IDEA AND PLAN: BLOCK DAY, JANUARY 13-14
tYPED REPORT: mONDAY, FEBRUARY 1
OVERVIEW:
During our introduction to this unit, we learned that the Transcendentalists held three major beliefs: 1) UNITY; 2) INWARDNESS; 3) RIGHT ACTION. This assignment is to find a way to act on what you’re learning, and then write a reflection about the experience. You may select any of the following options listed below or you may create your own right action project. If you choose to create your own, please ok it with Ryan. You must choose an option that is most applicable to your life (e.g. if you feel like you cannot live without your cell phone then you should give up your cell phone; if you are checking your Facebook page ten times a day, don’t log in for a week). This assignment is meant as an experiment—to adopt a way of living that feels abnormal from your “normal” life—so that you can better understand the way you live your life.
OPTIONS:
1. BUY NOTHING WEEK
“The more you consume, the less you live.” Spend no money (no sodas, no gas, no movie tickets, NOTHING) for a period of seven days at least.
2. CELL PHONE FREE ZONE
Give your cell phone to Ryan for a period of no less than 2 days (a weekend would be ideal). And, NO YOU CAN’T BORROW YOUR FRIEND’S PHONE DURING THE TIME YOU’RE PHONELESS!
3. KILL YOUR TV (OR THE INTERNET)
Do not look at a screen (TV and internet) for a week.
4. YOU ARE NOT YOUR CAR
Don’t drive your car for 3 days (a week would be ideal).
5. NATURE COMMUNE
Spend a night or two in the woods alone -- as long as you have the gear!
6. SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY!
Simplify something in your life that you normally consume a lot of (i.e. food/drink, media, news/gossip, material possessions); for example, if you normally eat 3 meals a day, try eating 1.
7. MAKE DO AND MEND
“Turn to the old, return to it.” Instead of buying new jeans or shoes, break out the sewing kit and fix the ones you have.
8. “WHAT’S WITH THE CLOTHES, DUDE?”
Wear the same clothes (and yes, please, wash them!) for one week.
9. “WILL YOU BE MY FRIEND?”
Stop hanging out with your normal group of friends and find a different group of people—a group apart from your regular social situations—to hang out with.
10. “KEEP YOUR THOUGHTS”
Keep a detailed journal for at least a week. Record precisely how you spend your time every day – is your life “frittered away by detail?” Jot down your thoughts and reflect on them.
11. ADVANCE CONFIDENTLY
Resurrect a dream or goal and make progress towards its completion. This may involve changing your behavior, putting some things aside, passing “an invisible boundary,” or taking concrete steps. “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."
12. OTHER?
If you have another suggestion, speak with Ryan about it.
QUESTIONS TO SPARK REFLECTION1. What did you choose to do and why did you choose to do it?
2. Describe the time you spent during this right action period.
3. How did you live your life differently as a result of engaging in this right action? How did you find yourself thinking and acting differently than you normally do?
4. How did you feel as a result of engaging in this right action? Anxious, upset, and unnerved? Relaxed, calm, and at ease?
5. Did engaging in this right action help you to realize anything about yourself and the world you live in?