Ada’s Comments (group member since Feb 04, 2010)

Ada’s comments from the 2009-2010 group.

MacKinnon wrote: Well as I said before they were doing this for a reason so i think they were pretty mad at the people tehy were killing so they fealt good about what they were doin'. They didn't relly have to cope cause they thought they were doing the right thing.

I agree with Mac, when the Belgians colonized Rwanda, they used the "divide and conquer" method to prevent an insurrection: They turned the Hutus and The Tutsis against each other so that they would not be able to cooperate and coordinate a resistance movement to try and expel the Belgian invaders. The Hutus and the Tutsis literally had no idea where these feelings came from, they simply saw something they didnt like (i.e. a Tutsi-exclusive government and Tutsis being treated generally better than the Hutus) and they chose to act upon the injustice they saw.

Justin wrote: "How do you think the killers felt about the genocide?...How did the killers cope with what they were doing?"

The killers were still humans, with emotions. Apparently they suppressed any emotional response because they had been brainwashed into believing what they were doing would benefit society. It even says in the book that when they were questioned about their actions years later, they broke down crying. The human mind is a powerful leader of actions, even in the wrong direction....

Malik wrote: "Ben wrote: "Do you find that the title Brave New World is fitting? Do you think that how the world is, is brave, or just somewhat outrageous and over planned and to thought out?"

I feel that th..."

Actually, about that, I sort of thought that "A Brave New World was a reference to how incredibly deviant the world in this book is from the world we know today. It seems to me that the connotation for "braveness" might be referring to the author's audacity to even propose such radically shameless ideas, of all places, in a UTOPIAN society. Where everyone is as comfortable with it as walking. I would would not be surprised if that, given the time frame this book was first was published in, it probably received a great deal of criticism from its first readers.

Valen wrote: "Try putting yourself in Bernard's shoes. How would you feel if it was you, instead of Bernard?"

He seems to be suffering from something i have come to identify as the isolated-geek-in-middle-school mentality. I used to have the same problem. Feeling an innate distinctive difference between myself and everyone else, unable to pinpoint exactly what is "wrong" with me. Or even if something is wrong with me, because I would do certain things because I knew they were right, and because everyone else disapproved of the actions, logically, that made everyone else "wrong". However "wrong" was so widely accepted, so established in that society, that it felt like it ought to be right, simply because everyone acted that way. So to that effect i was left wondering how to change myself. Since remaining with that mindset, of course, would have consequence of exponentially degrading my popularity and the respect i would receive from my peers, it seemed logical to attempt to go with the flow, and try to adopt their ways. However, it not only made me look worse in the eyes of others, but it made me feel like a dirtbag on the inside, ashamed for giving in to peer pressure and choosing not to be myself.

Brianna wrote: "1.Application:
When Jane bows to honor her "inner self", do you think bowing will help her in some way to becoming a better person?

2.Analysis:
Do you think Jae Dobisz retreat to complete so..."

1. First off, everyone for the most part understands that bowing is a sign of respect and reverence to whomever it is being done to. Ergo, anyone can draw the logical conclusion that the purpose of this exercise is to instill in a person the vital need to respect him/herself. And as far as I'm concerned, I COMPLETELY believe that learning to respect oneself will make a better person out of him/her. A person's daily interactions with peers speak volumes about how they view themselves and how well they regulate their own thought processes. For example, someone who spends his time oppressing others obviously has poor self-esteem and unfortified psychological defenses. He comes to the conclusion that the only way to preserve what little defenses he has is to attack others in various ways, so that he radiates the false impression that he is strong and belligerent, and therefore not someone who can be "broken" easily. Concordantly, someone who has respect for himself can accept the fact that all people are different and will treat them as such, making people feel good and making it easier for him to go about his life not as an obstruction to the physical and mental health of others. In conclusion, having respect for oneself implies that the person will respect his/her peers and coexist in a constructive manner with them, thus making him/her a much more desirable person as a whole.

Linden wrote: "Linden W.
1. Application: How can you apply the teachings of Zen to your everyday life, and how could these teachings make a difference?
2. Synthesis: How would you cope with living in solitu..."

2. Living in solitude for 100 days? Sounds like would be a mindbendingly wonderful adventure. Like Robinson Crusoe, you'd have to think of and work for EVERYTHING that you'll need to sustain your self, such as food, shelter from the elements, and heat. The Buddhist mantra, the daily 1000 bows, constant tea consumption, and other stuff may very well take my mind completely off the manual labors, to the point that I execute them as though they are no more than computer commands. Some people may say that I'm crazy for wanting to subject myself to something like that, but I say its all about WILLPOWER. There are many things that I just decide not to do in my day-to-day life, because I simply DONT FEEL LIKE IT. Like homework. But I figure if I place myself in an environment that FORCES me to suck in my gut and do the things that I dismiss as insignificant, I can learn discipline that I can utilize to make my life better as an adult.

Justins wrote: "jsutin s.
1.synthesis - how can you use a mala in a different situation?
2.analysis - why does her process take 100 days?
3.grammer - why did author choose to put a saying at the begining of e..."

3. I personally think the sayings don't really pertain to the book itself, but are there to sort of give you something queer for your mind to munch on as you continue to read her story. I think the book would be extremely DULL without those little quips, and they're a wonderful challenge for me to figure out, (And I STILL have no idea what they mean). These little insights into Zen culture might also serve to introduce you to the mindset of Buddhist monks and their followers, if you aren't really understanding how the book itself does.