death. It is a salute to who they were, to the place they held in our lives. Funerals are a ceremony in which we can put our sorrow to rest. And so I wonder, if animals bury their loved ones too, if they mourn them, does that mean they feel sorrow too?

"A few years ago my friend Rod and I were riding our bicycles around Boulder, Colorado, when we witnessed a very interesting encounter among five magpies. Magpies are corvids, a very intelligent family of birds. One magpie had obviously beenhit by a car and was lying dead on the side of the road. The four other magpies were standing around him. One approached the corpse, gently pecked at it- just as an elephant noses the carcass of another elephant- and stepped back. Another magpie did the same thing. Next, one of the magpies flew off, brought back some grass, and laid it by the corpse. Another magpie did the same. Then, all four magpies stood vigil for a few seconds and one by one flew off." (Marc Bekoff Ph.D, "The Emotional Lives of Animals")

When I read this I can only think of one thing: animals feel sorrow, just like we do. They mourn the loss of their loved ones, and they feel the need to bury them, to say goodbye to them one last time. Knowing this, knowing animals feel sorrow just as we humans do, how can we hurt them? How can we think them lesser beings, beings of no consequence, of no importance? Are we such a selfish and self-centered race that we ignore the fact that we are not the only sentient beings?

Sorrow. Sorrow is a powerful emotion. Some of us, I'd dare say almost all of us, have felt it at some point. Why should we cause others such pain?

Senses

"I would rather have eyes that cannot see; ears that cannot hear; lips that cannot speak, than a heart that cannot love."

-Robert Tizon-

"Blake said that the body was the soul's prison unless the five sense are fully developed and open. He considered the senses the 'windows of the soul.'"

-Jim Morrison-

Yesterday I spent the entire school day without my sense of touch. I had to wear three pairs of thick gloves, which not only made me loose my sense of touch but also made me loose the ability to use my hands properly. I couldn't articulate my fingers, and therefore I couldn't do most of the stuff I normally do: I was unable to open my locker, I couldn't write, and I couldn't type on my computer.

This really affected my learning because I wasn't able to take notes or write the answers to the questions I was asked. Since writing with a pen was impossible I decided to use my computer, but I soon realized that I couldn't type with my gloves on and that the trackpad didn't recognize my gloved hand, so I had to resort to typing with my toes. It was a very interesting experience because I learnt that I depend too much on my hands and that I should learn to adapt more easily, and because I realized that I'm more dextrous with my feet than I ever thought I was.

Yesterday was very frustrating. I constantly wanted to take the gloves off my hands. History was the most frustrating lesson of the day, because Mr.Horsley made us read part of a chapter of our history books, while taking notes, and listening to very loud music which made the whole exercise even more difficult than it already was due to our "disabilities".

In my opinion senses don't give knowledge of the world as it really is. Everyone interprets what they perceive with their senses differently, making reality different for everyone. For example, everyone perceives colors a bit different: when two individuals look at a red curtain individual A might see a slightly different shade of red as individual B, or if one of them is daltonic they might see completely different colors. To a person who was born blind, the real world has no images, a person who has been blind all their life doesn't need to see in order to have knowledge of the world as it really is. Senses are just means by which we receive information, it is our mind that analyzes this information and turns it into knowledge. Since everyone's mind functions differently, all of our realities are different. Our minds are biased by beliefs and assumptions, therefore making us perceive things differently. For example, to a Christian white clothes might mean purity or peace, while to a hindi white clothes might mean loss and death since white is the color hindi people wear to funerals.

This exercise really made me appreciate how much I rely on my hands, and it made me realize how completely vulnerable and useless I would be if I were to loose them. I learnt that I need to become more adaptable, that I need to find ways to overcome obstacles without getting frustrated. It also made me appreciate how brave and resourceful people with disabilities are, and how unfair it is that society is indifferent to their needs.

"The moral test of the government is how it treats those who are in the dawn if life...the children; those who are in the twilight of life...the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life...the sick...the needy...and the disabled."

-Hubert H. Humphrey-

"Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just one thing well, you're needed by someone."

-Martina Navratilova-

"The only disability in life is a bad attitude."

-Scott Hamilton-

Read more: http://www.disabled-world.com/disability/disability-quotes.php#ixzz1YGxDIUDA

Knowledge

"In a secluded corner of the vibrating universe spilled on innumerable solar systems, there once was a star on which clever animals invented knowledge. It was the most arrogant moment of universal history, but only for a minute. The star was frozen after a few palpitations of nature and the clever animals had to die."

- Friedrich Nietzsche-

The two main different opinions regarding knowledge during this lesson were:

1. Humans ARE the only species that posses knowledge. (When we separate knowledge from instincts).

2. Humans ARE'NT the only species that posses knowledge. (When we separate knowledge from instincts).

In my opinion, humans are definitely not the only species who posses knowledge. I think every species possesses knowledge to a certain degree, some of course, more than others. Knowledge and culture, which is derived from knowledge, are social: they are ment to be shared and transmitted. Most species, specially mammals, live in social groups. Their lives revolve around their "living group" and they create extremely strong bonds with the other members of the group.

A great example of this is a pack of wolves. Wolves have a defined social hierarchy,there are alpha, beta, mature subordinates, omega, and juvenile wolves. There is always a male alpha and a female alpha, these two wolves are the ones who usually reproduce. The male alpha is dominant because of his strength, speed, and intelligence. The female alpha must have all these qualities, plus she must be a good teacher and transmitter of knowledge. This quality enables her to teach her pups everything they need to learn. She teaches them not only the basics of survival, but also how to behave within the structures of their society. Wolf pups learn not only when they're taught by their mothers but also when they play together. Playing is the major way in which pups learn social behaviors. Studies have shown that wolf pups that don't play with others during their childhood are usually socially inept, and therefore, rejected from the pack. During play, rank, size and strength are not important. When a wolf does the "play-bow" (laying down and then lifting it's backside) it informs the other wolf that everything they do from that moment on is play. The play-bow is a promise not to hurt or take advantage of the other wolf, even if it is weaker or has a lower social status within the pack. This is why I believe that knowledge is not unique to the human race. Many species share and transmit knowledge between them, not necessarily by words like humans do, but in many different and wonderful ways.

For more information on the behavior of wolves and other animals read "The Emotional Lives of Animals" by Marc Bekoff PH.D and Jane Goodall

I really enjoyed this lesson because I think the topic was very interesting. Most of us had different opinions, and though not all of us shared them with the class, those who did kept the discussion going in a very fluid way.