To prepare you to read Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, I've asked you to spend a week amending your lifestyle, giving up some "progressive" facet of our society to consider how that technology or adaptation affects your life for better and for worse.
Summarize and respond to that experience. What did you do? Please be specific.
What reflections did it lead you to? Particularly consider the questions at the bottom of your sacrifice handout. If you have misplaced that handout, you can also see it here.
I will post an example response shortly before the due date so I can be authentic in my reflections. Please do the same so your thinking reflects the entirety of your experience.
Keep in mind the intent of posting your work on this public forum: so your classmates can read about your experiences and be challenged by your thinking.
With that goal in mind, be sure you're cognizant of your audience, addressing the assignment's purpose & employing effective writing skills, but keeping your ideas to a length that your classmates will read your work. Please use my example to guide you.
Over the last week, I chose to focus on kindness, which led me to reflect that perhaps people don't practice kindness as often because of the time and selflessness it requires. Specifically, I would wait for co-workers in the parking lot to greet them in the morning; would hold doors for others; was a generous thought, compliment, and gift-giver, and greeted people I didn't know. Though I must say these actions didn't feel like much of a sacrifice on my behalf as I felt I personally benefited from giving, I realize why, potentially, deliberate kindness isn't a habit for may: I sacrificed much of my time and, in some cases, money in giving to others. I realized, too, that sometimes kindness is a risk of vulnerability: in opening ourselves to others, we risk rejection and awkward interactions. Overall, however, the benefits far outweigh the cost. I believe in the kindness of others, but think we would need to be a braver, less time-focused society that acts with more deliberation than instinct if the world were to be a kinder place.
For our sacrifice assignment, I chose the first one which was "trade in your background noise for some QUIET. Refrain from listening to music or turning on the TV or computer for background noise until your assignment's due date." After doing this for one week, I found myself being way more productive. Right after school, I would come home and get straight to my homework. I would power off my phone and not turn it back on until I was finished with everything. I found that I finished my homework way faster since the content was still fresh in my brain, and after I was done I had even more time to do what I wanted. This assignment really challenged me to disconnect myself from electronics until the work I needed to get done, got done. I think it was totally worth it, and I'm going to continue doing it throughout the rest of this semester. I think if people started to embrace habits such as these more, people would be way more productive and things would get done faster. I think people, including myself, have a tendency to do what they want first rather than what needs to get done which is what leads to procrastinating and things not getting done.
ReplyDeleteFor the sacrifice assignment I choose to try the communication, face to face or through verbal communication. Cultivate RELATIONSHIPS. You’ve been meaning to catch up with a family member you haven’t talked to lately; call him or her on the phone or, better yet, meet him or her for lunch. Sit down with a friend and catch up. I called and talked to my grandparents who live in Hawaii, and talked to them about their life out there, and they asked me about my life and what is happing in Colorado. I also contacted a family friend has who lives in Switzerland, and talked to her. Since over the summer we traveled all across Europe with her. I talked to some friends I had in middle school that I haven’t talked to in a while. I asked my grandpa if he would want to go to lunch one day this week. And talking to all these people made me realize that there is so much more to this world then texting and social media. A majority of the things that people want to say cannot be said over technology because you never know how the person on the receiving end will take it. Talking to people makes stronger relationships. Communication through a relationship is the most important thing, and that is why a majority of my old friends and I are not longer friends, simply because we never talk anymore. I personally prefer to call someone or sit down with them and have a conversation, but a majority of people can’t because no one ever has anytime.
ReplyDeleteCommunicate face to face or via verbal conversation. Cultivate relationships. You’ve been meaning to catch up with a family member you haven’t talked to lately; call him or her on the phone or, better yet, meet him or her for lunch. Sit down with a friend and catch up. Avoid technology as your communication vehicle.
ReplyDeleteFor my sacrifice assignment I choose communication face to face. This assignment challenged me to have an actual conversation with my classmates, friends, and family instead of just through text. I believe it was totally worth it and it made for great conversation and to catch up on things that are going on throughout life. I think the thing that I got out of this experiment was that it is so much better talking face to face then through social media or texting. Life is full of not having time for anything and I know for myself that taking time to actually do this communication thing on a regular basis would challenge me to make time for that sacrifice. If everyone in this world actually took time to talk face to face, the world would be something different. I think it would unleash something that would be more powerful than the web. In reality, people are too attached to their devices and their have been more and more apps to communicate with. But if face to face communication were to happen, I believe it would totally change the world and its thinking.
This assignment really changed the past week and I got to catch up with friends and family that I rarely get to see, as well as friends and family I see everyday.
For my sacrifice assignment I did Focus on your health.Go on a walk each day. Exercise. Eat well. Drink more water. Most of all, focus on your mental health...This assignment challenged me to really put me first and keep me and what I need in mind, and make sure that I went to bed at a decent time, finishing my homework before it piled up on me. I made sure that I had a good dinner, shower and hopefully be in bed before 9....Having this assignment helped keep my mind and body still. During this past week I took this time to focus on me, I tried to drink almost a full 32oz water bottle a day and pack a good lunch, I would also try to make time to turn off my electronics and either nap or maybe read a book, that time not being connected to my phone or Ipad really opened my mind and I was able to put some extra sleeps in the sleep bank and gave me some more energy which was nice. I loved having this assignment it helped me open my mind and I will totally keep my health in mind as a new years resolution.
ReplyDeleteWhat did I do? I practiced Kindness… Everyday last week I told my mom something I liked about her, which always made our conversation end with a smile. I also talked to a freshman who seemed to be having problems with her locker, after I helped her she seemed a little embarrassed but again our conversation ended with a smile. This assignment challenge me a little bit because I am usually a very quiet person unless I know you and am close with you. This assignment did make me get out of my comfort zone and reach out to someone I didn’t know that needed a little bit of help. I believe it was worth it because it did make my mom and that freshman have a smile or a bigger smile than they had on before, making people feel better about themselves. I learned that being shy isn’t necessarily a bad thing but without the “not so shy” people no one would be going up to strangers when they notice they are dealing with something or having a problem. To give something up that is important to me would be very difficult because it’s something personal that isn't as easy to let go. I would have to take myself away from all technolagy because most teenager these days, including me see technology/social media as a need in their life, which isn’t the best thing in the world. Something that may perpetuate a change, is to maybe see through a different perspective on our lives based on technology, because it may make us think about what others don’t have and the things we have giving us an open mind on everything they/we have. The world would change a lot based on technology, there are some good and bad to technology but the amount of people that are addicted to things revolving around technology, like social media isn’t very good.
ReplyDeleteFor my sacrifice assignment, I choose to complete the one about working on your health. When doing this assignment, I went on a walk everyday with my dog around the neighborhood, I ate more fruits and veggies, and I also focused on who I was as a person. I pushed myself to try meditation and to just breath deeply for a few days. On the days I felt down I would try my best to focus on the positive and to really see how much my life has to offer me. I made sure that I completed everything I really needed to finish like homework, before going to hangout with my friends. I also made sure that I didn't go to bed at 3 in the morning. When doing this assignment, I really realized all the bad I was doing for my body, for example eating junk food and only getting 5-6 hours of sleep each night because I was on my phone. Before I went to bed I either read something or I played some calming music to help me relax. Every night and every morning, I made sure that I chugged a class of lemon water to really wake me up or help make me more relaxed so that I could start my day and end my day good. It was really helpful for me to not be on my phone 24/7 through the whole week because it helped me realize all the good I have in my life. I really liked this project because it got me thinking about different ways I can help myself and other people around me to help with their health and mindset.
ReplyDeleteThe sacrifice I chose for the sacrifice assignment was to focus on my health. I accomplished this goal by working out daily for cheer and taking walks on days that I didn't have to work out. I also did things that made me feel very peaceful inside like listening to music or getting up early in the morning to read. This sacrifice assignment really challenged me to self-motivate myself, and I had to learn self-restraint for things I wanted that weren't good for me. I think that this assignment was really worth the internal trouble I had, because it helped me feel better inside and out and opened my eyes to future possibilities in helping myself to reach a goal through focusing on my health. This project also helped me to see that if everyone were to embrace changes like the ones we went through in class, people would be able to connect to each other without trying to connect through a screen. I think that this was a very successful experiment and it's going to lead me to great places if I continue to follow the ideals in it.
ReplyDeleteFor the sacrifice assignment I chose kindness. This overall was a really good experience for me. This assignment really challenged me to go out of my way and step out of my comfort zone. I learned that the littlest things can make someones day a little happier and improve their mood. Speaking from experience when someone waves at me in the hallway or gives me a complement it makes me feel good. To know that I can make someone else feel good makes me want to go out of my way for them. This assignment was worth it to me because it made me feel good to go out of my way to be kind to people and it made other people feel good too. This assignment really made me think about kindness and the act of showing people you care about them and that they matter. I had to change my everyday routine to meet a new person and to make them feel better. This made me realize that kindness should be part of my everyday routine. If the world all took on this sacrifice I think it would be a much happier world. It doesn't take much to show kindness and anyone can make someones day a little brighter.
ReplyDeleteFor the sacrifice assignment I chose kindness. It seems like my whole life has been a huge game of going along with the crowd and saying something bad about a person I don't care for or care deeply for. This truly did not hurt me before I lost a friend and realized how badly I treated them, even if they did not see it.
ReplyDeleteAs a first step, I've just listened to the bad ideas that spread around. Not contributing to the fire. This truly isn't much of a step but it feels so big to me considering I have been such a big part of "gossip". I've learned there needs to be more love in this school and just this era in general. Although negative thoughts are such a big part of my life I would give them up in a second, but if I had to give up something truly important to me... I wouldn't. The world would change in such a positive way if people could give up negative ways.
For my sacrifice assignment, I chose to focus on he Health topic. This assignment did end up challenging me more than I thought it would. I changed my lifestyle in both physical and mental health. I decided to drink more water, order healthier coffee and write in my journal everyday. I definitely think this was worth it because I feel better and feel like I have more energy than I did before. To make this sacrifice I had to change my mind frame and become more motivated than I was before we were assigned this project. Even though we are finished with this project, I think I am going to personally continue this assignment.
ReplyDeleteI learned that trying to improve your health can be challenging at first, but gets easier along the way. I feel like more people should do more projects like this.
For my sacrifice assignment I chose to do the no background noise while I finish my work that I need to complete. This assignment challenged me because living with my siblings the t.v. or some type of noise is always going, so I had to find a good quite place. I believe that this was worth it because it really helped me focus on my work and not be distracted, also it helped me clear my head more so I didn't have a lot of things going through my mind. I learned that I can focus more on my work if I don't have and noise in the background to distract me. It would take something big for me to give up something that is important to me. I would have to change some of my habits and make new good habits and get rid of the old bad ones. I keep the background noise to a minimum by going somewhere quite. No the world would not have to look different. The world would change if everyone took on these sacrifices.
ReplyDeleteThis assignment challenged me greatly, the hardest part was getting motivated to exercise for 30 minutes each day when all I wanted to do was take a nap and relax. Considering it's the first week back from break my body wasn't used to being up this long since I slept a lot over the break. What I learned most was mainly from drinking more water and eating less fattening foods and more “real” meals. What I Learned from drinking water multiple times throughout the day was the effects it has, not just mentally but physically. I noticed that my skin was a lot less dry and I had fewer breakouts, I also lost 1.4 pounds. I don't know if it was the water or less fattening foods or even both but I noticed I as the days went on I was feeling less and less tired. Ultimately I believe it was worth trying, It might of been difficult but I could see myself benefiting from this If I chose to continue. I would have to really notice some real benefits for me to give up my favorite go to fattening snacks. The ultimate thing I would have to change would be what I chose to eat and that's something that you can't just go cold turkey for considering all the cravings. The extra energy and all the other benefits of water longterm would be the reason I would consider pursuing this challenge again. If people chose to do this also I feel as though people would feel a lot healthier and less tired and also receive a lot more health benefits. These healthy habits could really change peoples health and even their attitudes.
ReplyDeleteFor my sacrifice assignment, two of the assignments really caught my attention. I worked on being in nature every day and minimizing my technology use. For the nature assignment, I would take my dogs on longer walks, I would go on the trails behind my houses and explore. This was a bit hard sometimes, as it would get really cold, and the trails would get covered in snow, so I would just take my dogs further in the neighborhood. This assignment was really great for my health, emotional and physical. It was really relaxing to leave my house for 10-20 minutes and breathe. I learned that I should spend more time outside. In order for me to do these walks, I had to step away from technology and free time, and it was worth it. Taking a step away from technology was the second assignment that I worked on. I have had a strong dislike for technology recently, especially when with friends and family. I realize how interested our generation is in technology, and I like the idea of staying away from it. It is hard, though, as an easily distracted person who gets bored very easily. I learned that taking a break allows your brain to relax and it's nice when you get into the swing of not needing your phone. During this experience, my family went out to dinner at our favorite restaurant. We all decided to put our phones in the middle of the table, no one being allowed to touch them. It is nice to talk to one another and I believe everyone should try a phone/technology break, even if it's just for a little while.
ReplyDeleteFor my sacrifice assignment I chose the Intellectual challenge. I read The Origin Of Species by Charles Darwin and that got me thinking about the origin of life. So I read the 6th Extinction by James Rollins, which is a fiction book that covers the topic of the origin of life through XNA, or foreign DNA that did not originate on earth. Overall, I think that this assignment was worth it, because it caused me to research a little about the origin of life and how it survived long enough to evolve into what we know today. The topic of water came up, and I thought, some people around the world cannot access clean water. This thought of clean water coincided with a TSA project, Engineering Design. For this project, I am building a desalination plant model, and I thought, hey, this could be a part of my sacrifice assignment. For me to give up my intellectual side, it would mean I would be in the mountains or on the olympic peninsula in Washington living in a cabin away from the majority of the population. If everyone made a move to learn something new, the world would have huge technological advances, the water crisis would be solved, the energy crisis would be solved, the over-population would be solved, poverty would be eradicated, and everyone could live happy, prolonged, technology indulging lives.
ReplyDeleteOver the last week, I chose to focus on health. I always reminded myself to be more active rather than just sitting down or laying in bed. With this in mind, I often went on walks with my dog for at least twice a day. Sometimes my dog, Gus, likes to be playful so we end up running. I walk to school and back every weekday. After school, I walk back home to switch my school backpack to my swim backpack until its time for practice. I walk back to Arapahoe and enter the swimming pool where we swim for 2 hours and dry land workouts for half an hour. I found myself drinking more water than usual since I had to keep refilling my water bottle throughout the day. Also, I would normally snack on chips but I replaces them with slices of an apple and granola bars. It truly was wroth changing some bad habits that will eventually benefit my daily life in the future by sticking with healthier snacks. Knowing the great benefits of eating healthier and just pure determination is what it takes for me to give up something important to me. Health emergencies for several people would definitely decrease if they take the time to evaluate the kinds of food they are putting in their bodies which can impact them in some way in the future.
ReplyDeleteFor my sacrifice assignment, I tried to focus on my health and going outside more often. I tried spending more time with my family and doing stuff with them and doing the things that I love (art, music, being in nature, spending time with friends, spending time with pets, etc.). I also challenged myself to eat healthier. This wasn't always easy and sometimes I'd break from it, but overallI ate healthier then I normally do. For the nature part of my challenge, the first two days I would walk around the area after school. But then I got sick, so I had to stop there. I've wanted to work on these (probably during Lent), so I'm really glad these were on the list.
ReplyDeleteFor my sacrifice I picked do something in nature and I really enjoyed it. I didn't realized so much can happen in nature that people don't realize. I did was take walks to different parts in my neighborhood and riding my long board to different places. I walked and road my long board to different places I have never been and seeing things I never seen even though it can be obvious. The assignment didn't really challenge me because I had time to go see new things. It was very worth it because I found out that some of my friends live real close to me. I learned trying something new can make you feel and know that it feels good to try it.I wouldn't change so much as a person to do something like this. If people changed to try to embrace these habits they wouldn't changed that much but they realize things they never knew. I also walked with my brother and we experienced places and had a great time.
ReplyDeleteThe past week was a new experience for me, as it allowed me to focus more on my health habits. I didn't necessarily set out to eat better, but I did want to to good for my body. I engaged in yoga, ate oatmeal and cranberries for breakfast in the morning, and drank healthier drinks such as juice blends or plain water rather than soda. I did however trade my usual bagel for lunch for a salad that contains every food group necessary for nutrition. This wasn't to lose weight, it was simply to tone my muscles for cheer and help make me feel better overall. This brought me to the question of, do people stray from "dieting" because it is associated with weight loss and going from a body you don't want to a body you would rather have? I truly believe that it is hard for people to start a diet because they don't want to be associated with weight loss or nutrition problems. Every time I tried to explain what I was doing this past week I found myself saying, "it's not for weight loss, its simply to feel better overall." I thought it was interesting that I'm aware of it and still fell victim. Overall I do feel better than I did a week ago and i think that this really did help. I will continue with this and continue to track my progress.
ReplyDeleteFor the past week I've been cutting out the background noise so that i am able to focus on the assignments ive been given. When i sit at the desk in my house the TV is right next to it so there is some noise but I am still able to stay focused and get my work done. I'm pretty good at not looking at my phone but when i get a notification I have to look at it so that has been the biggest challenge for me. When cutting out background noise you need to stay concentrated at what you are doing. If you stop staying focused you will be able to hear everything around you and could potentially disable you from dong your work. Otherwise i have enjoyed doing this and it really helps me with my school work.
ReplyDeleteFor my sacrifice assignment I chose to trade in music and other background noises such as television for some quiet. Whenever I get home from school I usually just put headphones in and listen to music or watch a video of some sort and try to do my homework. Doing this sacrifice was a different experience for me but I could tell that it had a big impact on how efficient I was at getting assignments. I get distracted pretty easily and so not having anything to distract me helped me just focus on what was actually important instead of multitasking. It was definitely a different experience and I had to adjust to a different routine for a little bit, but after doing it I realized that it actually had a big impact on me. When having no distractions it was easier to get my assignments done which made more available time in my day to do things that were more important, like spend time with family and friends. I think that overall it was worth it and it taught me a lot about the type of learner and worker I am. I think that the world would change quite a bit if each person even sacrificed one thing for just a day. I think that they would be able to learn a lot about themselves as a person and they probably would learn a couple of lessons like, I don't necessarily need this to be a daily thing in my life. Overall, over the past week this sacrifice really taught me a lot and I will probably continue cutting out background noise to get my assignments done.
ReplyDeleteI chose to prioritize my health. I have been managing a knee injury for a few months now, along with severe headaches every day. I decided to use this assignment to motivate myself to do everything in my power to improve my well-being in terms of my injury and head pains. I started with creating an exercise plan for my knee based on what the orthopedic doctor suggested. I performed these exercises every day, and since then, I have experienced less pain in my knee; therefore, I will continue these exercises. Next, I focused on my daily headaches by drinking significantly more water, keeping track of when my headaches occur during the day, and scheduling a consult with my doctor. These actions have ruled out dehydration as being the cause and lessened my stress about the pain. This experience has made life more pleasant overall because I have been able to focus on family, friends, and my favorite things instead of worrying about my health. I have learned that it is very important to address your own well-being before anything else because in the end it will benefit others to be around the best version of yourself.
ReplyDeleteThis past week, I've really been focusing on cultivating relationships and communicating outside of my phone, even if it was something as small as having lunch with someone or even walking them to class. I notice that with technology now-a-days that things are easily lost in translation. Not only this, but that technological relationships aren't as fulfilling as being face to face. It challenged me because it is easy to slip away and only talk to people from time to time whenever it is convenient. I learned it is important to keep physical relationships with people, instead of just texting/calling. We really miss out on a lot of peoples' lives because our eyes are too fixed on technology. If there are things I regret, it's not talking to people enough when I got the chance. Also, personally it would be really difficult to give up something that is important to me because I care so much for things and people that I am not sure how that would work out. I think it would have to take someone a lot to do this, but sometimes making sacrifices and letting go is better in the long run, depending on the situation. The world would look different because it would be hard to care about something, just in order to let it go. Because of this, people would begin to feel less so there wouldn't be as much pain felt. But to be able to put down our technology and cultivate relationships, people would learn to love more, better and care more about selfless acts instead of selfish ones.
ReplyDeleteBecause mental health has always been a challenge for me, I decided to focus on my health for my sacrifice project. After trying my hardest to follow a routine to exercise more, use less tech, talk to people more, and do things that I enjoy doing like drawing and reading. I began by opening my sketchbook and sitting and drawing the best that I could, because drawing has always been therapeutic to me. When I came back from break on the first day, I had only gotten about 2 hours of sleep the night so after getting this assignment, I made it a goal to get more sleep and I have successfully gotten more than 5 hours of sleep every night since the assignment. My parents usually go to the gym almost every night as part of their diet, and I decided to go with them every other day, which made a huge improvement in how I felt overall. One of the final things that I did was to try to make a deeper connection with my friends, and let them know that I am a source of comfort if they needed a shoulder to lean on. I’ve learned and grown from this assignment, and seen now that some of the poor choices I make have no reason or logic behind them, and avoiding things I love to do like drawing and listening to music can only harm me.
ReplyDeleteSo I decided to focus on my health for this assignment as since Marching Band ended my brain decided it wasn't important. I've had some pretty bad back and nerve issues that I just haven't had time to try and fix. I focused on fixing these by putting together two stretch routines, one for morning and one for night. I did those and did notice a slight change in the severity of the nerve pain in my back. I also started to watch what I eat as having slight blood sugar issues. By actually eating breakfast, I avoided feeling horrible in my second period math class. Will this help my grade, probably not, but that's not what matters. Through doing this I realized taking myself was difficult because the other work and whatever I was supposed to be was more important than how I felt and managing the pain in my back. School work was more important than my health. I realized I was sacrificing what should have been priority to try and keep extra stress from missing school off my back.
ReplyDeleteFor my sacrifice assignment, I chose to practice kindness and meet new people. This semester I'm in carrer connections. Each class Ive been joining new groups and activities. I have meet very happy people. I think it was a good choice picking out this topic because I felt very quiet. I give people smiles, but they never come say hi, and just look down. So I think its good just going up and meeting new people. I've also been holding the door for someone. A lot of people have been just ignoring each other and only caring about them selfs. This project is making me notice how everyone treats each other. Im thankful to have carrer connections because in that class everyone treats each other with kindness and love meeting new people. They accept people. They let them be you. I also have slam poetry. That class has so many creative people. Were all different but we all accept each other. This semester is treating me good. Im trying new things out of my comfort zone. Stop being shy and meeting new people.
ReplyDeleteBecause I have been pretty lazy for the last 2 years I decided to work on my health a little bit. I haven't been eating as much sugar in the past week because I have a bad habit of eating a lot of that. I have taken 3+ walks down to southglenn during my lunch hour so I got quite a bit of exercise off of that.I even signed up for weight training this semester so I can get in shape for diving. I will probably go back to having my normal sugar habit but I am very glad I signed up for weight training because I am a pretty weak dude and I need to get back in shape.
ReplyDeleteFor my sacrifice assignment, I mostly focused on background noise for some quiet. Since it takes me a long time to finish homework and to get any other things done I wanted to focus on homework instead of my phone, listening to music, and watching tv. I am a person who has to have music or something on in the background when I am doing homework. So, what I did to have it quiet was go up to the coffee shop that is close by my house or either sit at the dinner table and make sure that everything was put away so I don't have temptations to make myself distracted. Since, I always surrounded myself with background noise it was hard for me to do this sacrifice assignment. What I did was slowly work myself to refrain myself from the background noise. I either take a break for a couple of minutes and then go back to whatever I was doing. This helps me from not fully cutting myself from the background noise to make the challenge less harder for me to do. This challenge helped me get homework done faster. I got more sleep and more time to spend with my family. Overall, this challenge let me realize that habits can be hard to put down when you are so used to having them. If the world was to put away the background noise I feel like it would be hard for people who work better with background noise. People would be more focused and serious to getting their work done. The world would be different than it would be today without background noise.
ReplyDeleteI decided to not only pick one but 2 things on the sheet for this project. I’ve been quite lazy and somewhat unhealthy these past few months, and it was my new year's resolution to get more into shape and start eating right, but I didn’t start doing it because of lack of motivation, that is until this assignment. I thought, well since it is both my new year's resolution and an assignment for class, I might as well do it. So this past week I ate healthier, dropped out of a class that was not so good towards my mental health, and joined an aerobics class. I also opened my window when doing homework and tried to go on walks often, but that was hard due to the cold weather and snow. I am now looking forward to getting more in shape with my aerobics class even though it causes me a great deal of pain and also will probably continue doing these things for as long as I can keep them up, not just for this project. One thing I noticed though, is how much better you can feel if you get more exercise and pay closer attention to your surroundings especially nature and take care of your mental health, along with physical health. I think everyone could benefit doing these things maybe for a week, a month, or forever.
ReplyDeleteFor my sacrifice assignment I chose to read the news and be informed for the past week. After doing all of this I really want to keep this up and just do it in my spare time or in the morning. It kept everything relevant and I was able to talk a lot more about the things that were happening in the world. I actually enjoyed doing it so now it has came to be a normal thing to me. On my phone I use the news app now and usually read a story or post a few times a day. I would say this is also good because I can easily access it on my phone and it is a better thing to do instead of playing games or using social media. Part of this assignment I also chose to do the quiet time. I did this because I have a lot of time when I am at home to do anything so I decided to complete all my homework for the week in one night without leaving my room or listening to music or using my phone during it. This actually helped me so much because not only did I get done with all my work faster but I was also a lot more free during the school days and was not worrying about the next thing to do or making sure I completed something. Overall I really liked this assignment because it helped me a lot in life outside of school.
ReplyDeleteFor the past week I chose to go out into nature every evening. Spend more time outside because I'm always inside a building or something with heating. At first it was kind of hard because it was pretty cold out, but I survived because I realized that it was a good breather to take. To inhale great fresh air into my body, examining things and people. While being outside I just sat there just going over notes I had to study, or eating a little snack. But mostly, I watched other people. Creepy in way, I know, but it's not like I was going to stalk them. I watched the way they brought groceries into their houses, or help their elders get into the cars. But, one of the most common things I had reflected I saw was people all alone. This made me wonder, where is their family at? Work, school, not there, gone, etc.? Were they sad, happy, exotic lives? Nature is so much like lives, in some areas or habitats it is super beautiful, clean. But in others, a disaster. Each household is that exact way.
ReplyDeleteIn the past week, I decided to focus on my health and making healthier choices in my life, with diet, exercise, and sleep. I usually make bad choices when it comes to my diet, and being a vegetarian, it is harder for me to find food to eat at dinnertime. I usually eat way too much sugary foods, and not enough fruits and vegetables. In the last week, I have been trying to pack healthier foods in my lunch, and cut down on sugar. I also have been trying to drink more water. Another thing for me was exercise, because some days I don't get as much as I should. So I tried to do things like dance or jump on the trampoline when I had the time, and I also tried to go to bed earlier, especially when I had school the next day. Doing these things made me realize how important it is to be healthy, and also how hard it can be when you have only known your bad habits for a long time. I realized that I still have a lot of work to do to improve my diet and exercise habits. I think having healthy habits also improves my mood a lot and what I eat and how I sleep have a big effect on how I feel throughout the day. If everyone invested in their health and took more time to do things that are good for their health, I think everyone would feel better overall, and this world would be a more enjoyable place to live in.
ReplyDeleteThe assignment I chose was nature. This task challenged me because it forced me to take time out of my day and do nothing, It was worth it, because it allowed me a chance to think about things I had never thought of before. I learned the quietness short spurts is actually very important. I takes a lot for me to give up something important to me. I would have to change what I value as a person to make such a sacrifice. A serious life event might cause me to consider that change. I believe how I would see the world would be different, but still better. I am very happy I did the sacrifice assignment because plan to continue it now that the project is over.
ReplyDeleteFor this assignment I did something I've been wanting to do for a while. I chose to communicate face to face. This was actually pretty challenging because it makes you realize how attached you are to technology. It also makes you realize how much we rely on our phones to keep us in contact with the people standing right in front of us. While doing this I stopped and would ask my brother or my dad how their day was instead of just sitting on my phone. I also decided instead of being on my phone while we had free time in class I would talk to new people. I think this challenge really changes the way you see life It makes you realize how much you miss while youre on youre phone. It also makes you see how much time other people, not just teens, adults too, spend on their phones. Our entire contact to the outside world has been taken over by our phones. I also realized how stressed my phone made me. It made me have this constant anxiety that went away once I felt more connected to the people around m. I think everyone should take a second and realize how many people you have around you and everyone who cares about you. The outcome of this challenge was astonishing. You really realize how the people around you feel and you can't see that over text. I'm defiantly going to keep doing this because it was very benifital to me and the people around me.
ReplyDeleteFor the sacrifice assignment I choose to use technology less. During this experience I found myself becoming more productive and active wether it was in my house or out and about. Normally when I get home I find myself procrastinating quite a bit and putting off homework, once I gave up my phone and music for a while I would get started on my homework much earlier and this would allow me more time to sleep. I found it easier to wake up in the morning the earlier I went to bed and along with going to sleep earlier I spend more time running and working out. It took a lot of self control to not be checking my phone so often or listening to music when I work, I will admit I still used my phone more than I would have liked during the week but in general I did a good job holding back. Overall sacrificing my phone and technology open my eyes to how much I really use technology and how it can help and hurt me. I found myself more productive but I also had to restrain from checking my phone which was at times distracting.
ReplyDeleteFor my Sacrifice, I chose to communicate. I have noticed that losing connection with people happens quite frequently. It's easy to get distracted in your everyday life and forget about things outside of what you usually do. However this project helped me to realize how important it is to stay connected with family and old friends, or meet new people. With doing this I called some relatives that I haven't talked to in a while and also reconnected with some friends that I had lost touch with. Avoiding the use of technology was difficult, it was also a nice break. It helped me to reconnect with people face-to-face. Whether that was going to lunch with them, doing homework together, hanging out on a off hour or walking them to class. It was great to be able to reconnect and catch up with people that I haven't talked to in a while. It also helped me to talk to new people and make new friends. Because I tend to talk to the same people day to day, doing this has helped me to reach out and communicate with others. I definitely think it was worth it and I will try to change my habits of talking to the same people and continue to talk with and reconnect with old friends or talk to new people. I think many people will be able to find this sacrifice helpful, because it help you to get to know more people and helps you to think of others.
ReplyDeleteOver the past week I chose to distance myself from technology and talk face to face. I saw a major difference in how I acted. I saw that the whole world is not revolved in your phone. I also saw how a lot of people in the hallway are conversing to one another but at least 3 out of 5 people were on their phone doing snapchat or instagram or even texting. A lot of teens rely on their phone to get them through the day, even me. I started to have my mom take my phone at night so im not sitting there on my phone. I also, left my phone in my locker during the day and actually talking to people that I often miss in the hallways. I saw that the world always is revolved in something and are missing the true beauty of actually talking to people and seeing how they are doing. This challenged me a lot but I saw the world for what it was. I saw how much I missed out in the world. I am going to keep distancing myself from my phone because i actually like seeing people and talking to them face to face instead of screen to screen.
ReplyDeleteFor my sacrifice assignment, I decided to give up music as background noise for a week. I found this challenge to be very beneficial, seeing as I got my work done hours earlier than usual. I think this is because my phone is not in the room, so I’m not tempted to look at it or use it to listen to music. While I found it to be pretty difficult at the beginning of the week, it got to be more of a habit in the past few days, and I am seriously considering making this my daily routine for the rest of the semester. I am actually happy that this was made an assignment, because I would not have decided to try this otherwise, but I found that this sacrifice was very worthwhile. I think that if others were to embrace habits similar to this, we would have a more productive society which could make advancements faster, and overall be happier, because it would feel like people have less work to do.
ReplyDeleteFor my sacrifice I was focusing on my health by meditating for 15 minuets every day and going out side everyday for a 15 minuet jog. I also ate healthy and drank a ton of water. This really made my overall moral a lot more happy and satisfied with life. I felt like I was also a lot more calm, attentive, and awake. I think that this experience was very well wort it because I overall made me feel a lot better. I learned that a healthy body and mind leads to healthy relationships. For me to give up something important to me I feel like would take a lot just because my passion for it. But if I really had to I would. I think as a person I really don't think I would have to change. If I was to sacrifice something important to me I would do it because it would change something else hopefully for the better. If the world was to obtain these habits I feel like it would be a much better place. Everybody is trapped in electronics, including me, but if you really look at nature it is beautiful and a lot more satisfying than electronics.
ReplyDeleteI chose to work on my health for this project. Ever since the end of football season I have been unable to complete my stepping goal every day. One of my goals for this project was to reach my step goal every day. I have completed this goal. It feels so nice to feel/see on my Fitbit that I have completed my stepping goal. Another one of my health kicks was to trade in my coffee for green tea. This morning was my first morning having coffee for a week and I had a hard time drinking it because for the first time in forever I disliked the taste of the coffee drink. I really wanted to focus my mental health by doing this that make me look (without makeup) and feel better about my skin. To complete this I added a few things to my night routine and to my shower routine. I added a acne resolving body bar to my shower routine and my skin is a lot more clearer now and because of this I feel better about how my skin looks. I added a face mask (done twice a week) to my night routine along with exfoliation and my face looks and feels so much better. I could have made this project way harder by adding more goals such as drinking more water, getting 8 hours sleep, and reaching my Target Heart Rate every day.
ReplyDeleteOver the last week I tried to focus on spending more time outside or just interacting with nature, while it was hard due to me getting sick and the weather being so cold. I was able to focus on the people around me along with how the nature seemed to be changing. Even times when I wasn't outside myself I was able to take into observation about the people outside, I did notice the variety of people who are outside and I wondered if do they have car? Do they like being outside? why aren't they at work or with family etc? But I also loved getting to disconnect from my electronics, I did listen to music but now I wan't as focused on that and more on the world around me.
ReplyDeleteThe past week of my life I worked on minimizing my use of technology and practicing kindness. During this experience I found myself wondering if people had tried to contact me, or what I was missing on social media. I realized that my phone had more control over my life than I knew, not only was it a way to text my friends or check Instagram but it was distracting me from the real world. Going off of that I realized that my phone was stopping me from caring about the ones I loved. I found that practicing kindness was hard especially without my phone, because I was no longer able to ignore what m family was saying or give a snarky remark, but I had to think before I said anything rude. This was a challenging experience but in the end I am happy that I participated because, I now know how much technology controls our life's and how if we just put our phones down or walk away from our computers and spend time with the people that matter, then we will ultimately become better people.
ReplyDeleteI chose to work on health for this project. I chose health because it motivated be to focus on my mental health which i never really stop to give notice to. At the end of each day i would look back and see what had made me upset or happy and I would stop doing whatever it was or start doing it more. I gave myself goals for the amount of water I would drink. I tried to go to bed earlier and eat healthier. After school i took my dog for a walk or took time to meditate. I did things in my day that would make me happy and less stressed. I stayed after school to help with theater, I painted, Or i would go home and just take a nap. I took time to really identify what was good for me and what was bad. I would drink water instead of an energy drink, a granola bar instead of chips. In the mornings i would wash my face and skip the makeup or put just a little on. I would fix little things to make bigger things better. I rearranged by book shelf and put up pictures of my friends and family so i could see them everyday. Focusing on my health this past week has really opened my eyes about how easier life is if you just take those little steps to make your mind and body feel better before doing anything else. Homework become less of a hassle, i smiled more, and i felt better. Even if i didn't do so well getting enough sleep or eating breakfast i still felt better.
ReplyDeleteOver this assignment i wanted to spend more time out doors, i stopped using technology and i tried to expand my views on people and the world around me, as i did this i noticed that our world has grown increasingly greedy and people are more self in titled, i wanted to find a way to make people nicer to each other without a bribe or having a way to make people willingly more nice to each other and over all make to world a better place, all of my thoughts led to the same conclusion, people only change if they want to change, i've been working on meditation and the mindset of being without material objects, this mindset is not shared by many people, but i feel if people could leave the material and selfish world, then our community as a whole would improve a lot more.
ReplyDeleteFor my sacrifice project, I chose the second to last one. In this assignment, I focused on my health, something that I try to focus on always, but I especially did this week. I lifted each day, along with doing something active like basketball. I ate well, making sure that I was eating full meals throughout the day, and eating no junk food. I realized through being more active and focusing on my health, I was able to feel better physically and mentally. Physically, my body felt better and it felt good to take care of it. Mentally, I felt that being active was a good way to unwind from a day at school, taking a break from thinking about it. I plan to keep doing what I have been doing the past week, as it has made me feel better, be more energetic, and helps me unwind. In the long term, I will continue to feel better and also get stronger and have good eating habits. The other big thing that this has taught me is motivation. In order to keep up being active and eating well, I have to hold myself accountable to make sure I am doing it. Over time, this habit will become easier for me, which will help me later on in life when I need to get up for a job or do something with consistency. Overall this was a good assignment for me, and I plan to keep up what I have been doing.
ReplyDeleteMy sacrifice was actually somewhat difficult. It challenged me in a way I didn't know it could. I chose to remove electronics from my lifestyle for a week. I limited my use of it in school, and my rest time was used without it completely. I realized that they have became a staple in my life. They envelope school, my communication with friends, and my daily activities in general. Taking a break helped me realize that it is okay to not be constantly connected. A couple times I just laid down and thought about life. I thought about everything without other peoples opinions and lives affecting mine. It felt great honestly. Staying away from social media improves my outlook on life. I will say it is still a true sacrifice because there's a desire in everyone to know whats going on and who's friends with who nowadays. Except that it's not always been this way. There were times were technology wasn't everything, but it is now, especially in my generation. And that's why it is so hard to put it away. You feel left out. You have the fear of missing out on what's going on right here right now.It would be great if social media wasn't such a habit for everyone, but it simply is. Our society needs to focus on life outside of screens that provide social interaction. This assignment was an eye-opener and I was extremely glad I did it.
ReplyDeleteI'm really bad when it comes to talking to new people, walking into a room full of strangers, or even greeting people as they walk by or making eye contact with them. This is why I chose kindness as my sacrifice project. It started a little rough. I didn't know who to talk to or how to even approach them. However it is a new semester so I have many new classes with lots and lots of strangers in them. SO that made this all a bit easier, or more difficult depending on the way you chose to look at it. I started by smiling at people if we make eye contact rather than glancing away as fast as humanly possible. Baby steps. Then I started to talk to people I knew but didn't actually know. Like those people who sit next to you in class but you may have only ever said one word to them this year. These people and I have actually started to enjoy being around each other and having fun together. But I needed to meet someone new. I wanted to go even further outside of my comfort zone. So as I sat in history I built up the courage and finally turned around to a new girl in my class and said..."Hi, I'm Taylor." And as crazy as this might sound, she didn't laugh in my face, she didn't roll her eyes, she didn't ignore me. She looked right back at me and introduced herself with a smile. This project was about making sacrifices. Giving up technology or noise or free time maybe. But for me, and maybe for some of you, the only thing that I had to give up for this was my fears.
ReplyDeleteFor this assignment I choose to do the one about meeting new people. I did this one because I’m not someone who can easily talk to new people. I met a lot of new people over the course of a week. Somewhere in my classes and some I just talked to in the hallway. This experience has helped me grow as a person because I have learned that most people are accepting and are also willing to meet new people. I gave up the normalcy of my life, I normally have just a small group of friends, and made the effort to make new ones. Over the course of the week I felt happier than I have in a while. Knowing that people are super accepting, I’m glad I chose to meet new people and I will continue to do so.
ReplyDeleteFor this assignment I choose to talk to new people. I decided to do this one because i have a close circle of friends and I rarely venture out of that circle. I had a few new classes this week and that made talking to new people pretty easy. In just a week, I have made some new friends that are really amazing. Overall, this past week has taught me that venturing out and meeting new people can be an amazing experience.
ReplyDeleteFor this assignment I chose to exercise more and to try meditation. I chose this because I want to improve my health. The most difficult part of this assignment was following through on the goals I set. I found this assignment to be very beneficial, I actually lost 4-5 pounds and I believe have improved my patience and willpower through meditation. This assignment taught me that I enjoy meditation and I did some research on it and will continue to practice it. This assignment also taught me if I am determined enough I can follow through on any goal I set. In order to lose something important to me it would have to be dangerous to my health or to those around me. I would have to improve my self control and learn to delay gratification in order to accept the change. Determination or the threat of loss would perpetuate the change. Maybe, I would just need to have the willingness to change or If it is no longer beneficial not to change I will. The world around me would have to change drastically in order for me to see the necessity for change in other words if I no longer felt safe or secure not changing. It depends upon what is outlawed or what is made legal either any change there is risk and reward.
ReplyDeleteFor this assignment I chose to remove electronics from my lifestyle for a week. I didn't use it as much in school, and even when I wasn't at school I didn't even have it on me half of the time. I realized that the amount of time I had been spending on my phone normally was limiting me watching my brothers grow up and see them do new things and saw new things, and on road trips it was making it so I wasn't seeing all the beautiful sights the rest of my family enjoying because I was too caught up in cell phone. Taking a break helped me realize that it is okay to not be on my phone constantly. A few times I had an actually genuine conversation with my parents. Or I would go lay down and think about everything going on and just life in general. I thought about it all without other peoples opinions and lives affecting mine. Staying away from social media improves my outlook on life. It would be great if social media wasn't such a habit for everyone, because people would start to open their eyes and actually see whats going on right in front of them instead what some person in a different country is doing on snapchat or watch the Kardashian's stories on snapchat. Our society needs to focus on life outside of screens that provide social interaction.
ReplyDelete*COMMUNICATE face-to-face or via verbal conversation. Cultivate RELATIONSHIPS. You’ve been meaning to catch up with a family member you haven’t talked to lately; call him or her on the phone or, better yet, meet him or her for lunch. Sit down with a friend and catch up. Avoid TECHNOLOGY as your communication device.*
ReplyDeleteThis assignment was personally and easier task for me than I thought it would be. I talked verbally over the phone with my Grandma May. (I have always called her May, never grandma, gma, etc. It’s a normal thing for us grandkids to call her by her first name!) This assignment sort of challenged me in a way that I haven’t talked to her since New Years, and I know that’s not that long ago, but a lot has happened in her life and definitely mine. It challenged me by telling and explaining how I had recently lost one of my very close friends that I went to school with, but the best part about it was that May was very considerate and checking up on me ever since. Yes, it was so worth having a long conversation with May. And I learned that talking verbally to someone that I am close with, is better than talking within text. You can tell how people’s emotions and feelings are when you are sharing information about yourself and your life, and it feels more personal. I would want to change as a person to make this assignment towards everyone, not just May. But to have a closer relationship with people enough to have a verbal conversation with them more often, than just over a text. I would feel more confident in approaching people and wanting to meet more people. Perpetuating that change would mean to meet more people more often. And I would love getting to know people better. The world would have to look different because people are too afraid of society and self-consciousness to be themselves and wanting to be close with people. The world would be such a better place inside and out, knowing people are here to talk and not only on technology but hearing someone’s emotions and feelings towards something.
For my assignment, I chose kindness. In the past week, I have had to meet and greet a lot of new people. Even when I didn't know people this week, I greeted everyone with a hug instead of a handshake. I chose this challenge because starting the new semester, everyone could use some acts of kindness or words of encouragement to take on this new semester. This assignment was not difficult for me at all because I've been really trying to encourage kindness for a while, so this did not change a lot. I am happy that I chose this assignment, and I will continue to choose kindness even after this assignment is over.
ReplyDeleteFor my sacrifice project I choose to minimise my technology usage but I did it a little different than the directions said. Yes I did limit how much I used my phone and my computer, but when I did use them I went outside and did it. Being a teenager in this society it was pretty hard for me to give up or limit my usage of technology but at the same time it was refreshing. I enjoyed hanging out with my family and helping out rather than sitting in my room playing on my phone. I learned that in fact I sit in my room on my phone a lot and it’s a lot better to be hanging out with my family than sitting in my room with my face buried in my phone. It actually took a lot of me to do this, I found myself constantly trying to get on my phone inside and then I would remember a couple minutes later that if i’m gonna be on my phone I should go outside. If this was an everyday rule as a person I feel like I would change a lot but it would take some time getting used to or adapting to this new rule. I don’t know how much I will actually continue this change because it was hard and I know spending time outside is good and all but sometimes I just wanna lay in bed and play on my phone. I think the world would would look very different if this was a rule for everyone. Nowadays everyone is constantly buried in their phones and if they had to use my rule then people would either be constantly outside or they just wouldn’t use their phone very often anymore and that would change society drastically. I think the world and the society would be such a better place if this were to happen.
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