We've been talking a lot about dating this week and how relationships begin. The first factor we all jump to is physical attraction, and yes this is extremely important and more often than not the initial reason two people begin a relationship. But we must not overlook propinquity. Having access to the person you are interested in is a key component in getting to know someone. There is only so far an online relationship can and will go. You must spend time with this person. Other than just this, if you are in close proximity as someone you are more likely to have similarities. For example if you meet at a country dance club, odds are you both like country music. Or if you meet at a ski resort, or at a cooking class, we have common ground.
People say that times have changed and that one in five relationships today begin online and that this is a great way to begin a romantic relationship. I would have to disagree. There is a book called "How to avoid falling in love with a Jerk" by Van Epp. He says that Time is one of the three components that are crucial to getting to know someone. You have to spend adequate time together. He explains that three months is the minimum to get to know important things about one other. The other is Togetherness. That you need a wide range of activities to be able to see your partner in a number of circumstances and how they conduct themselves. The third is Talk. Both your partner and yourself must be willing to indulge in the same amount of information at the same rate. One partner that remains closed up while the other offers personal information it can cause an imbalance and leave the relationship feeling one sided.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Culture
This week in class we have been talking about culture, values and judgement. It is important that we not pass judgement on other cultures. Without being in their shoes we have a hard time truly knowing what it would be like having to make the decisions they have to make.
A great example I can think of is female circumcision practiced in many parts of the world, but specifically in West Africa. Women in Africa are circumcised by their mothers, older sisters and grandmothers usually around the age of 12 or shortly before puberty and the menstrual cycle begin. Most of their genitalia is cut off and their vaginas sown up. This is to ensure virginity until marriage. Although I do not agree with female circumcision, and taking all sexual pleasure out of a woman's life, who am I, or who are we to say they need to stop this practice?
What if you were a mother of a young girl in Africa? Would you circumcise her? It is all too easy for us Westerners to quickly say no. But what if it meant your daughter would never be married if she wasn't? In most cultures in West Africa if a woman reaches marriage age and has not been circumcised they are viewed as dirty, unclean, a sexually deviant woman, but more hurtful, unmarriageable. If you knew you would never be able to marry off your daughter you may think twice about the traditions that are expected. A woman might even be upset with their mother for not making it a priority to follow the culture of the land.
This may be an extreme example but all I'm provoking is we not be so quick to judge when we hear about other countries, or even our own, that value different things from our own views.
A great example I can think of is female circumcision practiced in many parts of the world, but specifically in West Africa. Women in Africa are circumcised by their mothers, older sisters and grandmothers usually around the age of 12 or shortly before puberty and the menstrual cycle begin. Most of their genitalia is cut off and their vaginas sown up. This is to ensure virginity until marriage. Although I do not agree with female circumcision, and taking all sexual pleasure out of a woman's life, who am I, or who are we to say they need to stop this practice?
What if you were a mother of a young girl in Africa? Would you circumcise her? It is all too easy for us Westerners to quickly say no. But what if it meant your daughter would never be married if she wasn't? In most cultures in West Africa if a woman reaches marriage age and has not been circumcised they are viewed as dirty, unclean, a sexually deviant woman, but more hurtful, unmarriageable. If you knew you would never be able to marry off your daughter you may think twice about the traditions that are expected. A woman might even be upset with their mother for not making it a priority to follow the culture of the land.
This may be an extreme example but all I'm provoking is we not be so quick to judge when we hear about other countries, or even our own, that value different things from our own views.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Homeostatic Mechanisms
It isn't hard to argue that family is important. Most people grow up wanting kids, a spouse and the white picket fence. But what happens when behind those large red painted door, life isn't what it may seem. Well truth is, no one has a perfect family. The kids don't always go to bed on time and sometimes the in-laws have to move in. It isn't the problems, but rather how you handle them is what keeps families in tact.
Every member of the family plays a significant role. The more aware you are of all the roles we play in the family the better we can work around each other. When one family member isn't functioning properly it can throw off then entire family system. Like a car part in the engine, or a puzzle piece. To make sure your part is well greased and in well functioning order.
One way we can do this is through feedback. Positive feedback is intended to create more of a behavior. We can get this feedback through our family members. When someone validates your feelings you are more inclined to repeat your actions or comments. Between young adult children and parents this can be a useful tool in letting others know what is welcomed or enjoyed.
We need to pay closer attention to the impact we each have on the ever moving and changing family system. Together as a family we need to work with one another to make sure each of us is being the best self we are able to. If there are things to correct, like there most often are. We need to make things right. If this is through therapy or just breaking bad habits. Boundaries sometimes need to be set between parents and children. A family as a unit takes work but can become stronger.
Every member of the family plays a significant role. The more aware you are of all the roles we play in the family the better we can work around each other. When one family member isn't functioning properly it can throw off then entire family system. Like a car part in the engine, or a puzzle piece. To make sure your part is well greased and in well functioning order.
One way we can do this is through feedback. Positive feedback is intended to create more of a behavior. We can get this feedback through our family members. When someone validates your feelings you are more inclined to repeat your actions or comments. Between young adult children and parents this can be a useful tool in letting others know what is welcomed or enjoyed.
We need to pay closer attention to the impact we each have on the ever moving and changing family system. Together as a family we need to work with one another to make sure each of us is being the best self we are able to. If there are things to correct, like there most often are. We need to make things right. If this is through therapy or just breaking bad habits. Boundaries sometimes need to be set between parents and children. A family as a unit takes work but can become stronger.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Classmates Blog
Student Name
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Blog Name
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Cyan Reuel
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Meagan Sturm
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Aunnalisa Henry
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Melissa Martin
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James Warner
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Jessica Morris
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Sara Cross
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Emily Garver
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Katelyn Daniels
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Makayla Deim
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Team Moua
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Regan Smith
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Lizzie DeBroux
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Garen Youngstrom
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Kelsey Kimball
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Paige Simmons
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Sarah Eden
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Malinda Ann Wilson
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Megan Burton
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Mckayla Harrison
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Britton Youngstrom
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Marni Yates
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Sarah Carluccio
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Gaby Gonzales
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Mckinlee Ferguson
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Eliza Done
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Leah Nielson
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Emily Hathaway
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Daina Nielson
| |
Randee Call
| |
Mariah Blaylock
| |
Emmy Kidd
| |
Skye Smith
| |
Elizabeth Free
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Thursday, April 30, 2015
World Population
This week in class we have been talking a lot about patterns in world population. Many people believe that the worlds' resources are rapidly decreasing and that they are almost completely out. There is no evidence to support this. In the 1970's there were only 3 billion people on earth and now there is over 7. There was a widespread belief that people would start starving to death if there wasn't population control.
It all started with the baby bomb post World War II. Over 77 million babies were born in the United States shortly after men came home from the war. The largest increase in births the nation had ever seen. This partly had to do with the current economy years prior. Not only was the nation going through and recovering from a depression, but then we entered into the war and most of the men left the country. So naturally when they all returned and the economy was better, families formed and babies were born. After this baby boom, a lot of buzz was created about the myth of "overpopulation".
Just to give a real world example, you could give every person in the entire world an acre of land, and every last one of them would fit inside the state of Texas alone. Majority of the world is completely empty and undeveloped. This doesn't sound like overpopulation at all, does it? Many people are under the impression that they must have small families in order to support them. This is detrimental to the worlds population. There are simply not enough children being born in todays society all over the world. The problem this creates is there is an excess of elderly people needing financial support from the youth of the world. Social security is running out and this presents a major economic problem for all future generations.
Life expectancy in this world has also dramatically increased. It has been said that "it's not that people started matting like rabbits, but we stopped dropping like flies". This gives an explanation of why there are more people on this earth than we have seen before yet there is no balance or consistency.
Having five children has been compared to robbing a bank. Ethically wrong. That it is using up resources that could be used for another family by having more than one. That having multiple children is selfish. This is obscured. We know that the purpose of this life is to create families have those connections with people. I present you this. If we have parents only having one child, in four short generations these people would find themselves related to no one. No aunts and uncles, which means no cousins, and no brothers and sisters. Never having nieces and nephews. Once their parents die, they would literally have no family. How tragic would that be if we had people walking this earth without a support group. With no one to gather with on holidays and look after. No fun family vacations with all your cousins, or family reunions in Utah every summer with your crazy great aunts.
We need to educate people in the importance of repopulating the earth not only from an economic and survival point of view but more importantly from a point of view of family. Families are our Heavenly Father's greatest masterpiece and we owe it to him to bring his children onto this earth. We have been commanded to and agreed to do so long before we gained temporal bodies.
It all started with the baby bomb post World War II. Over 77 million babies were born in the United States shortly after men came home from the war. The largest increase in births the nation had ever seen. This partly had to do with the current economy years prior. Not only was the nation going through and recovering from a depression, but then we entered into the war and most of the men left the country. So naturally when they all returned and the economy was better, families formed and babies were born. After this baby boom, a lot of buzz was created about the myth of "overpopulation".
Just to give a real world example, you could give every person in the entire world an acre of land, and every last one of them would fit inside the state of Texas alone. Majority of the world is completely empty and undeveloped. This doesn't sound like overpopulation at all, does it? Many people are under the impression that they must have small families in order to support them. This is detrimental to the worlds population. There are simply not enough children being born in todays society all over the world. The problem this creates is there is an excess of elderly people needing financial support from the youth of the world. Social security is running out and this presents a major economic problem for all future generations.
Life expectancy in this world has also dramatically increased. It has been said that "it's not that people started matting like rabbits, but we stopped dropping like flies". This gives an explanation of why there are more people on this earth than we have seen before yet there is no balance or consistency.
Having five children has been compared to robbing a bank. Ethically wrong. That it is using up resources that could be used for another family by having more than one. That having multiple children is selfish. This is obscured. We know that the purpose of this life is to create families have those connections with people. I present you this. If we have parents only having one child, in four short generations these people would find themselves related to no one. No aunts and uncles, which means no cousins, and no brothers and sisters. Never having nieces and nephews. Once their parents die, they would literally have no family. How tragic would that be if we had people walking this earth without a support group. With no one to gather with on holidays and look after. No fun family vacations with all your cousins, or family reunions in Utah every summer with your crazy great aunts.
We need to educate people in the importance of repopulating the earth not only from an economic and survival point of view but more importantly from a point of view of family. Families are our Heavenly Father's greatest masterpiece and we owe it to him to bring his children onto this earth. We have been commanded to and agreed to do so long before we gained temporal bodies.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
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