Differences form bonds

The lesson of finding common ground among varied ideals is portrayed in the story of Hazel Wolf. She has worked multiple odd jobs throughout her life and fought for her right to lead a decent and fullfilling life in America. Whenever she found a cuase that helped her to support what she believed in, she became heavily involved. One organization that she joined, but did not completely understand, was the Audubon Society. A close friend of hers urged her to gain some insight about the group and what they worked for so she expanded her mind to embrace their cuase. Hazel had joined an environmental group. She learned by watching the wildlife the society preserved she had goals common to those of the Audubon Society.

Just recently, I have begun to partake in social groups and activities, and that is helping me to expose myself to a larger scale of diversity among peoples' views. Other than that I see every class or social interaction as a way of learning from others. In a small way, these settings help people to discuss their views, ideals, and perceptions freely. They can become as involved as they want to be or choose not to participate.

Every person that I speak to, no matter where I am, expresses their individualism; they live a certain way that fits their needs to accomodate their ideals. Thus, to answer if there are people that live differently than me or have seperate ideals than thos of my own, yes.

Difference

What Loeb means when he states "The more we listen to those who experiences and perspectives are unfamiliar, the more we realize what draws us together" is that the more perspectives you can get on a topic the more you will completely understand what it is you are so passionate about. Also unfamiliar perspectives will help you find new ways of helping your cause because you will no longer be thinking inside the box of ideas you have but outside the box. The example that I like was when a garbage incinerator was proposed to be built in a Brooklyn navy yard. This incinerator would spew toxic emissions over the city. Leaders of two very different ethnic groups in the nearby communities who were always feuding over housing and the control of local public schools joined forces to fight the building of the incinerator. With their teamwork they were able to overcome the proposal and the incinerator was never built. This shows that even people of different backgrounds and beliefs can work together to make a difference. In my own life i never really expose myself to people that have very different ideas than I do. I really do not stray from family and friends but, I probably should I like the idea Loeb uses that you will only grow if you step out of your comfort zone. I think I need to take that first step.

We must work together to create a just world

From this book I have learned that we must find our passion on our lives. We must figure out who we are and what we hold as important within our lives. It is important to take that first step, but you will get much farther when you stand behind a group of people who are just as inspired as you are. In chapter nine, now Loeb is saying that we should widen our circles and allow others to work side-by-side with us even if they don't have the same views as us. For example, the old woman named Hazel Wolf grew up as an atheist. She worked with many different groups through out her life and often got asked why she was an atheist. She simply would remind people that we all must work together for the greater result. Loeb states,"The more we listen to those who experiences and perspectives are unfamiliar, the more we realize what draws us together".

What is drawing us together is our dedication and our passion in life. Behind all controversy, we all have the same idea of helping change the world to a way that we see is correct. Even if we do not want to listen to others that have different views than us (sometimes its almost painful to sit and hear) it is important to be exposed to others views in life. To understand why you feel fully passionate for something, I feel you should know the opposing thoughts. This has been hard for me lately because I am finally concluding on my own passions in life and my own opinions (I'm still developing many of them, but some are concrete). It is hard to sometimes listen to others opposing you because I feel like I'm being rejected for my beliefs. But I have to understand that it is important to hear these thoughts of others because maybe I will change my view once more or feel more strongly about mine own. Its important to work with people who you don't agree with because we are all there for a greater result. As Loeb states" we can't create a just world unless we're willing to work at listening to each other"

Chapter 9: Widening the Circle

Loeb discusses in this chapter the importance of seeking out other people whose points of view may be different from yours. He also talks about the importance of involving many different groups to work on social action issues. What does he mean when he states, "The more we listen to those who experiences and perspectives are unfamiliar, the more we realize what draws us together"? Give an example from the chapter of how people who generally might seem to have nothing in common worked together to make a positive change. Think about your own life, and ask yourself how often you put yourself in situations where you are exposed to people who may have very different ideas or lead very different lives than your own.

Volutneerism, it's contagious!

In my opinion, to make a long term change requires a long term commitment. To create a society in which everyone could have a home seems very unrealistic at this point in time. This may be due to the fact that several families are losing their homes everyday. However, from a volunteer stand point, it is quite possible that someday everyone could have a roof over their head. There is great value in community service but deeper meaning in finding interest in a particular type of service. When you can commit to long term service in a specific area, that is where the most progress occurs. That is the exact reasoning behind the story of the Stanford student. It takes a consistent effort to make the most change. Convince others to partake in your service interest and to commit to long term assisting other than the seasonal "feel good" service.

Dreams For ...........?

We all dream for a better Future. A future free of homelessness and poverty. That is why we volunteer. That is why we do community service. That is why we have politicians to help solve this problems although more often they don't. We dream of a world better than the one we live presently in.

I think though that the Stanford student was not talking about his grandchildren volunteering at the same homeless shelter he did. I think he was focused more on the experience he got from volunteering. He wanted his Grandchildren to share in this same experience. He understood the fact that there will always be some good left to do in the world. Even if it is opening the door for someone else. Or helping the disadvantaged. He hoped they will get to understand the reason for volunteering and get the same experience he got from it.

He knew that it will take a lot more to eradicate homelessness and poverty from the world. I think he used the term "Grandchildren" because he knew it can not overnight. He realised it will take the collective effort of the whole community to cure our society of the disease present in it. He understood that we will need people who will devote their time to helping out and those who will be the voice for those who cannot be heard. Can this be achieved by the time my grandchildren come, unfortunately no but hopefully by the time they come, we will have community will less homelessness and poverty and more crave to get involved and combat those issues.

To Hope For Change Or Make It Happen

I think this Standford story is very uplifting and inspiring. I think that the gentleman had very good intentions of wanting his grandchildren to have the experience that he has had, because if there is still issues in our society when generation after us come along I would hope that they would still want to be involved.

The true question is how long are we going to wait and hope to see the change that we truly want to see. Why don't we stop the poverty and discrimination that so many want to see diminished. If every generation says I hope this changes and never really enforce it then wont the world continue to make adjustments, but never change. This kind of goes back to evaluating whether or not you as a person of the community that needs direct satisfaction or you are ok with being in a situation for the long hull. Eventually though the dream that people have announced needs to become reality and by always hoping for the change will not get us to that point. So I see where the gentleman is coming from by hoping that his grandchildren get involved,but I think it would define a generation more if they made the change that is needed permanently so that we could eliminate social issues.

Now I understand that there will always be social classes which may make it very hard to make permanent change but what if today's homeless could become the poor, living pay check to pay check but at least have a roof over their head and food on their tables. That would at least be a positive change. This Standford story defiantly has given an outlook to where our society sits always "hoping" for the best and for change, but eventually we need to make it reality!!!!

the present

I think the lesson from the Stanford student’s story is that people should give a hand to those in need. The story for me is talking about how much he learned about himself and about society during his volunteer work. His story also reflects an aspect of today’s society where people want an immediate reward for their actions. People expect to get six pack abs after one week at the GYM and a paycheck after one day of work, everything needs to be fast. However, life doesn’t work like that; one has to be patient and persistent. Even though sometimes the goal seems to be centuries away, every small step gets you closer and closer to your goal.

Although I always try to be hopeful and optimistic, I don’t think there could ever be a perfect society where homelessness doesn't exist. There will always be injustice and despair. The confrontation between right and wrong, the ying and the yang, the good and the evil is inevitable. But one think I’m sure about is that there will always be people who will try to solve these endless obstacles. I’m pretty sure my grandchildren will face many of today’s obstacles, but hopefully they could go back and learned from today’s successes and mistakes. I’m not saying they’re going to travel back in time, I’m saying that they can learn from our present efforts to eradicate the many obstacles the planet faces today. This is how our present technology, medicine, culture, and life have been created. Today’s culture is not way closer to perfection, but every single act of honestly and selflessness is a step closer to a better society.

I believe that the Stanford student said that he wanted his grandchildren to volunteer at the same shelter as he did, because he wanted them to have the same experience he had. He wanted them to have their eyes open to the world we live in today and the struggles people deal with that never seem to get out of it. looking at all the homeless shelters in the world today and how it still isn't enough for our population, I don't think that we will ever not have homeless people just because of the economy we live in, which is sad to think about. Just think of how many people that become homeless in the first two months of 2009, it's a pretty big number. I don't think my grandchildren will be fortunate enough to see that there aren't any homelessness in the world, but i could have them help as much as possible to try and make it happen just like I'm doing and many of other people are too.

Reading between the lines...

I believe the Stanford student's statement truly meant that he wanted his grandchildren to learn the same lesson he did from volunteering in the homeless shelter, because it was so powerful to him. I don't think he is hoping to have more homeless people, or even that his grandchildren volunteer in the exact same shelter.

Unfortunately, I do not think we will be able to solve the problem of homelessness and eliminate the need for shelters any time soon. As a matter affect with the economy the way it is at this present moment the problem will probably get worse before it gets better. That is why it is so important for us to volunteer now and take an active role in this issue.

The Moral of the Story

I think in the story of the Stanford student the lesson is not that he does not think solving homelessness is impossible, but that he wants his grandchildren to experience the joy of service. Not the selfish joy of "helping someone" though this is always a nice feeling, but the joy of watching a person or a situation gone wrong change! This joy and these experiences offer more to us than any lesson we can learn in a classroom. Granted, many people learn better by reading or studying, however, most people learn and grow with hands on experiences. Experiences that change us and can not be taught in a classroom. These hands on experiences offer lifelong lessons. Whether you are reading/talking to an elderly person or serving soup at a homeless shelter, a person learns from the experiences of others. Our experiences build upon one another. It is just like in the previous chapters where we discussed learning from other peoples stories.

Although the thought of everyone having a home, where no one would be forced to sleep in shelters or on the streets would be amazing, I find that it would be improbable. I'm normally a very positive person, however, to me this idea is unrealistic. Unfortunately, we will always struggle financially as well as emotionally which is how many people end up on the street. I think it is improbable that the world would be able to provide for all of these people who are struggling. The best we can do is help the organizations help them.

Yet, I too hope that my grandchildren will be able to experience what I have been blessed to take part in. I know that if they are able to experience some of the struggles and stories I have heard, they will be sure to help in social activism and will hopefully pass that on to their grandchildren and so on...
With this I still think we can change to world one step, one generation at a time.

Won't it be strange when we're all fully grown?

I think that sometimes when people are doing volunteer work, it doesn't occur to them that the types of problems that are being dealt with are things that they're working to erase. Something else is that they hadn't really thought about that, and that the student just wished that others could share in the positive experiences that he experienced while at the shelter.

It would take more than our current apathetic society would be willing to do to get people off the streets and out of shelters, in my opinion. Some end up on the streets because of unpleasant living circumstances, being thrust out into the world with nothing, bad decisions, etc. Too many people's opinions are that if someone is homeless or in a shelter that it is that person's fault that they are there, that they aren't trying hard enough to lead a "proper" life, and just generally not seeing that individual as possibly being a victim.

By the time any of my potential grandchildren come along, I think that the amount of homeless will have either increased exponentially or just the the opposite, one extreme or the other. In that time lapse I don't think it would be just a slight change from now, unpleasant events seem to preferring to bite fast and hard, or good things working so quickly that everyone wonders how something so nice managed to arrive so promptly.


Though it's a different different subject, I felt this still could apply:

"Help the aged, one time they were just like you,
drinking, smoking cigs and sniffing glue. Help the aged,
don't just put them in a home,
can't have much fun in there all on their own."
~Jarvis Crocker

Hope for the future...

I believed the lesson behind that particular story was that volunteering should be looked about as a opportunity to change peoples lives and create a more idealistic, utopian society . It raises the question,  of why people voulunteer in their communities. Is it to create change for the future or is it to just simply say that he/she voluntered or is it maybe because that particular person needs to complete a certain amount of hours?

I think it would take everybodies effort to create a society where people didn't have to sleep in shelters. It is when the community becomes a team and works together to better the lives of themselves and those around them. Putting away the greed and hatred would help the world become less violent and more peaceful.

Being honest I don't ever see this world coming to a perfect state of being. I believe that there will still be homeless on the streets 30 years down the line. Life might be better and easier when my grandchildren are alive but I don't think the issues and problems will ever disapear.

Realistically

Realistically, I do not believe that the Stanford student wants there to be homeless people in the future. However, I do believe that he wants his children to experience the same feelings of helping your fellow man. I can relate it to passing down the experiences of old to the youth in order to make better changes in the future.
Realistically, I do not believe that homelessness will be gone by the time I have grandchildren. I also believe that it is a bad to have people suffering.
The difference between advocacy and volunteerism is that like Katy Lockhart said, one just treats the symptoms while the other attempts to cure the illness. Volunteering is a good thing. No, one should say different and if they do they have never been in need.
In Hinduism, they have holidays dedicated to the feeding of the poor from the higher ups. They offer some to the gods and the rest is given away. I feel that if the U.S. made a holiday or holidays to help the poor then things might not be so bad. We'll call it national homeless awareness day or something like that.
The Dhali Lama always considered himself a realist. He called himself an extreme realist. He always said that he is only a human. If one person can do it than any one can. I suggest reading the book The Open Road, Journey of the Fourteenth Dhali Lama by Iyer Pico. People tend to think that these people like Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., the Dhali Lama, President Lincoln, Buddha, and many other people. They think that these people were not only human. They just made a cause and stuck with it. Realistically, we all can be the change we want to see. It starts with self and moves from there.

Like on Star Trek!

I feel quite passionately that technological advancement is the only thing that can save mankind, period. Most social problems that one could pose can be drawn to a technological answer. For example, with abundant, free energy, efficient and sustainable farming techniques, and greater industrial automation, every person on this earth could be provided for. The challenge is overcoming scarcity, as it is scarcity (be it real or created) that creates most conflicts. In a world of abundant free energy and highly innovated material technologies, all can be supplied with whatever they need. In this system, the idea of greed or predation becomes a red herring because, unlike our current “free” market system, one does not have to lose for another to gain. ALL can benefit. NO ONE need be left behind, or left out, or subjugated, or oppressed, or taken advantage of. Those with some innate need for “more more more” can have it thanks to this tech advancement, and it doesn’t affect the lives of others in the least. In addition, there is no more need for profit or externalized costs because the inherent competition and fight for survival is removed.

My proposition, radical as it may be, is that the free nations of the world collectively invest whatever it takes to realize the sort of technological breakthroughs that we need to create a utopian society. This should be done with absolutely no concern for “debt” incurred and should be the top priority above all else. Money has no real value anyway, and after the transition to a technological utopia the “owed” will have no use for it as the idea of “wealth” will become a non-sequitur.

This will free humanity from the economic slavery that we now live in. The artist is free to produce and share with all without having to worry about their next meal. The teacher is free to utilize any resource their imagination can come up with without concern for the year’s budget. The materialization of our society that is so integral to the health of a consumer system is no longer relevant because there is no more need to struggle for the things you might need or want. In this way, we are freed from the huge amount of waste-life we currently experience.

My proposal is all-or-none. Although I can’t predict when the necessary tech advancements would come, it would be nothing compared to the time wasted on conflict and competition. Were governments and corporations to undertake such a task, I imagine the transition time would be surprisingly short. So, if this were to start in my lifetime, it would definitely be realized by the time of my grandchildren, except that I won’t have any.

1-2-3 kick the bucket

Apparently, just volunteering and helping local communities is like trying to soak up the water from the Mississippi river with a towel.. or something to that affect. In order to drain that river we've got to get some really powerful equipment, block more water from coming in and some severely influential people have to get a hold of some gigantic super pumps and throw them in? I think that is the goal. I suppose this part of the book is saying that it is sort of like wasting time helping individuals when you could be doing something to change the cause of the problem. even if it saves a few lives, we are capable of preventing the people from doom to begin with.
That seems like one tough demand. I know that it would be the ideal thing to happen but people don't seem to band together very well in this society. Honestly has the world EVER not had problems and homeless. I can think of a time... The time of the dinosaurs? Well anyhow, I truly believe that things could get worse, even with all the patch work. It seems to me like only few people really grasp things taught or even care or even care to care. Society is a mess with backwards priorities. It's pretty sad when people choose TV or drugs or addictions over other people. Somehow, if the country is different in 50 years and people begin to appreciate each other, then maybe we won't have as many problems. May seem a little harsh but I suppose I'll find out when I'm old eh? Til then, I suppose we can all just keep helping and teaching and influencing others maybe we can be like a plague for the good ;) .

Britney Spears did what?!? Oh wait...I don't care. And neither should you!!

Upon reading this chapter, along with everyone else's blogs, I pretty much learned the same lesson from the Stanford student, where he wants his grandchildren's eyes opened to the real problems in the world rather than just the problems in their own homes. Going off that, I think people today are too worried about their own lives than the lives of others. I'm not condemming it, cause God knows that I have made my life a priority over others over the last few years, simply because of my obsession with money. It's sad, I agree, but that's how I was raised. My parents always taught me, "if you're not making enough money to support yourself and your family, then you basically shouldn't be doing anything at all." Now don't attack me, I don't think like that anymore, although I do on occasion I'll admit. When I first started high school, at a Catholic shool of course, every student in every class had to meet a certain amount of community service hours every year, and the amount of hours varied by class. For instance, the freshman had to fulfill 10 hours, sophomores 20 hours, and so on. But, there was a catch, they had to be done at certain places. Freshman year at school, sophomore year at a seperate place with a friend, junior year by yourself where ever you want, and senior year with a church. I loved doing this every year, even though there were sometimes when I wanted to quit and just fudge my hours and lie (because everyone else was doing it and getting away with it). But I didn't, my sophomore year I got involved with a place called 1st Way Crisis Pregnancy Center, and that place helped me not only exceed the amount of hours I needed, but it helped me lose my ridiculous obsession with always having money. This place lived off of donations from others, they never kept money for themselves. When they did, they would give it to other non-profit organizations like Maggie's Place or Martha's Vineyard, or other places that helped poor, needy single mothers suppor their babies. Whenever I was given the privelege to give mothers whatever they needed, such as baby clothes, maternity clothes, baby formula, stuffed animals, etc., the look on their faces changed my life. Many mothers broke down in tears and started thanking me profusely. From that day on, I just started living with whatever I have, or lack of what I have. Right now, I'm dirt broke, living from paycheck to paycheck (which never exceeds more than $300 every 2 weeks), and I'm as happy as a beach bum that found the perfect wave (I know, cheesy analogy...).
I think if more people stopped worrying about how much money comes in their paycheck, and stops trying to be like celebrities these days, living the high life with 30 cars, there could be a change. But do I think this will ever happen? No. As of now, especially with the state of the economy, I do not see people thinking like this anytime soon.
I pray everyday that my grandchildren can see a world that is not obsessed with money, what music Miley Cyrus has out now, and Britney Spears' love life. But that'll probably never happen. My friends, we live in a greedy, greedy world. In some cases, this is okay, we have to be greedy to get what we want, but to an extent. For example, I work at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory at Desert Ridge, and we just hired this new girl. Some one apparently told her she can take whatever she wants. So she got greedy, and took about $200 worth of chocolate home to her sick mother. She was fired the next day. That's what I mean by to an extent, if we push the limit too far...bad things will happen. I do not want my grandchildren growing up in a world where the headline news is how some celebrity spend 2 million dollars on a new car. I want them to know that there is more in this world than just gossip, scandal, money, and so on. I want them to help with the world, in anyway they want, great or small.
Every small act can affect the lives of others somehow, even if it's only your next-door neighbor.

Spread the good news!

"My grandchildren will get to have the same experience working in the same homeless shelter that I did."

The Stanford student obviously had a life changing experience at the shelter. It was something that he wants others to have the opportunity to experience, especially those closest to him. Maybe he wants his grandchildren to be involved and partake in this specific service that is so dear to his heart so it is something they could share together. It could have the same affect and change their lives, just like it did his. He wants them to experience it first hand rather than just living through the stories he has to tell. Or on the other hand, it could be any service in general. Giving back to the community has to have an affect on the person no matter how greedy they are. Through my experience, reading stories rather than be directly involved in 100% different. Stories are inspiring and can give us the courage and confidence to make a difference. However, performing the act is a completely different ordeal. It is even hard to put into words. The tugging on your heart and the emotional aspect is something you will never forget. Most of my experience has been with children. When you wake up in the morning, you push through the fatigue because once you see their faces, nothing else matters besides making them happy. The Stanford student wants to spread the good news! He wants his grandchildren to give back to the community to experience those breath taking moments that give your life reason.


It is devastating to see the effects of poverty when you are driving down the streets. It is all around us and yet, some people still choose to ignore it. As many others have mentioned, we live in a world full of greed. American's number one concern is themselves. Luckily, we do have people that have noticed this problem in society and are taking the measures to fix it. However, there never seems to be enough. The problems greatly outweigh the number of people that are willing to help. So it seems, until people are affected directly, our numbers are not enough. On a good note, this economic crisis could be a real eye opener for many. Even if we are not loosing our house, many of us probably know someone who is or has. People are starting to take notice of the changes that have to be made in order to steer clear of this ever growing problem. Maybe that will encourage them to think past the needs of themselves.

Unfortunately, homelessness seems inevitable. Even if people band together to stop it, there is no saying that homeless individuals are willing to put in the effort to get off the streets. As I have learned in my "Stand Up For Kids" training, it is a long and very hard process. It is definitely not something that happens over night. I would love to drive the streets and never see someone on the side of the road begging for money. But then again, I see this happening in the perfect world. That perfect world is not a place we live in. I am not trying to be negative but I like to think realistically. However, even though I do not see this in the future for my grandchildren, there is much to be done. We should remain positive in thinking that we can contribute to helping our country fight poverty. Every little thing makes a difference and will leave footprints in the sand for the future generations to come. ::For any of you that love the footprints poem as much as I do :)

Whether it be cynical or realistic, I believe the issues of poverty, homelessness, discrimination, crime, injustice, etc. are unfortunately "never-ending battles". This does not mean that because they exist, they should be overlooked. It just means we must have more determination towards and genuine care for others and the tasks that have been rendered impossible. We shouldn't be discouraged by the fact that we may not be able to solve every problem, but rather encouraged by the lives we can change.

Not only does social involvement and community service tend to those in need, but also changes the lives of those helping. I believe this is what the Stanford student meant. Realistically, when his grandchildren or my grandchildren are alive homelessness will still exist. Our job in the present is to determine whether issues such as homelessness will worsen or better in the future. It is to share our stories and involve others in the rewarding tasks of community service. The only way to bring a stop to issues such as homelessness is to get everyone involved. In order to get everyone involved, we must bring awareness. As some have stated in their blogs, awareness does not always work when taught in a classroom, it must be experienced. In order to experience an issue, it must exist (i.e. homelessness). Therefore, stating that social issues exist and always will, is not looking at the glass half-empty, but rather half-full. It is realizing the endless possibilities for personal growth of both parties by experiencing the love and gratefulness from those who may have otherwise been "invisible" to each other.

The Invisible People

Ideal society?

The lesson that I got from the story of the Stanford student is that many people like his friends believe that just because they live in a country that is wealthy like the USA, they are not going to see homeless people in the future. I find the idea to be erroneous. Just because a person lives well, it doesn’t make him/her immune to future problems like the ones we are facing now (economic problems).

An ideal society will have no people sleeping in shelter or in the streets but, is it possible to create one? I personally do not think so. I don’t think we will ever have an ideal society with no problems, not homeless, no violence, no injustices etc. Even though we might like to not see people living on the streets or under bridges, we cannot eliminate factors that will lead people to become homeless. However, I think that the only thing that we can do is offer our help to those in need by becoming involved and volunteering in our communities such as the Stanford student did.

We can volunteer in places that offer special help to those in order to decrease the number of people living in those conditions. I would like to think that the student from Stanford might have thought of this when working in the homeless shelter and therefore hoped that one day his grandchildren can experience what he had from volunteering in the same shelter. Times will pass but problems such as homelessness will still be part of our society and probably the Stanford student knew that.

I hope that by the time my grandchildren come to live in this world, things will get better thanks to the different involvement of today’s society. Things can get better only if we stop being indifferent and start becoming involved.

Alexa

Homelessness

Homelessness is an unfortunate part of todays society, we all have seen the homeless man standing on the corner begging for money, or the homeless women sleeping at a bus stop with a shopping cart full or rubbish, but how many thousands of people pass them and never think to themselves of what they can do to help those who are less fortunate. 

Our society has very much a win all-take all mentality, and it is much less common for people to give back to the community. The story of the Stanford kid is a great example of someone, whom was a student of a prestigious school, to take sometime out of his life to give back, but he didn't only stop there. He continued to tell his story and his experiences about what he did and as he said he hopes his grandchildren get to experience that same thing. Thus by telling his story he may have inspired others to give back as well.

In concluding, I hope we can all go out and tell our stories of what we have done, not to brag or be boastful, but inspire those around us to take part in their community as well. Many great leaders of social responsibility didn't start out with any recognition at all, some of them didn't become iconic until they were assassinated such as Mahatma Ghandi and MLK, but their stories inspired others to join their cause.

Ubuntu,

-Damon

Insert Witty Title Here

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but I think that unless we become a communistic world, there will always be homelessness. It would force everyone into a world where everyone is the same, different jobs but same everything else. Heck, even then we'd more than likely still have homelessness, because some people want to be homeless.

I read a book last year in my Contemporary Novels and Cinema class, called The Glass Castle, which is a memoir written by Jeanette Walls. It describes her life with her siblings growing up, and how they always had to fend for themselves. Their mother hated responsibility and considered painting more valuable than being the typical mother, and their father had grand dreams, but his drinking usually dashed them. They traveled from run-down place to run-down place trying to escape debt and get an adrenaline rush. Their mother even referred to herself as an "excitement addict." Many years later, after their father has passed on, Walls invites her mother to a Thanksgiving dinner. Her mother has been living homeless for years, and would not have it any other way.

That's the short version of the book, and it's been awhile since I read it, so some of the details might not be exact, but it gives you the idea. In the end Jeanette knew that she could not change her mother's ways and her choice of living.

I think that there are more people in the world like this. Yes, I wouldn't be surprised if there was some mental disability involved, but a person has to want the help before they can accept it. Many homeless people have a disability. The other thing that would have to happen is that more people would need to be willing to take care of the homeless and the handicapped - and have the patience to help them. My junior year of high school, I worked with handicapped students with multiple disabilities at my school, teaching them basic skills, like addition and subtraction, and how to type up their names and addresses on a computer to help them remember their personal information. There were days where it was frustrating - lots of re-teaching over and over - but in the end it was rewarding for both of us. By the end of the semester the girl I worked with the most could type up her information from memory in 10-15 minutes, compared to the 3 hours it took her when she was given the information to copy from in the beginning.

Several of them graduated the same year I did, and I think I was more happy to watch them walk across that stage than I was to walk across it myself. Before the ceremony a couple of them recognized me from across the gym and raced to hug me and congratulate me. They had only seen me a handful of times during my senior year, but they still remembered me teaching them the year before.

It took a ton of patience, but I enjoyed it.

I guess my point is that many times the people need a lot more help than getting out of debt and such. Today's society encourages independence, and often people are too busy to remember that others still do need help.

I will leave you with an excerpt from my favorite play, The Boys Next Door by Tom Griffin. It's about four handicapped men who live in a group home and their caretaker. Lucien has to stand before the State Senate in this scene, because someone claimed he was capable of taking care of himself. Not understanding the situation, he eventually breaks down into sobs. The scene freezes, and Lucien rises, for one moment not handicapped.

"I stand before you a middle-aged man in an uncomfortable suit, a man whose capacity for rational thought is somewhere between a five-year-old and an oyster. I am retarded. I am damaged. I am sick inside from so many years of confusion, utter and profound confusion. I am mystified by faucets and radios and elevators and newspapers and popular songs. I cannot always remember the names of my parents. But I will not go away. And I will not wither because the cage is too small. I am here to remind the species.. of.. the species. I am Lucien Percival Smith. And without me, without my shattered crippled brain, you will never again be frightened by what you might have become. Or indeed, by what your future might make you." -Lucien Percival Smith

Why should the homeless and the handicapped live such poor lives when their only fault is a mix of bad luck and poor choices? Do I think that homelessness will ever be completely eradicated? No. Do I think it can be helped?

Most definitely.

anxious

I generally agree with every one's views the story of the Stanford student. But I'm going to be honest. I get the feeling when reading some of these blogs that everyone was inspired by this short story and I hate to admit I wasn't very inspired. These stories all share such closely-related morals and all have a similar purpose, which seems to be to persuade the ready to become active. Which, don't get me wrong, is a completely worth-while and wonderful purpose for a book. Although, for me it is becoming repetitive. At first I found myself getting inspired and motivated for community activism and this SLICE trip. Now, getting to the later chapters in the book, I find myself anxious. Not anxious like worried but anxious like ardently excited.

These stories have enticed me to really look around at what is really happening in the world and not just in my life. I find myself searching for a greater purpose and meaning in life. Which, for me, unfortunately seems like like an internal conflict of sorts. I've always lived my life in a manner by a quote I recently read;" A fool looks for happiness in the distance, a wise man grows it under his feet,"(Schlink 1). I find myself longing for this huge, amazing task to conquer, when in reality, I haven't completely "conquered" my own life. I feel like I should master my everyday life before I go searching for huge achievements to fulfill. Like the book says, one small step at a time. For now, I'm going to be a great college student. Tomorrow, I save the world :)

Castles made of sand

"What is the lesson in the story where the Stanford student says he hopes his grandchildren will get to volunteer in the same homeless shelter as he has? What would it take to create a society where people didn't have to sleep in shelters or in the streets? Do you think we could make this happen by the time your grandchildren come along?"

I still stand by when I said that you'll never truly understand until you have experienced it first hand. This one-on-one volunteerism is a great way for individuals to experience these matters first hand. Having one volunteer for every person in a shelter, I believe, would greatly help people understand what it is like to be living on the streets and why people do or are forced to. I know that not all people are forced to live on the streets, but chose to live on the streets for numerous reasons, being their view on society or even mental health. I do not believe that it will ever be possible to create a world that has no one living on the streets. I know that there will always be shelters where the unfortunate can house themselves. It may seem a bit pessimistic, but then I can just hope that I will be proven wrong one day where everyone can join together and take part to make sure communities strive. I know personally that I will make sure my children and y grandchildren will understand this life, this world and that they will be the change they want to see in this world, as I have done and my parents have before me. I only hope to pass this on.
As I said in my comment to Jeremy's blog, "I've been saying this for a long time now, that something awful would have to happen on a grand scale to the people before any major change will occur. As to being morbid, I've always said that the only thing that will shock the inhabitants to drastically change there ways would be mass death, talking hundreds of thousands to millions...so you're not the only one. If you've ever read Fight Club, that's kind of what Tyler Durden was going for, except he didn't want to kill people be he wanted to cause that mass shock from his planned catastrophes."

Experience Is The Best Teacher

I think the lesson of this story is that, to really learn something you must experience it. It takes more that n just a twenty minute video, a rambling professor, or reading a 400 page book for some to really understand something. That is why the Stanford student wanted his grandchildren to volunteer at the same homeless shelter as he did, because the experience there was a huge eye opener for him.

A society in which people do not have to sleep in shelter or be homeless would require people to lose their selfish ways. People would have to stop being so greedy for money. Also it would require people to spend a few of their off days supporting this cause, maybe by help building a house. Home owners that rent their houses out could lower the rent.

To be honest I don't think that we can have a world in which no one is homeless. People are just too selfish and caught up in their own lives to ever make something like that happen. Also people might just think that the homeless are just lazy people, so that might deter them from even considering helping the homeless.

Can, Need, Want, Need, Need.

I believe the young man from Stanford university simply meant that he wanted the future to feel what it was like to serve, selflessness is essential in life. I want my children to care for those less fortunate, but although it would be great to have an end to poverty, homelessness, and crime, these will forever be prevalent in human society. Although humans are generally good willed, among other things we are beings of ambition. Those who succeed through ambition widen the gap between themselves and those who are drowned by failure. People cannot all succeed, it simply cannot be balanced. Everyone cannot be rich, everyone cannot be poor. The Stanford student's children will be fortunate enough to have the same experience of working in the homeless shelter that their grandfather did.

I truly don't believe that in a nation this wealthy that there will ever be an end to homelessness. In the last 18 months how many people have been thrown onto the streets? I saw four different cars go by during the car wash on Sunday that had someone and all their belongings stuffed in their car as their makeshift home. And as these people get poorer, the wealthier get wealthier. What it would take to solve this is a Utopian style of life...since that won't happen, people would need to change, not because of laws, but because of choice. The people who can change this, need to want to change this, they need to need to change this. Maybe then my grandchildren will suffer the loss of experiencing the dampness of a homeless shelter, but thrive on the experience of a better world.

Utopia

In the story with the Stanford student saying that he hopes his grandchildren get to volunteer in the same homeless shelter, I don't think that he meant that he wants their to still be the problmem of homelessness in our society. Instead I see him as being realistic. I believe that thinking of our world as a place of utopia is an impractical way of thinking. The Stanford student was focusing more on the life lessons that were learned from his volunteering as a whole, not just the effort to stop homelessness. He wants the lessons such as being completely selfless to those less fortunate, seeing the joy it brings to yourself and others, and being able to use this wisdom throughout your life and pass them on to future generations.

The student had a realistic view on life. Knowing that although his volunteer work could not alone change the course of homelessness, he persued anyway. Knowing that a long way down the road it may be possible for homelessness would disappear but that there will ALWAYS be another cause and reason to stand up for. This is why the student wanted his grandchildren to volunteer. In order to better appreciate the world that we have, the luxuries that were given to us and to understand that real meaning and purpose we need to give back to our community we need to empathize with those less fortunate. I do not mean to sound pessimistic, I just dont see our society reaching utopia. All we can do is help in anyway we can now, having faith that somewhere down the road it will lead to a better place.

Choosing to Evolve

Schools today do not really address volunteerism and advocacy. I think the Stanford student wants his grandchildren to volunteer in the same homeless shelter to expand their views of the community and of the world as a whole. Schools sometimes just address the immediate community, but a homeless shelter addresses needs that expand across states and countries. The grandchildren would learn more about volunteerism, advocacy, and world issues while volunteering in the same homeless shelter than they might in school.

Creating a society without people sleeping in shelters or the streets is a very hard thing to accomplish. It is possible, but it would take a considerable amount of time. Communities would have to give the homeless reasons to create a better life, they have to work and be willing to make their lives better. Next, there would have to be mass fundraising to give the homeless a starting off point financially. Then the homeless should be granted a good chance at obtaining a job to sustain their new living arrangements. Then there would have to be an encouragement group that checks up on these people and make sure everything is going okay, and to fix the problems that are arising again. However, I honestly think that it will take longer than say my grandchildren's lifetime. This is something that will take a very long time. The society needs to evolve, everyone needs to care, and all of the countries in the world would have to come to an agreement. It is a big task that will take a very long time, but it is attainable if the world chooses.

A time for change

I agree with a lot with what this story had to say. First off I believe that it is mandatory for us to step out of our comfort zones in our life to discover what we are passionate about. Everything I did for honors last semester and hurting my shoulder gave me an entirely new perception on life. I started branching out and doing everything I could and in doing so I started realizing more and more on how I want to live my life. I had always thought of myself as one day being a doctor but after everything that happened I realized that I wouldn’t truly enjoy that job for many reasons. Success is something people define for themselves. We need to discover what would make us feel successful and then take the steps towards that.

I also strongly believe that there is so much more to growing up than getting an education. Some of the most successful people I know have never gone to college for a day in their life. This is another reason to step out of the ordinary day-to-day life and doing things your not used to. Doing this we not only experience new things but we also meet new people. I firmly believe that it’s more about who you know than what you know. I know that when you help out with community organizations you discover what life is like outside of these comfort zones and you learn new things from the people you’re around.

This student most likely had the same experience. He realized how amazing the feeling of helping others is. I believe that having people realize what this feeling is like is what it would tae to bring about a dramatic change. It reminds me of a time in youth group when we were talking about donations. The group leader said, “I know your young, and right now it’s not about how much money you give, it’s about learning what it is like to make sacrifices for the world around you. It’s about getting used to giving in a world that is filled with greed.” This finally made sense to me. It’s about realizing that giving money to someone else can truly bring a better feeling than spending money on yourself. Then when we give our time we not only help others but we also gain a lot from the experience. It’s a win win situation and until one realizes this feeling, they are going to have no desire to give rather than to receive.

As for my grandchildren I believe it would take a lot of work to bring about this change but I think we have the resources to make this happen. I don’t necessarily think homelessness could be cured but I do believe hunger can be eliminated if done correctly. Think about this lyric from a song called boom, “4,000 hungry children leave us per hour from starvation while billions are spent on bombs creating death showers.” And then if anyone has seen the movie The Kingdom I believe the last few sentences in the whole movie make it worth watching. If you have seen it you know what I’m talking about. It’s where leaders from both sides of the war attempt to calm their families and soldiers by saying, “We will kill them all.” If they are dead than what is there to to be afraid of? The world finds death much easier to control than living. We spend the time and money discovering ways to create new weapons and spend billions on wars. In today’s world death is the answer. I hope that tomorrows will bring new solutions. Half of all the food produced in the world is thrown away. We have the resources to feed the world we just need to want to do it.

Passing it on

What I took from the story of the Stanford kid was that he was truly changed by his experiences and that all he wanted was for his grandchildren to feel the same. No they didn't have to give themselves to the same cause but what the grandfather should have done is show them a bunch of different options so that they would be able to make their own decision on what they were passionate about. The problem of homelesness is huge and has alot to do to the economic pressures that we suffer. The spread of wealth is greatly disproportionate in this country and what we need to do as people who have been priviliged enough to have parents who helped us get here we should help people who have not had that chance. The thing about that is that many of our peers are not willing to give up their spare time or hard earned money to help these people because they are so wrapped up in themselves and not aware of the issue.That being said even if all of us introduce our grandchildren to serving their communities I do not think that he problem of homelesness will be solved even in their lifetime. But if they pass it on to their children and grandchildren it will create a generational chain and tradition that might eventually make the amount of people who get involved big enough to take care of this problem.

Blog 3..

The Standford student didn't necessarily mean that his grandchildren had to volunteer at the exact homeless shelter that he did. What he meant is that hopefully his grandchildren get to experience change and service learning rather than reading it from a text book or learning about it from a story. How will any one know what its like to volunteer unless they actually did volunteer. Too many times people get wrapped up in their small world filled up of problems that seem so important at the time, when really there are issues going on outside of their bubble that need to be addressed. I unfortunately do not think that we can solve the problem of homelessness in my time. I do believe however that if our community would step out into the world and realize that what is happening right now can and will affect their grandchildren. It almost seems as if some enormous catastrophe has to occur for our country to become united. We all get gung-ho and then time passes and bills not being paid or so n so didn't make it to church yesterday becomes more important than the minor recession and the fact that people are losing their homes left and right. The problems we are dealing with right now are our own problems that we brought upon ourselves, we alone are responsible for changing it. We can not do it individually, but we can do it together.

Creating social change is not easy

The Stanford student understands that there are experiences that teach us lessons. He believes that there are moments in life that alter the course of time. Volunteering is one of those experiences powerful enough to change one's perspective forever. Studies indicate that students forget half of what they learn passively, but they remember 90% when they do the “real thing.” Much of volunteering is hands-on learning by actually “doing something” and takes you out of the traditional classroom setting and into the community. Volunteering helps one believe in oneself and helps you realize that your voice is a powerful tool for real life social change!

Unfortunately, and I hate to do this but I would have to sadly agree with Thomas Hobbs that men are inherently evil and that by our very nature were constantly in a struggle for power and wealth. Hobbs believes that all human beings are ever concerned with is the maximizing of their own powers. This is all they should be concerned with and that all human beings, by nature, desire power after power. That’s why I believe that eradicating homelessness is something that is unseen in our life time and even our children children’s lifetime. The U.S. is the richest nation in the world, yet is doing nothing to help its homeless citizens. WHY?! What this nation needs is a strong national agenda against domestic violence, and drug and prostitution policies based on rehabilitation rather than criminalization. Putting tax money back into the pockets of the rich can surely wait. For politicians, ignoring the homeless is easy. That’s why activism is important of bringing about social change. Being active for social change will help find ways to keep working towards injustice and creating strong communities which encourage economic, social and psychological health.

Another Exciting Blog Post by Enrique!

I think there are several morals to this story. The first moral is about how hands on service is hands down a more effective teaching method than in class instruction. I think this is 100% true. You can learn about something in a classroom in a million different ways. While some may think that this prepares them for things in the real world, there is only one thing that truly does prepare you, hands on practice. We are learning about so many different things in SLICE, but it will not really hit us until we go on out trip. Once we go on our trip we will learn so much more than any speech, and group presentation, or any class discussion could have taught us. The second moral that I took from this was that hopefully our service will make an impact. While what we do in San Diego may not be remembered in 100 years, it does not mean that it is not important. But hopefully by helping out we can make the future a somewhat better place, and our children will want to better the world too.

As far as having a society where people do not have to live in shelters…I don’t know if that is in our future. While its nice to dream of that ideal world where everyone has a place, and no one is on the streets, its rather unrealistic. If we want this dream to be a reality, then we will have to be united, and truly focus on making this true. But honestly, I think that people are too busy doing their own things in order to focus on such a tall order.

What it is and what it could be

In "A Shelter for My Grandchildlren" , the Stanford student's remark brings to light the issues of our society and how it has changed; however, not necessarily for the good. His simple dream of wanting to have a place where his grandchilren can one day earn the same sense of comradery or self-fullfillment he achieved is a noble one. It also brings in to question why so far in the future should there be a need for such instituons as shelters or soup kitchens? With all of the resources we have as a society, a country, a world even there should not be people without homes or children without parents to nurture them. As we progress, it almost seems human nature to avoid and disregard the needs of others.

The saddest thing about the progression of the world is that the vast majority of people are out for their own gains and personal glory when they should be concerned about the development of the human race as a whole. In previous times, people dedicated their time on a larger scale than they do now. This is becuase their intentions and motivations do not involve or have time to embrace the problems that others face.

Every person goes through a time when they are consumed by their trials and struggles, but they can not get stuck and caught up in themselves. If the world could come together, face our problems, and work on a way to fix them we might not have any of the issues we have now. Anything could happen with the greatest of efforts from every person in the world.

What about now?

It states in the book that the Standford student learned more volunteering then he did in school, so I think that the he only wanted his grandchildren to get the same experience that he did. This doesn't necessarily mean it has to be in a homeless shelter. He wants them to be able to learn valuable things from volunteering, as he did.

In my Culteral Diversity class the other day, we were discussing segregation in schools and what kind of impact the Civil Rights Movement had in changing that. We then discussed how it was hard to change the minds of people who had been living a certain way for so many years. That idea can also fit in with shelters, and many other causes. As long as I can remember we have had shelters that people can go to if they do not have a home. We have lived in this way for so long that it would take everyone coming together to ensure that people no longer had to live in shelters or on the streets. It would take a shift in the entire society to end it completely, and I do not think this will happen by the time my grandchildren come along. This does not mean, however, that we should get discouraged and stop trying to help the homeless, or other causes. I think it relates back to previous chapters in the book where it said that change happens"one step at a time". Each little acheivement made is a step in the right direction to changing it completely.

For now, I think we need to ask the question, "What about now?" We should focus more on the present and what we need to do today as volunteers. We need to keep helping and fighting for a better society, and not give up hope. We can look at the Civil Rights Movement and take comfort in the fact that the world is always changing and time does go on, so one day things will be different even though we might not see the change happen within our lifetimes.

The song What About Now? by Daughtry fits in perfectly with this topic, and the music video is very moving. The link it attached, so go check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ylgchWR-Ig

Determining the Future

In the story with the student from Stanford, I don’t necessarily believe he was trying to say that he wants his grandchild to work in that same homeless shelter that he did. I believe that he meant it to be viewed as he hopes that his grandchildren can get that same experience that he did while working there. He was taught more while volunteering there, than he actually was in school. The lesson can be that by volunteering you are not only helping out, but learning life lessons along the way. In order to create a society where his grandchildren wouldn’t actually have to work in a shelter would take a lot. Sure everyone wants to see change happen, and wishes that things like homelessness and world hunger could all be “fixed.” But how many of those people are actually trying to make the difference happen. It would take people having to stop worrying about their personal lives so much, like Loeb says, and start to take time out of their hectic lives to do those couple hours of community service so that they could take that step towards making a difference in order to get t hose people so they don’t have to sleep on the streets or in shelters. Honestly, by the time my grandchildren come along, I really don’t believe that this will be able to happen. It would be great if it could, but everyone in our society is so wrapped up in themselves, that they will just say they want things to happen, but will never put forth enough effort to where we can all come together to make this change occur. We are the ones that determine the outcome of what is going to be in the future. I think that if enough people can come together, then sure there can be an indent in how many people there actually are on the streets, and how many shelters there are, or how well maintained they are, but unfortunately I don’t believe that this issue can be completely eliminated by then.

Treatment vs. Cure

I guess I've never really looked at volunteerism and activism as separate entities. Now that I really think about it, volunteerism is usually seen as something positive, noble, and worthy of praise, but activism is often perceived as hostile, pushy, and troublemaking. I agree with Loeb when he writes that volunteering provides relief to a problem, while activism provides a solution. It makes alot of sense to me that volunteering is so highly praised. The powers that be love to use it as a long term distraction to real change, and people can feel good about themselves without taking risks. Activism, on the other hand, is what really leads to change. It threatens people who horde power and resources, so of course they want to put a negative stigma on it. I know my biggest fear in getting involved is losing more than I can handle, and especially the fear of being left standing alone. For these reasons, I have tended to volunteer because it is safe. I feel deeply affected by the suffering of others, and want help ease that pain. I really have to ask myself, though, if it is enough to just ease the suffering, or if it is time to step out of my comfort zone and act to stop it altogether.

In the story of the Stanford student, I would give him benefit of the doubt, in that he probably didn't mean he wants homelessness to continue, but found the experience of volunteering personally inspiring. It is an eyeopener, however, to really think about what volunteering is. Its like giving oxygen treatments to a smoker. No matter how hard we work to relieve the symptoms, the greater problem and threat of collapse is still there. Volunteering is a necessary treatment, but activism is the cure.

Make this Promise too

Americans take for granted what they are privileged to do. As Americans, we can say whatever we want to say, we can join whatever group we desire, and we can tell the government what we don't like about them. If we don't like that the number of homeless people is increasing, then we need to do something about it! But Americans are so self centered that actually standing up for what they believe is right, is way too "inconvenient". The Stanford student was trying to get across that volunteering is a wonderful thing. It is a way to help make a difference in our future. He did not mean he wants his grandchildren working in the same shelter and for homelessness to still be in the same dilemma they are in currently. I feel it was rather a metaphor stating that by serving your country as a good citizen, America can improve. If more citizens volunteered at a shelter or an organization, taught Sunday school, joined a club, helped with a community project, worked with the elderly,or even took out the trash for a neighbor, America would improve and selflessness would become more exposed to the public eye.

It seems that in America selfishness has become a way of life. No one cares about their neighbors the way they did fifty years ago. I'm even guilty of this, I don't even know the names of my own neighbors that live three houses down. America has become more selfish every year. Everyone is about money and power.

But then why are college students encouraged to engage in social involvement? I feel that it is up to our generation to change this way of life in America! If we, as college students, can make a single foot print in displaying selflessness, then I feel that younger generation will do the same. And hopefully one day, we will not be fighting homelessness, abusive relationships, pollution of the earth, or even rudeness to an elder.

I sadly do not think that homelessness will be gone by the time my grandchildren are my age. But I am very optimistic that lives will improve and the percentage of homelessness will decrease. I have made a promise to myself since reading this book, I promise to show my children the importance of service and how you can grow from the simplest experience of making some one's day better. I hope in return that they will show their children and so on. To combat homelessness will take time, a lot of time. But we must start the footprint! We must lead my example and encourage children to follow in our foot steps.

And by this, serious issues will gradually dissolve.

Money Rules

The lesson in the story is that the Stnaford student learned so much and grew up from the experience that he wants his own grandchildren to be almost awakened by the act of serving the community the way he was. Even though he is working to rid the world of homelessness he noticed the great opportunity he had and he wanted to share it. I think it would take people to care about others as much as they care about themselves. Everyday we hear on the news of people dying or losing their homes but can anyone seriously say they have lost a minute of sleep over it. This is the way our society is built you can step on anyone to get to the top and not feel one ounce of guilt over it. Also everyone is out for money, money rules everything in America. If your wealthy and well known you can buy whatever you want. Whenever people hear that someone wealthy breaking the law it's swept under the rug, they are forgiven and most of the time never serve any type of jail sentence. I think that once America cares about more than just money and themselves this country will be able to take a step in the right direction. I do not think that homelessness will be totally eliminated by the time of my grandchildren, but I do think that with the right people it can certainly be minimized.