Celebration-Matthew Winkler11

In class this past Thursday we talked about celebration. My take on celebration is that it is living in the past. We have a moment in the past that means something to us in a positive fashion. We will retell the story and throw celebrations in order to try and regain the feeling that we felt. This is what a celebration is. A celebration tends to be a self-oriented event. It is when an individual wants to hang onto a piece of their past because the best moment they have experienced has already passed them by. I think we should take note of our accomplishments but not dwell on them. Instead we should look to the future to our next big accomplishment. Excessive celebration hurts productivity. We have ceremonies for every building or bridge that is constructed. It becomes a big photo shoot where everyone pats himself or herself on the back for a job well done. I think we should build something and then move onto the next project because buildings when in progress are an inconvenience and an eyesore. If we got all our buildings done with as fast as possible we could focus on fixing damages and focusing on other things. That is when a celebration comes only when all tasks are accomplished.

Should we celebrate things that we were supposed to do? We should maybe celebrate when someone goes beyond what their job is because they are doing more then what they were supposed to do. In athletics most individuals have goals and maybe an end goal. I take note of my own personal accomplishments along the way but a true celebration would be for myself when I hit a milestone that has been a long time goal. I think accomplishment is sometimes all the joy we need to feel. Knowing that you have completed a task takes a great weight off ones shoulders because they are done. So am I wrong to think that I we as a society celebrate too much? I could go on for a few pages about how we don't give credit enough. I guess we have a balance where we can celebrate a lot because other people do not always understand that what has been accomplished is a big deal.

Whitney Swaim - Folklife Festival (Outside Topic 1)

Blog 1
In October I attended the Newport News Festival of Folklife. As soon as I arrived, I noticed that the whole event was centered around an important topic from class, how indigenous peoples cultivate relationships with their local land. Perhaps the most interesting part of this festival was visiting the various exhibitors. The festival was set up in a walk-through fashion, and there were numerous tents along the path that you could visit. Many of these tents featured local craftsmen and artists who handmade various goods and decorative items. One woman was making rugs out of materials she grew and dyed herself. She was using a simple peddling machine at the festival, continuing to make new products to sell. I was in awe of the detail of these rugs, and I respected the woman greatly for taking so much time to complete each one. This reminded me of primal peoples who are in touch with their local land. The rug woman, as well as many other sellers, took pride in her creations, no matter how simple they appeared. I was glad to see that in such a modernized society there are still indigenous local artisans who share a relationship with the earth.

Masks-Matthew Winkler 10

In class this past Thursday we were talking about masks and how it conceals identity but also gives us a new one. We then went into cartoon with superheros who where a mask to hide themselves and serve as a symbol of justice. Why do we use masks in modern days to hide our face? Our true feelings or intension? not really sure why but in one of my stories I have a character who has a twin brother, we will call him Fred, who is popular and already a status symbol. now the other brother Tim looks just like him but no one knows that he exists, they just assume it is Fred. Now Tim wanted not to be known as Fred or as Fred's twin but as his own person. He decides to use a mask when he is not pretending to be his brother so he can act as he pleases. He begins to become free of the confines of being Fred's brother but he is a mysterious person who acts differently from other people. He does not have to abide by the rules because he can remove the mask and be free of its image. with this mask Tim could be anyone he wants, so he lives life the way he wants to, always knowing he can take the mask off at anytime. This worked great for Tim because he was not held responsible for his actions because his masked self was hard to find. Unfortunately one day the mask becomes stuck on Tim's face. Now he can no longer take off the mask and pretend to be Fred. Tim's new identity that he was using to cover up his old appearance is now his only appearance.
We create a new identity to possibly hide the old one and act in ways we have always wanted to but were never able to because of what people might think of you if you preformed such actions. That might be why people act one way with friends but another way with family. They might be trying to create an identity to please others but also want one to call their own. What do you think?

Corey Maiden-Life as a secondary state of mind

Ok so in one of my other class we are going over some pretty interesting material. The concept is basically that life as we perceive it is a secondary state of mind even though we live as though it were our natural state. Our original state is just our inner monologue devoid of any outside influences or perceptions. I don’t know if I can agree with this theory because I see the two states of mind as being necessary for the other. My argument is that without our life experiences we would have no inner monologue and without inner monologue we would scarcely be able to apply cognition to our sensory stimuli. This separating the two makes me see people as more like plants than the social creatures that we are. I think that separating yourself from this reality like those who meditate to get rid of all sensory perceptions is kind of a waste of time. My feeling on the metaphysical aspect of it is that if I have a soul I will have plenty of meditation time when it is disconnected from my body, and if I don’t, there’s really no point in worrying about it because when I die I will no longer exist.

Tricksters and Lessons-Matthew Winkler 9

In both classes this past week we heard stories about the trickster coyote from Native Americans. And in last class our teacher said that the trickster normally teaches a lesson. I thought about this with modern day stories and struggled to think of one so I settled on the story of the tortoise and the heir. In the story we learn that those that are consistent and don't gloat end up winning out over the those who gloat and take breaks all the time. But that story really did not send the message that I wanted it to so I thought some more of another story maybe a movie I could use and thought of this TV show called One Piece. It is a story about pirates. Now the main character is a not really a trickster but a goofy person who has a goal in life, to become king of the pirates. now he starts off with no crew and the first person he meets is a swordsman who is about to be put to death. the pirate, Luffy, asks the swordsman, Zoro, if he wants to join his crew. Zoro says no unless he can set him free. Luffy agrees to do just that because he really wants him to join his crew. Well the Marines see that someone if trying to break Zoro out of jail and go to stop him. In this short story the Marines are controlled by a comander who is not a nice man to his employees or citizens that he once swore to protect. So at first Luffy fights the Marines, then Zoro finally breaks free and beat the head Marine. The other marine lay down their weapons and thank Luffy and Zoro for freeing them. The Marines that lock their boss up in jail and decide not to go after Luffy and Zoro. Zoro agrees to join Luffy's crew which is just the two of them in a wooden fishing boat. Zoro laughs that he has just joined a man who has no crew, can't swim, cook, navigate, and can barely take care of himself, but he sees that his and Luffy's dreams are similar. they want to be the best in their particular area. The rest of the story is similar with their misadventures and while saving themselves and gaining crew members they are bringing various areas peace but are still enemies because they are pirates.
I tell this story because it is like that of the trickster. His own agenda seems to benefit other people along the way while still not many people that he has helped them, only that stuff seems to have changed for the better.

Change from past to present- Matthew Winkler 8

In class on Wednesday we talked briefly on the way privacy is viewed now compared to the way it used to be view 100 years ago. 100 years ago we did not have the technology and standards of living that we have now today. 100 years ago people in the United States still relied on a wood stove to stay warm and most houses only had one of those. Families would gather around and do everything together. Today most Americans have heat through out most of their houses so there is less a need to stay close to one another. By having heat all through out our homes we could have private rooms where we can change our clothes, which was not likely 100 years ago. We also have a greater supply of hot water so we do not have to share showers like we once did. We can have them in private and now if another person were to suggest sharing a shower with you you might give them an odd look. We can now hide our bodies from the eyes of others, but we also try to hide our ideas and feelings. We value privacy so much we do not interact in the same kind of open fashion that we once did. Did people try to hide themselves 100 years ago or do we just value our privacy because of the technology we have? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that once we expose everything we have nothing that we can hold private and share with those that we care for most. Maybe it has something to do with standards and looking at oral societies and their perceived lack of sophistication. not sure why the ultimate reason is but it begs the question: Are we going to make ourselves more private on a continuum until we no longer interact with individuals unless they are worthy of seeing or hearing our voices?

Blog #4--Jessica Moore---Making vs. Buying

A while back in class we spoke about the difference between buying something or making it ourselves. For example, to bake a cake or to by a cake for your best friends birthday. Buying a cake would take much less time than making one, the price might be a little more but not that much more, and some may argue (depending on where you get it) that the cake tastes better. On the flip side, making a cake might take longer but the time spent making it can be a relaxing and meditative experience, it probably doesn't cost as much a buying one, but you have to spend time buying and making sure you have all the necessary ingredients, some may also argue that a homemade cake not only tastes better but also means more to the person receiving the cake. We also spoke about how when you make something (instead of buying) you not only bond with the object/ingredients/food, but make a connection with the space and environment in which you make it. To make or to buy? That is the question. I think when deciding what to do, you have to weigh your priorities. Are you willing to take the time to put your effort into making something and enjoying the experience and time as a meditative and relaxing one? Or, is buying something at a store simply for convenient at the time. Is price an issue? Are you willing to pay a little more to buy something or save the money by buying the ingredients and putting it together yourself? Are you willing to take a risk? Buying something from a store pretty much ensures that your getting good quality, while making it yourself wouldn't necessarily mean better quality, but then again it could be better. What is the item for? Is it a personal item, will it be shared, is it a gift? There are a lot of things to consider when deciding whether to buy or make. Personally, it would mean more to me for someone to make me a cake for my birthday than to buy one, but for events like my wedding, I would definitely buy a cake.