Orpheus Charming the Beasts

The painting I chose was Orpheus by Voltaggio. It contains a man playing music with all different kinds of animals listening intently. The choice of animals is interesting in and of itself. All five categories from Earthlings are represented here. There are companion animals, animals used for experimentation, clothing, food, and entertainment animals. They are all giving the man playing music they're undivided attention. I suppose this is a take on the old saying, "music soothes the savage beast." The painter seems to be showing man's dominion over all beasts, proving his superiority. The various animals have no personalities of their own. They are all just hypnotized by the man. It's as if he could do whatever he wanted to them.

Product of The System

Product of the System

Dogs are known for being man’s best friend. To the best of my knowledge, they are just that. I have found dogs to be loving, active, exuberant, enthusiastic, funny, attentive (most notably when there is a treat in hand), protective, brave, and above all else, loyal animals. They exceed all expectations we have of friendship, but do we reciprocate? Is man known for being dog’s best friend?

Sadly, the answer to this question is a resounding NO. Although there are a great deal of dogs that have great homes, there are many more that are still in need of a family to take care of them. Many of these dogs are in or from a puppy mill. This is why I have chosen to use my sympathetic imagination to see life through the eyes of one of these troubled animals for my P2.

I was born on a frigid December morning outside Flint Michigan. I look more like a hairless mouse than a Border Collie, but that’s the least of my worries. I’m blind and can barely move on my own. My mother, five siblings, and I are living in a cramped cage, but it’s not so bad. At least we are all together. Mother nuzzles us all to her belly so we can suckle her milk for the first time. I feel safe, totally oblivious to the world around me.

After a few days, I’m beginning to grow a coat of fur and developing my eyesight. I suckle from my mom when she’ll let me, always having to fight for position with my brothers and sisters. I’ve noticed my mom has a spotted pattern on her belly. I find myself eerily calm when gazing at it. I don’t know if it’s the hypnotic pattern itself, the life giving milk that flows from it, or the warm feeling I associate with it, but there’s definitely something about it. I love my mom. She takes such good care of us. I can’t imagine life without her.

It is now mid January. The weather seems to get colder by the day. When we’re not huddled with mom to stay warm, my siblings and I play. It gets a little frustrating roughhousing with four other pups in such a small space, but we make the best of it. After numerous confrontations, I have gotten the rest of the litter to submit to me, making me the alpha dog of the group. This is a very respected position with a great deal of responsibility that I do not take lightly. Suddenly, a man comes and opens our cage, and I immediately sense a great deal of tension in the air. He grabs mom by the scruff, and drags her out. She begins screaming and frantically clawing to get back to us, but the man puts a noose around her neck and tightens it to the point that my mom can no longer scream. I look into her eyes, and see that she is completely horrified. The rest of the litter is shrieking as loud as their little puppy voices will allow. I lunge forward to try and save her, but am met with the back of the man’s hand and sent hurling towards the back of the cage like a rag doll. I hop up immediately and run back to her, but the cage door has been latched shut. She lets out a deep howl, which is met with another tightening of the noose. As they drag her down the aisle, she manages to gurgle out one last bark. It was to let us know not to be afraid, and that she loved us very much. We all watch as she is forced into the top of a steel box along with seven other dogs. The man closes the box, flips a switch, casually dusts of his hands, and leaves the room. We all sit there, staring at the box, whimpering quietly. Every second seemed like an eternity. About thirty minutes later the man returns, opens up the box, stacks the lifeless bodies of those inside into a wheelbarrell, and takes them outside. What did my mom do to deserve this? She was a good dog, and more importantly, a good mother. She was getting a little old to have any more puppies, but does that mean she deserves to die? I don’t understand. I feel as if I’ll never be safe again.

The man validates my feelings upon his return. He grabs us by the scruff and takes us to a new building further back on the property. This is my first venture out into the world, and I can’t even move around or smell anything for myself, which is very unsettling for a dog. We enter a drafty room with dog cages stacked to the ceiling like palettes in a warehouse. All the dogs in this room are barking uncontrollably. I can hear the desperation in their tone. The smell of urine and feces permeates the air, along with a new smell that is foreign to me. The man puts me in a cage with my little sister. My two other brothers are put in the cage on one side of us, while my other little sister, the runt of the litter, is put in a cage with a strange dog. The man leaves, and a great deal of the barking stops. I wonder why that is? All of a sudden, a fight breaks out. It’s my sister and the strange dog. He’s much bigger, older, and meaner than she. My sister tries to defend herself, but is quickly overpowered. The dog picks her up by the throat and begins to shake her like a rope toy. The cage is so small that he slams her body on each side of the cage as he jerks his head left and right. The rest of us start barking, but it is futile. We hear a loud snap, and then the dog throws her against the side of the cage that is adjacent with ours. Her neck is broken, and she lays there, barely breathing. The rest of us begin to whimper again. I try to console her by licking the top of her head and nose. She died several hours later.

It has been four days since my sister lost her life, and she is still lying in the same place she fell. I now know what that unfamiliar stench is, death. My sister won’t be removed for another couple of days. I’m not even two months old yet, and I am in hell.

It’s July now, and it is hot. Several of the dogs in our row have died from a combination of heat exhaustion, malnutrition, and stress. The heat causes the corpses to decompose quicker, thus the stench of death is almost overpowering. The four of us that remain are still alive, if you can call it that. Several of us have developed a nasty tick where we chase our tail until we collapse. Border Collies are a very active breed with a high energy level, so being caged with no chance for exercise is especially problematic for us. The man who murdered my mother opens our cage and grabs me by the scruff. He carries me over to a small moving truck full of dogs and throws me in. I will never see my brothers and sisters again. The heat inside the moving truck is scorching. It is made worse because we are huddled close together, and the additional body heat adds to the problem. We are being transported to a pet shop in Florida. The thousand mile journey begins to take its toll after a few hours. A few of the dogs lie down and don’t wake up. Several others begin to convulse uncontrollably because of all the stress. I am surrounded by death and filth. My future is uncertain at best. I am crippled with fear.

About fifteen hours later we arrive at an old barn outside Tallahassee. I am hosed down and forced into a crate at the back of a pick-up. A man drives me into town and drops me off at a local pet store. The employees there are very nice to me, but because of my bad experience with humans I can’t help but be terrified of them. Whenever one of them leans down to pet me, I begin trembling uncontrollably. My tail spends all of its time between my legs. The employees wonder what made me this way.

I have been at the pet store for a month now, and my fear has been replaced by chronic apprehension. Every time a human walks by I get nervous and start twirling. A little girl thinks my spinning is cute and begs her father to take me home. The father acquiesces, and they buy me. My new owner leads me out into the parking lot. This is the first time I’ve ever really walked anywhere, and I’m nine months old. When we get outside the store, I make a break for it. My escape attempt is quickly thwarted when my new owner yanks back on the leash, causing me to yelp in pain. We arrive at their house a few minutes later, and they let me out to the back yard from the garage. I run out to the end of the fence. This is the first time I’ve ever felt the earth beneath my paws. It’s so soft and inviting, much different from the chicken wire and metal grating I’m used to. I am so excited that I begin digging. I don’t even know why? I suppose it’s simply because I can. My new master comes up and bats me hard on the nose and yells at me for a while. What did I do wrong?

Summer is beginning to give way to the fall. It’s now late September, and things have gone south with my new human family. I am no longer permitted in the house. Every time I get around a group of people I try to herd them. First, I begin barking. If they don’t respond to that, then I begin nipping at their heels in an attempt to move them along. I find it difficult to control this primal urge. Now, they only let me live outside. Why am I being punished for expressing myself? The humans give me food and water, but no attention. This is the loneliest I have ever been. I am deeply depressed.

The month is now November, and my master has decided to give me up. I nipped the little girl one too many times. The last time she started wailing and demanded that her dad get rid of me. I get to the front of the shelter, and can feel the tension in the air. My instincts tell me that something is terribly wrong, and I go dead weight. My master starts to drag me with the leash. Once he gets me close to the front door he talks to some lady there and hands her the leash. He didn’t even say goodbye. I have just been thrown away like a piece of garbage.

Shelter life is not as bad as I thought. I’m in a cage most of the time, but it’s large, and I have one to myself. This is so much better than my first home! The best part is one of the people that comes and plays with me a few times a week. She takes me for walks, feeds me, and gives me lots of attention. She found this one spot right behind my ears that makes me start to itch. She is the best thing that has happened to me since my mother was killed.

I have been living at the shelter for six weeks now, and no one has adopted me. Every time someone shows interest, they read a sign posted on my cage saying that I bit a child. All I did was nip at her heels. This is the way my creator has made me. I can’t help it. Why will no one love me! What did I do! I am a product of my environment, just like everyone and everything else. I am incredibly frustrated and desperate. Just as I’m about to lay down for a nap, my friend shows up to play with me. This is very strange, because it’s not the usual time for us to be together. We play for what seems like an eternity. I got to play tug of war, fetch, chew on a kong, and even run through some sprinklers while they watered the lawn. This is the best day of my life. My tail is wagging so much that I am afraid it might fall off. I am totally unafraid for the first time since infancy! After what appeared to be hours of fun, my friend puts me on my leash and begins leading me back to my cage, but she takes a wrong turn. She escorts me into a room at the far end of the shelter. I can sense that something is wrong, and when I look up at my friend, I can feel she is upset. Everything about this room is cold. There is nothing on the walls, the floor is concrete, the ceiling was leaky, and there were too many dog scents to count. A man wearing a white coat appears with something in his hand. I begin to look up at my friend, who is openly weeping now. She takes off my leash, and gently picks me up and places me in her lap. This is the type of delicate touch I’ve been yearning for my whole life. She begins lightly stroking the top of my head, and works her way down to the base of my tail. It is so soothing. I am instantly relaxed, almost hypnotized. The man inches closer to us, but I am too distracted to notice. Then, I begin to get a familiar feeling. It was difficult to place. As I feel a prick in my right forearm, I notice that my friend has a spotted pattern on her belly that reminds me of my mom. I nuzzle up against her shirt, and she gives me a kiss on my nose. I slip into darkness. I am thirteen months old, and I am dead.

Much like humans, I never asked to be born. All I wanted was a chance at life, a chance to be happy. I never asked for this life, and no child should have to suffer so much at a young age. I am man’s best friend. It’s about time that man return the favor. It was once said that the only thing needed for evil to prevail is that good men do nothing. There are still plenty of my brothers and sisters out there. What are you going to do to save them?

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Image list:
1. http://www.zimfamilycockers.com/Abbys2004Litter-Nursing-25DaysOld.jpg
2. http://www.pets4homes.co.uk/pets4homes/home.nsf/79EF0D797D8449EB802570A1004EF712/$file/Border-Collie-Puppies-Dogs-Sale.jpg
3. http://mbdethloff.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/puppy_mill_cage_1184223143_std3.jpg
4. http://funnypuppy.org/puppy/2009/03/AggressiveDog/01.jpg
5. http://sheepdogsforsale.com/puppies/Untitled-45.jpg
6. http://www.canen.me.uk/herding/images/canen_dawn_2_by_NT-475.jpg

Compassion in the East and the West

Earthlings brought out a lot of emotion. I felt rage, depression, guilt, and sympathy. I asked myself a great many questions: How can people allow this to happen? How can anyone do these terrible things? What does this say about me and the country I live in? What are people doing to make these things stop? However, there was one question I didn't think of. What is the history behind this abhorrent treatment?
The greatest empire the world has ever seen, the Royal British Empire, has an extensive history mistreating animals. They were exploited for transportation, agriculture, and entertainment. Few people had pets and, things such as cock fighting, dog fighting, rat killing, and bull baiting. Even the wealthy that could afford pets kept them, "mainly as toys or badges of rank". (339) The populace as a whole was plagued by indifference that could, "also be criticized as complicity." (347)
One of the reasons man seems to have such contempt for animals is religion, especially the people of the book (Muslims, Christians, and Jewish people). The world views of these religions is, "largely anthropocentric."(369) This means that we humans believe the world revolves around us, despite all evidence to the contrary. We cannot overcome this tidal wave of abuse until we can use our sympathetic imagination to empathize with the animals we share the planet with.

Slavery

About a month ago, my girlfriend read "Skinny Bitch". It's a book that tries to make a case for a vegan lifestyle. They discuss slaughtering of meat in detail. She was trying to get me to give up meat, but I wouldn't listen. I told her that those "people" exaggerate the situation, and that I wouldn't give up meat.
I've always considered myself to be an animal lover. I came to a startling realization after watching Earthlings. At first, I thought I was a hypocrite, but then I realized that I was just ignorant. I was totally oblivious to animal suffering at the hands of humans world wide. As Speigel said, "the parallels of experience are numerous", between animal suffering and slavery of millions of native Africans by American plantation owners in the antebellum South.
Bentham says that animals are, "degraded into the class of things." (312) Basically, we just use up animals for our own selfish purposes, with no regards for their feelings. We exploit them by forcing them to race for our enjoyment, separating mothers from young at auction, branded them as property, torture/slaughter them for our food, torturing them for their skins, and perform terrible experiments on them. Likewise, native Africans were brought to this country and exploited by their white masters. Slaves were forced to dance for our enjoyment, separate from their spouses at auction, branded by their masters, and whipped or possibly killed for "misbehaving".

Alice, Ethics, and Animals

Human's are weird. We have evolved into the most intelligent and complex species on this planet. We can manipulate our environment like no other animal on Earth. We were meant to be stewards of this planet. However, instead of using these abilities to benefit the Earth, we choose to destroy it. Common sense and compassion are replaced with selfishness and greed. There is no better way to illustrate this than to look at how we treat the intellectually inferior species that inhabit this planet. Lewis Carroll does an effective job of showing our relationship with animals by personifying them in his Alice Books.

Upon initial inspection, I thought that Carroll's use of personification with the animal characters was done so as to keep the attention of his audience. His intention of showing animals' plight in modern society didn't occur to me until I read Alice's run in with the mouse in Alice in Wonderland. After repeatedly offending the mouse by mentioning her cat Dinah, the mouse invites Alice to, "get to the shore, and then I'll tell you my history, and you'll understand why it is I hate cats and dogs." (27) However, Alice proves a poor listener, and the mouse eventually walks off upset. According to Daniel, this is "an effective way of highlighting Alice's own uncaring nature." (Daniel) Alice, much like the rest of humanity, finds it difficult to sympathize with the mouse. Its story is so small in scale that it doesn't interest her. This speaks to the theme of treatment of animals.

Carroll takes this theme even further in Through the Looking Glass. During Alice's dinner with the Red and White Queens, she is introduced to some plum pudding before taking a slice out of it. The pudding takes issue with this rude behavior, and exclaims, "What impertinence! I wonder if you would like it if I took a slice out of you, you creature!" (263). By asking his readers to empathize with some plum pudding, Carroll makes the ultimate statement regarding ethics and animals. It doesn't matter whether it is beef, pork, chicken, insects, corn on the cob, or plum pudding. Even things that don't have feelings or self awareness, whatever they are, they still deserve our consideration.

Ethics

Ethics are very important. They affect every facet of one's life, whether it be professional, personal, or academic. They build character. Most importantly, they can make you a happier person.

There are good and bad examples everywhere you look. In the business world, Warren Buffet and Bernie Madoff come to mind. The first, a modest, hardworking billionaire who dedicates his life to philanthropy. The other, a ruthless Wall St. con artist that swindled hardworking Americans out of billions of dollars. The man is a genius, but what good is that if you have no character to back it up. In Principle Centered Leadership, Covey says, "Purely intellectual development without commensurate internal character development makes as much sense as putting a high-powered sports car towards in the hands of a teenager who is high on drugs."(223) Guys like Madoff may think they're successful, but true success can only come from a foundation of good ethics and character.
I remember my first lesson in ethics. I was in fourth grade, and my class was taking a social studies test. Time was almost up, and I still had a couple answers left blank. the smartest kid in the class was sitting across from me. As he reached over to turn his test in, the light from the overhead projector hit his paper, making it momentarily translucent. I glanced at it in an attempt to get a couple easy answers, but I must have stared too long or squinted or something, because I got caught immediately. My test was taken up, and I got a zero. To make things worse, my discipline folder was signed, so my folks found out about it. Needless to say, I never cheated again. Covey says, "you always reap what you sow."(22) Truer words have never been spoken. If you cheat, especially all the time, you WILL get caught. Just ask Bernie Madoff.

Speaking Out for the Benefit of Society

Living in a democracy such as ours is something that a lot of folks take for granted. I believe James Madison said it best when he claimed,“A feeble execution is but another phrase for a bad execution; and a government ill executed, whatever it may be in theory, must be, in practice, a bad government.” (24). The execution of our democratic experiment starts with us, the people. Without participation on a massive scale, the citizenry as a whole is not adequately represented. We must then ask ourselves, “If the masses are not well represented in our government, then who is?”

By and large, the best represented men and women in the United States are homeowners. How does this happen? Quite simply, they vote. Homeowners are taxed on the land they live on by the government. This is of great importance in a state like Texas, where property taxes are one of the government’s biggest sources of revenue. A lot of statewide and local elections deal with issues that affect property taxes, so homeowners feel the need to have influence in who represents them. This is why they exercise their right to vote in such large numbers. However, as a whole, the enfranchisement numbers are much less impressive. This is most evident at the municipal level, where voter turnout is especially low. In the Austin Texas mayoral election of 2009, 13.1 percent of the electorate showed up to the polls (58,610 of 447,287 registered voters) . There are some very important issues facing Austin that affect all of us and the future of this city. Transportation, education, and the local economy are just a few examples. The very bedrock of our democracy is threatened when such a small amount of people can control such important matters.

For this reason, I’ve decided to start an organization dedicated to getting out the vote in Austin. There are several organizations in the area that are attempting this, but clearly they are ineffective. Vote Austin would be dedicated to spreading awareness about upcoming elections, increase voter registration, and create awareness by objectively promoting the issues at hand. Creating a voter advocacy group would be no small undertaking. It would take a lot of personal discipline, organization, multimedia communication skills, and leadership. Going to college at the University of Texas at Austin can help me sharpen the skills I need to make my leadership vision happen.

Coming back to college is a great jumping off point for my leadership vision. First of all, I wouldn’t even know what one was if it wasn’t for the undergraduate studies course I’m currently taking. UGS 302 aids in promoting leadership opportunities through various lectures and programs at UT. Furthermore, correspondence is done mainly online. By using discussion boards, blogs, and website design I’ll learn some valuable new age communication skills that will serve my leadership vision well. Reading and writing are two other valuable attributes stressed in college. Being able to read and follow instructions is vital to success in the real world. It shows that you can take initiative and can figure things out for yourself. Also, being able to write effectively will be crucial for Vote Austin. It is very difficult to get a complex message across to a wide variety of people without the ability to write well. Admittedly, I’m not a big fan of writing. I would much rather take a multiple choice test, but it’s use is indispensible to the success of Vote Austin. Dass and Morgan believe, “we have to find tranquility even in the midst of trauma” (67).

One of my goals at college was to find this “tranquility” with subjects I’m not particularly fond of. Finding motivation to put forth effort for this can be difficult. There are a few science credits left that I’m not very enthusiastic about. One way to deal, according to Covey, is to , “begin with the end in mind.” because when you begin with the end in mind you, “know where you’re going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction.” (98) . If I can visualize what I want my organization to be in the future, it can keep me focused on the present, and what I need to do to make it a reality (including doing well in “irrelevant” courses). Not to mention the objective of a university education is to become a well- rounded person, and sometimes that involves learning things that one wouldn’t seek out.

Being totally dedicated to being a well rounded person isn’t simple. In college, it’s easy to become career focused, and lose sight of the big picture. Having this “tunnel vision” approach to one’s classes isn’t productive. In fact, it can become stressful. I had this mind set when I was first attending the University of Texas. Psychology was my major of choice, but after I switched to undecided, I had great difficulty being successful. I decided to set a goal for myself when I returned to UT. Instead of being so career oriented, I would focus on enjoying all learning opportunities. It’s kind of an ongoing goal with no real timeline, but after subscribing to this theory of college experience I’ve been much more successful. In their essay “How Can I Help?” Dass and Morgan say that, “We don’t have to be “this” or “that”. We are simply free to be.” (267) How, then, can I use this liberating realization in meeting goals for the benefit of my leadership vision?

Another goal I have set for myself is raising my GPA to a 3.0. After my academic suspension, my grade point average was on life support. Since readmittance, through experiential learning and focusing just “being”, I have raised it more than a full point in one academic calendar year. I fully expect to have a 3.0 grade point average by the time I graduate in the fall of 2011. This is a good barometer for my leadership vision because it shows that I am dedicated to my future.

One more goal I have set is joining an organization at UT that endorses political participation. There are a lot of these on campus, UT republicans and UT democrats to name a few (maybe I will join both). This is a very simple goal that I can accomplish in the next few weeks. In joining a group such as this, it can further motivate me for my leadership vision by keeping me active in politics. It is also a good idea to surround yourself with like minded people that are passionate about the same things. Joseph Campbell speaks of this in “The Power of Myth”. He mentions finding one’s “bliss”, and “when you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in your field of bliss, and they open doors for you.” (253A) It would also be good experience for my leadership vision. In order to construct a political organization from the ground up, I first need to understand the structure of such an organization. It can answer such questions as: How do I get started? How do they get there message out to the public? What is the best way to approach people on such a potentially sensitive issue like politics? How do they attract new members? These are all pertinent questions for my future organization. Being a member of a student organization can aid me in developing the action plan for my leadership vision.
So how do I get started? The first goal I have for instituting my action plan is to form a mission statement. Before I can get begin, I’m going to formally scribe a list of principles that will define my leadership vision. This mission statement should clearly and succinctly identify the principles that will direct the organization and let prospective members and contributors know exactly what Vote Austin is about. Again, writing skills will be critical here. I feel that I can accomplish this after a year of being a political advocate on campus. The next logical step is to design a website to spread the message.
Launching a website is critical for my leadership vision to become a success. In today’s society, communication is easiest, more cost efficient, and more effective when done over the internet. It would be difficult to run a website while still in college, so I would hope to have Vote Austin’s website up and running in the next 2-2.5 years. Designing a website for my portfolio in UGS will help gain knowledge in this area. Another goal that needs to be set for the action plan is a membership goal.
Finding people that will volunteer their time is problematic. Hopefully, Vote Austin will have 10 volunteers within a 3 year time span. This is another instance where my experience in a student group will be beneficial. A college environment is very conducive to volunteering, and I should be able to network through some former associates to find some members for my organization. Also, once the website starts getting some traction, more people will come into the fold.
Once I have a few passionate volunteers under my belt, I would then focus on funding the organization. Within five years of Vote Austin’s inception, my goal is to have several hundred thousand dollars to invest in marketing and other expenses. There are several ways to solicit money from people. First, I would set up a donation link on the website (probably directly below the mission statement). President Obama’s ability to harnass the power of the internet for fundraising purposes helped catapult him to the White House. Another way, although not as effective, is hitting the pavement and asking for donations. Lots of grass roots organizations, such as Greenpeace and The Salvation Army, use this method to further their causes. Finally, I would solicit wealthy campaign contributors for donations. This way is a little trickier than the other two. It would involve filing for a Freedom of Information Act request for campaign contributors in municipal Austin elections. After obtaining the list, I would skip trace the names and see who I could find that would contribute to Vote Austin.

Once some funding is raised, it’s time to reinvest it back into my leadership vision. The first thing I would do is hire an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) company to improve the traffic on the Vote Austin website, and get us on the first page in the various search engines (google, yahoo, bing). Voter registration drives would also be a good way to spend the money. Vote Austin would sponsor dozens of voter registration drives, and hope to have an additional 10,000 people registered in Austin by 2015.

I have been passionate about politics my whole adult life. I chose it for my major, and I very well could make a career out of it. It seemed only natural that my leadership vision would reflect this. Improving voter participation is needed in today’s Austin. Our population is exploding, and we all have to find a way to live together. This is made much more difficult when a fraction of the population and special interests choose our leaders. Everybody deserves to have a voice, but sometimes it takes a little push to speak up. This is why I selected Vote Austin for my leadership vision. I guess one could say that I’m “Speaking up for the benefit of society”.




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Alice in Leadership

Admittedly, I was unsure of the value of studying several children's books (especially when dealing with important themes as leadership and ethics). However, after some reflection on the books I read (or were read to me) as a child, it made sense. Whether we realize it or not, we are exposed to lessons in leadership at an early age. As we've discussed in class, trustworthiness is an important aspect of leadership. The story of Pinocchio comes to mind. When thinking of open mindedness and tolerance, two other virtuous leadership qualities, the Dr. Seuss classics "Green Eggs and Ham" and "The Sneetches" offer much insight. Needless to say, I began seeing the Alice books in a different light. There are many parallels to not only leadership, but the cultivation of leadership.

For alot of people, college is there first experience of leadership because you must first truly know yourself before you can lead others. Adapting to a university environment is a good way to do that, and there are many comparisons of this adaptation in the Alice books. One instance that illustrates this is "The White Rabbit's frenzied hurrying to an appointment as a parody of "the rush of college life and the necessity of purpose, both of which overwhelm" the freshman" (211).

When Alice falls down the rabbit hole, she finds herself in a strange and hectic world that she doesn't understand. In trying to come to terms with her new surroundings, Alice gets frustrated. This is seen in her body language during her conversation with the caterpillar. After being faced with a difficult question, Alice's initial reaction is to turn and walk away. The caterpillar calls her back and advises her to "Keep your temper" (49). All rational and objective thought stems from a calm and peaceful state of mind. It is difficult to be an effective leader when emotion can quickly wash over you.

Another lesson in leadership is discovered when Alice becomes a Queen in "Through the Looking Glass". She has to remind herself that since he is now a person of authority that, "it'll never do for you to be lolling about on the grass like that! Queens have to be dignified, you know!" (250). When in a position of leadership, it is important to demand respect, otherwise most people won't give you any. Basically, you can't just roll around in the grass like the others. You need to rise above and act the part.

Idea of a University

What is my idea of a university? I used to think it was an extension of high school; accept there would be more specialization in the subject matter, more freedom, and more responsibility. I guess I was partly right, but really missed the point when thinking of the purpose of a university education. I just thought that a formal college education would help me land that first big job. I was so focused on the end that I never took the time to realize why I was really here, to become a well rounded person.

John Henry Newman says, “If then a practical end must be assigned to a University course, I say it is that of training good members of society.” (170). This idea of a university echoes UTs purpose of “transforming lives for the benefit of society”. I wish I would have subscribed to this train of thought my first time around. I came into college wanting to become a psychologist. That lasted almost one semester before I wanted to change my major. However, for the life of me, I just couldn’t come up with anything else I wanted to study. Some area of business seemed to make the most sense (my father was a salesman, and always thought I had what it took to be successful in that area), but my chances of transferring into the business school were about the same as hitting the lotto. I quickly grew frustrated and partied my way right out of college. I never bothered to think about remaking myself through a higher institution of learning.

The style of learning at a university is referred to as experiential. This style goes beyond what one is accustomed to at the high school level (taking information from a teacher and then being tested). It actively engages the student, and, “it can force you to confront your current ideas about the subject, many of which may be misconceptions, and reconcile them with what you now observe to be the case .” (184). This statement connects well with John Henry Newman’s thoughts on the subject.

A lot of young people come to college aren’t themselves. A great deal of their thoughts and perceptions of the world stem from the environment created by their parents. They still don’t have their own ideas about what to do for a career, politics, marriage, religion, and a great many other things that are essential in becoming a true individual. This is why experiential learning is so important. It gives you a foundation from which you can reconstruct yourself into a happy and productive member of society.

Leadership

Going into last night's lecture, I wasn't sure what to expect. I've never been much of a theatre fan (I prefer the silver screen), but I do respect it as an art form. I was also unsure what was meant by "leadership". Usually, when thinking of leadership, most people would probably assume it has a professional or political meaning. This train of thought is even more applicable when thinking of a tyrant. I really enjoyed how Dean Woodruff took the definition in that context, but then broke it down into something more personal, asking us to "put the mirror up to these actors, and think about which one relates to you in your life". Although I had already reached that conclusion, it really drove it home to hear him say that.

The play that I enjoyed most was the scene from Antigone, where King Creon and his son are arguing, and the son pleads to the king to think of more than himself when governing his kingdom. The son makes his point by saying, "A place for one man alone is no city". By saying this, he is trying to get his father to confront his own hubris, which can be a very dangerous proposition when dealing with tyranny.

Dean Woodruff also went through the three symptoms of tyranny; hubris, lawlessness, and fear. Being a government major, I couldn't help but constantly place all three in political terms. Our elected officials are in office to represent the interest of the people. In other words, we vote for them so they can be leaders of our communities.

There is a saying that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This statement speaks to the creation of tyranny, yet it often seems that politicians heed this expression more as a motto than a warning. Their hubris causes them to treat their constituents as Creon treats his son, as if their way is the only way. Their penchant for lawlessness causes them to create campaign finance laws, then trample the very laws they created once backs are turned and cameras are shut off. They use fear to strip the public of their right to privacy, which was most apparent in the Patriot Act and unwarranted NSA internet surveillance. It seems that one of the most important factors in good leadership, trust, isn't just overlooked, but forgotten.

Covey says that "Without trust, the best we can do is compromise; without trust, we lack the credibility for open, mutual learning and communication and real creativity."(Covey, 221) This is especially true of our men and women in Congress. Partisanship in Washington has created a division in this country not seen since the Civil War, and trust is at the heart of the problem. As partisanship rears its ugly head more and more in American politics, trust is lost. It's now getting to the point that even compromise is becoming impossible, which can be seen in the current debate over healthcare. The conservative movement in this country is now subscribing to using one of the symptoms of tyranny, fear, to get their message across. Which brings us back to the lecture last night. Being able to spot a tyrant, and a true leader, is vital to a democratic society such as ours.

Brad's Type

I remember taking an aptitude test when I was younger to help me identify a career path. The test informed me that I would make a great lawyer or business executive because I could walk and chew gum at the same time, or something to that affect. Needless to say, my expectations for the Jung typology test were pretty low. However, after taking the test and analyzing the results, I was impressed by the diagnosis.

I was labeled an ENTJ. Apparently only two percent of the population has this cognitive makeup. People that are ENTJ are great with situational organization. In the Teaching/Learning Styles reading I especially related to the ENTJ’s ability to, according to the author, “Solve new problems, learn new skills hate busy work-like problem why oriented-what does it mean?” (138).

For a few years, I directed the recruiting department of a small therapy management company in New England. There was a lot of cold calling and busy work that I utterly despised, but I was also able to address some on going problems with the company’s new hire process. I don’t know quite how to explain it but I excelled at breaking the problem down and reorganizing the process to the company’s benefit.

I also thought it was interesting in the Writing Process Inventory section of the reading when the author states that, “They may even “write” better by speaking their first drafts into a tape recorder.” (Jensen and DiTiberio, 148). There have been several times in my high school and college careers when I found myself much more productive when I would pace

back and forth with a tape recorder in hand. However, there were few things about my ENTJ status that I found rather disheartening. Although I am a very direct person and I do have strong opinions I consider myself to be an equally good listener and will rarely dominate a conversation. But despite all that I suppose I can take solace in knowing that I share the same learning and writing styles as Napoleon Bonaparte, Hillary Clinton, and the Godfather of all Nerds, Bill Gates.