Fevers and Reflections

When I reflect back on this week, there isn't too much to reflect on. I was sick, I slept a lot, I couldn't really do much of anything.....doesn't make for that much of a reflection; but it did get me thinking.
Think back to a time when you were really sick. You probably didn't have much energy, and you probably felt pretty awful. You may have vomited until all that came up was a watered down form of stomach bile. You may have had a fever so high that the room wouldn't stop spinning. You definitely stayed home, or got sent home from school. You may have been hospitalized. You may have gotten medication, maybe it helped a lot maybe it helped a little - but chances are it helped some. You may have been cold, in which case you used a ton of blankets - you may have still been cold but hey, you tried.....or some one tried for you. Chances are you had some one to take care of you. If you didn't have someone to take care of you then you probably had some where that you could be where you didn't have to do much, if anything. If your reading this, then you got better.

For people living in severe poverty, this wasn't the case. They may have felt the same as you, at first. Then you got medicine, and they didn't. You got blankets, and they didn't. You had a hospital to go to if it came to that, chances are, they didn't.

When we try to rank what issues are most important when addressing global poverty, it is all fine and well to say the education will solve all the problems....but a person cannot get that education if they cannot get to school. They can't get to school if they don't have roads to get there, and they certainly can't walk down the roads if they are too sick to stand. While there is certainly an order of things that people need it is unquestionable that basic needs: food, water, shelter, and overall physical health are the most important. Imagine if you felt the worse you've ever felt. Some people feel that way every day. Think about it.

reflection week 12

The discussion on Tuesday with the online chat going throughout the discussion was, I think, the most interesting part of this week. I was skeptical at first, since I’m not really technologically savvy, as to whether the online chat would benefit or hinder our discussion. I was pleasantly surprised to realize that the online chat really did contribute to our discussion. I felt like I was able to better contribute to the discussion on the chat because I could get my ideas out before I was able to forget them and before the topic moved on. Often in discussions there are so many hands raised that it takes time before you are able to speak and then you have either forgotten your point or it is completely irrelevant. However, with the online chat I felt like not only was I able to express my views but I also heard from many different people both on the chat and in class. Therefore many more different opinions were aired and I think it added a new dimension to the discussion which was refreshing. I definitely think this is a worthwhile format that should be used again in this class, if time permits, and certainly in future classes.
All week I have been wondering about the world politics significance of Conquest of America and the visit to the Museum of the American Indian. Initially it seemed like a domestic issue to me rather than one of world politics. I see now many of the connections that were not initially apparent. First of all I think it is telling that the United States, a major world power, would not exist as it does had the native civilization not been destroyed. This does not mean that the action was justified but I think it means that sometimes good results can come from horrible actions. Also the book chronicles an historical clash of civilizations and it illuminates how various cultures respond to one another and how conquest happens. This is critically important in today’s world because nations need to be wary of the consequences both for their own nation and for others when the seek conquest. Furthermore the aspect of cultural interaction is pertinent anytime an individual or group encounters and new culture. By knowing what our responses tend to be we can hopefully morph them into something that is more constructive for all parties involved.