Chapter 2's topic interested me greatly due to the fact that I was one of those people. I've always had a nagging voice in the back of my mind that wanted me to put myself out there and get something done, and do something productive, and help some people. Something I could look at and know I changed something or someone for the better. But at the same time, this always felt like an impossible goal. If the opportunity came along that'd be great but I really didn't think I wanted to put much time or energy into something I probably couldn't change. The times I did try to get involved with something, I would often find myself discouraged by the sheer amount of paperwork and bureaucracy necessary for it.
I now find myself in SLICE where I feel I can make the maximum impact on a problem with a minimum amount of paperwork. I suppose this would be my "ideal moment to get involved" and I am grateful for that, but now I wonder what took me so long. And I think after reading the chapter I see why. Like I said before, I didn't see myself being able to make a difference. I didn't see myself as a hero or perfect. That was the wrong way of thinking. I still don't see myself as a hero, I'm just a dude who wants to help out. I think that's how a lot of my peers in this group see themselves as well.
Pointing out that MLK wasn't the top student in his philosophy was Loeb's example of how you don't need to be perfect to do something great and you can't let set-backs like that hold you back from doing what you know is right. We are all human, we all have flaws, inescapable fact of life. Sometimes these flaws don't always seem congruent with our ideals and beliefs. An example would be Mohandas Gandhi, a world renowned peace movement leader and a deep believer of non-violence, even in the face of tyranny. All these things are true, but what was also true was that he was known to be very harsh and abusive to his own family. This detracts from the perfect image his famous actions created, but they don't make them any less remarkable. He is still an inspiration to stand up for what you believe in, regardless of his faults or your own. So it doesn't matter if your not perfect, that doesn't mean you can't improve yourself and your environment, and it doesn't mean your beliefs don't hold value.
I now find myself in SLICE where I feel I can make the maximum impact on a problem with a minimum amount of paperwork. I suppose this would be my "ideal moment to get involved" and I am grateful for that, but now I wonder what took me so long. And I think after reading the chapter I see why. Like I said before, I didn't see myself being able to make a difference. I didn't see myself as a hero or perfect. That was the wrong way of thinking. I still don't see myself as a hero, I'm just a dude who wants to help out. I think that's how a lot of my peers in this group see themselves as well.
Pointing out that MLK wasn't the top student in his philosophy was Loeb's example of how you don't need to be perfect to do something great and you can't let set-backs like that hold you back from doing what you know is right. We are all human, we all have flaws, inescapable fact of life. Sometimes these flaws don't always seem congruent with our ideals and beliefs. An example would be Mohandas Gandhi, a world renowned peace movement leader and a deep believer of non-violence, even in the face of tyranny. All these things are true, but what was also true was that he was known to be very harsh and abusive to his own family. This detracts from the perfect image his famous actions created, but they don't make them any less remarkable. He is still an inspiration to stand up for what you believe in, regardless of his faults or your own. So it doesn't matter if your not perfect, that doesn't mean you can't improve yourself and your environment, and it doesn't mean your beliefs don't hold value.
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