Helping Others

Looking back, this week has gone very well, and I feel like I am starting to develop a routine in order to get everything accomplished for the week.  One thing I have noticed is that because essentially everyday of class is planned out and printed on the syllabus, I know exactly what to expect each class and how to best prepare myself for it.  This has definitely been a help for me. Outside of the Learning Community, I am running for a spot on the Resident’s Hall board, so I am looking forward to the elections this Tuesday.

The common thread I picked up on this week pertains to helping others. In KSU 1111, we took a slight break from the Seven Revolutions to discuss how we were to complete five hours of service by brainstorming different ways in which we could help our community. The main idea behind the brainstorming was to keep it simple. There are so many things that charities and organizations need to be done that require only your time and commitment. In BUSA 1000, we read a chapter in the book dealing with ethics. Although good ethics are something that should be considered normalcy at all businesses, oftentimes they are disregarded just for the sake of getting ahead. In a sense, maintaining distinct ethical and moral guidelines in a business is like doing a good deed. Businesses can create healthy, fair competition when their ethics are in check, and can compete based on who has the better good or service, rather than who is better at making shady business deals. In SOCI 2201, Karl Marx was one of the many theorists we read about. Marx recognized the conflicts between economic classes during the industrial revolution in London. He pointed out that repetitive labor like working in a factory prevents workers from finding any joy or satisfaction from building something. Ideally, he wanted workers to overthrow the factory owners, and then for a new social order to be established in which workers would be equal. Even though this may be drastic, I think all Marx wanted was for people to treat others with respect and to have lower-class factory workers not be regarded as second class citizens. A modern day difference in economic class is evident in many developing countries particularly in Brazil where Favelas run alongside wealthy neighborhoods. As a result, people such as Carlinhos Brown have dedicated their time to charities that attempt to close the gap between the wealthy and the destitute.