Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Resource of the day #2
Read this article on Compassion and Wealth and how they are intertwined. Very interesting.
Check it out on Los Angeles Times http://articles.latimes.com/2013/sep/08/opinion/la-oe-wolpe-wealth-compassion-deficit-20130908 or read here :)
We know that wealth does not always make people happy, but does it make them kinder? Studies suggest exactly the opposite. Instead of being more magnanimous, the rich are more likely to lie, cheat, steal and in general display less compassion than the poor. And this finding remains consistent even after controlling for gender, ethnicity and spiritual beliefs.
A large body of research point to a compassion deficit in the rich that plays out in big and small ways. As reported in Scientific American, for example, drivers of luxury cars cut others off at intersections at a much higher rate than those driving economy cars. Other studies have found that the wealthy are more likely to lie in negotiations and less likely to agree with statements such as "I often notice people who need help." And during simulations in which participants could divide up candy, giving some to children and keeping some for themselves, wealthier participants consistently kept more for themselves and gave less to children.
Does all this mean, perhaps, that selfishness is part of what enables some people to prosper? No. Rather, research suggests that it is a result rather than a cause of financial success. Simply creating the feeling of wealth in someone can result in self-justification. UC sociologist Paul Piff demonstrated this with rigged Monopoly games in a study involving hundreds of students. One "wealthy" player began the game with twice as much money and got to roll two dice instead of one. But when the clearly advantaged player won, he or she was highly likely to attribute it to skill rather than to preset advantage.
At the University of Rotterdam, a series of studies found that people primed with reminders of money preferred to play and work alone, put more physical distance between themselves and new acquaintances, and were less helpful when they saw someone in need of assistance.
The reasons for this compassion gap are complex. Part of the explanation, Piff and fellow UC sociologist Dacher Keltner theorize, is that wealth allows people to be more independent. Those with considerable resources are less reliant on others and therefore feel less connected.
Most rich people rarely come into close contact with those in need. I recently asked a child in our school in Westwood if he knew anyone who ever went to bed hungry for lack of food. "No one," he answered. I suspect that's typical. Increasingly in America, wealth insulates us: Where once we sat on bleachers together, now the wealthy sit in box seats. They fly in private planes (or relax in exclusive clubs at the airport), live behind gates and in general maintain a buffer from those who are less fortunate. Studies suggest that actual personal distance in conversation grows with wealth as well.
A second theory that Piff and Keltner offer is that the wealthy are more likely to value greed as a social good — as a driver of the economy — and therefore to cut corners to make money. Ethics slide because making money is viewed as having social benefits as well as a personal ones.
Check it out on Los Angeles Times http://articles.latimes.com/2013/sep/08/opinion/la-oe-wolpe-wealth-compassion-deficit-20130908 or read here :)
We know that wealth does not always make people happy, but does it make them kinder? Studies suggest exactly the opposite. Instead of being more magnanimous, the rich are more likely to lie, cheat, steal and in general display less compassion than the poor. And this finding remains consistent even after controlling for gender, ethnicity and spiritual beliefs.
A large body of research point to a compassion deficit in the rich that plays out in big and small ways. As reported in Scientific American, for example, drivers of luxury cars cut others off at intersections at a much higher rate than those driving economy cars. Other studies have found that the wealthy are more likely to lie in negotiations and less likely to agree with statements such as "I often notice people who need help." And during simulations in which participants could divide up candy, giving some to children and keeping some for themselves, wealthier participants consistently kept more for themselves and gave less to children.
Does all this mean, perhaps, that selfishness is part of what enables some people to prosper? No. Rather, research suggests that it is a result rather than a cause of financial success. Simply creating the feeling of wealth in someone can result in self-justification. UC sociologist Paul Piff demonstrated this with rigged Monopoly games in a study involving hundreds of students. One "wealthy" player began the game with twice as much money and got to roll two dice instead of one. But when the clearly advantaged player won, he or she was highly likely to attribute it to skill rather than to preset advantage.
At the University of Rotterdam, a series of studies found that people primed with reminders of money preferred to play and work alone, put more physical distance between themselves and new acquaintances, and were less helpful when they saw someone in need of assistance.
The reasons for this compassion gap are complex. Part of the explanation, Piff and fellow UC sociologist Dacher Keltner theorize, is that wealth allows people to be more independent. Those with considerable resources are less reliant on others and therefore feel less connected.
Most rich people rarely come into close contact with those in need. I recently asked a child in our school in Westwood if he knew anyone who ever went to bed hungry for lack of food. "No one," he answered. I suspect that's typical. Increasingly in America, wealth insulates us: Where once we sat on bleachers together, now the wealthy sit in box seats. They fly in private planes (or relax in exclusive clubs at the airport), live behind gates and in general maintain a buffer from those who are less fortunate. Studies suggest that actual personal distance in conversation grows with wealth as well.
A second theory that Piff and Keltner offer is that the wealthy are more likely to value greed as a social good — as a driver of the economy — and therefore to cut corners to make money. Ethics slide because making money is viewed as having social benefits as well as a personal ones.
Monday, March 3, 2014
Resource of the Day
My resource of the day is a book titled:
"Ties That Bind" By Dave Isay
I have begun reading it and am in love with it already. It "celebrates the power of the human bond and capture the moment at which individuals become family. Between blood relations, friends, coworkers, and neighbors, in the most trying circumstances and in the unlikeliest of places, enduring connections are formed and lives are forever changed."
This has to do with my masterpiece on Compassion because it is a book about people telling their stories on how someone made a difference in their life or how they made a difference in someone else's life.
Also a Website that may help is: http://storycorps.org/
"Ties That Bind" By Dave Isay
I have begun reading it and am in love with it already. It "celebrates the power of the human bond and capture the moment at which individuals become family. Between blood relations, friends, coworkers, and neighbors, in the most trying circumstances and in the unlikeliest of places, enduring connections are formed and lives are forever changed."
This has to do with my masterpiece on Compassion because it is a book about people telling their stories on how someone made a difference in their life or how they made a difference in someone else's life.
Also a Website that may help is: http://storycorps.org/
Thursday, February 27, 2014
SUPER 5
My SUPER 5 are...
1. Mrs. Byrne
2. Stanford
3. Dalai Lama
4. My dad
5. Miranda Nillo
I am in the process of contacting these people and letting them know what I am up to with my masterpiece.
1. Mrs. Byrne
2. Stanford
3. Dalai Lama
4. My dad
5. Miranda Nillo
I am in the process of contacting these people and letting them know what I am up to with my masterpiece.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
MY TEAM
My masterpiece revolves around Compassion and how people view it and practice it. As I went around the room I found myself making connections very quickly with my peers.
Nakesha is doing her masterpiece on living but not existing. I found this to fit in perfectly into Compassion. As David Foster Wallace mentioned in his speech "This Is Water" we are the fish in the water not knowing what water is. We are so caught up in our world, we are so worried about living that we do not remember to actually exist. We do not remember to actually practice compassion.
Kendall is working with Rachel and Becky for her masterpiece on Body Image. I find this topic can also be easily tied into compassion, because it relates to learning how to love yourself just the way you are and your body. I believe that we as a society need to be more understanding and compassionate about how we portray body image. If the world were more understanding about this pressing issue maybe we would have less girls with eating disorders!
Kylie and many others are working on their living scrapbook masterpiece. Their goal is to have fun, do things that they might have missed out on in the past, and make great memories with each other. I think this project captures a bit about what compassion is about because each week one person is going to teach the group how to do something for example surfing...etc. Kylie also mentioned that on their blog/website they will be posting quotes, pictures, and motivational things. These uplifting acts are certainly part of being a compassionate person.
Lindsey and others are working on blowing stuff up! That sounds a little dangerous and totally irrelevant to compassion, but it is not to quite off. In fact Lindsey and her group will be practicing compassion. Her group and her know and understand how tough and stressful this year has been. By acknowledging this fact they are practicing compassion. Together they want to feel better and get rid of their stress by blowing watermelons up and just having a good time together. Compassion...it is in there.
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