Reference no: EM133367888
Assignment: Practice Greenleaf's principles of Listening and Empathy in responding to three of this initial discussion posts.
How do you interpret the world you've inherited (Lowney)? In what ways are we heading in the right direction? In what ways are we heading off-track? Please make connections back to Lowney's ideas in Heroic Living within your post.
The reality I inherited is complicated to describe in a single phrase. It is full of prospects and potential but also a place where one must accept and adapt to challenges and problems. I probably would have seen it as a place for learning when I was younger, and all it was to me was a place to learn how to deal with people and navigate the educational system. As I have matured, though, I would say it is challenging. I believe that we are moving in the right direction because I see many people working in technology, healthcare, educational organizations, etc., to bring a change in their communities and the earth in general. I also can't deny that many people are impacted by political misunderstandings, extremist beliefs, and also selfish gains. As long as there is still an improvement and willingness to make the change from the majority of people in the world, I believe we are moving in the right way. Most of our advancements are materialistic, yet we are, unfortunately, with less and less kindness towards each other. "Every human and spiritual tradition worth our allegiance is visionary in its aspirations for humanity. " (Lowney, 2010, p. 40).
2. What are the most prominent challenges facing your own neighborhood or community?
Each community encounters challenges, such as resolving urgent day-to-day issues and the requirement for effective teamwork to meet the needs. The challenge of preserving local conditions, the commitment to safeguarding the environment, and the need to provide children with the knowledge/education they require to become adults who can be a better generation and have them grow up in a safe environment that has less violence. The answers to these issues lie in organization, teamwork, shared responsibility, interdisciplinarity, social awareness, and tolerance. Therefore, most of the challenges can be resolved if the community comes together toward the same goal.
Second post
1) I interpret the world I have inherited through my upbringing, my beliefs, and how I learned to view day-to-day life. This world is filled with opportunities and room for growth. I feel like from childhood to now being in my early twenties, I have gone through different phases of growth and acceptance. We are definitely headed in the right direction but we still tend to set ourselves back. What I have come to realize is that a lot of us like to compare each other and then get disappointed because we are not at someone else's levels. We need to realize we all have our own turn. In the sense of technology and education, we are advanced but I feel as though a lot of us struggle with finding ourselves. Lowney mentioned we need to shift to start living and find our meaning and purpose (Lowney, 2009). We have some more work to do when it comes to finding our purpose and meaning but we are on the right track and we are getting there.
2) The community/ neighborhood I am a part of needs more growth. They lack a lot of resources, especially for the elderly, there's not much out there for the older generation. They also lack access to healthy food and physical fitness. I have seen one potential grocery store other than traveling to the other part of the city for whole foods. This affects the community especially the younger generation and those with illnesses because they are not getting the proper nutrients needed to either grow or make their immune system stronger. Seeing the challenges my community faces, I want to focus on passing out food to the local church, helping with cleaning up and learning more about their culture and beliefs. The food I will be passing out will be healthy and I get to meet new people along the way. This will also help be build on my skills as a servant leader while enhancing Greenleaf's 10 characteristics.
Third post
How do you interpret the world you've inherited (Lowney)? In what ways are we heading in the right direction? In what ways are we heading off-track? Please make at least 3 connections back to Lowney's ideas in the Heroic Living textbook in your initial post
Everyone has a unique perspective on the world, in my opinion, I interpret the world I have inherited based on my past encounters, my own individual convictions, religion, culture, my upbringing, education, previous careers, and social relationships. I believe this world is full of challenges, big problems, as well as a wide range of possibilities. Growing up in my native country of Zambia, I had seen and witnessed a lot of things that shaped me into who I am today. It has made such a huge impact on how I view myself and others, work, life, and everything else in between. I don't remember hearing a lot of complaints from my immediate family nor my community because everyone spent their energies and efforts on making things better instead of complaining. According to Lowney (2009), there are behaviors that help us become more self-aware, maintain our values, and learn to identify the "inner monsters" that could prevent us from living a better, more fruitful life. Although there is unpredictability in life, Lowney reminds us that we ultimately have control over what counts most; how we behave, react to life's vagaries, and treat others along the way.
I see many people working in different organizations and areas to bring about a change in their communities and the globe, it is their readiness to work without a plan, to come up with original solutions to issues that others have struggled with, and it is the creative embrace of new ideas and foreign cultures, that makes me think that we are headed in the right direction. But from time to time, we deviate due to our own selfishness, prejudices, love of money, power, political misunderstandings, etc., or when faced with pressures, distractions, and competing demands of everyday life. But Lowney (2009) tells us to live a life of honesty and authenticity and that our behaviors and attitudes should be influenced by our ideals. He goes on to say that "Weak people sell out their values when it's convenient or expedient. People with integrity, on the other hand, hang on to their values even when it's difficult or unpopular to do so" (p.74).
2) What are the most prominent challenges facing your own neighborhood or community?
My own community face a host of problems, such as race and socio-economic status, affordable housing, lack of jobs, and the most significantly is public transportation. Lack of public transportation leads to lack of access to healthcare and healthy food because most residents are unable to get to the supermarkets and hospitals. To address the lack access to public transportation, I started volunteering at United Methodist Homes-Collingswood Manor driving senior residents to the supermarket and pharmacy. Lowney points out that "many of us lack financial resources, but we do have more than we imagine: intellect, time, education, friends, a family, proximity to those in need" (p. 113).