1.Westners believe that their future will move continuously in a single direction;from bad to good.East Asians expect their lives to change;from bad to good to bad or from good to bad to good.Which idea do you believe in? Why? Give your own experience.
Pg.82 "Westerners have an analytic view focusing on...".Have you ever feel that we easterners have a holistic view focusing on continuities in substances and relationships in the environment?
If you have, what made you feel that way?
3.There is a indication that the idea of "Westerners" that one can control one's surroundings is "illusion".(pg100-101)
Do you agree or disagree with this indication? And why do you think that way?
Group Leaders:
Emi Fujiwara
Misa Takehira
Kohtaro Nagawa
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1.
ReplyDeleteI believe the Asian way of thinking about life changing in all directions. I have just started working part time in January. At first, I was not doing very well because I was not used to the way things work. However, as I got used to the job, I became more and more comfortable working. I was able to work as how people wanted me to. However, as I got used to working, I started not to pay attention to small details which led me to many mistakes. From my experience, life does not always go the good way, but also in the bad way. I think life is like a roller coaster going up and down and repeating.
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ReplyDelete3.
ReplyDeleteIt is really difficult to answer because there are always two sides of the same coin. Illusion could be both helpful and hopeful, on the other hand, it could destroy both beliefs and dreams. Besides, everything depends upon how we perceive the world. An optimist would
disagree with the idea” illusion of control”, however, a pessimist surely don’t. As a matter of the fact, as long as people are fine, happy, and healthy, I can assure you that they are all optimists without exception. (I’m not telling that easterners are pessimists thought.)
Although my heart is beating for the opposite, my mind would rather agree with the notion “illusion of control “. (So I am a pessimist or rather a realist, aren’t I?) For example, a majority of North Americans might epitomize the typical Westerners whose belief is based on the fact that they can control their surroundings. (In general, Europeans are too skeptical, complicated and tired to believe in everything!) I do adore American’s positive attitude and optimism, but how can we explain that many of them go a shrink almost every week? Especially, in a place of “the Bold and the Beautiful” like New York City where yuppies and billionaires live, most of New Yorkers consult their psychiatrists regularly. (There are even ironical jokes about it.)
Why does it happen?
NYC , also called the Big Apple should be the place where American dreams come true. This must be the perfect place where people get everything they want if they work hard. However, the reality seems a little bit different. Many of them are sick and tired of following “the illusion of control” desperately because it simply does not work for all of them. They try harder and harder, over and over again. But the situation hardly changes. The myth of controlling the surroundings is likely to come tumbling down. ….How frustrating and depressing it is! Hope is a good thing if the hope is appropriate. However, wrong hope might kill somebody’s soul as long as they hold to an illusion of belief.
To sum up, for that reason, I agree with “the illusion of control”. But still, I want to believe
that our luck or even destiny does not depend on the environment, but lies in our own hands.
1. I believe the Asian way of thinking is the reality, but I think it could be better to think in the western way.
ReplyDeleteLife has many different directions. It doesn't go the same way. People have many experiences and there are times when people are not doing well in life. I think it all depends on how we 'think' towards the bad part of life. Asians may be thinking that the bad part of life is REALLY, REALLY BAD and take things very seriously but on the other hand, the westerners may not take that fact as a BAD situation but take it as some 'experience' and think only the GOOD things that they believe,are going to happen sometime soon. So what I am saying is that westerners tend to think only about their aim/goal(single direction), whereas asians think deeply in every single stage including the bad part, meaning that they really feel the different directions or the ups and downs in life.
I think it may be good for us to think in the western way. It would definitely avoid stress that many people in Japan are suffering with, and it helps us to naturally think in a positive way.
(1)
ReplyDeleteWe sometimes feel as if we have no power to get over the situation when we are in a hard time. In such times, it's natural to think we have no control of our surroundings. However, generally speaking, I think people can change their surroundings by their will to some extent. Furthermore, I think what changes our surroundings is the belief that one can change the surroundings. I mean, people can control the surroundings by believing that they can change the world around you.
I think the Politics in Japan can be good example for my position. I sometimes hear Japanese people saying that Japanese Politicians are no good or the Policy of this country is bad. Then, why these people try to change the situation? Japan is said to be democratic country, So, their opinion can change the society, can't it? However, they rarely try to solve the problem by their own hands. Why? I think this is because they have tendency of not believing in their controlability to the policies. (I think it's because the government of Japan have been so strong and that the Japanese citizen -I think the word "Syomin" is more suitable- have had nearly no access to the policy, so they have become less conscious of the policy.) Some people may say that's because we citizens have no controlability in reality but I don't think in that way. In the past, when the Meiji government was established, many people tried to change the society for better direction. In reality, these "citizen power" changed the Japan. They made the constitution and the Diet. Why they were so active? That's because they were believing in their controlability in changing the country to the good direction, isn't that? Now, there are more intellectual people than that time, so there must be more possibility of correcting the government's policy to good direction. Then why the government is bad now?
We have controlabirity to the surroundings -especially to things conscern human activity because these things have more mobility- in reality, so westerner's idea that we can control our surroundings is natural. I think such opinion as we have no controlability to surroundings is rather harmful because it can eliminate our controlabirity.
>> Emi Arakawa
ReplyDeleteI also think that our lives move into all directions. Life is unfair and sometimes hard. There are as many bad things as there are good things. I believe the Japanese saying "Jinsei yama ari tani ari"(Life has its peaks and valleys). I liked how you metioned a roller coaster to describe your life.
(3) I am not sure that I agree with Ellen Langer’s notion about the “illusion of control.” In the book, this is defined as an expectation that people have, that things which they are related to in some way have a higher probability of success. In the experiment that Nisbett introduces to us as her favorite, the outcomes of the lottery tickets depended on chance alone. However, most things in real life rely on many factors aside from chance, especially if they are actually related to you in some way. In most things that you are related to, you interact with in someway. Your actions are what relate you to that particular thing. In matters that are related to you but only rely on chance, people may have tendencies to believe that what they are related to is, in some way, better than the others, as Langer claims. However, in matters where your actions have an influence on the results, it becomes harder to separate your own confidence in your abilities and the steps you have taken to reach a better outcome, and the “illusion of control.” People may expect to get better results because they have worked hard. Except in cases where you can tell that people’s assessments are obviously mistaken, (perhaps like the student who was in the danger of flunking out in Aubrey Fisher’s Perception Of Self) it is very hard to tell if their expectations that they will get good results is based on justified reasons. These people themselves are the only ones who know clearly the actions that they have taken, and even they may not be interpreting the effect that their actions have on the results correctly. People aren’t aware of the fact that they might be caught in the “illusion of control.” I think that Langer’s views may be valid on subjects where the outcome is decided totally by chance, but I am unsure whether this notion can be applied to other areas in the same way.
ReplyDelete1) When it comes to think about achieving something good for each one of us, life seems one way traffic, meaning you start from bad situation and ends at good situation. However, what is good and what is bad depends on each individual. Also, on the contrary, what you can get from the surrounding is often constant. For example, how people would act or treat you are a lot of the cases the same. In other words, because each one of us has different past experiences and have different ways of perception, what surroundings supply us equally could turn out to be both good and bad.
ReplyDeleteI take the Asian view of how life changes in many directions, because I never think that one can hold a definite goal within one’s self. Think back to your 1st year at elementary school. Is your dream still the same with back then? Even if it is the same, haven’t you ever thought about setting different goal for your future? I believe most people’s goal has had changed or thought about setting their goal differently once they come to this stage of college level. This is because we learn more about the world. As we get older, we become capable of studying at deeper level of many fields of study such as international relationships. Also, we get stimulated by listening not only to the teachers or the professors but also other students or friends talk. Moreover, our visual field spreads as we get older, meaning we get to go to many different places and also paying attention to the media.
All these elements that affect us are the same in their quality, but how we perceive them is quite different. Thus, I believe life changes in various directions not only up and down but also broaden its nature.
1) I partly agree with the Eastern way and I partly agree with the Western way. I think that if something bad happens, something good will follow. However, I also think that if something good happens, something good will happen too. This is because I think it is important to consider the state you are in and hope for the best in all situations.
ReplyDeleteMost of my experiences in badminton club in high school would be examples for hoping that something good will happen after something bad happened. I was in an orchestra club in middle school so I was not used to doing a lot of exercise. So when I joined the badminton club, I hurt my feet, legs, arms, wrists, pretty much everywhere. Of course I had muscular pain(?) every day during the first few months. A month before my last game, I broke my right wrist. The bones of a wrist are much more difficlut to recover and stick together than other bones of the body. The doctor said it would take at least 3 months for it to recover and what was worse, it was not 100% sure if it would even recover or not. I was at a loss for words. I hated myself for not realizing that my wrist was in such a bad state. After a few days, however, I decided to go under surgery and have my wrist healed as soon as possible. Then, I participated the badminton practices with my left hand. I did practice strokes with the newcomers(first graders). As I did them, I started to think that I might be able to participate my last game with my left hand. I thought, "Some thing good ought to happen afetr all the bad things I have been through." I decided to participate only the doubles game with my left hand. My partner would be the one doing most of the work. I could hardly do anything, but I thought it would be worth a try. Believe it or not, we won the first game! We were so happy that we cried. I could not thank my partner more. I was also proud of myself for not giving up even if I had had a good enough reason to.
I retired the badminton club with no regrets.
Thanks to this experience, I stongly believe that something good will happen after something bad occurs.
1. I beileve in the so-called Eastern way: thinking in circles and that bad things and good things keep on happening one after another. I think the Asians are influenced by the Buddist concept of "mujyoukann" - a view of percieving the world as something that keeps on changing and that the world is transient and empty. In this way one can be positive and hope for the good in the future when in severe situations. On the other hand, even when one is under happy circumstances, one can keep on being diligent and working hard for the coming future.
ReplyDeleteThinking about my life, and many other's lives, the good and the bad keep on coming and going ( and I think I am going off the tracks but what is "good" and what is "bad" keeps on changing too.) Moreover, although I wish for happiness all the time, if I were told that bad things ( such as severe challenges) will never occur to me, I think I would not be happy anymore. Human beings are complicated animals aren't they.
Thus, I have experienced and belived in the Eastern way of perceiving life: viewing life as a circle and that the good and bad keep on coming and going.
1.
ReplyDeleteI also believe in the Eastern belief that our lives continue to change alternativley from good to bad. It is like in the Chinese philosophy, the concept of ying and yang; where there is a good, there is always a bad. So even if you are really happy, there will always be a small nagging in the back of your head thinking of the possiblity of something bad. People tend to have a lot of "what if"s and that is because of that belief that something could turn out bad. And when things are going bad, people will tell themselves, "there is always a tomorrow." "Tomorrow will be a brighter day"
I can not think of an example where something bad went to good to even better and never went bad again. Even if one thing keeps on getting better, something else may turn bad. For example, at work you start as an inntern then you become a permenant employee then you get promoted. At work, everything is getting better. However, as you get busier, you barely get home and relations there seem to go tense. Obviously that is not my personal experience but it can happen to anybody.
Therefore I believe in the Eastern way of thinking that our lives change from good to bad, one to anther.
>> Yoko Hanaki
ReplyDeleteI love your claim that people can change their surroundings by their will! I agree that people have tendency of not beliecing in their controlability to the policies although it is democratic society. I think this is because people are indifferent toward politics and they think experts in politics should and would play an important role. I hope every citizen realize that they can change a society if they take part in politics, and believe they have a power to do so.
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ReplyDelete>> Yuka O'Hara
ReplyDeleteI agree that westerners, especially American people, tend to think only about their aim. I've learned that this tendency comes from pragmatism. For example, when Iraq war broke out, USA insisted that Iraq owns weapons of mass destruction and started war. However it turned out that there were no weapons of mass destruction. George Bush should have mentioned and apologized his mistake, but he only mentioned next step which is the next aim.
Thinking of this western way of thinking, it would be nice to have both western way and Asian way of thinking.
>>Shuntaro Seki
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with your idea that what we experience could turn out to be both good and bad. Even if we see or listen to the same thing and share the same experience, we take it differently. Therefore, the outcome would differ accordingly. I also think that it is up to individuals to make our own way. No one's life will be a straight line. There are obstacles in our way. Our path may be rough. I think our life can never be a simple one which starts 'bad' but end up 'good'. I believe the Asian way because in reality, our life is more complicated. Good things and bad things happen randomly.
>>Hanna Otani
ReplyDeleteI also think that good things must happen after bad things. When I experience bad things in a row, I always expect good things to happen. By thinking that there are always good things after bad things, I am motivated and feel like I can get over the difficulties. I guess that good things and bad things are twisted together like a rope. Remember how ropes are interwoven with two strings? I think our life is like that. Just like how the Asians think, there is a constant change in our life.
1.
ReplyDeletesorry I'm commenting today:(
I think slightly on the western side, although I have a strong thought that life doesn't go in one straight line like good→bad or bad→good.
Maybe this sounds a little religious but I believe that all the things that happen have a meaning and at the same time they are meant to happen. If you're living a satisfied life enjoying yourself and doing the best, even the bad things which happen will seem like a wall to climb over. You can look at it on the good side and be positive that you were meant to overcome the problem. On the other hand, if you're being lazy and not doing your best when you know you can do better, the bad things which happen can be all blamed on you and will turn out as a vicious circle.
I guess the way Westerners think is more easy to live compared to tha Asians. In an Asian'S way of thinking, once things go durn hill it seems there is nothing you can do about it, which is really hard to try and live a beter life.
1) I believe that nothing is one-way. Life is always changing therefore bad things can turn good, but at an instance, can also change back to bad again. I have this notion from my own experience.
ReplyDeleteDuring my high school years, I was struggling with the class called TOK, which was about critical thinking, reasoning, discussing, writing, presenting… etc. I thought I was freed from it at the moment of graduation, but the happy time did not continue so long. The similar syllabus existed in the university course! From me, this seems changing from bad to good, then back to bad.
Although, I have to add on that learning how to critically examine and present stuff is not too bad when looking at our future life!!
As a result, I conceive life as a continuous matter, which is formed maybe because of my Japanese parents who raised me up until now.
2. Sorry I hope I’m not too late. I agree with Nisbett when he states easterners have a holistic view. I think it has something to do with the style of education. In Japanese schools children are taught in classes or smaller groups in which they do presentations or group work. They learn subconsciously that they are a part of the larger group and this seems to lead to the idea of viewing substances as constituents of a bigger picture. However, I recall that my school in England taught students in groups as well, in classes of about twenty. So perhaps westerners have some holistic view as well. The idea that westerners never think of connections between substances seems too unrealistic. Charles Darwin, for example came up with the theory of evolution. Surely the evolutionary tree is a holistic idea? It is true that there are quite a number of people disagreeing with Darwin in the West while Japanese textbooks have the theory down as fact. However, Darwin, a westerner introduced the theory of evolution and there are westerners who believe it is true. I think westerners and easterners alike have no need to worry if they are too holistic or analyctic.
ReplyDelete3. I agree with the indication that one can control one’s surroundings is “illusion”. In my opinion, the world is not a “relatively simple place, composed of discrete objects that can be understood without undue attention to context, and highly subject to personal control”(pg 100), but a complex interrelated place which goes beyond one’s personal control. There are many factors which affect one’s life and I think that we are always influenced by the environment. Our actions may lead to some control of our surroundings, but I believe there are limits to it. Unexpected things could always happen no matter how hard one believed in their control over the situation. This may sound somewhat depressing, but I think this is what makes life more interesting, in a way. Therefore, I agree with the “illusion of control”.
ReplyDelete>> Emma
ReplyDeleteI agree that all the things that happen have a meaning. Thinking this way would help us to get over hardships and make these things meaningful. I think people who think this way would be successful, for they try to find out a meaning of hardships and do not let them go easily. This way of thinking can be connected to critical thinking in that people think critically about things that happen and make sense. I would like to be a person who can face bad things and make them good.
I'm so sorry to post this on the last minute.
ReplyDelete1)I believe in Eastern way that when something good happens, something bad will also happens. I think good and bad are coexisting and we experience both of them through our lives. So, when I’m going through bad terms, I believe that it is only for short term and something good will happen to me later. Also when I’m in really good term, I sometimes become scared that that happiness doesn’t stay for a long time.
Therefore, even though I believe in Eastern way, as Uka said earlier, I believe that Western way that believes life goes from bad to good. Because I think that will always enable people live optimistic and can have hope to their future.
1),
ReplyDeleteI believe in the Eastern way of thinking on life. Life is always changeable to good or bad. It is ok tobe that. It would be easier to think in Western way because it makes us to put an effort for a better life. But, it is fun to think in Eastern way because an unexpectable life is full of fun. Nobody knows what comes next and what will this chage to. But, when a person cannot stop expecting bad events after good because he is afraid of unexpectable events, life would be difficult for him.
1) I believe in the Eastern way. I think everything is changing in life, so sometimes bad things happen and sometimes good things happen. For example, when I entered junior high school, I have been very anxious since everything was new to me. But after a while, I got used to my life in junior high school and I really enjoyed it. So that was kind of a time when life was good. But, as time passes, I started to dislike my school life somehow. I started to tend to find only bad aspects about my school. Therefore I was always annoyed with something about my school. So this was a time when life was bad. But later, I began to really like my school again. At that time, everything about my school seems just great and fun, and I really liked it. This might not be a good example for this question, but I do believe life changed from good to bad, and then from bad to good.
ReplyDelete