Watching the Tree2015

Journal Prompt“What you are now comes from what you have been, and what you will be is what you do now.”

Siddhartha Gautama

Explain the quotation. What did the author mean? What does the quotation mean for your life?

Read Chapter Onepp. 1-29 As you read through

these slides, think about how you would answer these questions.

Use them as prompts in your journals.

Some will be on the discussion board

Tweet your epiphanies using #watchingthetree15

How does your past determine your personality?

Consider:

Birth orderGenderSocio-economic statusFamily tiesGeneticsExperiencesPreferences

What can you change about yourself?

How much of who you are is pre-determined by things outside of your control?

Culture and ChangeAmerican culture:

ANYTHING is possible.Christian culture:

With God, anything is possible.Chinese culture:

Possibility is determined by fate.

Chinese cultureBirth order and gender matter.

The importance of a nameBible names Chinese names

Names indicate character traits. (Jacob)

Names describe physical characteristics. (Esau)

Names express emotion. (Ben-Oni)

Names reflect national status (Ichabod)

Names could be changed (Abram)

Names could be prophetic (Jezreel)

At birth each baby is given a name, but that name is not used in the home.

At home, a child is called by a name dependent of birth-order.

The oldest daughter is called Big Sister, the second daughter Second Sister, and so on. The same goes for sons.

Adeline Yen MahHer name emphasized her value to her

Chinese family.How ?

Why did it matter?

“Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted are the greatest poverty.”

Mother Theresa

  守株待兔

During the Warring States Period in China, there lived a farmer in the state of Song who had a tree stump in his field.One day while working in the fields, a frightened rabbit suddenly dashed out nowhere and bump into the stump accidentally. As a result, it fell dead with its neck broken.The farmer happily took the rabbit home and cooked himself a delicious meal. That night lying on his bed, he thought:” Why do I need to work so hard in the field? All I have to do is wait for a rabbit to run into the stump each day.” So from then on he gave up farming, and simply sat by the stump waiting for another rabbit to come and knocked against it.No more rabbits appeared, however, but he became the laughing-stock of state Song.

Sitting by a stump to capture a careless rabbit.

Things to considerExplain the meaning of the first chapter title-

how can that meaning be applied in your life?Is there really “a hunger in people

throughout the world to comprehend who we are and how we fit together?” (3) Use current events to prove your perspective.

What is the only constant—and why?Summarize the concept of I Ching as best you

can from this text only! (no helps)