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JessicaGuzikSecondPaper 8 - 13 Jan 2012 - Main.IanSullivan
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| | | Jess: I saved this under a new revision. My comments are still in the original. I hope this is faithful to the points you wanted to make. --Jeffrey
A friend of mine from college recently returned to the United States from an extended trip to Uganda where she was working on a project for a non-profit organization called Givology. The name of the project was “What would you do with $50?” She travelled to rural villages in Uganda and met with various groups of children. Each child was asked to draw a picture of what they would buy if they had $50. After collecting hundreds of drawings, she returned to New York with her co-workers to organize a fundraiser in Tribeca. The illustrations that she collected were being sold for 50 dollars each, and the proceeds went primarily towards providing education to children who otherwise could not afford one. |
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JessicaGuzikSecondPaper 7 - 24 Apr 2010 - Main.JeffreySchatz
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> | Jess: I saved this under a new revision. My comments are still in the original. I hope this is faithful to the points you wanted to make. --Jeffrey | | | | |
>
> | A friend of mine from college recently returned to the United States from an extended trip to Uganda where she was working on a project for a non-profit organization called Givology. The name of the project was “What would you do with $50?” She travelled to rural villages in Uganda and met with various groups of children. Each child was asked to draw a picture of what they would buy if they had $50. After collecting hundreds of drawings, she returned to New York with her co-workers to organize a fundraiser in Tribeca. The illustrations that she collected were being sold for 50 dollars each, and the proceeds went primarily towards providing education to children who otherwise could not afford one. | | | | |
<
< | A friend of mine from college recently returned to the United States from an extended trip to Uganda where she was executing a microfinance project on behalf of a non-profit organization called Givology. The name of the project was “What would you do with $50?” and its premise was simple. She travelled to rural villages in Uganda and met with groups of children. Some were educated and others were not. Each child was asked to draw a picture of what they would buy if they had $50. After collecting hundreds of drawings, she returned to New York with her co-workers to organize a fundraiser in Tribeca. The illustrations that she collected were being sold for 50 dollars each, and the proceeds of the fundraiser went primarily towards providing education to children who otherwise could not afford one. This might be neither here nor there, but is it a little odd that the money goes towards paying for the things that the children didn't ask for? If the child said that they would want 50 dollars for X, why do we decide to spend the 50 dollars on their education instead? Do we not trust poor people to know what is in their best interest? | >
> | While I had looked forward to attending this event, I came away from it with feelings of sadness, fear, and disgust. Seeing hundreds of photos of children alongside their drawings of all the things they did not have brought me face to face with poverty in a way that I had not experienced before. I am not sure why the crayon drawings of things like ipods and banana trees had a more profound effect on me than the hundreds of homeless people I see on the streets of New York everyday, but they did. Since then, I have found myself unable to stop thinking about these children and their drawings. | | | | |
<
< | [Well, first of all, that would cause many logistical complications. Most of the things that the children drew were not things you could buy for $50. (Laptops, houses, banana trees..) Second, the point of the drawings was probably to give a more human dimension to kids who are really far away who the donors will never meet. I don't think we mistrust poor people, but I do think the microfinance specialist can make a more informed decision about where to put the money than the kids, who were as young as 5-6 years old.] | >
> | A large part of me wants to archive this event as my token act of goodwill for the semester, forget about the poor kids, and move on. I should be spending my time studying for my exams, not worrying about kids in rural Uganda. The "plan" for law students is clear: study, get good grades, go to EIP, get a job at a place with a fancy name, success. But Eben has urged us not to follow the plan merely to assuage our present anxiety. He argues that if we follow the plan, we could very well end up unhappy. So instead of forgetting about these children until the next fundraising event, I increasingly find myself thinking about their situation, my situation, and way in which the two are linked. | | | | |
<
< | I also think it heightened peoples' desires to give. It definitely did this for me. I owned almost every single thing that there was a picture of. I felt that by providing education to the kids, I would enable them to possibly one day buy these things for themselves, as opposed to just giving them a one time gift. I think this has much more value. This is why I like microfinance projects as opposed to just giving...I think with the same amount of money, you can give more. Even just by lending money you can often help people out more than by donating. But I don't think that this is microfinance. There doesn't seem to be any lending of money. I agree that money might be better spent on education than an iPod, but I think it is inaccurate to say that this project was microfinance rather than charity. | >
> | While the aftermath of attending this fundraiser has mostly been confusion, I have since been able to accept two difficult truths, both of which have been discussed in this class. | | | | |
<
< | I looked forward to attending this event for many reasons which I won’t detail here, but I left the event with feelings of sadness, fear, and disgust. Seeing hundreds of photos of children alongside drawing of all the things they did not have brought me face to face with poverty in a way that I have not experienced before. Why the crayon drawings of things like ipods and banana trees seemed more serious to me than the hundreds of homeless people I see on the streets of New York everyday is still a mystery to me. I have two possible explanations. Perhaps it's because they are children rather than adults, and we, as humans, are hardwired to be more sympathetic to children (or even animals which resemble children; see this article for a short explanation). The second reason might be the way we are often presented with homeless people. We often encounter them unkempt and sleeping outside. Perhaps this leads us to subconsciously dehumanize them. With the children, you were exposed to their artwork. Art has long been percieved as a distinct feature of humanity. In the Aeneid, when Aeneas arrives in Carthage, he compares the Carthaginians to bees until he finds that they have artwork, after which he views them as fellow humans. I'm not sure this is it, but there is an easy way to test this out. Broadway Community, Inc. is a non-profit group located 114th and Broadway. In addition to having a men's shelter, they have an art program for homeless men. They have the paintings on display. It's a short walk. Maybe you should check it out and see if it leads to a similar reaction. However, I have found myself unable to stop thinking about these children and their drawings. | >
> | First, my anxiety drives me. Eben has correctly stated that many of us will choose career paths that are not right for us because we are motivated by fear. This is true; however, I sense that there are two strains of anxiety that I feel, and that each type pushes me towards a dramatically different career path. The first type of anxiety is fueled by financial pressure, fear of social and familial rejection, and fear of the unknown. It compels me to stick to the script that society has written for me without asking any questions. The ivy league lawyer can attend fundraisers, but she's not supposed to waste her time running them. | | | | |
<
< | I know that if I really wanted to, I could archive this event as my token act of goodwill for the semester, forget about the poor kids, and move on. But Eben has urged us not to follow “the script” merely because it assuages our anxiety for a short amount of time, because if we follow the script, we end up cheating ourselves. So instead of forgetting about these children until the next fundraising event, I find myself waiting around for the next event with a great deal of anxiety, desperately trying to remain wary of the dangers I face as I follow my own script, letting the anger that I felt when I attended the fundraiser fade behind me. I'm not sure what exactly the "script" is. Is it simply not thinking about the children or the specific career choices you feel pressured into? | >
> | The second type of anxiety, which has been largely created by the lectures in this course, is fueled by the fear that I will realize one day that I’ve chosen the career and lifestyle that aren’t right for me. This is what I felt after attending this fundraiser. Poverty matters to me now, and the existence of extreme poverty sickens me. While I don’t understand what role I am able to play in helping to fix it, I do know that, whatever this role is, it would suit me better than working for a law firm. At the same time, though, I don't want to live in poverty myself, and I don’t know where to draw the invisible line which dictates the point at which I stop doing for myself and begin doing for others. | | | | |
<
< | While the aftermath of attending this fundraiser has mostly been confusion, I have since been able to accept two difficult truths, both of which have been discussed in this class, and both of which have the power to guide me towards a career that will make me feel personally fulfilled.
First, my anxiety fuels me. Eben has correctly stated that many of us will choose career paths that are not right for us because we are motivated by fear. This is true; however, I sense that there are two breeds of anxiety that I feel, and that each type pushes me towards a dramatically different career path. The first type of anxiety is fueled by financial pressure, fear of social and familial rejection, and fear of the unknown. I understand the fear of the unknown and the financial pressures, but is it really true that friends and family would think less of you if you followed a different career path? It drives me to stick to the script that society has written for me without asking any questions. I think you are not giving yourself enough credit. You are asking questions. But maybe the problem is that it takes more than simply asking questions. I can attend the fundraisers, but my time is too important to be spent running them.
The second type of anxiety, which has been largely incited through the lectures in this course, is fueled by the fear that I will realize one day that I’ve chosen the career and lifestyle that aren’t right for me. This is the anxiety that I felt after attending this fundraiser. Now that I know there is a social issue that matters to me, I have found at least one career path that will allow me to remain more true to myself than working for a law firm. I also feel this anxiety because the existence of extreme poverty makes me feel uncomfortable and I don’t understand what role I am able to play in helping to fix it. This feeling is exacerbated by that fact that I don’t know where to draw the invisible line which dictates the point at which I stop doing for myself and begin doing for others. I agree that this is really tough. Could the answer be that you just have to play it by ear? If you feel that you aren't doing enough for others, do a little more, but don't give so much that you can't be happy.
Although both types of anxiety are prevalent, the latter type mimics the degree of force that Eben’s lectures have in the midst of our law-school-culture-dominated week. It barely stands a chance against the gargantuan anxiety that I feel when I think about departing from my script and exiting the accepted paradigm in pursuit of an entirely new one. | >
> | Although both varieties of anxiety affect me, the first kind is much stronger. While Eben's lectures and my own feelings about global poverty do have an impact, they don't stand much of a chance against my crippling fear of stepping off of the more conventional path. | | | The second truth, which is simpler though equally important, is that my legal degree will give me more power to enact change than I previously had. I will have a bigger weapon than I had before entering law school, and I will be responsible for the ways that I use it. I am the only person who will be accountable for the decisions that I make and the effects that my decisions have on society. | |
<
< | I wish I could end this essay with a neatly drawn conclusion, but any neatly drawn conclusion that I could come up with at this point in time would be a lie. Since this is the only class where honesty seems to be the prevailing value, I have chosen to remain honest at the expense of producing a more ideally crafted essay. So, there is no conclusion because I have no conclusion; I can only say that I feel confused about what career I want to pursue and how I will move forward now that I’ve finally admitted to myself that there are in fact groups of deserving people in the world whose lives can only be bettered through acts of selflessness and philanthropy. Others might disagree, but I think we sometimes put too much emphasis on decisions that we are making during law school. If you were to follow a more conventional career path, and then decide you want to do more to help those in poverty, you could always change careers. Furthermore, if you take a more philanthropic route and decide you need a bit more money to enjoy yourself, you could move in the other direction. My LPW instructor worked in a large law firm for a couple years, and now she litigates for an organization that helps migrant farm workers. I think too many people seem to have the view that a choice one makes during law school puts you on a path that you cannot get off of. I admit that if you allow yourself to get into the habit of following "the script," that could become a hard habit to break, but I am certain it would not be impossible. I don't think the hypothetical 55 year old depressed law firm partner we talked about in class the other day can blame all, or even most, of his troubles on a decision he made as a 3L. Everyday for the last thirty years was a day on which he could have made a different choice, but he chose to stay at his firm. Anyway, my point is that you can try different things and see what truly makes you happy. You don't have to choose one route and be stuck with that decision for life. | >
> | I wish I could end this essay with a neatly drawn conclusion, but any neatly drawn conclusion would be a lie. Since this is the only class where honesty seems to be the prevailing value, I have chosen to remain honest at the expense of producing a more ideally crafted essay. There is no conclusion because I have no conclusion; I can only say that I feel confused about what career I want to pursue and how I will proceed. I’ve finally admitted to myself that there really is a better option for me than the conventional route, but giving up the "plan" might simply be too frightening. | | | |
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JessicaGuzikSecondPaper 6 - 23 Apr 2010 - Main.JeffreySchatz
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< | Jessica: Still working on this, I'll be done by the end of friday. | >
> | | | |
A friend of mine from college recently returned to the United States from an extended trip to Uganda where she was executing a microfinance project on behalf of a non-profit organization called Givology. The name of the project was “What would you do with $50?” and its premise was simple. She travelled to rural villages in Uganda and met with groups of children. Some were educated and others were not. Each child was asked to draw a picture of what they would buy if they had $50. After collecting hundreds of drawings, she returned to New York with her co-workers to organize a fundraiser in Tribeca. The illustrations that she collected were being sold for 50 dollars each, and the proceeds of the fundraiser went primarily towards providing education to children who otherwise could not afford one. This might be neither here nor there, but is it a little odd that the money goes towards paying for the things that the children didn't ask for? If the child said that they would want 50 dollars for X, why do we decide to spend the 50 dollars on their education instead? Do we not trust poor people to know what is in their best interest?
[Well, first of all, that would cause many logistical complications. Most of the things that the children drew were not things you could buy for $50. (Laptops, houses, banana trees..) Second, the point of the drawings was probably to give a more human dimension to kids who are really far away who the donors will never meet. I don't think we mistrust poor people, but I do think the microfinance specialist can make a more informed decision about where to put the money than the kids, who were as young as 5-6 years old.] | |
<
< | I also think it heightened peoples' desires to give. It definitely did this for me. I owned almost every single thing that there was a picture of. I felt that by providing education to the kids, I would enable them to possibly one day buy these things for themselves, as opposed to just giving them a one time gift. I think this has much more value. This is why I like microfinance projects as opposed to just giving...I think with the same amount of money, you can give more. Even just by lending money you can often help people out more than by donating. | >
> | I also think it heightened peoples' desires to give. It definitely did this for me. I owned almost every single thing that there was a picture of. I felt that by providing education to the kids, I would enable them to possibly one day buy these things for themselves, as opposed to just giving them a one time gift. I think this has much more value. This is why I like microfinance projects as opposed to just giving...I think with the same amount of money, you can give more. Even just by lending money you can often help people out more than by donating. But I don't think that this is microfinance. There doesn't seem to be any lending of money. I agree that money might be better spent on education than an iPod, but I think it is inaccurate to say that this project was microfinance rather than charity. | | | | |
<
< | I looked forward to attending this event for many reasons which I won’t detail here, but I left the event with feelings of sadness, fear, and disgust. Seeing hundreds of photos of children alongside drawing of all the things they did not have brought me face to face with poverty in a way that I have not experienced before. Why the crayon drawings of things like ipods and banana trees seemed more serious to me than the hundreds of homeless people I see on the streets of New York everyday is still a mystery to me. I have two possible explanations. Perhaps it's because they are children rather than adults, and we, as humans, are hardwired to be more sympathetic to children (or even animals which resemble children; see this article for a short explanation). The second reason might be that the way we are presented with homeless people. We often encounter them unkempt and sleeping outside. Perhaps this leads us to subconsciously dehumanize them. With the children, you were exposed to their artwork. Art has long been percieved as a distinct feature of humanity. In the Aeneid, when Aeneas arrives in Carthage, he compares the Carthaginians to bees until he finds that they have artwork, after which he views them as fellow humans. I'm not sure this is it, but there is an easy way to test this out. Broadway Community, Inc. is a non-profit group located 114th and Broadway. In addition to having a men's shelter, they have an art program for homeless men. They have the paintings on display. It's a short walk, maybe you should check it out and see if that leads to a similar reaction. However, I found myself unable to stop thinking about these children and their drawings long after the event was over. | >
> | I looked forward to attending this event for many reasons which I won’t detail here, but I left the event with feelings of sadness, fear, and disgust. Seeing hundreds of photos of children alongside drawing of all the things they did not have brought me face to face with poverty in a way that I have not experienced before. Why the crayon drawings of things like ipods and banana trees seemed more serious to me than the hundreds of homeless people I see on the streets of New York everyday is still a mystery to me. I have two possible explanations. Perhaps it's because they are children rather than adults, and we, as humans, are hardwired to be more sympathetic to children (or even animals which resemble children; see this article for a short explanation). The second reason might be the way we are often presented with homeless people. We often encounter them unkempt and sleeping outside. Perhaps this leads us to subconsciously dehumanize them. With the children, you were exposed to their artwork. Art has long been percieved as a distinct feature of humanity. In the Aeneid, when Aeneas arrives in Carthage, he compares the Carthaginians to bees until he finds that they have artwork, after which he views them as fellow humans. I'm not sure this is it, but there is an easy way to test this out. Broadway Community, Inc. is a non-profit group located 114th and Broadway. In addition to having a men's shelter, they have an art program for homeless men. They have the paintings on display. It's a short walk. Maybe you should check it out and see if it leads to a similar reaction. However, I have found myself unable to stop thinking about these children and their drawings. | | | | |
<
< | I know that if I really wanted to, I could archive this event as my token act of goodwill for the semester and forget about the poor kids and move on. But Eben has urged us not to follow “the script” merely because it assuages our anxiety for a short amount of time, because if we follow the script, we end up cheating ourselves. So instead of forgetting about these children until the next fundraising event, I find myself waiting around for the next event with a great deal of anxiety, desperately trying to remain wary of the dangers I face as I follow my own script, letting the anger that I felt when I attended the fundraiser fade behind me. I'm not sure what exactly the "script" is. Is it simply not thinking about the children or the career choices you feel pressured into? | >
> | I know that if I really wanted to, I could archive this event as my token act of goodwill for the semester, forget about the poor kids, and move on. But Eben has urged us not to follow “the script” merely because it assuages our anxiety for a short amount of time, because if we follow the script, we end up cheating ourselves. So instead of forgetting about these children until the next fundraising event, I find myself waiting around for the next event with a great deal of anxiety, desperately trying to remain wary of the dangers I face as I follow my own script, letting the anger that I felt when I attended the fundraiser fade behind me. I'm not sure what exactly the "script" is. Is it simply not thinking about the children or the specific career choices you feel pressured into? | | | While the aftermath of attending this fundraiser has mostly been confusion, I have since been able to accept two difficult truths, both of which have been discussed in this class, and both of which have the power to guide me towards a career that will make me feel personally fulfilled. | |
<
< | First, my anxiety fuels me. Eben has correctly stated that many of us will choose career paths that are not right for us because we are motivated by fear. This is true; however, I sense that there are two breeds of anxiety that I feel, and that each type pushes me towards a dramatically different career path. The first type of anxiety is fueled by financial pressure, fear of social and familial rejection, and fear of the unknown. It drives me to stick to the script that society has written for me without asking any questions.%red% I think you are not giving yourself enough credit. You are asking questions. But maybe the problem is that it takes more than simply asking questions. %endcolor% I can attend the fundraisers, but my time is too important to be spent running them. | >
> | First, my anxiety fuels me. Eben has correctly stated that many of us will choose career paths that are not right for us because we are motivated by fear. This is true; however, I sense that there are two breeds of anxiety that I feel, and that each type pushes me towards a dramatically different career path. The first type of anxiety is fueled by financial pressure, fear of social and familial rejection, and fear of the unknown. I understand the fear of the unknown and the financial pressures, but is it really true that friends and family would think less of you if you followed a different career path? It drives me to stick to the script that society has written for me without asking any questions. I think you are not giving yourself enough credit. You are asking questions. But maybe the problem is that it takes more than simply asking questions. I can attend the fundraisers, but my time is too important to be spent running them. | | | | |
<
< | The second type of anxiety, which has been largely incited through the lectures in this course, is fueled by the fear that I will realize one day that I’ve chosen the career and lifestyle that aren’t right for me. This is the anxiety that I felt after attending this fundraiser. Now that I know there is a social issue that matters to me, I know that I have found at least one career path that will allow me to remain more true to myself than spending my time working for a law firm. I also feel this anxiety because the thought of extreme poverty makes me feel uncomfortable and I don’t understand what role I am able to play in helping to fix it. This feeling is exacerbated by that fact that I don’t know where to draw the invisible line which dictates the point at which I stop doing for myself and begin doing for others. | >
> | The second type of anxiety, which has been largely incited through the lectures in this course, is fueled by the fear that I will realize one day that I’ve chosen the career and lifestyle that aren’t right for me. This is the anxiety that I felt after attending this fundraiser. Now that I know there is a social issue that matters to me, I have found at least one career path that will allow me to remain more true to myself than working for a law firm. I also feel this anxiety because the existence of extreme poverty makes me feel uncomfortable and I don’t understand what role I am able to play in helping to fix it. This feeling is exacerbated by that fact that I don’t know where to draw the invisible line which dictates the point at which I stop doing for myself and begin doing for others. I agree that this is really tough. Could the answer be that you just have to play it by ear? If you feel that you aren't doing enough for others, do a little more, but don't give so much that you can't be happy. | | | | |
<
< | Although both types of anxiety are prevalent, the latter type mimics the degree of force that Eben’s lectures have in the midst of our law-school-culture dominated week. It barely stands a chance against the gargantuan anxiety that I feel when I think about departing from my script and exiting the paradigm that I thought I knew in pursuit of an entirely new one. | >
> | Although both types of anxiety are prevalent, the latter type mimics the degree of force that Eben’s lectures have in the midst of our law-school-culture-dominated week. It barely stands a chance against the gargantuan anxiety that I feel when I think about departing from my script and exiting the accepted paradigm in pursuit of an entirely new one. | | | The second truth, which is simpler though equally important, is that my legal degree will give me more power to enact change than I previously had. I will have a bigger weapon than I had before entering law school, and I will be responsible for the ways that I use it. I am the only person who will be accountable for the decisions that I make and the effects that my decisions have on society. | |
<
< | I wish I could end this essay with a neatly drawn conclusion, but any neatly drawn conclusion that I could come up with at this point in time would be a lie. Since this is the only class where honesty seems to be the prevailing value, I have chosen to remain honest at the expense of producing a more ideally crafted essay. So, there is no conclusion because I have no conclusion; I can only say that I feel confused about what career I want to pursue and how I will move forward now that I’ve finally admitted to myself that there are in fact groups of deserving people in the world whose lives can only be bettered through acts of selflessness and philanthropy. | >
> | I wish I could end this essay with a neatly drawn conclusion, but any neatly drawn conclusion that I could come up with at this point in time would be a lie. Since this is the only class where honesty seems to be the prevailing value, I have chosen to remain honest at the expense of producing a more ideally crafted essay. So, there is no conclusion because I have no conclusion; I can only say that I feel confused about what career I want to pursue and how I will move forward now that I’ve finally admitted to myself that there are in fact groups of deserving people in the world whose lives can only be bettered through acts of selflessness and philanthropy. Others might disagree, but I think we sometimes put too much emphasis on decisions that we are making during law school. If you were to follow a more conventional career path, and then decide you want to do more to help those in poverty, you could always change careers. Furthermore, if you take a more philanthropic route and decide you need a bit more money to enjoy yourself, you could move in the other direction. My LPW instructor worked in a large law firm for a couple years, and now she litigates for an organization that helps migrant farm workers. I think too many people seem to have the view that a choice one makes during law school puts you on a path that you cannot get off of. I admit that if you allow yourself to get into the habit of following "the script," that could become a hard habit to break, but I am certain it would not be impossible. I don't think the hypothetical 55 year old depressed law firm partner we talked about in class the other day can blame all, or even most, of his troubles on a decision he made as a 3L. Everyday for the last thirty years was a day on which he could have made a different choice, but he chose to stay at his firm. Anyway, my point is that you can try different things and see what truly makes you happy. You don't have to choose one route and be stuck with that decision for life. | | | |
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JessicaGuzikSecondPaper 5 - 22 Apr 2010 - Main.JeffreySchatz
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< | Jessica: Still working on this, I'll be done by the end of the day. | >
> | Jessica: Still working on this, I'll be done by the end of friday. | | | | |
<
< | A friend of mine from college recently returned to the United States from an extended trip to Uganda where she was executing a microfinance project on behalf of a non-profit organization called Givology. The name of the project was “What would you do with $50?” and its premise was simple. She travelled to rural villages in Uganda and met with groups of children. Some were educated and others were not. Each child was asked to draw a picture of what they would buy if they had $50. After collecting hundreds of drawings, she returned to New York with her co-workers to organize a fundraiser in Tribeca. The illustrations that she collected were being sold for 50 dollars each, and the proceeds of the fundraiser went primarily towards providing education to children who otherwise could not afford one. This might be neither here nor there, but is it a little odd that the money goes towards paying for the things that the children didn't ask for? If the child said that they would want 50 dollars for X, why do we decide to spend the 50 dollars on their education instead? Do we not trust poor people to know what is in their best interest? | >
> | A friend of mine from college recently returned to the United States from an extended trip to Uganda where she was executing a microfinance project on behalf of a non-profit organization called Givology. The name of the project was “What would you do with $50?” and its premise was simple. She travelled to rural villages in Uganda and met with groups of children. Some were educated and others were not. Each child was asked to draw a picture of what they would buy if they had $50. After collecting hundreds of drawings, she returned to New York with her co-workers to organize a fundraiser in Tribeca. The illustrations that she collected were being sold for 50 dollars each, and the proceeds of the fundraiser went primarily towards providing education to children who otherwise could not afford one. This might be neither here nor there, but is it a little odd that the money goes towards paying for the things that the children didn't ask for? If the child said that they would want 50 dollars for X, why do we decide to spend the 50 dollars on their education instead? Do we not trust poor people to know what is in their best interest? | | | | |
<
< | [Well, first of all, that would cause many logistical complications. Most of the things that the children drew were not things you could buy for $50. (Laptops, houses, banana trees..) Second, the point of the drawings was probably to give a more human dimension to kids who are really far away who the donors will never meet. I don't think we mistrust poor people, but I do think the microfinance specialist can make a more informed decision about where to put the money than the kids, who were as young as 5-6 years old. | >
> | [Well, first of all, that would cause many logistical complications. Most of the things that the children drew were not things you could buy for $50. (Laptops, houses, banana trees..) Second, the point of the drawings was probably to give a more human dimension to kids who are really far away who the donors will never meet. I don't think we mistrust poor people, but I do think the microfinance specialist can make a more informed decision about where to put the money than the kids, who were as young as 5-6 years old.] | | | | |
<
< | I also think it heightened peoples' desires to give. It definitely did this for me. I owned almost every single thing that there was a picture of. I felt that by providing education to the kids, I would enable them to possibly one day buy these things for themselves, as opposed to just giving them a one time gift. I think this has much more value. This is why I like microfinance projects as opposed to just giving...I think with the same amount of money, you can give more. Even just by lending money you can often help people out more than by donating. ] | >
> | I also think it heightened peoples' desires to give. It definitely did this for me. I owned almost every single thing that there was a picture of. I felt that by providing education to the kids, I would enable them to possibly one day buy these things for themselves, as opposed to just giving them a one time gift. I think this has much more value. This is why I like microfinance projects as opposed to just giving...I think with the same amount of money, you can give more. Even just by lending money you can often help people out more than by donating. | | | I looked forward to attending this event for many reasons which I won’t detail here, but I left the event with feelings of sadness, fear, and disgust. Seeing hundreds of photos of children alongside drawing of all the things they did not have brought me face to face with poverty in a way that I have not experienced before. Why the crayon drawings of things like ipods and banana trees seemed more serious to me than the hundreds of homeless people I see on the streets of New York everyday is still a mystery to me. I have two possible explanations. Perhaps it's because they are children rather than adults, and we, as humans, are hardwired to be more sympathetic to children (or even animals which resemble children; see this article for a short explanation). The second reason might be that the way we are presented with homeless people. We often encounter them unkempt and sleeping outside. Perhaps this leads us to subconsciously dehumanize them. With the children, you were exposed to their artwork. Art has long been percieved as a distinct feature of humanity. In the Aeneid, when Aeneas arrives in Carthage, he compares the Carthaginians to bees until he finds that they have artwork, after which he views them as fellow humans. I'm not sure this is it, but there is an easy way to test this out. Broadway Community, Inc. is a non-profit group located 114th and Broadway. In addition to having a men's shelter, they have an art program for homeless men. They have the paintings on display. It's a short walk, maybe you should check it out and see if that leads to a similar reaction. However, I found myself unable to stop thinking about these children and their drawings long after the event was over. | |
<
< | I know that if I really wanted to, I could archive this event as my token act of goodwill for the semester and forget about the poor kids and move on. But Eben has urged us not to follow “the script” merely because it assuages our anxiety for a short amount of time, because if we follow the script, we end up cheating ourselves. So instead of forgetting about these children until the next fundraising event, I find myself waiting around for the next event with a great deal of anxiety, desperately trying to remain wary of the dangers I face as I follow my own script, letting the anger that I felt when I attended the fundraiser fade behind me. I'm not sure what exactly the "script" is. Is it simply not thinking about the children or the career choices you feel pressured into? | >
> | I know that if I really wanted to, I could archive this event as my token act of goodwill for the semester and forget about the poor kids and move on. But Eben has urged us not to follow “the script” merely because it assuages our anxiety for a short amount of time, because if we follow the script, we end up cheating ourselves. So instead of forgetting about these children until the next fundraising event, I find myself waiting around for the next event with a great deal of anxiety, desperately trying to remain wary of the dangers I face as I follow my own script, letting the anger that I felt when I attended the fundraiser fade behind me. I'm not sure what exactly the "script" is. Is it simply not thinking about the children or the career choices you feel pressured into? | | | While the aftermath of attending this fundraiser has mostly been confusion, I have since been able to accept two difficult truths, both of which have been discussed in this class, and both of which have the power to guide me towards a career that will make me feel personally fulfilled. | | | The second truth, which is simpler though equally important, is that my legal degree will give me more power to enact change than I previously had. I will have a bigger weapon than I had before entering law school, and I will be responsible for the ways that I use it. I am the only person who will be accountable for the decisions that I make and the effects that my decisions have on society. | |
<
< | I wish I could end this essay with a neatly drawn conclusion, but any neatly drawn conclusion that I could come up with at this point in time would be a lie. Since this is the only class where honesty seems to be the prevailing value, I have chosen to remain honest at the expense of producing a more ideally crafted essay. So, there is no conclusion because I have no conclusion; I can only say that I feel confused about what career I want to pursue and how I will move forward now that I’ve finally admitted to myself that there are in fact groups of deserving people in the world whose lives can only be bettered through acts of selflessness and philanthropy. | >
> | I wish I could end this essay with a neatly drawn conclusion, but any neatly drawn conclusion that I could come up with at this point in time would be a lie. Since this is the only class where honesty seems to be the prevailing value, I have chosen to remain honest at the expense of producing a more ideally crafted essay. So, there is no conclusion because I have no conclusion; I can only say that I feel confused about what career I want to pursue and how I will move forward now that I’ve finally admitted to myself that there are in fact groups of deserving people in the world whose lives can only be bettered through acts of selflessness and philanthropy. | | | |
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JessicaGuzikSecondPaper 4 - 22 Apr 2010 - Main.JessicaGuzik
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Jessica: Still working on this, I'll be done by the end of the day.
A friend of mine from college recently returned to the United States from an extended trip to Uganda where she was executing a microfinance project on behalf of a non-profit organization called Givology. The name of the project was “What would you do with $50?” and its premise was simple. She travelled to rural villages in Uganda and met with groups of children. Some were educated and others were not. Each child was asked to draw a picture of what they would buy if they had $50. After collecting hundreds of drawings, she returned to New York with her co-workers to organize a fundraiser in Tribeca. The illustrations that she collected were being sold for 50 dollars each, and the proceeds of the fundraiser went primarily towards providing education to children who otherwise could not afford one. This might be neither here nor there, but is it a little odd that the money goes towards paying for the things that the children didn't ask for? If the child said that they would want 50 dollars for X, why do we decide to spend the 50 dollars on their education instead? Do we not trust poor people to know what is in their best interest? | |
>
> | [Well, first of all, that would cause many logistical complications. Most of the things that the children drew were not things you could buy for $50. (Laptops, houses, banana trees..) Second, the point of the drawings was probably to give a more human dimension to kids who are really far away who the donors will never meet. I don't think we mistrust poor people, but I do think the microfinance specialist can make a more informed decision about where to put the money than the kids, who were as young as 5-6 years old.
I also think it heightened peoples' desires to give. It definitely did this for me. I owned almost every single thing that there was a picture of. I felt that by providing education to the kids, I would enable them to possibly one day buy these things for themselves, as opposed to just giving them a one time gift. I think this has much more value. This is why I like microfinance projects as opposed to just giving...I think with the same amount of money, you can give more. Even just by lending money you can often help people out more than by donating. ] | | | I looked forward to attending this event for many reasons which I won’t detail here, but I left the event with feelings of sadness, fear, and disgust. Seeing hundreds of photos of children alongside drawing of all the things they did not have brought me face to face with poverty in a way that I have not experienced before. Why the crayon drawings of things like ipods and banana trees seemed more serious to me than the hundreds of homeless people I see on the streets of New York everyday is still a mystery to me. I have two possible explanations. Perhaps it's because they are children rather than adults, and we, as humans, are hardwired to be more sympathetic to children (or even animals which resemble children; see this article for a short explanation). The second reason might be that the way we are presented with homeless people. We often encounter them unkempt and sleeping outside. Perhaps this leads us to subconsciously dehumanize them. With the children, you were exposed to their artwork. Art has long been percieved as a distinct feature of humanity. In the Aeneid, when Aeneas arrives in Carthage, he compares the Carthaginians to bees until he finds that they have artwork, after which he views them as fellow humans. I'm not sure this is it, but there is an easy way to test this out. Broadway Community, Inc. is a non-profit group located 114th and Broadway. In addition to having a men's shelter, they have an art program for homeless men. They have the paintings on display. It's a short walk, maybe you should check it out and see if that leads to a similar reaction. However, I found myself unable to stop thinking about these children and their drawings long after the event was over.
I know that if I really wanted to, I could archive this event as my token act of goodwill for the semester and forget about the poor kids and move on. But Eben has urged us not to follow “the script” merely because it assuages our anxiety for a short amount of time, because if we follow the script, we end up cheating ourselves. So instead of forgetting about these children until the next fundraising event, I find myself waiting around for the next event with a great deal of anxiety, desperately trying to remain wary of the dangers I face as I follow my own script, letting the anger that I felt when I attended the fundraiser fade behind me. I'm not sure what exactly the "script" is. Is it simply not thinking about the children or the career choices you feel pressured into? |
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JessicaGuzikSecondPaper 3 - 22 Apr 2010 - Main.JeffreySchatz
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> | Jessica: Still working on this, I'll be done by the end of the day. | | | | |
<
< | A friend of mine from college recently returned to the United States from an extended trip to Uganda where she was executing a microfinance project on behalf of a non-profit organization called Givology. That name of the project was “What would you do with $50?” and its premise was simple. She travelled to rural villages in Uganda and met with groups of children. Some were educated and others were not. Each of the children was asked to draw a picture of what he would buy if they had $50. After collecting hundreds of drawings, she returned to New York with her co-workers to organize a fundraiser in Tribeca. The illustrations that she collected were being sold for 50 dollars each, and the proceeds of the fundraiser went primarily towards providing education to children who otherwise could not afford one. | >
> | A friend of mine from college recently returned to the United States from an extended trip to Uganda where she was executing a microfinance project on behalf of a non-profit organization called Givology. The name of the project was “What would you do with $50?” and its premise was simple. She travelled to rural villages in Uganda and met with groups of children. Some were educated and others were not. Each child was asked to draw a picture of what they would buy if they had $50. After collecting hundreds of drawings, she returned to New York with her co-workers to organize a fundraiser in Tribeca. The illustrations that she collected were being sold for 50 dollars each, and the proceeds of the fundraiser went primarily towards providing education to children who otherwise could not afford one. This might be neither here nor there, but is it a little odd that the money goes towards paying for the things that the children didn't ask for? If the child said that they would want 50 dollars for X, why do we decide to spend the 50 dollars on their education instead? Do we not trust poor people to know what is in their best interest? | | | | |
<
< | I looked forward to attending this event for many reasons which I won’t detail here, but I left the event with feelings of sadness, fear, and disgust. Seeing hundreds of photos of children alongside drawing of all the things they did not have brought me face to face with poverty in a way that I have not experienced before. Why the crayon drawings of things like ipods and banana trees seemed more serious to me than the hundreds of homeless people I see on the streets of New York everyday is still a mystery to me. However, I found myself unable to stop thinking about these children and their drawings long after the event was over. | >
> | I looked forward to attending this event for many reasons which I won’t detail here, but I left the event with feelings of sadness, fear, and disgust. Seeing hundreds of photos of children alongside drawing of all the things they did not have brought me face to face with poverty in a way that I have not experienced before. Why the crayon drawings of things like ipods and banana trees seemed more serious to me than the hundreds of homeless people I see on the streets of New York everyday is still a mystery to me. I have two possible explanations. Perhaps it's because they are children rather than adults, and we, as humans, are hardwired to be more sympathetic to children (or even animals which resemble children; see this article for a short explanation). The second reason might be that the way we are presented with homeless people. We often encounter them unkempt and sleeping outside. Perhaps this leads us to subconsciously dehumanize them. With the children, you were exposed to their artwork. Art has long been percieved as a distinct feature of humanity. In the Aeneid, when Aeneas arrives in Carthage, he compares the Carthaginians to bees until he finds that they have artwork, after which he views them as fellow humans. I'm not sure this is it, but there is an easy way to test this out. Broadway Community, Inc. is a non-profit group located 114th and Broadway. In addition to having a men's shelter, they have an art program for homeless men. They have the paintings on display. It's a short walk, maybe you should check it out and see if that leads to a similar reaction. However, I found myself unable to stop thinking about these children and their drawings long after the event was over. | | | | |
<
< | I know that if I really wanted to, I could archive this event as my token act of goodwill for the semester and forget about the poor kids and move on. But Eben has urged us not to follow “the script” merely because it assuages our anxiety for a short amount of time, because if we follow the script, we end up cheating ourselves. So instead of forgetting about these children until the next fundraising event, I find myself waiting around for the next event with a great deal of anxiety, desperately trying to remain wary of the dangers I face as I follow my own script, letting the anger that I felt when I attended the fundraiser fade behind me. | >
> | I know that if I really wanted to, I could archive this event as my token act of goodwill for the semester and forget about the poor kids and move on. But Eben has urged us not to follow “the script” merely because it assuages our anxiety for a short amount of time, because if we follow the script, we end up cheating ourselves. So instead of forgetting about these children until the next fundraising event, I find myself waiting around for the next event with a great deal of anxiety, desperately trying to remain wary of the dangers I face as I follow my own script, letting the anger that I felt when I attended the fundraiser fade behind me. I'm not sure what exactly the "script" is. Is it simply not thinking about the children or the career choices you feel pressured into? | | | While the aftermath of attending this fundraiser has mostly been confusion, I have since been able to accept two difficult truths, both of which have been discussed in this class, and both of which have the power to guide me towards a career that will make me feel personally fulfilled. | |
<
< | First, my anxiety fuels me. Eben has correctly stated that many of us will choose career paths that are not right for us because we are motivated by fear. This is true; however, I sense that there are two breeds of anxiety that I feel, and that each type pushes me towards a dramatically different career path. The first type of anxiety is fueled by financial pressure, fear of social and familial rejection, and fear of the unknown and change. It drives me to stick to the script that society has written for me without asking any questions. I can attend the fundraisers, but my time is too important to be spent running them. | >
> | First, my anxiety fuels me. Eben has correctly stated that many of us will choose career paths that are not right for us because we are motivated by fear. This is true; however, I sense that there are two breeds of anxiety that I feel, and that each type pushes me towards a dramatically different career path. The first type of anxiety is fueled by financial pressure, fear of social and familial rejection, and fear of the unknown. It drives me to stick to the script that society has written for me without asking any questions.%red% I think you are not giving yourself enough credit. You are asking questions. But maybe the problem is that it takes more than simply asking questions. %endcolor% I can attend the fundraisers, but my time is too important to be spent running them. | | | | |
<
< | The second type of anxiety, which has been largely incited through the lectures in this course, is fueled by the fear that I will realize one day that I’ve chosen the career and lifestyle that aren’t right for me. This is the anxiety that I felt after attending this fundraiser, because once I know that there is a social issue that matters to me, I know that I have found at least one career path that will allow me to remain more true to myself than spending my time working for a law firm. I also feel this anxiety because the thought of extreme poverty makes me feel uncomfortable and I don’t understand what role I am able to play in helping to fix it. This feeling is exacerbated by that fact that I don’t know where to draw the invisible line which dictates the point at which I stop doing for myself and begin doing for others. | >
> | The second type of anxiety, which has been largely incited through the lectures in this course, is fueled by the fear that I will realize one day that I’ve chosen the career and lifestyle that aren’t right for me. This is the anxiety that I felt after attending this fundraiser. Now that I know there is a social issue that matters to me, I know that I have found at least one career path that will allow me to remain more true to myself than spending my time working for a law firm. I also feel this anxiety because the thought of extreme poverty makes me feel uncomfortable and I don’t understand what role I am able to play in helping to fix it. This feeling is exacerbated by that fact that I don’t know where to draw the invisible line which dictates the point at which I stop doing for myself and begin doing for others. | | | Although both types of anxiety are prevalent, the latter type mimics the degree of force that Eben’s lectures have in the midst of our law-school-culture dominated week. It barely stands a chance against the gargantuan anxiety that I feel when I think about departing from my script and exiting the paradigm that I thought I knew in pursuit of an entirely new one. | |
<
< | The second truth, which is simpler though equally important, is that my legal degree will give me more power to enact change than I previously had. I have a bigger weapon than I had before entering law school, which means that two years from now, I will be responsible for the ways that I use it. I am the only person who will be accountable for the decisions that I make and the effects that my decisions have on society. | >
> | The second truth, which is simpler though equally important, is that my legal degree will give me more power to enact change than I previously had. I will have a bigger weapon than I had before entering law school, and I will be responsible for the ways that I use it. I am the only person who will be accountable for the decisions that I make and the effects that my decisions have on society. | | | | |
<
< | I wish I could end this essay with a neatly drawn conclusion, however, any neatly drawn conclusion that I could come up with at this point in time would be a lie. Since this is the only class where honesty seems to be the prevailing value, I have chosen to remain honest at the expense of producing a more ideally crafted essay. So, there is no conclusion because I have no conclusion; I can only say that I feel confused about what career I want to pursue and how I will move forward now that I’ve finally admitted to myself that there are in fact groups of deserving people in the world whose lives can only be bettered through acts of selflessness and philanthropy. | >
> | I wish I could end this essay with a neatly drawn conclusion, but any neatly drawn conclusion that I could come up with at this point in time would be a lie. Since this is the only class where honesty seems to be the prevailing value, I have chosen to remain honest at the expense of producing a more ideally crafted essay. So, there is no conclusion because I have no conclusion; I can only say that I feel confused about what career I want to pursue and how I will move forward now that I’ve finally admitted to myself that there are in fact groups of deserving people in the world whose lives can only be bettered through acts of selflessness and philanthropy. | | | |
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JessicaGuzikSecondPaper 2 - 17 Apr 2010 - Main.NonaFarahnik
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A friend of mine from college recently returned to the United States from an extended trip to Uganda where she was executing a microfinance project on behalf of a non-profit organization called Givology. That name of the project was “What would you do with $50?” and its premise was simple. She travelled to rural villages in Uganda and met with groups of children. Some were educated and others were not. Each of the children was asked to draw a picture of what he would buy if they had $50. After collecting hundreds of drawings, she returned to New York with her co-workers to organize a fundraiser in Tribeca. The illustrations that she collected were being sold for 50 dollars each, and the proceeds of the fundraiser went primarily towards providing education to children who otherwise could not afford one. |
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JessicaGuzikSecondPaper 1 - 17 Apr 2010 - Main.JessicaGuzik
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A friend of mine from college recently returned to the United States from an extended trip to Uganda where she was executing a microfinance project on behalf of a non-profit organization called Givology. That name of the project was “What would you do with $50?” and its premise was simple. She travelled to rural villages in Uganda and met with groups of children. Some were educated and others were not. Each of the children was asked to draw a picture of what he would buy if they had $50. After collecting hundreds of drawings, she returned to New York with her co-workers to organize a fundraiser in Tribeca. The illustrations that she collected were being sold for 50 dollars each, and the proceeds of the fundraiser went primarily towards providing education to children who otherwise could not afford one.
I looked forward to attending this event for many reasons which I won’t detail here, but I left the event with feelings of sadness, fear, and disgust. Seeing hundreds of photos of children alongside drawing of all the things they did not have brought me face to face with poverty in a way that I have not experienced before. Why the crayon drawings of things like ipods and banana trees seemed more serious to me than the hundreds of homeless people I see on the streets of New York everyday is still a mystery to me. However, I found myself unable to stop thinking about these children and their drawings long after the event was over.
I know that if I really wanted to, I could archive this event as my token act of goodwill for the semester and forget about the poor kids and move on. But Eben has urged us not to follow “the script” merely because it assuages our anxiety for a short amount of time, because if we follow the script, we end up cheating ourselves. So instead of forgetting about these children until the next fundraising event, I find myself waiting around for the next event with a great deal of anxiety, desperately trying to remain wary of the dangers I face as I follow my own script, letting the anger that I felt when I attended the fundraiser fade behind me.
While the aftermath of attending this fundraiser has mostly been confusion, I have since been able to accept two difficult truths, both of which have been discussed in this class, and both of which have the power to guide me towards a career that will make me feel personally fulfilled.
First, my anxiety fuels me. Eben has correctly stated that many of us will choose career paths that are not right for us because we are motivated by fear. This is true; however, I sense that there are two breeds of anxiety that I feel, and that each type pushes me towards a dramatically different career path. The first type of anxiety is fueled by financial pressure, fear of social and familial rejection, and fear of the unknown and change. It drives me to stick to the script that society has written for me without asking any questions. I can attend the fundraisers, but my time is too important to be spent running them.
The second type of anxiety, which has been largely incited through the lectures in this course, is fueled by the fear that I will realize one day that I’ve chosen the career and lifestyle that aren’t right for me. This is the anxiety that I felt after attending this fundraiser, because once I know that there is a social issue that matters to me, I know that I have found at least one career path that will allow me to remain more true to myself than spending my time working for a law firm. I also feel this anxiety because the thought of extreme poverty makes me feel uncomfortable and I don’t understand what role I am able to play in helping to fix it. This feeling is exacerbated by that fact that I don’t know where to draw the invisible line which dictates the point at which I stop doing for myself and begin doing for others.
Although both types of anxiety are prevalent, the latter type mimics the degree of force that Eben’s lectures have in the midst of our law-school-culture dominated week. It barely stands a chance against the gargantuan anxiety that I feel when I think about departing from my script and exiting the paradigm that I thought I knew in pursuit of an entirely new one.
The second truth, which is simpler though equally important, is that my legal degree will give me more power to enact change than I previously had. I have a bigger weapon than I had before entering law school, which means that two years from now, I will be responsible for the ways that I use it. I am the only person who will be accountable for the decisions that I make and the effects that my decisions have on society.
I wish I could end this essay with a neatly drawn conclusion, however, any neatly drawn conclusion that I could come up with at this point in time would be a lie. Since this is the only class where honesty seems to be the prevailing value, I have chosen to remain honest at the expense of producing a more ideally crafted essay. So, there is no conclusion because I have no conclusion; I can only say that I feel confused about what career I want to pursue and how I will move forward now that I’ve finally admitted to myself that there are in fact groups of deserving people in the world whose lives can only be bettered through acts of selflessness and philanthropy.
-- JessicaGuzik - 17 Apr 2010 |
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