To Be Human Theme

Unit One - To be human is…?

Theme 1 - What does it mean to be human?

When this theme was first introduced, I thought I knew what being human was. I realized soon after that I only had a basic understanding, but I didn’t really know the true meaning. I felt a wave of curiosity as we read the theme title in class, truly starting to wonder what the meaning of being human was.

A class activity that had me learn more about this theme was writing the poem about humans.

Studying this theme affected my life, my relationships, my feelings, my actions and my values. This theme affected my life through the changing of my understanding of human life. This change in my understanding affected my relationships in a positive way because it helped me to

look at the people in my life differently, especially after learning “The Human Vocation” on page 12. “The Human Vocation” also affected my feelings, actions and values because it developed a new perspective for me to look from. I could now see how humans were equal, based on the qualities that God gave us. In conclusion, learning about what it means to be human affected all aspects of my life, including my relationships, feelings, actions and values.
This theme has nurtured my relationship with Christ and the Church, as far as making a connection between my basic understanding of a human being and seeing humans from a religious perspective.

Prayer:
Dear God,

Unit Two - Who has culture?
Theme 5 - What are the sights and sounds of culture?
When this theme was first introduced, I felt excited to learn more about what culture consists of.

Theme four initiated the excitement and interest in culture, after understanding the components of culture. Theme five went deeper into these components, which was what I was excited for.

I learned many things about this theme through class activities. Watching the film “Wave Rider” showed the power of rituals in people’s lives. The film demonstrated all of the parts of a ritual included in theme five. The main character, Pai, carried a tradition, used her body and words to save the whales, and reformed a community with her family and friends. These components are all very important and watching the film helped to visually see these parts carried out.

Studying this theme affected my life, my relationships, my feelings, my actions and my values. Learning about rituals brought me the realization that my own family actually has many rituals and traditions, such as Sunday visits at my grandma’s house. Recognizing my own rituals and traditions has affected my relationships with my family, by showing more appreciation for my father and grandmother who passed down the rituals and traditions. This theme has also affected my feelings, since I now feel closer and more connected to my heritage. This has affected my actions and values because I try to carry out these rituals and traditions more than I regularly

would.
This theme has nurtured my relationship with Christ because learning about culture makes me realize that God blessed me with a family that passes on wonderful rituals and traditions that create an appreciation for my own culture.

Unit Three - The God question
Theme 7 - How did God shape the Hebrew culture?