Understanding

Yin's latest homework assignment is a very interesting one; she is to write a paper on what she thinks should be the new American Dream. I suggested it should be "Understanding," that we should all strive to better understand each other and the world we live in. I think there are clear examples to be drawn from in international policy, domestic policy, economics, and cultural benefits. I'll write down what I think those are later, but one thing that struck me is that understanding is a double edged sword. If you think a problem could be solved if your opponent could only see things your way, then they likely think exactly the same thing. Who's to say which view is the one that needs to be understood? For example, what if I think Pastor Terry Jones should see things my way and not be a fearful bigot? What if he thinks I need to see things his way and be more realistic about who the enemies of America are? Are we to meet somewhere in the middle, simply because an opposite opinion exists to set the terms of compromise? Surely both perspectives are not equal. Should there instead be fundamental rules of understanding such as, when meaningful data exists, go with that, when there is meaningful data EXAMINE IT AGAIN to make sure it really is meaningful, when in doubt bend to the less hateful/harmful perspective. What other general guidelines should exist? Interesting philosophical question that I'm sure someone has addressed, but a quick google search is turning up nil.

Update: So, that ended up being way too difficult of a topic to write about, so Yin changed the new American Dream to be better overall health. I thought it was an interesting subject as well, so I wrote this outline which I would have used, though she didn't use it:

Intro:

While the “American Dream” has made America the wealthiest country in the world, the failings of American culture are all over the news – the recent killings in Connecticut, before that a murder spree in a Colorado theater, before that the trial of a woman killing her infant child in Colorado, etc. Another battle being played out on the news for the last four years has been the struggle over health care. There are many forms of health, and America is failing at most of them. America is addicted to sweet, salty, fatty junk food; doesn’t get enough exercise; depressed and over-worked; struggles with drug abuse – legal and illegal; is desensitized to sex and violence; and does a poor job getting psychological help to those who need it. These are signs of a deeper problem than a lack of access to care, it is a sign of complete societal failing. If America could have one new dream, it should be to have a truly healthier society.

Outline

·         Intro – sequence of items in intro serve as outline for the rest of the paper

·         Paragraph 1 – Address stressful American Lifestyle

o   Work too many hours per day

o   Leads to poor diet and no time for exercise

o   Dependence on caffeine also decreases quality of sleep

o   All of this is the price we pay to survive, most of us paycheck to paycheck, and that is a leading cause of depression (this could be its own paragraph)

·         Paragraph 2 – Drugs

o   America is over medicated

o   Pharmaceutical industry has paid to keep us that way

o   America self-medicates with drugs and alcohol, and is encouraged to do so socially

·         Paragraph 3 – Desensitivity

o   American media is flooded with sex and violence – in the news, movies, video games, music, etc.

§  While individuals may not necessarily emulate what they see, there is a cultural shift, and where the extremities lie shifts as well

o   Desensitivity to adultery, divorce, bad parenting, and other family breakers

·         Conclusion – Most of these issues cannot be legislated, and even if they could, prohibiting some activities or requiring others will not make those things happen. Government cannot solve these problems, it is up to individuals to strive for a higher standard than the old, monetary American Dream. The old American dream didn’t make us all wealthy, but it did make America the richest country in the world; likewise, the new American dream won’t make us all healthy in all the ways described, but if we put our minds to it, we could become the healthiest country in the world.