The Happiness Project
In this project, we as a class delved into the ideas of happiness and meaning, as well as what it is and how to achieve these abstract ideas. Through this project we also learned about dystopias by reading the book Brave New World. After this reading we were given sources such as articles and Speeches on subjects pertaining to these abstract ideas in the human essence. We were then tasked to write an essay and create a piece of art on what we have taken away from these ideas. I based my essay on meaning's role in finding happiness and based my art piece on the cycle of happiness and negative emotions.
Essay
Meaning and Happiness
What is happiness, and how do I live a happy life? This is the question that has haunted philosophers the world over for centuries, if not the beginning of advanced thought. The answer to which the world has been desperately craving; with depression at an all time high, and an estimation of 350 million people worldwide diagnosed with severe depression found by healthline.com, we must at least attempt to answer this question. On this path to understanding how one accomplishes this gargantuan task, finding some form of happiness, one must first understand what they are looking for. Happiness in its simplest form is only a release of dopamine and endorphins, and while this is the simple and logical explanation of this phenomenon, quite little of the human essence is explainable in its entirety through scientific analysis alone, this view is also reflected in the Ted talk, “A Life of Purpose” by Rick Warren. Warren describes happiness as “...the emotion gained from acting in a way that we satisfy what we were meant to do.” I strongly agree with this perspective, and have taken it even farther to state that this is the only way to achieve “authentic” happiness. Happiness is the driving force of humanity, it motivates societies to trend towards a better future and allows for change to be made in the world. It can be brought up through a multitude of different stimuli, but the effect is not the same between stimuli, even though the chemical cocktail that is created is identical. With all these given facts of happiness, the pursuit of this elusive prey can finally have a starting place, but the question remains; how do we find happiness? For this task we must utilize one more essential part of the human essence, purpose. Purpose within oneself, as well as the acceptance of the Purposes found by others, is not only an integral part in this search, but is an indispensable guide in creating a happy individual and a happy society.
Happiness does not just occur or appear; it must be given a reason to present itself. For many, this reason is the pursuit of an individual purpose, or greater meaning. This act of finding and pursuing happiness has been proven to allow an individual to endure through great hardships and even find happiness against all odds. To prove this point, the article “There’s More to Life Than Being Happy” by Emily Esfahani Smith chronicles the actions taken by a jewish psychologist for suicide risk patients during internment at Auschwitz. Doctor Frankl, the doctor who treated these at risk patients, decided to attempt and treat these patients’ depression by guiding them to find a form of meaning in their life, or a reason to move forward. Frankl writes defending his solution, and explaining why it was so effective in such a dark time: “A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the "why" for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any "how."” As doctor Frankl realized, once someone realizes why they are in the position that they are in, and what they can do of significance to the world around them they become fulfilled and find happiness in the pursuit of that significance. This presence of meaning guided these troubled men away from the pit of abysmal despair, and allowed them to find happiness even in the darkest of times. This idea of having a purpose in life enhancing and allowing for individual happiness is enforced in the Ted talk, “The New Era of Positive Psychology.” This video explains the idea of three levels of a “happy” life. These levels were a pleasant life, a good life, and a meaningful life. A pleasant life consisted of a life where the individual experiences regular small pleasures, such as indulging in a piece of chocolate. A good life consisted of a life where the individual experiences “flow” , a mental state in which time appears to pass slower than usual, concentration is intensified, and the individual experiences large releases of chemicals such as dopamine. A meaningful life consists of a life in which an individual uses their own strengths in order to move towards a goal or purpose greater than themselves. Individuals at each of these levels experienced different levels of life satisfaction and happiness, the greatest of which being those who had a meaningful life. Meaning for the individual is like a guide, something that if pursued will allow those following it to find happiness in their life.
With this said, the best way for an individual to actively work towards finding happiness in their life, is to find a purpose and pursue that purpose. The video “Happiness And Its Surprises” exemplifies and explains this idea of finding happiness through working towards purpose. This video states “Maslow had this idea back in the 1950s that as people rise above their biological needs, as the world becomes safer and we don't have to worry about basic needs being met -- our biological system, whatever motivates us, is being satisfied -- we can rise above them, to think beyond ourselves toward self-actualization or transcendence, and rise above the materialist.” This shows how as we satisfy more basic needs, and are satisfied and happy at that level, we are able to work towards a more pervasive and more “authentic” form of happiness that originates from helping the group, as we humans are psychologically wired to do. This authentic happiness stems from working towards something larger than the self. From an analytical perspective, this response of a more complete form of happiness resulting from working towards the betterment of a group stems from a basic instinct of helping to sustain a pack in order to further one’s own chances of passing on their genes and surviving, as maslow suggested. This being said, I feel there is more to this complete happiness than centuries of ingrained socialization and adaptation. This is due to the fact that not everyone finds their purpose in the betterment of a group. This purpose could come from something as simple as writing a novel. Its all a matter of where your “flow” originates from and how you use your personal strengths. The video “The New Era of Positive Psychology” emphasizes a mental state called flow. This state occurs when a person utilizes their personal strengths while doing something they love. It was found that those who regularly utilized this were happier than those who did not. It was also shown that those who find flow while pursuit of their purpose find an astonishingly high level of life satisfaction and happiness. The pursuit of one’s purpose is conducive to happiness, no matter how you look at it, whether it be strictly analytical, or with the perspective of something greater, the best way to find happiness is through purpose.This idea of meaning being a guide for happiness is not only true for the individual, but also for the entirety of society.
We as a nation, in order to create mass happiness within the public, need to work towards accepting other's pursuits of what they find to be their own individual purpose. The ted talk “A Life of Purpose” by Rick Warren discusses how we as individuals act in accordance with how we best see fit to pursue happiness in our lives, as well as how our socializations have made think about and interpret the world around us. While speaking on what we are meant to do with our lives, he states “ if you want to know what you ought to be doing with your life, you need to look at your shape. What am I wired to do?” I found this to be synonymous to what we as a society need to do in order create happiness. This paradigm of doing what your personal strengths lead you to, and what you find meaning in doing, Is exactly what we need to implement in our society. Current social standards dictate that one must pursue a profession and act in a manner that will allow them to acquire a fair amount of prestige and other external happinesses such as income. This standard is enforced through societal influences, regardless of the individual’s strengths or personal preferences. Another exemplification of this ideal is the movie “I Am.” This movie details how members of a group interact with the group as a whole and their resulting happiness. It was found that happiness results from contributing to the group, however, a much more effective and “genuine” form of happiness resulted when the individual works towards a larger purpose while utilizing their own talents and achieving flow. While this is an amazing discovery, unless we as a society can learn to accept other’s personal pursuits of this goal, many will be unable to find this level of happiness and will thusly suffer psychologically. The only way for a society to navigate towards a state of utopia, and happiness for all of its citizens, it must first overcome the prejudices that are held by the individual against their neighbors.
Purpose is the guiding force in our lives. It influences every decision we make, how we influence society, and how we shape our own destinies. This monumental influence on the human condition has only one flaw, and that is it must be found. It is not fundamentally given, at least not for everyone, and is different for each individual. So how does one go about finding their own guiding force? Well this differs for each searcher. For some it may come in a flash of epiphany, for others it may be a gradual understanding come across after years of contemplating, and for others still it might be just an inherent understanding that the person has had as far back as they can remember. With all of these ways of finding this purpose, there is one way to work towards this and that is through flow. With flow, a person utilizes their strengths and find happiness through that state, but it also lets us find how we fit into the world and how we as a person can benefit our society. In other words, it lets us know what we are shaped and wired to do. With this understanding, you can find true happiness, and know how to pursue what you have been shaped through society and self to do. With this understanding, society can begin to foster true happiness. So if nothing else, hear this, there is no true happiness without purpose, so please, find this purpose and allow yourself to experience true happiness in this cold world.
What is happiness, and how do I live a happy life? This is the question that has haunted philosophers the world over for centuries, if not the beginning of advanced thought. The answer to which the world has been desperately craving; with depression at an all time high, and an estimation of 350 million people worldwide diagnosed with severe depression found by healthline.com, we must at least attempt to answer this question. On this path to understanding how one accomplishes this gargantuan task, finding some form of happiness, one must first understand what they are looking for. Happiness in its simplest form is only a release of dopamine and endorphins, and while this is the simple and logical explanation of this phenomenon, quite little of the human essence is explainable in its entirety through scientific analysis alone, this view is also reflected in the Ted talk, “A Life of Purpose” by Rick Warren. Warren describes happiness as “...the emotion gained from acting in a way that we satisfy what we were meant to do.” I strongly agree with this perspective, and have taken it even farther to state that this is the only way to achieve “authentic” happiness. Happiness is the driving force of humanity, it motivates societies to trend towards a better future and allows for change to be made in the world. It can be brought up through a multitude of different stimuli, but the effect is not the same between stimuli, even though the chemical cocktail that is created is identical. With all these given facts of happiness, the pursuit of this elusive prey can finally have a starting place, but the question remains; how do we find happiness? For this task we must utilize one more essential part of the human essence, purpose. Purpose within oneself, as well as the acceptance of the Purposes found by others, is not only an integral part in this search, but is an indispensable guide in creating a happy individual and a happy society.
Happiness does not just occur or appear; it must be given a reason to present itself. For many, this reason is the pursuit of an individual purpose, or greater meaning. This act of finding and pursuing happiness has been proven to allow an individual to endure through great hardships and even find happiness against all odds. To prove this point, the article “There’s More to Life Than Being Happy” by Emily Esfahani Smith chronicles the actions taken by a jewish psychologist for suicide risk patients during internment at Auschwitz. Doctor Frankl, the doctor who treated these at risk patients, decided to attempt and treat these patients’ depression by guiding them to find a form of meaning in their life, or a reason to move forward. Frankl writes defending his solution, and explaining why it was so effective in such a dark time: “A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the "why" for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any "how."” As doctor Frankl realized, once someone realizes why they are in the position that they are in, and what they can do of significance to the world around them they become fulfilled and find happiness in the pursuit of that significance. This presence of meaning guided these troubled men away from the pit of abysmal despair, and allowed them to find happiness even in the darkest of times. This idea of having a purpose in life enhancing and allowing for individual happiness is enforced in the Ted talk, “The New Era of Positive Psychology.” This video explains the idea of three levels of a “happy” life. These levels were a pleasant life, a good life, and a meaningful life. A pleasant life consisted of a life where the individual experiences regular small pleasures, such as indulging in a piece of chocolate. A good life consisted of a life where the individual experiences “flow” , a mental state in which time appears to pass slower than usual, concentration is intensified, and the individual experiences large releases of chemicals such as dopamine. A meaningful life consists of a life in which an individual uses their own strengths in order to move towards a goal or purpose greater than themselves. Individuals at each of these levels experienced different levels of life satisfaction and happiness, the greatest of which being those who had a meaningful life. Meaning for the individual is like a guide, something that if pursued will allow those following it to find happiness in their life.
With this said, the best way for an individual to actively work towards finding happiness in their life, is to find a purpose and pursue that purpose. The video “Happiness And Its Surprises” exemplifies and explains this idea of finding happiness through working towards purpose. This video states “Maslow had this idea back in the 1950s that as people rise above their biological needs, as the world becomes safer and we don't have to worry about basic needs being met -- our biological system, whatever motivates us, is being satisfied -- we can rise above them, to think beyond ourselves toward self-actualization or transcendence, and rise above the materialist.” This shows how as we satisfy more basic needs, and are satisfied and happy at that level, we are able to work towards a more pervasive and more “authentic” form of happiness that originates from helping the group, as we humans are psychologically wired to do. This authentic happiness stems from working towards something larger than the self. From an analytical perspective, this response of a more complete form of happiness resulting from working towards the betterment of a group stems from a basic instinct of helping to sustain a pack in order to further one’s own chances of passing on their genes and surviving, as maslow suggested. This being said, I feel there is more to this complete happiness than centuries of ingrained socialization and adaptation. This is due to the fact that not everyone finds their purpose in the betterment of a group. This purpose could come from something as simple as writing a novel. Its all a matter of where your “flow” originates from and how you use your personal strengths. The video “The New Era of Positive Psychology” emphasizes a mental state called flow. This state occurs when a person utilizes their personal strengths while doing something they love. It was found that those who regularly utilized this were happier than those who did not. It was also shown that those who find flow while pursuit of their purpose find an astonishingly high level of life satisfaction and happiness. The pursuit of one’s purpose is conducive to happiness, no matter how you look at it, whether it be strictly analytical, or with the perspective of something greater, the best way to find happiness is through purpose.This idea of meaning being a guide for happiness is not only true for the individual, but also for the entirety of society.
We as a nation, in order to create mass happiness within the public, need to work towards accepting other's pursuits of what they find to be their own individual purpose. The ted talk “A Life of Purpose” by Rick Warren discusses how we as individuals act in accordance with how we best see fit to pursue happiness in our lives, as well as how our socializations have made think about and interpret the world around us. While speaking on what we are meant to do with our lives, he states “ if you want to know what you ought to be doing with your life, you need to look at your shape. What am I wired to do?” I found this to be synonymous to what we as a society need to do in order create happiness. This paradigm of doing what your personal strengths lead you to, and what you find meaning in doing, Is exactly what we need to implement in our society. Current social standards dictate that one must pursue a profession and act in a manner that will allow them to acquire a fair amount of prestige and other external happinesses such as income. This standard is enforced through societal influences, regardless of the individual’s strengths or personal preferences. Another exemplification of this ideal is the movie “I Am.” This movie details how members of a group interact with the group as a whole and their resulting happiness. It was found that happiness results from contributing to the group, however, a much more effective and “genuine” form of happiness resulted when the individual works towards a larger purpose while utilizing their own talents and achieving flow. While this is an amazing discovery, unless we as a society can learn to accept other’s personal pursuits of this goal, many will be unable to find this level of happiness and will thusly suffer psychologically. The only way for a society to navigate towards a state of utopia, and happiness for all of its citizens, it must first overcome the prejudices that are held by the individual against their neighbors.
Purpose is the guiding force in our lives. It influences every decision we make, how we influence society, and how we shape our own destinies. This monumental influence on the human condition has only one flaw, and that is it must be found. It is not fundamentally given, at least not for everyone, and is different for each individual. So how does one go about finding their own guiding force? Well this differs for each searcher. For some it may come in a flash of epiphany, for others it may be a gradual understanding come across after years of contemplating, and for others still it might be just an inherent understanding that the person has had as far back as they can remember. With all of these ways of finding this purpose, there is one way to work towards this and that is through flow. With flow, a person utilizes their strengths and find happiness through that state, but it also lets us find how we fit into the world and how we as a person can benefit our society. In other words, it lets us know what we are shaped and wired to do. With this understanding, you can find true happiness, and know how to pursue what you have been shaped through society and self to do. With this understanding, society can begin to foster true happiness. So if nothing else, hear this, there is no true happiness without purpose, so please, find this purpose and allow yourself to experience true happiness in this cold world.
Art Piece and Artist Statement
The Pheonix
Rollin leavitt
This piece of origami art is a phoenix, with the folding pattern originally designed by Satoshi Kamiya. It took a total folding time of around 7 hours to create. This piece of art represents two main take aways from the Happiness Project. One of these was that Happiness comes and goes, but life will never stagnate in an undesirable condition for long. It is human nature to experience both positive and negative emotions, but no matter how terrible those negative emotions may be, they will always be followed by positive ones. This is why I chose to create a Phoenix, which I feels exemplifies this view of endless cycles, as well as my quote which states, "Happiness, like all things, comes in cycles.Each low followed, endlessly, by another high." The other point I wanted to convey was the fact that, even though life may not be perfect, happiness can still be found in all situations. I conveyed this message through my art with the title “Pheonix”. I intentionally misspelled Phoenix to emphasize my point of how even though life may not be ideal or perfect by any means, beauty can still exist in its entirety.
Rollin leavitt
This piece of origami art is a phoenix, with the folding pattern originally designed by Satoshi Kamiya. It took a total folding time of around 7 hours to create. This piece of art represents two main take aways from the Happiness Project. One of these was that Happiness comes and goes, but life will never stagnate in an undesirable condition for long. It is human nature to experience both positive and negative emotions, but no matter how terrible those negative emotions may be, they will always be followed by positive ones. This is why I chose to create a Phoenix, which I feels exemplifies this view of endless cycles, as well as my quote which states, "Happiness, like all things, comes in cycles.Each low followed, endlessly, by another high." The other point I wanted to convey was the fact that, even though life may not be perfect, happiness can still be found in all situations. I conveyed this message through my art with the title “Pheonix”. I intentionally misspelled Phoenix to emphasize my point of how even though life may not be ideal or perfect by any means, beauty can still exist in its entirety.
The Model U.N. Project
This Project assigned us a country and tasked us to research the opinions of our country and use this knowledge in order to form a solution to major world problems in a mock United Nations conference. For this project we debated the two world Issues of the North Korean nuclear crisis and the Palestinian right of return issue. I was given the perspective of the United states for these debates. The purpose of this project is to foster abilities of critical thinking, collaboration, and real world consensus building. This project taught me to look at the world from other perspectives and to use this ability to create valid solutions to modern issues.
North Korean Issue
North Korean Policy Paper.
https://docs.google.com/a/animashighschool.com/document/d/1AcjTxWC_Z6ZMBRrqOoz_AYPT7PrPWox81MJbx5GJb-M/edit?usp=sharing
North Korean Resolution
https://docs.google.com/a/animashighschool.com/document/d/1e7JwMm9SfynHtRwwlq3iSct9011dhnMBfkmbL3L1AII/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/a/animashighschool.com/document/d/1AcjTxWC_Z6ZMBRrqOoz_AYPT7PrPWox81MJbx5GJb-M/edit?usp=sharing
North Korean Resolution
https://docs.google.com/a/animashighschool.com/document/d/1e7JwMm9SfynHtRwwlq3iSct9011dhnMBfkmbL3L1AII/edit?usp=sharing
Israel-Palestine Issue
Israel-Palestine Policy Paper
https://docs.google.com/a/animashighschool.com/document/d/1el4AOubFqciXEYsI2gpYmysvSJxXcaM6OC6ZaZR9gw8/edit?usp=sharing
Israel-Palestine Resolution
https://docs.google.com/a/animashighschool.com/document/d/13r1dEVZqFLslMxQjs3WTL4ndZXAtM_PjNJWE4iJITw4/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/a/animashighschool.com/document/d/1el4AOubFqciXEYsI2gpYmysvSJxXcaM6OC6ZaZR9gw8/edit?usp=sharing
Israel-Palestine Resolution
https://docs.google.com/a/animashighschool.com/document/d/13r1dEVZqFLslMxQjs3WTL4ndZXAtM_PjNJWE4iJITw4/edit?usp=sharing
Project Reflection
- What would you tell another student if they asked why the MUN project was important?
- If another student were to ask me why the MUN project was important I would tell them that it is important because it allows for a real world example of how to build consensus within a group and how to build consensus for your side of an argument. I did this within the project by offering to have amendments made to my resolution that might allow for other delegates to have found my resolution favorable. This amending process was done between myself and several other delegates one of which was the delegate from Russia who proposed a larger time frame for my resolution. This building of consensus is important in the real world because it helps to communicate results and wishes to others who may not share the same opinion as you. I know for a fact that I will use this knowledge later on in projects such as the model congress and real world situations such as arguments with co workers and neighbors.
Think of this project overall- which habit of mind were you most proud of using during the conference?- The habit of heart and mind that I am most proud of using during the conference would be perseverance. I was proud of my perseverance because of the fact that even though I knew that my resolution had no chance of passing due to the disbalance of voting opinions in which the vast majority of delegates were voting against my resolution, I still tried to sway delegates and convince them to vote for my resolution. This was seen in my speech where i not only tried to convince others by advocating for my own resolution but also attacked other’s resolutions in an attempt to convince other voters. This perseverance in the face of inevitable defeat is why I am proud of my perseverance during the project, even though my strongest argument was somewhat ignored.
What was the greatest challenge you faced in the project and how did you work through it?- The greatest problem I faced in this project was attempting to argue a side of the argument that I did not agree with. During this MUN I needed to argue the perspective of America, whose views on the Palestinian-Israeli range towards extremely pro-Israel while hold a neutral view favored towards Palestine. This forced me to attempt and find flaws in what I felt to be correct, which for someone like me who thinks that I am always right, was incredibly difficult to do. I worked through this difficulty by researching in depth what points my country’s perspective had and how these points could lead to real world progress. Once I had a grasp on these ideas I was able to shift my views so that I was able to think from the other perspective.
What was the most interesting speech, resolution, amendment, or comment by one of the delegates?- The most interesting speech that I heard during the conference was by Amina Youssef, the delegate from Russia. Amina’s speech was the most impressive of the conference due to the fact that she tailored her speech to the occurrences within the conference. An example of this was within her conclusion of her speech where she tailored a sentence to bring my own attention forward and to give her the look of dependability, even more so than I. This sentence was “Please look up from your notes and scribbles, drop your pens, and find that this is the only logical solution.” The effect that this conclusion had on the delegates was apparent by the universal sound of pencils and pens being set down and the attention that was then paid to Amina. Another example of this adaptability was when she counteracted points made against her resolution. This higher level thinking and strategizing is what made Amina’s speech so effective, and frankly brilliant.
- If another student were to ask me why the MUN project was important I would tell them that it is important because it allows for a real world example of how to build consensus within a group and how to build consensus for your side of an argument. I did this within the project by offering to have amendments made to my resolution that might allow for other delegates to have found my resolution favorable. This amending process was done between myself and several other delegates one of which was the delegate from Russia who proposed a larger time frame for my resolution. This building of consensus is important in the real world because it helps to communicate results and wishes to others who may not share the same opinion as you. I know for a fact that I will use this knowledge later on in projects such as the model congress and real world situations such as arguments with co workers and neighbors.
The Tragedy Project
In this project we analyzed modern, and ancient greek tragedies, and their place in society. Once we had learned about these tragedy's place in our society and their effect on our democracy. We learned that these tragedies create a feeling called catharsis, which cleanses society of negative emotions and feelings, making society better as a whole. To give an example of this we were tasked with creating a tragedy based on a modern social issue. My group chose the issue of assisted suicide.
Project Reflection
Project Reflection
- What I am most proud of in my project is the final video, and specifically the editing and sound clipping done in the video. I am proud of this due to the fact that I needed to figure out what to do in this program based solely on my previous experiences with audacity and other sound editing programs such as garageband and finale. Previous to this project, I had never worked with imovie and thusly, I needed to learn while I created my project, and due to this inexperience, I am proud of my ability to learn by doing and creation of this project.
- If I could give one piece of advice to future students doing this project, I would tell them to start production on their final visual product as soon as possible, and to do as much refinement on their script as possible. I tell others to do as much refinement on their project before they make the final visual, because this process for us allowed us to focus only on the making of the video, and not on recreation of the story line. We did this, and we were able to focus all of our attention on the creation of our video and had a week to complete this. Now this being said, I give the advice that it is wise to start production on your visual product, because I had only one week to complete the video. This shortness of time resulted in my group having to use takes that were not ideal, but were merely acceptable.
- I felt that working in partners went fairly well, since there was two people who were both able to contribute their skills and what they're good at to the project. An example of this splitting of work in this project is how My partner Kate Hallin, used her extensive vocabulary and writing skill to refine our project and create a unique and comprehensive script, and I used my technical knowledge to create and edit our video. We both used our knowledge and specific abilities to create a unique project which could not have been done alone. At times however, it was difficult to move forward through our project due to the fact that at times we both had different ideas on what our project should include or emphasize. This difference in ideas caused some difficulty around the creation of our script, such as the vocabulary. One partner wanted to keep the script fairly simple and straight-forward, while the other partner wanted to utilize synonyms and figurative language to create a flowery and dramatic feel. However, this butting of heads happened to create a beautifully flowing script, and we were able to create a better project because of it.
- The most challenging part of this project for me was to refine the Video to the point where it was acceptable to my partner’s and my own standards. as I stated above, I have had no previous experience with Imovie, or the creation of videos. This inexperience made it difficult for me to progress through the refinement process. There was a point in the video where I needed to balance audio levels and volume in order to create a believable dialogue. Since I had never done this before, I had no idea where to even begin in my feeble attempt to improve my project. However, I persevered through this challenge by using the endless knowledge of the internet to find A guide on what I needed to do to the audio to balance it. I then managed to mess around inside of the program until I found the tools necessary to balance the audio.
The Socialization and Identity Project
In this project, we studied the affects of socialization on an individual and how we have been socialized to become who we are. In order to represent how we have been socialized, we were asked to make masks adorned with symbols representing our identity, and write an essay analyzing the negative and positive ways we have been socialized. This project, due to its need for introspection, allows for the student to get a sense of who they are, and why others act as they do. This project brought to light many unsavory issues in our society, that needed to be brought to light and allowed for an analysis of the flaws in our own societal system. It is because of these reasons that I feel this project is a key stone in the animas curriculum, and helps to establish the much loved culture of our school.
Project Reflection
1) In my mask, I am most proud of the statement my mask made. My mask stated that we must break free of the harmful gender norms we are bound to, and that the only way to do this is to stop judging others on their level of conformity to these norms. I am most proud of this because I hope that this may stop or diminish the ostracization of some poor revolutionary, who does not conform to these norms.
2) In my essay i am most proud of when i say “The cultural backing of this Ideal (the thought that the superficial values valued by the media) is a plague on our society, and only strengthens our ties to the cycle of socialization.” I am proud of this sentence because because, to me, this was a point of realization where I really became aware of how much our current cycle of socialization hurts us.
3) From this project, I will remember that all people are just a product of their socialization, and we are able to change and alter our own socialization. I will remember this forever because, to me, it means that you are able to change and gave a lasting and meaningful effect on yourself, and the world around you.
4) I need to improve upon my evidence to become better at project based learning. This habit of heart and mind will improve my writing and my ability to justify and support my arguments. This will help to better my project based learning skills by allowing me to convey my point more convincingly and eloquently.
1) In my mask, I am most proud of the statement my mask made. My mask stated that we must break free of the harmful gender norms we are bound to, and that the only way to do this is to stop judging others on their level of conformity to these norms. I am most proud of this because I hope that this may stop or diminish the ostracization of some poor revolutionary, who does not conform to these norms.
2) In my essay i am most proud of when i say “The cultural backing of this Ideal (the thought that the superficial values valued by the media) is a plague on our society, and only strengthens our ties to the cycle of socialization.” I am proud of this sentence because because, to me, this was a point of realization where I really became aware of how much our current cycle of socialization hurts us.
3) From this project, I will remember that all people are just a product of their socialization, and we are able to change and alter our own socialization. I will remember this forever because, to me, it means that you are able to change and gave a lasting and meaningful effect on yourself, and the world around you.
4) I need to improve upon my evidence to become better at project based learning. This habit of heart and mind will improve my writing and my ability to justify and support my arguments. This will help to better my project based learning skills by allowing me to convey my point more convincingly and eloquently.
The Standards of Socialization
There is a difference between a human and a person. A human is only an animal with a larger brain than the other simplistic life forms around it. A person, however, is a human that can form societies, and interact socially with other persons: but how does a human become a person? A Human becomes a person through a process called socialization. Socialization is how a society’s values, norms and beliefs are instilled into the inhabitants of that culture. An example of this is how Americans are socialized to love their country through the influence of the five agents of socialization: family, media, peers, religion, and sports. These agents are the tools that society uses to shape us as a person and perpetuate its own cycle of socialization. The cycle of socialization is how we are socialized based on the identity categories we were born into, such as race, class, ability level, and gender. Socialization is great! It has provided many positive concepts to our society, but it has also added negative aspects of society, that our society would be better off without. Socialization can also perpetuate destructive and hurtful ideas and norms. Unfortunately the latter is more prominent in our current cycle of socialization. I specifically have been socialized by my peers, and the media to perceive others worth by comparing them to superficial values and standards, to fit in and to conform with all widely accepted norms of my gender, and to find self worth by what others think of me.
A person’s values are instilled upon them by the agents of the socialization and depending on which agents were most prominent in their upbringing and influences every person’s values and beliefs, including my own. I have been socialized to gain my main set of ideals from less virtuous agents, such as the media and my peers, resulting in skewed values; This has resulted in my perceived value of others to be gauged by how well they conform to superficial values and norms, such as athleticism, and looks.The proof that different cultural agents can influence an individual’s beliefs and values can be found in other cultures; one of such cultures are the Aka, a small tribe in Africa. To show how different culture’s and individual’s values and norms differ based on the types of agents used in their socialization, You merely need to compare the fathers of the Aka culture and our own. Aka fathers are expected to provide and protect their family like western culture fathers, but contrary to the male parenting expectations of our culture, are also expected to be very present in their children’s upbringing. This is expressed in the article The Cultural Nexus of the Aka Father-Infant Bonding by Barry S. Hewlett where a study done on Aka fathering styles, and how they compared to modern, western fathering tactics was analyzed, and surprising results were uncovered: “American fathers hold their children only about 10 to 20 minutes each day, while the Aka fathers hold and care for their children an average of one hour each day.” This shows that our socialization is what gives us our standards for a person’s worth; the standards our culture judges others by are based only on superficial values such as finding a mans worth in whether or not he is athletic, or whether or not a woman is beautiful, Instead of basing a person’s values on things that actually matter, and even i judge others based on this criteria.
One of a human’s most basic desires is to be accepted by his peers and to fit in. This need is so deeply ingrained into a person’s socialization, that we find being an “outcast” so deeply painful that people have decided that even death was better than the nightmare of ostricization that came from not fitting in, and i am no exception to this need for acceptance. To be accepted by a group there is a certain set of norms that must be followed. For a man, these norms come in a form called the “Man Box”. This box is given to all men by their fathers, and is passed down generation to generation. This is used to oppress men throughout their lives by forcing them to adhere to the standards set by this box, such as to be athletic, and un-emotional, or become an outcast. Like all others, this box has been passed to me, and even now, i feel its restraints. It is because of this box that i feel the need to fit in and to appear to fit into these norms. A man that truly understands the hell that possessing this box can bare is a man named Tony Porter, and in a recent Ted talk he addressed this mysterious box. In his video, Tony Porter addressed the contents of this mystical box, and found that the effects of being threatened of not conforming to these given norms are to not only be ostracized by others, but self loathing as well. Tony showed this in his video when he asked a young football player a question: “How would you feel if, in front of all the players, your coach told you you were playing like a girl?" Now I expected him to say something like, I'd be sad; I'd be mad; I'd be angry, or something like that. No, the boy said to me -- the boy said to me, "It would destroy me."” Even a young child knows the consequences of breaking this box, and the oppression that the box holds, as illustrated when the boy was asked a different question: “I remember asking a nine-year-old boy, I asked a nine-year-old boy, "What would life be like for you, if you didn't have to adhere to this man box?" He said to me, "I would be free."” These norms require a me to hide behind a cold emotionless mask and since this is the only known way to fit in, i have no choice but to assimilate and teach archaic techniques to interact and fit in, or be cast out.
Unfortunately, I happen to be socialized in the previous two ways, and the culmination of these results in my finding my own self-worth from what others think of me, and since I judge others based on how well they fit into pre destined norms and values, I project this Idea that others are judging me in the same way, thus chaining me to the cycle of socialization. This socialization is also reflected in other youths, as represented in a replication of a study done by Kenneth B. Clark in the video A Girl Like Me. In this test 21 African American children were provided with two identical dolls, one light skinned and one dark. The children were then asked which one was the “good” doll and which was the “bad” doll. Fifteen of the children chose the light doll as good, and the dark doll as bad, based solely on the skin color. This shows that the children were socialized to value their own race based on the opinions of the media and peers. Similar behavior can be seen in all kids and teens you encounter with even the most cursory glance. As I addressed previously all men are held responsible for conforming to a set of norms in order to fit in. Part of this man box is to appear as a strong male as well as act as one; This means that to fit in there is a certain look and act that must be achieved in order to fit in, which is common and shared between all men at some level. The cultural backing of this Ideal is a plague on our society, and only strengthens our ties to the cycle of socialization.
My socialization has tethered me to this harmful cycle of socialization, and i fear that in this harmful way i have been socialized i not only suffer from my socialization, but also propagate it. My socialization to judge others based on the Highly unrealistic and unnatural norms we holdin such high regard, only reinforces the belief that these norms are important. My socialization to fit in and adhere to the guidelines of my man box only creates pain for me and a need for public subterfuge. And finally, by finding my own self-worth in the thoughts of others I am spreading a plague of self loathing and low esteem. I hate these ways in which I have been socialized, but I am unable to change these standards of socialization alone, so I ask that everyone stop gauging the worth of your peers based on the superficial standards given to us by the media, and to throw out the man box! As Bobby Harro said “we need to take a stand, reframe our understanding, question the status quo, and begin a critical transformation that can break down this cycle of socialization and start a new cycle that will lead to liberation for all.” And so, I ask for change not only with my own voice, but that of every single oppressed youth in the world, held too far down to have a voice.
My Mask represents me By using the symbols of a grey background with white norms written over it, a crack through the grey background showing skin, a teardrop, and a mirror in place of an eye. The grey background with white norms written over it represents the mask of hyper masculinity and misogynism that must be worn, by men, to fit in. The crack through the grey symbolizes our need to break through the idea that these harmful norms must be followed, and that there is still hope for making fairer and healthier norms. The teardrop symbolizes how being forced to hide our true selves under these masks of norms causes anguish and pain. Finally, the mirror symbolizes how every man, despite age, race, or ability, IS subjected to the oppression of these norms.
There is a difference between a human and a person. A human is only an animal with a larger brain than the other simplistic life forms around it. A person, however, is a human that can form societies, and interact socially with other persons: but how does a human become a person? A Human becomes a person through a process called socialization. Socialization is how a society’s values, norms and beliefs are instilled into the inhabitants of that culture. An example of this is how Americans are socialized to love their country through the influence of the five agents of socialization: family, media, peers, religion, and sports. These agents are the tools that society uses to shape us as a person and perpetuate its own cycle of socialization. The cycle of socialization is how we are socialized based on the identity categories we were born into, such as race, class, ability level, and gender. Socialization is great! It has provided many positive concepts to our society, but it has also added negative aspects of society, that our society would be better off without. Socialization can also perpetuate destructive and hurtful ideas and norms. Unfortunately the latter is more prominent in our current cycle of socialization. I specifically have been socialized by my peers, and the media to perceive others worth by comparing them to superficial values and standards, to fit in and to conform with all widely accepted norms of my gender, and to find self worth by what others think of me.
A person’s values are instilled upon them by the agents of the socialization and depending on which agents were most prominent in their upbringing and influences every person’s values and beliefs, including my own. I have been socialized to gain my main set of ideals from less virtuous agents, such as the media and my peers, resulting in skewed values; This has resulted in my perceived value of others to be gauged by how well they conform to superficial values and norms, such as athleticism, and looks.The proof that different cultural agents can influence an individual’s beliefs and values can be found in other cultures; one of such cultures are the Aka, a small tribe in Africa. To show how different culture’s and individual’s values and norms differ based on the types of agents used in their socialization, You merely need to compare the fathers of the Aka culture and our own. Aka fathers are expected to provide and protect their family like western culture fathers, but contrary to the male parenting expectations of our culture, are also expected to be very present in their children’s upbringing. This is expressed in the article The Cultural Nexus of the Aka Father-Infant Bonding by Barry S. Hewlett where a study done on Aka fathering styles, and how they compared to modern, western fathering tactics was analyzed, and surprising results were uncovered: “American fathers hold their children only about 10 to 20 minutes each day, while the Aka fathers hold and care for their children an average of one hour each day.” This shows that our socialization is what gives us our standards for a person’s worth; the standards our culture judges others by are based only on superficial values such as finding a mans worth in whether or not he is athletic, or whether or not a woman is beautiful, Instead of basing a person’s values on things that actually matter, and even i judge others based on this criteria.
One of a human’s most basic desires is to be accepted by his peers and to fit in. This need is so deeply ingrained into a person’s socialization, that we find being an “outcast” so deeply painful that people have decided that even death was better than the nightmare of ostricization that came from not fitting in, and i am no exception to this need for acceptance. To be accepted by a group there is a certain set of norms that must be followed. For a man, these norms come in a form called the “Man Box”. This box is given to all men by their fathers, and is passed down generation to generation. This is used to oppress men throughout their lives by forcing them to adhere to the standards set by this box, such as to be athletic, and un-emotional, or become an outcast. Like all others, this box has been passed to me, and even now, i feel its restraints. It is because of this box that i feel the need to fit in and to appear to fit into these norms. A man that truly understands the hell that possessing this box can bare is a man named Tony Porter, and in a recent Ted talk he addressed this mysterious box. In his video, Tony Porter addressed the contents of this mystical box, and found that the effects of being threatened of not conforming to these given norms are to not only be ostracized by others, but self loathing as well. Tony showed this in his video when he asked a young football player a question: “How would you feel if, in front of all the players, your coach told you you were playing like a girl?" Now I expected him to say something like, I'd be sad; I'd be mad; I'd be angry, or something like that. No, the boy said to me -- the boy said to me, "It would destroy me."” Even a young child knows the consequences of breaking this box, and the oppression that the box holds, as illustrated when the boy was asked a different question: “I remember asking a nine-year-old boy, I asked a nine-year-old boy, "What would life be like for you, if you didn't have to adhere to this man box?" He said to me, "I would be free."” These norms require a me to hide behind a cold emotionless mask and since this is the only known way to fit in, i have no choice but to assimilate and teach archaic techniques to interact and fit in, or be cast out.
Unfortunately, I happen to be socialized in the previous two ways, and the culmination of these results in my finding my own self-worth from what others think of me, and since I judge others based on how well they fit into pre destined norms and values, I project this Idea that others are judging me in the same way, thus chaining me to the cycle of socialization. This socialization is also reflected in other youths, as represented in a replication of a study done by Kenneth B. Clark in the video A Girl Like Me. In this test 21 African American children were provided with two identical dolls, one light skinned and one dark. The children were then asked which one was the “good” doll and which was the “bad” doll. Fifteen of the children chose the light doll as good, and the dark doll as bad, based solely on the skin color. This shows that the children were socialized to value their own race based on the opinions of the media and peers. Similar behavior can be seen in all kids and teens you encounter with even the most cursory glance. As I addressed previously all men are held responsible for conforming to a set of norms in order to fit in. Part of this man box is to appear as a strong male as well as act as one; This means that to fit in there is a certain look and act that must be achieved in order to fit in, which is common and shared between all men at some level. The cultural backing of this Ideal is a plague on our society, and only strengthens our ties to the cycle of socialization.
My socialization has tethered me to this harmful cycle of socialization, and i fear that in this harmful way i have been socialized i not only suffer from my socialization, but also propagate it. My socialization to judge others based on the Highly unrealistic and unnatural norms we holdin such high regard, only reinforces the belief that these norms are important. My socialization to fit in and adhere to the guidelines of my man box only creates pain for me and a need for public subterfuge. And finally, by finding my own self-worth in the thoughts of others I am spreading a plague of self loathing and low esteem. I hate these ways in which I have been socialized, but I am unable to change these standards of socialization alone, so I ask that everyone stop gauging the worth of your peers based on the superficial standards given to us by the media, and to throw out the man box! As Bobby Harro said “we need to take a stand, reframe our understanding, question the status quo, and begin a critical transformation that can break down this cycle of socialization and start a new cycle that will lead to liberation for all.” And so, I ask for change not only with my own voice, but that of every single oppressed youth in the world, held too far down to have a voice.
My Mask represents me By using the symbols of a grey background with white norms written over it, a crack through the grey background showing skin, a teardrop, and a mirror in place of an eye. The grey background with white norms written over it represents the mask of hyper masculinity and misogynism that must be worn, by men, to fit in. The crack through the grey symbolizes our need to break through the idea that these harmful norms must be followed, and that there is still hope for making fairer and healthier norms. The teardrop symbolizes how being forced to hide our true selves under these masks of norms causes anguish and pain. Finally, the mirror symbolizes how every man, despite age, race, or ability, IS subjected to the oppression of these norms.