Reflection Paper

On September 6, 2017, I were documented for an incident that involved a University Housing policy violation. I was charged with violating the University Housing Alcohol 1.2 policy. With my violation, came consequences. I met with The Residence Conduct Coordinator to discuss my actions and came to the conclusion that I would have to schedule a meeting with The Campus Alcohol and Drug Education Center (CADEC) and with that, a reflection paper.

To understand the connection between the occasion for Heidegger’s speech and its content, the setting needs to be clarified. Heidegger’s speech takes place during a memorial of the 175th birthday of famous

Heidegger also believed that we have been interpreting certain pre- Socratics wrong. One such pre-Socratic is Heraclitus. More specifically, Heidegger believed that Fragment 123 of Heraclitus in which he mentions Physis has also been translated falsely, giving the words false definitions as well as false philosophical theories behind it. Traditionally, Fragment 123 is translated into “that nature likes to hide”. Instead of the traditional interpretation of how nature likes to hide, Heidegger believed that when Heraclitus mentioned Physis, he was referring to Being. More specifically, he was referring to Being in the Heideggarian context, which is referring to the appearing of that which appears and the occurring of what is. In other words, he was referring to things which are seeming and happening and the

Through this quote, Heidegger is stating that influential works of art have a great role in instituting principles in a way that is beneficial to the community around it as it guides their understanding and their beliefs of the world around them.

When the question: “What is called thinking?” is reconsidered in Heidegger terms, it might better be read as asking, “What is it that invites or instructs or directs us into thinking?” or in Heidegger’s own words, “What is it that appeals to us to think?” By asking this question, the thinker becomes the object of the action, the one who is invited into thinking and the action is less about defining what thinking is than in discovering how it is that the pathway into thinking is opened for us.

We are all different in unique ways that make us who we are. Life comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, and orientations, and yet the only thing we, as a society, see is what makes up the best of these. So many people believe that being “different” is not acceptable in the world, and because of this, people deny themselves who they are and live in fear. I sadly found myself in the same situation, afraid and alone.

Stubborn is how my Mom would describe my personality. My Dad, on the other hand, always said I was tenacious. He believed our greatest strength can be found by understanding our weaknesses. As a child, he explained that being stubborn is a negative attribute. According to him, people do not like when they meet an inflexible brick wall. Tenacity, on the other hand, can be a powerful tool. It shows people you are determined and persistent. He wanted me to understand that a strength can sometimes be a weakness made to work in our favor. I have always remembered this advice and have used tenacity to achieve many of my life goals.

The lessons we take form obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you and what did you learn from the experience?

I am a privileged person. I am white. I am upper-middle class. I am university educated. I am thin. I have parents who are still married to each other. I have always had some form of part time work since starting high school. I have no student debt. I am straight. I am Christian. I am an extrovert. I have a strong voice and an even stronger opinion. This made a class on inequality difficult to relate to but if anything, its shown that I do not have even the most basic understanding of what some of my less privileged peers go through everyday. Because of my privilege and powerful voice, I found it extremely difficult to express my opinions in this class because I either felt like a hypocrite or I felt domineering thus I took a silent position attempting to not only understand how some of my peers feel but also because I had never understood what it was like to be unable to share my individual opinions and stories. Although the silence was unintentional, as I went through reading my classmates posts I found myself frustrated because of something I differed in opinion on or because I felt that a grouping to which I belonged was being misrepresented and there was nothing I could do to address the situation.

The United States of America is the country where there is a true dynamic of cultures. Culture is capable of affecting the value and reasoning of thoughts. Culture is a sensitive area each human must explore. In class, I learned about cultural awareness and how everyone should be compassionate and accepting of others and themselves. I grew up in a Christian world, however, now I am seeking something more. One lesson that will always be keen to my heart is: to love others as you love yourself; this verse is crucial for one’s growth. If one does not love him or herself than one cannot truly love another for who they are. Consequently, if one loves others, then one should be working on insecurities and gain more confidence so that it does not become an obstacle to truly care for others. Life is about embracing who you are, and in order to succeed in this, one must love others truly. The love for oneself and the love for others, should balance each other out. There are times where one should sacrifice time or other things in order to show love. Love should be unlimited and available for everyone, but unfortunately, some individuals never experience something so pure like love, hence, the reason why we have justice. Justice is embraced in our society, it requires one to become an advocate and learn how to empower individuals to use their voice. One of the reasons why I choose this field is because I want people to know they are loved and provide justice for them. In every

Can you recall a time where you faced a challenge, setback, or failure that taught you a lesson in the long run? The consequences we take from the obstacles we encounter, whether good or bad can be fundamental to later success.

Bang! The gun goes off and your life flashes before your eyes. It’s the moment I realize I need to focus in on my body’s effort and concentration to finish the course that lies before me. I’m thinking about the race most of the day and preparing mentally for what challenges can occur along the course. Could I fall and sprain or break an ankle? Could I get overheated and sick? I’ve ask myself these questions while running Cross Country for six years. But, nothing can really prepare me for what’s ahead when I’m running. When that gun goes off and everyone starts running, it’s a totally different environment. My dedication and pride got me through coming in last for four years of cross country. I learned this exact lesson as journeyed my way to each finish line, making me stronger each time.

In Elizabeth’s classroom there are various activities going on all about Egypt, there are students demonstrating how ancient kings were mummified for burial. The students are learning about Ancient Egypt, but they are doing it in an atypical way. The activities and lessons are not teacher driven, instead the students are working in collaborative groups except one student and they are working on student driven projects. Some students are learning about pyramids. The classroom brings on a new meaning to organized chaos. A teacher who really needs structure in the classroom may have a difficult time with a classroom that is organized like Elizabeth’s. There are a few areas of concern when approaching student driven activities like what is being done in Elizabeth’s classroom. One concern is how can she ensure that all her students are learning the required content. To me this can be done a couple of ways. She could use formative assessments throughout the learning process as a way to assess if the students are learning the content. These can be as simple as observations of the students collaborating together, or as concrete as a pen/paper quiz over the required content. Another way is to establish content specific rubrics that are differentiated to meet the needs of each group’s specific projects. Of course the rubrics need to be presented and reviewed with the students several times throughout the process. Prior to beginning their assignments and then revisited in weekly

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority,” Colossians 2:6-9 (ESV). The words of the Apostle Paul echo in warning to the people of Colossae, ones stressing the importance of being firmly rooted in the Christian faith. The observations that took place in the classroom and on the playground lead me to believe in the importance of a strong Christian foundation starting at a young age.

In the words of Heidegger, the poem is a vortex that snatches us away not gradually, but suddenly, and thus we are drawn into a conversation. Understanding of poetry is essential to Heidegger’s philosophy. There are two notions, which seem to stand at opposite poles, which are poetry and technology. They seem to be opposed forms of truth. In modern civilization, we see the world through our technology, but there was a time when the truth was seen through poetry.