#and not the oversimplified broadened media ideas of them

[goldensunset]

Envy is absolutely the most cringfail sin. it's about spending your energy NOT minding your own business and being obsessed with what other people have. and it's the only one that grants you no pleasure. it's just misery. completely pathetic

loving the fact that you have an opinion on this and needed to say it. mutuals please sit down it’s time for the philosophy and ethics socratic seminar on tumblr dot com

[realinspirations]

Unpacking the Mind: How Exploring the World Broadened My Horizons

How Travel Changed My Perspectives

Travel has continually been described as a transformative revel in. It is more than simply the act of moving from one place to another—it's far an immersion into specific cultures, existence, and mindsets. For me, traveling has been not anything short of life-converting. It has reshaped how I view the arena, people, and even myself. Through tour, I even have encountered various realities, difficult the narrow confines of my preconceptions. Each adventure I’ve undertaken has been a lesson in empathy, adaptability, and personal growth, and the views I’ve won have deeply enriched my know-how of life.

Broadening Horizons

One of the maximum immediate ways Tour has altered my angle is by broadening my horizons. Growing up in familiar surroundings, I advanced a certain way of searching the sector. My views have been prompted by means of the norms and values of my community, and I have not often wondered about them. However, getting into a one-of-a-kind us of a or culture quickly confirmed to me how restricted my outlook became.

For instance, once I visited Japan, I became struck with the aid of the idea of omotenashi, a term that embodies selfless hospitality and appreciation for others. The interest in detail and thoughtfulness of their interactions taught me how cultural values form behavior. Back domestic, I realized I should incorporate small acts of thoughtfulness into my daily existence, making my relationships more significant. Similarly, exploring the vibrant chaos of India taught me a way to include unpredictability. In an area in which spontaneity reigns superbly, I discovered to allow move of rigid plans and experience the moment—a treasured talent I added again to my dependent global.

Developing Empathy

Travel has a unique manner of fostering empathy. Meeting humans from different lifestyles allows you to see the world through their eyes. When I visited a rural village in Peru, I could stay with a local circle of relatives for a week. Their way of life has become hugely one of a kind from mine—modest homes, confined sources, and difficult bodily work to make ends meet. Yet, what stood out to me turned into their resilience, pleasure, and sturdy sense of network. Despite having some distance fewer fabric possessions than I did, they had been rich in relationships and generosity.

This experience shattered my assumptions about happiness and success. I started out to question my very own priorities, figuring out that the relentless pursuit of fabric wealth regularly blinds us to the easy joys in lifestyles. It also made me more appreciative of the privileges I frequently take for granted, like access to clean water, schooling, and healthcare.

Challenging Stereotypes

Travel has also taught me how risky and limiting stereotypes can be. Before visiting the Middle East, I had unconsciously absorbed many media-driven biases about the vicinity. However, spending time in countries like Jordan and Oman revealed a totally different reality. I encountered warm hospitality, breathtaking landscapes, and wealthy histories that confounded the poor portrayals I had seen inside the information.

This experience emphasized the importance of forming critiques based on firsthand interactions instead of secondhand narratives. It made me greater cautious about generalizing or judging others primarily based on incomplete or biased statistics. I now try to technique people and places with interest in preference to assumptions, seeking to understand their complexities rather than oversimplifying them.

Embracing Diversity

Traveling has exposed me to an extraordinary array of cultures, languages, and traditions. From the elaborate dances of Bali to the historic rituals of Indigenous Australians, I’ve learned to comprehend the splendor of human variety. Experiencing these differences firsthand has reinforced the concept that there's no single “accurate” way to live. Instead, each way of life offers something precise, whether or not it’s a way of solving troubles, celebrating existence, or locating which means.

Moreover, gaining knowledge of approximately unique belief structures and worldviews has increased my highbrow curiosity. For example, my time in Buddhist monasteries in Thailand brought me to the concept of mindfulness, which has since end up a cornerstone of my everyday life. Similarly, expertise in the Māori idea of kaitiakitanga—guardianship of the land—has deepened my sense of environmental responsibility.

Building Adaptability

Travel is complete of surprises, both suitable and terrible. From overlooked flights to language boundaries, it frequently pushes you out of your comfort sector. At first, I found these demanding situations irritating, but over the years, I found out they have been valuable lessons in adaptability.

For example, while backpacking through Europe, I as soon as got stranded in a small Italian town because of a train strike. With no instantaneous solutions in sight, I had to suppose on my ft, counting on a mixture of damaged Italian, hand gestures, and help from locals to find a place to live. This taught me to stay calm under pressure and technique problems with a bendy mindset. I now see limitations as opportunities to grow instead of insurmountable obstacles.

Redefining Success and Happiness

Traveling has also reshaped my knowledge of achievement and happiness. In Western society, success is frequently equated with career achievements, financial wealth, and social reputation. However, my travels have proven to me that those definitions vary widely across cultures.

In the Scandinavian nations, I encountered the concept of lagom, which means “just the right quantity.” This philosophy emphasizes stability and contentment, encouraging human beings to find joy moderately rather than excess. Contrastingly, my time in African countries like Kenya discovered the value of ubuntu, a feel of communal interconnectedness. These perspectives challenged my individualistic notions of fulfillment, inspiring me to cognizance more on relationships, nicely-being, and network.

Rediscovering Myself

Perhaps the maximum profound change the tour has brought approximately is the manner it has helped me rediscover myself. Being in unfamiliar environments strips away the distractions of daily existence, forcing you to confront your real self. It has encouraged me to mirror my values, fears, and aspirations.

For instance, while trekking within the Andes, surrounded by way of awe-inspiring landscapes, I felt a deep feeling of humility and connectedness to something other than myself. This experience bolstered my notion of the significance of maintaining nature and residing sustainably. Similarly, my solo journey has taught me to enjoy my personal enterprise, building self-self-assurance and independence.

Inspiring Lifelong Learning

Finally, my journey has instilled in me a love for lifelong mastering. Every destination has its very own tales, histories, and lessons to provide. Whether it’s the know-how of the architectural marvels of historic civilizations or mastering the way to cook a neighborhood dish, the journey constantly feeds my curiosity. It has made me greater open to new experiences and extra eager to increase my knowledge.

[maksartmusings]

Textual Analysis Entry - Week 10

In week 10, we were assigned Chapter 17 of the textbook, which is entitled “Issues of the Body and Contemporary Art” by Dan Nadaner. Nadaner begins by asserting that our view of the body is heavily influenced by the media we are constantly surrounded by, and reality itself is defined by the images and words of the media. Children grow up in a “forest of signs,” and they form ideas about themselves based on societal standards they glean from these signs. For example, the culture of thinness and fat elimination promoted by the fashion industry contributes to an overall culture of body-shaming and a prevalence of eating disorders. Contemporary art harnesses the power of imagery to explore issues like this in a critical way. Nadaner discusses three contemporary artists who use their work to address the issue of self-concept: Barbara Kruger, Cindy Sherman, and Lorna Simpson. Kruger was a former magazine editor, so she saw firsthand how media outlets fabricate the imagery we are exposed to. In her art, she created pieces in the style of magazine covers, critiquing societal standards through humorous images and witty sayings. Sherman explored the contrived nature of film roles for women by creating “film stills” in which she dressed up as different typical female characters in 1940s and 1950s movies. Finally, Simpson explored media stereotypes and representation of women in the media through her photographs of African American women. Artists have broadened their use of materials, using any medium necessary to convey their desired message. Nadaner concludes by outlining five elements of contemporary art; contemporary art emphasizes ideas over appearances, is formed through thinking, has materials that can take any form, involves the viewer, and takes a point of view. Thus, children could explore issues of the body in art by relying on their own thinking, learning about stereotypes, applying their knowledge to critical discussions, and learning to think about people without thinking about the body. 

Most of the ideas Nadaner introduced in his essay were already familiar to me, but each of the artists he highlighted and their specific approaches were new to me. Kruger’s method of recreating images in common media formats as a way to reflect flipped perspectives is very interesting. It plays with the idea of perception and how fabricated images distort people’s view of reality. Her use of humor is also quite compelling to me; humor can be a very useful tool in taking away the power of a serious issue while still acknowledging its gravity. Our societal ideals of the body are often quite ridiculous, and Kruger intelligently uses this to emphasize her message. Before reading this essay, I had never heard of Sherman’s work, and her idea to create “film stills” appeals to my interest in both art and film. Movies and television are an important part of visual culture, and the way characters are presented can have a huge effect on people’s perceptions of themselves. Characters in film are also indicative of the societal values of the time, because they represent both desirable and undesirable traits in a contained, oversimplified format. Sherman explores these ideas through her photographs, and her methods of staging and preparation were like nothing I had heard of. I had seen work similar to Lorna Simpson’s before that explored the same sort of issues (namely The Testament Project by Kris Graves here at the Joseph Gross gallery at U of A), but her combination of photographs and text created a powerful effect. Another concept that was new to me in Nadaner’s essay was his definition of “sign.” According to the text, a sign is anything that represents something else, including a word, a picture, a gesture, etc. I normally think of signs in terms of practical imagery to help us navigate the world. In a sense, this fits into Nadaner’s definition. 

Overall, I agree with Nadaner’s argument about the extent of influence the media has on our perceptions of reality. We cannot escape from media imagery, because we have constant access through the internet, social media, news, and the physical world, among other sources. As children learn about their world and form lasting impressions, it takes constant guidance to prevent them from being completely absorbed by the images and standards they are exposed to. When it is something as negative as unrealistic body standards, it can have transformative and dangerous effects ranging from lowered self-esteem to life-threatening eating disorders. Therefore, I agree with Nadaner that it is important to tackle and expose these issues as educators so we can help our students navigate through their world and see the images for what they are - fabrications instead of reality. However, his approach to the topic in the essay as a whole was somewhat limited. Nadaner only discusses the issue of body image in terms of women, and he only shows examples of contemporary art exploring the issue from artists who are cisgender women. I do believe the majority of negative imagery related to body image is targeted toward women, but men do have valuable perspectives and legitimate issues to share in regards to it as well. Men face unrealistic and damaging standards of height, muscle tone, and stereotypical masculinity that contribute to low self-esteem and bullying. In the reverse, the body standards for both men and women affect who people feel like they can be attracted to, shaming and marginalizing people if they choose to be with someone who society would deem in a different “league” of attractiveness than them. Finally, transgender people face extremely challenging body image issues, and their perspective would also be effective in realizing a fuller picture of the issue. We are all victims of body image in the media, and all sides should be explored. 

Source:

Nadaner, D. (2002). Issues of the Body in Contemporary Art. In Y. Gaudelius and P. Speirs (Eds.), Contemporary Issues in Art Education, (pp. 226-237). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.