I can confidently say that the book is a combination of my experiences at Phat Quang Pagoda and my knowledge of psychology at John Jay College. Back to the question why struggles happen to us at the beginning, I am able to answer it by reading the book and then relating to my present self. For instance, I recently realize that I have trouble controlling my hot temper. I know it will worsen my relationship with others and I know I have to change it. These are the first step in the Untethered Soul, realizing my situation. Even though I understand my struggles, every time the conversation comes, I always make it worse by raising my voice. The book suggests that I should try to create a conceptual model of what will improve the situation. I realize that the problem may be because I stay in my room too much. My room has become a prison cell for my soul; my mind is surrounded by the tight space. That is to say,
The initial purpose of untethering my soul is to be helpful and to spread love to society and our self. However, if I want to untether my soul, I have to give up on my obligation to society to find a place where I am able to achieve peace. So what is the point of untethering my soul when I have to give up one to have another while both are my goals? To answer for this question, I think I have to learn to understand the main point of untethering my soul is to enjoy its process but not its outcome. If we cannot make a choice, we have to balance them. For example, I love my mother and I want to take care of her. However, I also want to have peaceful mind by living in a pagoda. I cannot force my mother to live in a pagoda with me, so day by day I try my best to take care of my mother while creating a small space for my mediation at home. After a period of time, I realize that I met both goals but by different
In these stages and in the book, you can feel the struggle and the determination to get through the challenge to accepting the reality.
Describing a course in history when isolation was highly adopted, Deresiewicz writes, “The mob, the human mass, presses in… The soul is forced back into itself—hence the development of a more austere and embattled form of self-validation…where the essential relationship is only with oneself” (par.8). Deresiewicz describes the time of urbanization, when country folks began flooding into cities. With so many people moving into the city, there was not any room to breathe because there was not any privacy or space—all the voices and thoughts were forced into one sector of society. This forced some people to advance past the crowd and focus on oneself, on the soul. When submerged by a sea of people, the best shelter is inside the body and mind, where one can reflect the internal self and external world in a serene environment. Extending on the importance of temporary isolation, Deresiewicz adds, “Solitude becomes, more than ever, the arena of heroic self-discovery, a voyage through interior realms” (par. 8). When engaged in the physical world, people don’t focus on themselves because there is too much stimulation occurring around them. But when alone in solitude, when there is no around except oneself—no noises, sounds, distractions—then a person is able to reflect on his or her character. It is important to immerse in introspection because mental health is as vital as bodily health. And by delving deeper into the psyche, individuals discover new information about themselves that wouldn’t have been uncovered with others because the only person that truly understands him or her is that
People need interaction with other people because it is such a significant part of how they understand the reasons for living. Human beings are naturally curious. Therefore, by drastically reducing the amount of normal social interaction, exposure to the natural world, or experience of different relationships, isolation is emotionally, physically, and psychologically destructive. Works Cited Faulkner, William. The.
The human condition may contain the sense of great heights, achieving great dreams and great lives, but it also contains the hellish experience that many call the limit of man. No matter the intensity of the desire or pain, cowardice and selfishness will always creep down from its dark cave, ravaging at the man before the crossroad. As a result, more often than not, man will take the path of less resistance, aware but unaware of his weak spirit. Traveling down the road, the man will soon realize that he has lost something important: his free will. He weeps, but weeps of his weakness, his lack of strength to stand up to his desires, to fight his inner demons and cowardice, to seek the light he has always desired. He dreams shortly of what could have been, the cruelty of the double-edged sword called the human condition, then falls on his knees to become his own
Throughout life, people are constantly learning to adapt culturally and politically, to the world around them. Overtime, we find it easier to cope with more changes more often, because we have learned to adapt quickly. We don’t all cope identically, some better than others. By using different strategies to cope, we make a difference in our life and the lives around us. In the three books, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a novel about a child in a small Southern town that is involved in a crisis of conscience. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse a story about a man searching for enlightenment, and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, about an African tribe member’s struggle with his own tribe and external forces. The three main characters all find
The theme of isolation, to gain knowledge and wisdom in The Giver the receiver should separate him from those who are without such abilities; it is hard to identify with anyone who does not share the same wisdom. Being isolated also increases the pain of suffering with no one to share the weight with (Sisk16).
The role of relationship you have with other people often has direct influence on the individual choices and belief in the life. In the short story “on the rainy river”, the author Tim O’Brien inform us about his experiences and how his interacted with a single person had effected his life so could understand himself. It is hard for anyone to be dependent on just his believes and own personal experience, when there are so many people with different belief to influence you choices and have the right choices for you self. Occasionally taking experience and knowledge of other people to help you understand and build from them your own identity and choices in life.
The author of "How the Other Half Lives", Jacob Riis, inscribes on the deplorable living conditions of the Progressive Era from a first-person perspective. Riis, an immigrant, police reporter, photojournalist and most importantly: a pioneer and social reformer, tells a very captivating yet appalling experience of the lower class life in New York City beginning in the 19th century. Migration and the standardization of establishments are the attributing factors to overpopulation distribution and overcrowding of living arrangements in the city.
The main purpose of this chapter is: to explain how each one of us has a Mindless Monster and some more than one. The role of our Mindless Monster is to keep us in a negative thought process, what prevents us from "being in the moment" and enjoying life to its fullest. Mindless Monsters transpire from negativity and stress; when we find ourselves struggling, these monsters prosper. While every individual’s Mindless Monster reflects different connotations, they tend to reflect two mindsets – perfectionism or self-neglect. In the perfectionism mindset, an individual’s Mindless Monster pushes them to their breaking point by flooding their minds with the concept that in order to obtain acceptance from others, and themselves, they must go beyond
My sixteen week class in English 111. I was really nervous about this class. Because English has never been my strong point. This class has hard, but fun all at the same time. I learn a lot from this class. Meanwhile,the first day of class you handed a paper with a question on it. “The first thing I want to say to you who are students is that you must not think of being here to receive an education; instead, you will do much better to think of being here to claim one.” Even though putting my all in what I have learned, claiming my education with hard work because using the skills of the meal plan, as we write to different audiences and learning to be a Critically thinker as I start becoming a critically-Literate Citizenship.
Spirited Away is a Japanese anime movie by Hayao Miyazaki and produced under Studio Ghibli. The film was first released in July of 2001, and became the most successful film in Japanese history, grossing over $274 million dollars worldwide. The film was so successful, it even overtook Titanic (top grossing film at the time) and because the highest-grossing film in Japanese history with a total of $229,607,878. (Johnson, G. A.)
I called Cornelia the following day and she asked me out on a date – it was to attend a prayer group that following Friday. It was then when I encountered and started to get involved with a Church ministry named “La Nueva Alianza” (“New Covenant”). I was encouraged to allow the Holy Spirit to be more active in my life. Because of God 's merciful Spirit, I proceeded to develop—through prayer, Scripture reading, and the Sacraments—a closer relationship with the Lord and a stronger appreciation and adherence to the teachings of the Church. Since then, I have had a passionate desire that God’s people come to know Him and love Him more fully. This desire is not only what has driven me to serve His people, but what made me receptive to becoming Director of La Nueva Alianza Ministry
People don't truly accept life for what it is until they've actually tasted adversity and went through those misfortunes and suffering. We are put through many hardships in life, and we learn to understand and deal with those issues along the way. We find that life isn't just about finding one's self, but about creating and learning from our experiences and background. Adversity shapes what we are and who we become as individuals. Yann Martel's Life of Pi shows us that adverse situations help shape a person's identity and play a significant role in one's lief by determining one's capabilities and potential, shaping one's beliefs and values, and defining the importance and meaning of one's self.
This lesson is designed to review and reinforce a few important concepts about plants (e.g. Needs, parts, sequence of planting) and to also guide the students through applying a few scientific inquiry (e.g. Making observations, experimentation, discussion, reflection, reporting results etc.). The students have previously planted corn and bean seeds and today’s lesson has provided the students a chance to see the results of the planted corn and bean seeds. Additionally, seeds have been planted under and growing under the following conditions: without water, and without soil. The students see the results of these seeds planted under these conditions for the past week. Two plants in particular have already been grown their growth has been
Once more, the reason we should nourish the soul is because it is who we are. Our lives go from finite to infinite when the soul is awakened and expressed. By identifying with the ego, we are identifying with a social concealment, our desire to prove ourselves worthy, jealousy, past experiences, and even materialism. By identifying with our soul, we identify with our unmistakable worth. The quality of life when resonating with the true self increases and grows more plump, deeper and all-encompassing. When we love the soul we love ourselves.