Sociology Discussion Responses Response to Post #

Sociology Discussion Responses

Response to Post #

I agree completely with your post. All of us have a natural tendency toward loss of objective perspective and we tend to view the world through the prism of our own lives and in a manner framed by our personal experiences and standards of living. I admit to having caught myself many times worrying too much about things that, in reality, are extremely minor compared to the challenges and hardships faced by others. Sometimes, I am embarrassed at the types of concerns that can preoccupy my thoughts until I am confronted by those whose concerns obviously dwarf mine and who would probably give anything just to have the opportunities and comforts in my life that I sometimes take for granted. On those occasions, I try to use the experience as a way of helping me refocus my perspective from my self-centered needs and to consider how best to use my abilities and my opportunities in life to accomplish something of value for others.

Your post also raises an important issue in connection with the focus of rebuilding efforts in New Orleans. On one hand, it is obviously a shame that more effort has been devoted to tourism resources than to rebuilding the structures needed by New Orleans residents themselves. On the other hand, from a strictly fiscal perspective, I recognize that it may be necessary on some level since the entire revenue of the area depends so much on tourism.

Response to Post # 2

I am not so sure that I can agree with the major premise of your post. You seem to focus much more on developing your own abilities as a leader than on developing a long-term interest in accomplishing something of value within a particular area of need. In my opinion, it might difficult to contribute as much as you might be able to any particular need if your focus is on yourself first and only very generally on what you might wish to devote your efforts to. For example, if a person said he or she wanted to become a great athlete, you would probably expect them to decide what sport that wanted to excel at. If the person responded that he did not really care so much about what sport it was but just wanted to work at becoming more athletic, you might question his ability to achieve a high level of accomplishment in any sport. I do think it is admirable that you want to develop leadership skills, but (again) strictly in my opinion, that should be a secondary focus for how to achieve a specific goal rather than the goal in and of itself.

Response to Post # 3

In my opinion, your post perfectly exemplifies the point of my response to the previous post. You have decided on a very specific goal that represents something you would like to achieve on behalf of beneficiaries who are clearly identified. While you acknowledge that many different comparable goals might have been equally appropriate areas to devote your attention, you have not allowed that general perspective to prevent you from identifying one specific goal for your current efforts.