Definition of Happiness Revised

So far this semester I have learned a lot about what happiness really is. Through reading Deep Economy and through doing the prompts that went with the assigned reading I feel that I have come to a fuller understanding of what happiness is and what it means to me. Webster’s dictionary’s definition of happiness is: A state of well-being and contentment.  My definition of happiness is: Achieving contentment and peace. Through reflecting on happiness, I have found that relationships bring me the most happiness. I feel the happiest when I am with my family, friends, and girlfriend. I also feel happy when I play basketball or exercise. I think that happiness is found many different ways, but it seems to me that most people find happiness in relationships with others. Through reading Deep Economy I have learned that more is not necessarily better. I feel very fortunate to live where I do and have the resources that I have. Although I am happy, it is not due to my financial well being or having many things. I would be as happy as I am now even if I did not live where I live and did not have the things that I have. One of my friends has recently gotten married and is not as financially stable as most people would prefer to be. When I was talking to him the other day about how things were going he mentioned that while he was struggling to make ends meet, that he was happy. He said that less is more. He doesn’t have many material possessions to distract him from what really matters, his family. Through this class I have a better understanding of what happiness is and how to find it.

My definition of happiness has changed a lot since the beginning of class. Just from writing so much about happiness and what it meant to me overall has gotten me to think, what does happiness really mean to me deep down? With Mckibben, I learned about the process of "more is better." I didn't really put my own thoughts into it when I read Mckibben. During my reflection of happiness is where I ultimately focused on my own happiness and how it related to me. Just writing that paper made me think and really focus deeply into what really makes me happy as a person. As I thought of ideas, they changed. I was focusing on what made others happy and not myself. Since this class and all the writings, I think I have a better understanding of what makes myself happy and not other people. I'm use to basing my own happiness of what others think, but after getting to sit down and think of what happiness really means, my definition of the word has definitely changed. Now, happiness is not only a piece of mind, but an emotion that is a powerful thing. Being happy, is not just when everyone else has what they need, but when I have what I need. Material things do play a big factor in my life, but that isn't what makes me completely happy (which I have learned since this class.) Material things don't last as long as love or friendship and those are two things I'd chose over any type of material thing no matter what the value is...

In my original blog posting regarding the definition of happiness, I asserted that a person is happy because they accomplish some specific goal -- a person must want to be happy; they invest time and energy into meeting some predetermined objective. After the fact, I considered how happiness can also be interpreted as contentment. I discovered that a person can experience contentment without necessarily being complacent, so then I challenged myself to consider whether or not a person not aiming to meet a specific goal can be happy. I think so.

I believe that my reasoning stemmed from considerations of how self-evaluation and self-esteem might play a role in happiness. A person could set out to meet an objective, succeed, and then lack the sense of fulfillment that happiness implies. What then? Perhaps this reasoning also accounts for why Americans constantly are chasing after the newest trend, the highest paying job, or the biggest TV set, never to obtain authentic happiness. Maybe, competition and the belief that reaching goals equates to happiness is in fact preventing many from experiencing it. I asked myself: what is the end goal? When should a person stop and consider themselves finished? When they have achieved perfection? What does that mean and is perfection honestly attainable??

Secondly, I considered a hypothetical scenario: If I set out to be successful in a specific area of study, and it turns out that I am not cut out for a job in that field, or maybe I am not as interested in a particular field the way that I thought that I would be, will I then not achieve happiness in my career? I realized that time might also play a role in determining happiness that I had not previously addressed in my definition of happiness. Perhaps there is some further distinguishment that I need to make for myself in determining the separation of short term and long term happiness, as well as how happiness might be perceived in many different lights depending on the reference point of reflection – I had, after all, stated that happiness was an emotion experienced after a certain point. Maybe, happiness is a collection of varying emotional responses, and the point of reference helps to dictate the psychological response to those emotions after the fact, after further mental scaffolding is established as more memories and understanding is established within an individual.

Happiness Revised

My original definition of happiness was who you are close to and spend time with and how they influence you. I said that everyone’s definition is different and that it could change with stages of life. After reading Deep Economy by Bill McKibben I feel my definition has stayed the same, just altered some of my opinions. McKibben talked about how close relationships with your community led to happiness, which supports my idea that happiness is the people closest to you and your relationships with them. Also from reading McKibben's opinions in his book and by having many class discussions about the content of the book, I have learned that everyone still has different opinions and definitions of happiness. McKibben had many different points in his book that many classmates argued with, and others agreed with some aspects. Reading Deep Economy has not altered my definition but it did make me take a closer look about my thoughts on the subject.

Happiness Reexamined

Looking back at how many definition of happiness has changed since the start of the class is very quickly connected with the reading of McKibben in a very profound way.  When I took a leap of faith and quit my job, I left myself with no income and a very set budget based on savings I had accumulated.  My problem with this is that I had always set my expectations for what I would need financially to make me "happy" much higher.  I thought that being able to go out for dinner every night, buying random things as I felt the need and being able to afford ridiculous weekend trips to Europe every other month was at least part of what it took to make me happy.   Since reading McKibben I can see that happiness can be achieved for far less.  In fact, removing so much complication from my life has actually increased instead of decreased happiness.  Sure I don't have nearly the same amount of money, but I find myself with a lot more time and I can spend that time doing things I spent money on before, such as making myself dinner instead of going out.  I also find I am spending a lot more time with my family since eating dinner at my parent's house is certainly the most economical way of getting by. 

So looking back on on the past two months I can see that my fears of being unhappy have been totally unfounded.  I am happier than when I had a 20 times as much income as now have.  I have more time with friends and family than I have had in as long as I can remember.  I am healthier than I have been in ages and I am more relaxed than I can ever remember being.  Sure I miss random weekend trips to Europe, but one thing I know for sure - when I do make it there again I'll enjoy it many times more than I have in the past. Some things which made me happy were a bit like a drug that you take too much.  You develop a tolerance for a drug and you need more of it for the same effect.  Thankfully, if you don't take the drug for a while the tolerance goes away and you need less.  I think this will be the same in my life looking forward.  I had built up a tolerance for what made me happy.  Taking it away was a tad rough at first, but now moving forward I'll be able to be just as happy for much less.   

Happiness: A New Defition

When I was first asked to write the defition of happiness,I said that there are many defitions to happiness and that there is no wrong or right answer. However, after reading McKibben I realize that happiness means spending time with our family and the love that we recieved and give. I also realize that happiness isn't just about family  and caring for eachother it is also money without we couldn't accomplish the things that we do with money.Money isn't as important as family but it still big part of it. We need to have estable life but it as important as family and working together to have better life.

Re-definition of Happiness

Since reading Deep Economy I believe my definition of happiness has not changed much, but has evolved slightly beyond what it was before. Originally I had said it was a feeling of comfort you experience when you feel at home with the ones you love. Now I would say my definition remains the same, but I would extend it to the members of my direct community. After reading Deep Economy I decided to socialize more with my neighbors, to actually start going to community get-togethers to see what they were like. I didn’t speak until spoken to, but when someone finally spoke to me I saw that socializing in this was quite fun, and led me to greater happiness.

While I am still more entertained by video games, and socializing with those I already consider my friends, I find myself enjoying time with new people more and more. My friends will always rank higher than socializing with those I do not know, I am sure, but these new acquaintances do more than make due when my friends are at work or out and about.

re-visiting happiness

I have learned a lot about happiness and home through our reading of Deep Economy and class discussions thus far in the semester. Before reading Deep Economy I thought that I lived in a close knit neighborhood, but after a class discussion we had about whether or not we knew our neighbors I realized that maybe I do not live in this picture perfect community I once thought I did. I realized that just because the outsides of the houses are nice within a community that does not mean the people inside those nice houses match their homes pretty exterior. Before reading Deep Economy I had never had the interest in traveling overseas, but after reading about the close knit communities in Europe it is now something that I would love to experience. Before reading Deep Economy I always knew that material things can not bring someone true happiness, but after reading Deep Economy, McKibben helped me further my understanding as to why I feel the way I do. Through reflection I learned that it is human interaction that makes me happy and not solely the events and activities I partake in that involve human interaction. I have discovered that home is not always the place one goes to sleep every night, but that it is also where one feels most at ease and comfortable. Reading Deep Economy has made me think of new ways to boost the economy that I had never heard of before, such as communities with their own forms of currency. Reading this book and being a part of this class has really opened up my mind to new concepts that I once thought I had all figured out.

deff of happiness has changed

my definition of happiness has not really changed only maybe a little bit. the reason for is because i still feel that you make your self happy or non-happy. you should do what ever that makes you happy in life. if you cant figure out what makes you happy get out there and find it. it might be right in front of your face and  you just cant see it even know it right there. i know am happy to be around my family and friends, or even the life that i have. Anything that will make me laugh and enjoy it.  i get out and enjoy life and everything i do even if am just going to work because you never know. Like i always say live life like theres not going to be a tomorrow. you never know whats going to happen. just remember whatever you do there will always be something that will make you happy. Even if its just going outside and smelling the nice air. Just getting out period but sometimes there things you can do just at home. like watching tv or even playing games can fulfill your life with happiness. just being yourself can make you happy because u have people that like to act like there someone else. when you do that your not going to be happy it just a put on to try to tell other people you are but deep down your really not. i think these thing can make you happy in life.

Looking at Happiness

In W131 I have learned a lot about being an effective writer, but I have also learned a lot about happiness and home also. I didn’t think while being in college I would be asked about my home or my sources of happiness. When asked to reflect on happiness, everything I named either reflected on either my family or home. Moving away from home was a hard thing to do because being home with family brings me a lot of happiness. By reading McKibben’s book, I learned that having a closer community could definitely bring people together and cause them to be happy. McKibben also made me realize that change could make us happy too, for an example eating locally could be beneficial and could bring us closer to our community. My definition of home and happiness hasn’t changed. I still believe home is where my family is and where I feel safe and to me being home makes me happy.

Another Look at Happiness

By reading Bill McKibben’s Deep Economy and after having many discussions in class I think that my definition of happiness has changed.  Well, actually, maybe it hasn’t changed; I think I have adjusted my way of thinking about happiness.  Right now after all that we have done I really feel like I have no idea of what the true meaning of happiness.  I still like to think that it is not just a feeling and that it is a state of being.  On the other hand I do think I have changed my mind about the notion of not being able to experience true happiness on earth.  I think that in many ways, people can experience great happiness here on earth with the people and things that fulfill them.

Happiness Revised

My thoughts for what happiness really means as a definition has changed quite a bit. I feel that everyone does have their own form of happiness, and it comes in different ways for everyone, but I do feel that universally the definition is similar for everyone. I think that if a person feels overall content and satisfied with themselves and their personal lifestyles, then that would be a very close way to define overall happiness for everyone. Before, I felt that happiness could not be defined and that its definition was different for everyone. Now however, I feel that it can be generally summarized similarly for everyone. Reading Deep Economy and writing all of the assigned papers dealing with the reading has helped me come to a better understanding of how I feel about happiness, and what it means to me as a whole.

Definition of Happiness

When I was first asked what my definition of happiness was I said it was a little more than just being content.  That little something more than just being okay with the way things are.  I used the example of being okay with hamburger help for dinner but being happy if you could go to Red Lobster.  After in class discussions, reading Deep Economy, and writing my reflective essay and summary strong response essay I realized that I this is along the same lines of that more is better type of thinking.   I was saying that more is better.  More money and more stuff doesn’t really make me happy.  I now believe that relationships are what really creates happiness.  Whether it is my family, my friends, my boyfriend, whatever, I am happiest surrounded by people who love me.  I am not happiest at work making money or spending my money.  I usually just feel guilty spending that money anyways.  I also feel guilty when I’m at work all the time rather than spending time with my family.  Switching the focus from work and money to building good relationships eliminates those feelings of guilt which contributes to overall happiness.  Also, we need a sense of belonging to be happiness.  You get that sense of belonging from your friends and family.  Obviously, you don’t get this from your job, unless you are friends with the people you work with and then it isn’t the working that makes you happy it is the relationships you have with your coworkers.  In conclusion, relationships are the true source of happiness.

Looking Back on Happiness

Looking back on writing the reflection I found two things. One is that defining a connon word, that is primaraly used to show a common emotion, on a much bigger universal scale, is extreamly difficult. The second is that after writing this paper I have discovered that even though my material things make me happy the true source of my happiness links back to my family, each and every time. Even the things that aren't material items, like my talents in theatre, are linked back to my family. After reading other peoples posts I saw that a majority of people discovered the same thing. I'm thinking we may be on to something here.   

Happiness Revised

After reading McKibbens book, and participating in class discussions, i now realize that true happiness comes from spending time with your family and friends and people you love. I used to think that money could make me happy, but i now realize that it only gives me short term happines, and my long term happiness comes from surrounding myself with people i love to be around.

Happiness-revised

At first my definition of happiness was short, sweet and to the point. I have found out that this word is more complicated to define than one would think. By listening and observing many peopl, i understand that happiness can be brought about in many different ways. With this being said, we still have the same bases as our source of happiness. Through the reflection i went when writing a Happiness Reflective Essay, i was able to use and think through my own experiences to try and understand what happiness meant to me. I then realized from this reflection that I value the quality of happiness over the quantity of happiness it may yield. From writing the Summary Strong Response Essay about the book Deep Economy, i learned that happiness is often seen in a distorted view. Our economy focuses on more and better to achieve happiness, when really when having this mindset may hurt us at points. I believe we need to spend less time achieving more and better, and put more time and effort in our relationships. I still strongly believ that relationships have alot to do with how happy a person is.

Definition of Happiness- Revised

Although my view on certain topics tend to change with time, my definition of happiness has not changed even the slightest since the first posting. However, I am more aware of my definition more and more the older I get. I still believe that happiness is based on relationships and the aspects in life that money cannot buy. I think that spending time with my mom just talking about life and laughing together makes me happier than going shopping and spending money. When I first moved to school, I was unaware that the relationships in my life were so important to me and I took all of it for granted when I lived in the same city or even house as my family. I used to be very materialistic, but have realized that I cannot afford to keep buying more and more, although I would love to. I think even the papers we've been assigned that deal with the definition of happiness have helped me to understand what is important in my life and how I should make the greatest memories I can with my family and friends because memories last for an infinite amount of time.

Happiness- Revised Definition

When I was first asked to describe what made me happy, I came up with tons of things. I had so many thoughts in my mind about what happiness was, yet after reading Deep economy, and having the class discussions that we did I realized, my perception of happiness was completely misguided. I said things like going shopping made me happy, or winning a soccer game, however all of those things are short term. Sure, you are happy at that moment in time, but a year later your level of happiness is either going to be non-existent or much lower than what it was when the event took place. I described in my paper, that I think the terms happiness and success are very closely related, they can both be short or long term and both are hard to define when it comes down to describing a concrete definition. But ultimately I said that I believed there was no possible way to achieve happiness universally.

Second try at defining happiness-Liz Lorch

When we were first asked to define our own personal happiness I was completely stumped. You would think defining anything about yourself would be easy but for me for some reason it wasn't. My first definition of happiness I said the security of things in my life made me happy. Those things just make me feel secure not happy. After further reflection I figured out what makes me happy and what I couldn't go a day without having in my life; my family. My family is my everything. I would do anything for them. After not having them very involved in my life for seven and half months I very quickly learned how much they truely mean to me. I feel like since I said that my family is the key to my happiness people will be quick to think that I'm the perfect child who listens and does as she's told. That's not true at all. I couldn't wait to leave when it was my turn to move out for college. But after being away from my family I quickly realized how close I am to them and how much they truly mean to me. I really think that its true when people say it takes losing something to realize how much that thing really means to you. So my definition has evolved from a very vague answer to a well defined answer of happiness. I know it took me some time to reflect to really figure out what defines my own happiness.

Definition of Happiness -2

Happiness to me are the little things, like cookies or going fishing. But happiness to anyone else could be something completely different. Everyone has their own definition, whether it means the happy feeling on the inside or, something that makes you virtually happy. When people say nice things to others, that gives you a warm feeling, I still question whether that is what happiness is. I used to think happiness was a feeling that came our and showed with the way you interact with people, but now I understand its something completely different from that. Happiness can be so many different things, like respect. I believe you can gain a little happiness from being respected by your peers, that just gives you the overall feeling of being satisfied. I believe you can find happiness in just about everything in the world. Not all things are good, but most will bring some joy to you. Most people find happiness in love, and to me, that’s beautiful! While reading deep economy my definition of happiness has changed, not for the bed but for the good, it helped me take the topic more into depth, and figure out all the little things that go along with it.

Change of Happiness Meaing-Rylie

When I was first asked to describe what happiness meant to me, I said that it was a state of mind that couldn't be filled with material objects but rather emotions, and I listed off some specific emotions that would make someone happy. Although I still believe that material items cannot make someone happy, only content with what they have until they find something else they want or "need", I think the way in which people become happy are unique to that individual. Different people give and recieve emotions that make them happy. Not all people will become happy with being confident, not all people will be happy with being respected. Its certain emotions and feelings between people which make them happy. I still believe from the beginning that love will gain happiness. Even though I have always had this idea that happiness was emotions and not objects, I have grown in my knowledge of it and built off of that to really be able to specify what happiness is.

Change of Happiness

When I was first asked to write about what happiness means, I was very blunt and did not have depth into what I had written.  Over the course, I have looked at happiness through a whole new perspective.  My happiness is not measured by how content I am.  It is being surrounded with the people I love, and that have the same love for me back.  It is being around people that bring joy to my life, and that keep my head up.  Happiness is not measured by money.  You cannot buy happiness.  Happiness is an outlook on life, and what life means to you.  Happiness should not be taken for granted, and I believe everyone deserves the chance to be happy.  You are as happy as you make yourself out to be.  Happiness can be achieved by you as long as you have the mind set that you can accomplish whatever happiness means to you.

Revision of what Happiness means

My definition of happiness has changed a couple times since the very first post that I had made. First, I thought it was more about the things that made each individual happy and that happiness was then different for everyone. After class discussions and reading Deep Economy, I was able to gain a new perspective on happiness. This new perspective is that happiness is actually universal and we all strive for the same things to gain the sense of happiness. While this is still similar to my most recent concept of it, I have been able to go more in depth as to what it is. We all love being with family and friends which is what we say makes us happy, but is it really the family and friends that create happiness? Don't we also get a sense of happiness while talking to new people as well? I have found that it is not so much the who, but the what. Meaning, talking to anyone can create happiness, but it is the action of actually talking and being around others that causes the happiness to come about. It's be more about the interaction, connections, and relationships with others that creates the happiness. I don't think there is a way to define exactly what happiness is, but we are able to relate it to other words such as joy, contentment, and love, which are terms that make up what happiness is. With that said, the more relationships we have and continue building and strengthening, the happier one will be.

Happiness...What is Happiness? Modified

Throughout this whole process of writing a reflective paper on what happiness is. I would have to say that my definition of happiness has stayed the same. No one can really pin what happiness is for every human being in the world, but you can definitely describe it as a rollercoaster and relate it to depression, ironicly. You can relate happiness to depression because they both have that come and go affect. Does this mean that an antidepressant is the cure for happiness? Just something for you to ponder.
Happiness also is something that is what every human being is looking for. It's like a continious game of hide and seek. Once you find happiness, it's like the reset button is pressed and the game starts all over where you have to find happiness again.

Revised Happiness

"A large part of happiness to me is about feeling secure about my life including: relationships, finances, work, and school because these things help my pursuit of a good future for myself..."
This is part of my first definition and still what I consider happiness to be but my definition has certainly evolved. Originally I thought of happiness as being different for every person but in reality the same basic things make all people happy. Everyone wants to have security through relationships, finances, work, and school because these things create less reasons for people to worry and more room to be happy. Along with security, I think happiness is being accpeted. Of course not everyone cares if everyone loves them but they certainly need somebody to love them. So I think happiness is a mixture between feeling secure (not having to worry) and also feeling loved. Everyone wants these two things.

-Christine Woods

Happiness: A New Definition

When I was first asked to write the definition of happiness, I said that happiness was different for everyone. However, after reanalyzing what I truly think happiness is, I came to the conclusion that happiness in its roots is the same for everyone. Deep down most people would say that happiness is being with the people we love. Most people would say that their happiest memories are when they are with their family or friends. So I think it is safe to say that happiness in a way is universal.

How Happiness has Changed

The more I try to define happiness the more I find myself coming up with more and more criteria and stipulations on what needs to happen or has happened to be happy. I think mostly I believe that true happiness is something that has to come from deep within you as a person. Sure you could take drugs and feel better but you arent really happy because the drugs don't change what was making you unhappy, its just a distraction. I think spending time with my friends and family makes me happier, it dosen't really matter what we do together as long as its together, because lets face it, life at moments sucks. Dealing with the bad moments and enjoying the good are always better when you enjoy or deal with it when someone else is there with you.

Eiteljorg Museum

I think that the trip to the Eiteljorg Museum was beneficial to college students, especially first year freshman. It showed different tribes of Indians and what their backgrounds were all about. That is the same with the IUPUI campus, there are many different ethnicities and people that come from all over to attend this college. Everyone has a different background therefore there is a wide diversity of people, same as the Indian tribes. We usually think of Indians as all relevantly the same, although from visiting the Eiteljorg this took my bias of that away. Also, incoming freshman are coming from different homes, some moving into apartments or the on campus dorms, and others are commuting. At the Eiteljorg it talked a lot about migration of the Indians and how they all live in different types of homes, some more modern like the log cabin, some use the land to live and others built tents called teepees. I personally did not know about the Eiteljorg before visiting it with my classmates. I took on an open minded perspective when visiting it. I believe that touring it as a group of students was good because it gave me that insight of reality; that we all relate to the Indians because we are all coming from different places in the world and seeing things in a different light because of our different cultures. Also, the Eiteljorg taught me about my home state, Indiana. I did not know prior to the visit that there were so many Indian tribes that originated out of Indiana. It gave me some personal knowledge about Indiana that I did not know of before, which I thought as a freshman in college I would know by now.  But this also ties back with IUPUI freshman, there is such a variety of people you would never meet prior to going to this school that are also from all over Indiana. It teaches you to learn and know other people’s opinions in an open minded way without having a bias because we are all from different backgrounds.  

Museum

I think the trip to the Eiteljorg was beneficial to us in college. It gave us another outlook on home through someone else eyes. I honestly did not know what it was. It is sad because I live here and I always pass it. I always wanted to know what it was. The experience was better than what I excepted. The picture and the artifacts that were at the museum were really good. I got to see the tools that they use to use. I really appreciated reading about the things that I did not know what they were about. I walked in there with an open mind on what I was coming in their for. I was trying to connect the theme home. This was the Native Americans home but it was taking away from them. I really liked the paintings a lot! The painting felt like you were really their. You can get an idea of how the Native Americans felt when certain things were happening, The picture looked so real about when the new settler that come in. The artist really did a good job of capturing events that happen. It would be beneficial for citizens to come and explore. The Native American were really into animism as their religion. Each tribe about Native Americans had their own way of technology. But there had spears that were sharp for killing animals. I really liked the activity of building a mini tee pee. It shows how difficult to it was to build a big version of a tee pee.  It really opened my view on how they lived. This was a good experience of life other than what we know. Especially in Indians we still have reminders certain name remain the same like the white river.  I feel like this should be a field trip for all kinds of students from elementary to college students.

Museum Visit and Personal Challenge

I believe that the instructors of the TLC chose this trip so that we could formally blend each class’s concept into one experience. Writing about the experience in English, bonding with our seminar classmates, and looking at how Native Americans and westerners helped to shape our country for Human Geography. While I did not expect much from the Eiteljorg, I was happily rewarded with an entertaining time.
By approaching the visit as a student within a group I felt as if I was constricted by my group members so that I could only do what they wanted to do. Once I started wandering to what interested me though, I felt the freedom I wanted to explore what interested me. By looking at Native artifacts I was able to envision what a tribe’s society might look like.
I believe that trips to museums like this are beneficial to any student, and that somehow one or more classes can be connected to the museum. Average citizens however, I believe would not benefit as much, and would likely see the trip as a waste of time.
The Natives seemed to group their belief systems around the Earth and natural wonders, one tribe even believed that they were formed from thunder and lightning. Their preservation of the land and usage of natural resources helps to support the conservative claim.
While there were many similarities between different tribes’ languages including the use of symbols in writing, there always seemed to be different syllable patterns used between the different tribes.
The technology of these tribes compared to that of US settlers was fairly low, but more than enough to create a happy lifestyle for themselves. Their use of hides as clothing, housing, and decoration was something to marvel over. The engineering of an easily moveable house seemed to help their lack of irrigation systems.
To fully appreciate the visit to the Eiteljorg I had to wait a few days before continuing my reflection upon it. When looking back, I learned that I had gained a small but significant respect for the Indians who used to roam our lands. These people were so simplistic, so self-sufficient. To think of our current society living as these people did is trivial, the question of how the average modern man would live without technology arises.
To deepen my understanding of this, I attempted to avoid all of my gadgets for just one day, a single day. By the third hour I was earning to turn my cell phone on, I wanted to connect with my friends, something the people of old would have been able to do just by walking a teepees over.
My walk to work was something to remember, short but nerve-racking, I had to cross US36. Once I arrived at work I had to break my challenge for a moment to clock in. Once I was clocked in I took my spray bottle and tray and got to work.
Once I arrived home, I had decided that I simply could not take anymore of this experiment. I opened my laptop and began to prepare a Facebook post to complain to all of my friends about how much we take technology for granted, and for them to try to do the same- even if for only the nine hours I had achieved it.

Museum

Our teacher thought that it would be good idea to go to the museum. It would be a good way to learn about Indianapolis and its background because some us do not know anything about Indianapolis beside that it is a city. Also they thought it would be fun and interesting for all of us, As college student my definition for fun or things to do for fun doesn’t include museums. I wasn’t as excited as my teachers were to be able to go and see new things and ideas from different cultures. I never thought that going to the museum would be a fun thing especially when I had to do homework for it. I was surprise when I got there because the entire time i was thinking of things that I could be doing, instead of going to the museum. The reason that I was so surprised was the fact that there were so many interesting things like clothes, photos, quotes and painting. The entire time I had bad attitude but once I got there I thought it was pretty cool. The way they use to dress their clothes were so colorful and unique, Everything they had was made by hand which makes it more shocking, we just take our clothes to the cleaners or we buy new ones. The way they all work together as community which is really rare to see now days. The painting they were so colorful that I felt like they were real. I saw the painting and it was amazing the way they use the color and how it made seem so real. I did learn new things the different clothing that each tribe had and color too be able to tell the difference between one other. The paintings and clothing videos made seem so real and not so long ago. I’m not going to lie it wasn’t as bad as thought it would be. It was interesting I got to learn new ideas from different cultures and there beliefs. It wasn’t a bad field trip because I was with my classmates and it was interesting I got to learn things about Indianapolis but I wouldn’t go every weekend. It not something that sound like fun but at the end of day it kind is. I also learned that I should be more opened mind it. Before I make assumption I have to go and see and experience things before I have negative attitude.

How I Viewed the Eiteljorg Museum

Michael Johnson

W-131

                                                              Reflection

            The Eiteljorg Museum was an experience that many will never get to fulfill.  Granted, it’s not necessarily though most entertaining place, but it gives you a hint of what our past was like and who inhabited America before we did.  I have to admit, it appeals more to the older people of America but anyone that want to know our history should definitely give it a try.

            It shows who the Indiana Indians were and what all of the tribes were actually like.  It showed how some of the Indians were even in the US army.  A lot of people may expect the museum to be fairly boring but it’s really not.  There are plenty of neat objects like Tomahawks and Teepee’s to look at.  Not to mention there’s more than enough graphic pictures to keep us entertained.

            This is a great place and very valuable.  Any and every citizen of Indianapolis should come here.  It gives a great deal of information about every single tribe that lived where we live now.  A lot of the information is actually interesting too like how their religious views were.  They were nomadic people that believed in spirits, not one God.  You also learn about how technologically advanced they were.  And I say this in a way in which was technological for them.  They had learned how to create canoes to go across rivers, they learned how to adequately live off of the environment and use the bones of their preys as weapons.  They had houses, simple yet still a house, traps for killing animals, and many different kinds of poisons that they got off of the land.   These are things that everyone should learn about because this is where we got some of our ideas, like corn for instance.

            I can personally understand how this differs from going to the movies or hanging out with your friends at the mall, but I encourage everyone to take a day off and visit this museum.  It’s a great place to relax and just enjoy what there is to offer.

Visit to the Eiteljorg

To me, this visit could have been so beneficial, but we only had about 45 minutes to explore the whole museum, and most of it was spent in one section, looking for answers. I, and I am sure many others, would have preferred walking around the whole thing and actually being able to see what is in the museum.  There are three levels to the museum and having so little time to do that just doesn’t work. 

Since we didn’t have much time to look around at everything, especially artwork, which I really enjoy, my expectations of the museum were the same as my experience, but like I said, mainly because we were not able to see everything. I found stuff interesting, but I would have preferred a more hands-on experience than just walking and looking.  They did have mini hands-on projects, such as the basket weaving thing, but that was really kind of it.

Valuable would not be the word I would use to describe a freshman’s visit to this museum. We freshmen look at it as a get out jail, aka class, card. Some arrive at the museum and find it interesting; while others just wish we would have had class or been in the classroom. Visiting as a class allowed us to look at it in more of a learning experience, whereas if we would have visited at strictly tourists, we would have been able to just look, and take in knowledge we wanted to take in, not have to take in.

Overall the trip had its up and downs, it gave us knowledge of the first settlers in Indiana, and got us out of class, but time could have been giving and gave us more of it. Maybe, I will go again as a tourist and explore all the levels of the museum, and take in more knowledge at the same time. But for now, I will cope with the knowledge I have from my short visit.

Trip to Eteljorg Museum

                       The Eteljorg Museum is a museum that displays artifacts, and the history of Native American culture. We, as the "No Place like Home" TlC, were given the opportunity to tour this museum.
            The thought of touring a museum was somewhat kind of disappointing for me because I expected to be bored with the idea. I entered the place, not exactly with an open mind, and because I expected to become bored, I wasn't expecting to learn from this opportunity. I also expected, to see only what I already knew. But then seeing things I didn't expect to see intrigued me.
          I felt intrigued because growing up, I only knew about Native American culture what I had already seen, or what I was previously taught, and I had never ventured to learn beyond that point. After becoming intrigued with what I saw, I became interested, and then was able to learn new things. For example, I always thought of Native Americans as people who wore mohawks, carried bows and arrows, and had body paintings and piercings. I believed that this kind of culture, has a big impact on culture today, here in Indiana. Although Im not exactly sure if this impact is for the same cultural reasons, there are plenty of people that "rock" the mohawk, or have multiple piercings, and tatoos. I aslo learned in the museum, that there are other Native Americans, than just those I previously discussed, that have very different customs and beliefs.
             After being given this opportunity, I've learned to always be open-minded to new things because I might actually learn something not only about the topic, but something about myself, and to take opportunities to develop better understandings of things.

Experience and Reflection-- Eiteljorg Museum

As a part of our Themed Learning Community (TLC)/ Freshman Success Seminar curriculum, my class visited Indianapolis’ Eiteljorg Museum this past September as an exercise in making connections between our preexisting definitions of “home” and “happiness” in contrast to those of varying Native American tribes across time.

Displays and artifacts, including showcases of pottery, jewelry, clothing, and artwork told the stories of Indiana’s Native American tribes. I learned how European frontiersmen forced these Native Americans west -- to modern-day Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Missouri, Mexico, and Canada (among other places). For some, removal wiped out entire tribes; those such as the Mascouten, for example, do not survive today as a tribal entity. Looking back on my experience at the museum, I realize that the artifacts at the Eiteljorg Museum illustrated to me a story of persons who survived discrimination, ill-treatment, and a very long journey to reservation; I began to think about how the personal definitions of "family", “home”, and “happiness” might have been challenged by the Native Americans as they encountered hardship.

I personally define “family” as a group of people who protect my emotional and physical security. The place where I find these people is my “home”. From the Native American perspective, "home" changed in physical location and compromised the sense of security that "home" is supposed to provide. I also considered how the Native American peoples traveled a great distance, and their overall physical health was compromised. Many people could not survive such a long journey across the country-- family members must have been devastated as their loved ones became ill or died. Maybe as family members died off, the concept of "family" and the people that their definition included began to shift.

What could present-day Native Americans, or anyone for that matter, glean from such an experience, from an historical perspective? Can anyone find purpose in hardship? Also (as a class) we previously defined "happiness" as a sense of belonging and purpose within a group. But, what about the Native Americans? Did they stop experiencing happiness as they were transported across the nation?

I considered how cultural assimilation was intended to force the Native Americans to forget their heritage. They were sent to special schools on reservations to learn English and how to mimic the behaviors of other American children. Despite the fact that the Native Americans were the group of people truly native to North America, they were treated as outcasts. I realized at this point how big of a role personal perception plays in defining happiness.

Eiteljorg museum

                A fieldtrip was not what I was expecting to experience while in college, but last week I, along with my other class mates, got the chance to take a trip to the Eiteljorg museum. I had never been before and was really excited to get the opportunity. The museums theme is centered on Native American tribes that are/were located in Indiana. The museum holds ancient as well as modern day art work created by these tribes. Much of the ancient pieces correspond with Native American home life, things such as jewelry, weapons, houses and clothes. The more modern pieces are paintings and pottery that depict Native Americans engaging in different activities like hunting, horse riding, tracking, sitting around the fire and eating with their families.

                Just with this brief summary of what was in the museum I was looking forward to going. I love museums. I love visiting museums and seeing and learning about everything they have to offer. Sometimes I visit more than once just to try and experience everything and be able to absorb all the wonderful information that is stored inside. So when a chance to visit a new museum pops up I jump at the opportunity. However by excitement died down once I found out that we also had multiple assignments attached to our visit. The main assignment was to look and record items found in the museum that relate to home life. The other assignment was to write a reflection on the museum. Now instead of being able to explore at my own pace and enjoy my time there I had to manage my time while hunting for these objects all the while thinking about what I was going to write for my paper. In short my first trip to the Eiteljorg was not as fun as I thought it would be.

                School assignments, I understand, are important. Just like the museum is a resource of extra information, so are assignments. Museums, in my opinion, are just more interesting. I will say that the first assignment allowed me to get a glimpse of all the artifacts displayed in the museum. I may not have had the time to read all the captions underneath the art but at least I got a preview. Then the second assignment allowed me to reflect over my experience where had I not gotten the assignment I wouldn’t have even thought twice of the benefits of going back. Even though I was not able to enjoy my first trip to the Eiteljorg just being able to step inside for a short time motivated me to try and go again in the future. The assignments may not be as fun or exciting as the actual trip but I do see the connection and benefit of assignments with fieldtrips.

Eiteljorg Visit

I was expecting to go to the Eiteljorg museum to learn about Native Americans and how they once lived. I never knew that so many different Native tribes once inhabited Indiana. I was very happy to be going to the Eiteljorg since I hadn’t been there since elementary school.  This time I actually read about what I was looking at and I believe by doing that a got a greater experience from the trip because I gained knowledge not just about Native Americans but about my home. A trip to the Eiteljorg  is great not just for  college freshman but for anybody even if they are not a resident of Indiana. It gives people a chance to learn about the history and culture of Indiana and Native Americans.  The eiteljorg is an unforgettable museum. I did not remember what I learned from past trips but I did remember   how beautiful the museum was. I have never seen paintings that look so real and never been to a museum that is as informative as the Eiteljorg. I didn’t attend the trip with an open mind because I have been there two or three times before. I was expecting to have the same type of experience, I wish I would have went being more open minded because this visit was more beneficial. I would change one thing about the trip and that would be the assignment we did while we were there. I feel like the assignment took away from a lot of the viewing and learning because the class was really trying to fill out the worksheet and not taking in everything they were looking at. I think it was a great idea to go to the Eiteljorg . The museum fits really well with are learning community “There’s no place like home.” The Eiteljorg gives Indiana a peek at what Indiana was like before it was even a state. How the natives of the land ate, dressed, and lived. Those three things are a big part of home and what people consider home as.  In all I feel it was a very fun and informative trip. I would visit the eiteljorg again.

A Journey to the Eiteljorg

A “fieldtrip” of sorts to the Eiteljorg museum as part of the freshman seminar course seems a bit out of place on the surface; however in hindsight it does have a lot of benefit for this type of class.  I believe a trip like this allows first year students to use some critical thinking skills, such as the task of trying to connect the artifacts to the class’s theme of home.  It wasn’t exactly obvious, in most cases, which artifacts had anything to do with “home,” some were clear – a cabin – others were not – jewelry.  This type of connection-making is often required in college level courses and helps students understand that the answers aren’t always clear and obvious.  The principles of undergraduate learning, which all students should follow, could be applied to a trip such as this through society and culture as well as critical thinking – both which were obvious benefits to this trip. 

            When my class was told about the trip to the Eiteljorg I expected it to be just a “free fun day” to do as we wish.  I certainly didn’t expect an assignment to go along with the trip.  The assignment was to locate artifacts from various Indiana native tribes and connect those artifacts with the theme of “home.”  Once the class found out about the assignment our view was a bit different and was certainly more focused.  We are arbitrarily divided into random groups by the professor.  Some of these groups basically ignored the assignment, whereas others (such as mine) got carried away almost to the point of being obsessed with it.  Probably the most interesting observation was how the groups morphed.  We started with assigned groups but almost immediately everyone found their niche group, ignoring the original group assignments.  Those who really wanted to do the assigned task joined the group I was in; those that kind of wanted to do it actually followed us for a bit then disappeared.  Then there was the group who went on their merry way, much like a tourist would – roaming the museum just to see whatever was there.  Some lessons can be learned from this type of group activity.  One important lesson from my group of “obsessors” is to be sure to take time to smell the roses.  If students are too focused on the task at hand they might forget why they were given the task, which in this case was to connect the learning process between the outside world and the classroom.  On the other hand, those in the groups that roamed and paid no attention to the assigned task could pause for a moment and consider why such a task is assigned and then use it to their advantage, not just dismiss it as busywork.  Perhaps the group that worked some on the assignment but also spent time “taking in the sights” had it right.

            There is quite a bit to see and take from the Eiteljorg.  This sort of adventure is much different than going to a movie – where someone sits and passively takes in the film.  At a museum it is important to engage the exhibit, discuss it, and be more like movie critics.  If students did this at the Eiteljorg they could have seen the Native Americans use a very complex language system – which is very interesting because of how different the structure is than any other language since it developed independently and without a flow from other language areas – such as Europe.   Native Americans also had a unique belief structure based around spiritual explanations for most parts of life they could not control.  Some those who went to the Eiteljorg also discussed the amazing detail in the artwork of the Native Americans.  The native artwork is most amazing considering their primitive technology.  Without the use of printing presses and mechanization, early Native Americans were able to make a dazzling array of patterns that are even today amazing. 

            Overall I believe this was a worthwhile journey.  I do wish we would have had more time as I believe it was rushed.  Hopefully our future excursions will be less rushed, perhaps with some planning of what to expect we’ll be more focused when we arrive.  I do look forward to these excursions as I would have probably never gone to the Eiteljorg and now, because of this trip, I plan my return.  Other students should also look forward to excursions like this.  It is very important that students go on these journeys with an open mind and try to take from them as much as they can – but at the same time try not to get bogged down in any assignment in order to be sure not to miss the forest for the trees.