Learning Challenge: Read an Article about Empathy

Learning By H.E.A.R.T.

I decided to read an article about empathy for a learning challenge. I picked the article "3 Little Tricks to Deal With People Who Offend You" by Leo Babauta. This was a really fun article to read. I decided to read this article because I feel like I do take some things to heart, especially things that I really shouldn't and I get offended. It's not really the everyday things that the author wrote about in the article. It's the mean words that people say that I take to heart. I read this article in hopes that I might find a way to not do that.

• One thing that was confirmed for me in this article was what they wrote in the second point. The comparison they used was really good. They described you and other drivers on the road to you in a raft and twigs floating down the river. They twigs aren't really trying to get in your way. They're just there, just like how other drivers aren't purposely trying to bother you on the road. I realized that I'm not so easily offended by that. I kind of just mind my own business and don't get bothered unless people are being obnoxious and annoying.

• One thing that the author mentioned they do is give people a mental hug when they think someone is using rudeness as a coping mechanism. I think that's something new I'll try. I myself am usually so stressed all the time that I feel like I've unconsciously been rude before. Since finals are coming up, I know how stressed out the population of OU is going to be so I'm going to mentally hug someone when I see them being rude.

Mental hug. Source: Flickr.

• One thing that I'm curious to explore is the Get Big theory. Get Big means to get the bigger perspective about a situation. I think I do that anyway, but not as often as I should. I do tend to act like a brat sometimes. I need to learn to see the bigger perspective of a small problem.

Extra Reading: Babbitt Jataka Tales

Jataka Tales 

by Ellen C. Babbitt. 1912.

For extra credit reading, I read through Part A of the Babbitt Jataka Tales. 

The one I really liked was the How the Turtle Saved His Own Life. In this one, there are little princes that had a lake in the courtyard that their dad, the king, had made for them. The king had asked some men to put fishes in it. The princes were looking at the fishes when they saw the Turtle. They had never seen one before so they were scared and though it as a demon. They ran to their father and told them there was a demon in their lake. The king ordered his men to catch the demon and bring it to him. When the turtle was brought in, the king ordered his men to kill. The men started giving out ideas on how to kill the turtle. Then one old man who was afraid of the water said to throw it into the lake where it flows by the rocks in to the river. When the turtle heard the old man, he said to the King something like "what did I do that you would even think about doing such a dreadful thing to me? The other plans were bad, but to throw me into the lake?" So when the king heard the turtle, he ordered his men to throw the turtle into the lake immediately. The turtle laughed to himself once he was in the water because he knew the king and his men didn't know how safe he actually was in the water.

Turtle swimming. Source: Wikimedia.

I really liked this one because it had good old-fashioned psychology and trickery. The Turtle was the smartest one out of all of them.

Tech Tip: Meme Generator

Tech Tip: Meme Generator

I used the ImgFlip meme generator to make a meme for another blog post and now I feel like I'm going to keep making memes because I love memes. 

The meme I created for the Growth Mindset blog post. Source: ImgFlip.

Growth Mindset: Trying New Things

Growth Mindset: Trying New Things

The Growth Mindset challenge I did was the "Learn from Other Students" one. For the challenge, I was to find quotes from former students that would show me something new, like a different way of thinking. So I went to the Padlet and started looking. Initially, I thought I wouldn't find much and have to do another challenge because I had already heard the same old inspiring quotes that most everyone will have in their Instagram bios or retweet on Twitter. But I was actually shocked when I started finding some that were so unique and different, things that I wouldn't even think about. Here are a few of the my favorite ones I found.

NEVER BE COMPLACENT

I like this one because it really speaks to me. I was never the complacent child that I would just accept things the way they were. I always asked questions and always wondered why I had to do this and that. Even today, I still question many things about society and culture and why girls are expected to be a certain way and etc. I think this will be a good reminder to me to never stop questioning, to never just be. I think the fact that I question many things helps me grow as a person.

R.U.N. Rejoice Under Negativity. 
I don't have a problem with taking negative feedback from people, but I do sometimes tend to just ignore it. I realize that doing that doesn't make it just disappear or go away. That feedback, that opinion of theirs will still be there, and it's up to me to take it in good stride and change it.

WHAT I AIM AT
Over the last few years, I have definitely strayed off track a few times. I have forgotten what my goals are and what I need to achieve because of stress. I have given up many times and felt like a failure. But I've also picked myself up so many times so this really spoke to me. This will be a great reminder to remember that I have so many goals I'm aiming to achieve and I need to not give up so easily when times get rough.

Meme I made using the ImgFlip meme generator. Source: ImgFlip.

Week 13 Story: Arjun and Subha's Relaxing Evening

Arjun and Subha's Relaxing Evening

Abhimanyu fighting in the Chakravyuha. Source: Wikimedia.

It is a warm, summer evening. A couple can be seen sitting on a bench in their backyard, talking animatedly. The husband rubs the wife’s stomach, trying to feel their baby kick. 

“I can’t wait till he gets here,” says Arjun the husband. 

“I know, me neither. I just want to not look so big anymore,” says the wife, Subha. 

Arjun laughed at his wife’s whining. Ever since they found out she was pregnant, he felt much happier every day. He couldn’t wait until his son arrived in this world. They had already picked out a named. They were going to name him Abhimanyu. 

“Tell me a story, Arjun,” said Subha.

“About what,” asked Arjun.

“Anything. I’m just in the mood for a story or something. I want the baby to hear too,” said Subha.

“Hmm. What story should I tell her,” thought Arjun. He kept thinking and thinking until he finally settled on telling her about the Chakravyuha. 

“Subha, do you know what the Chakravyuha is,” asked Arjun. “No,” answered his wife. 

“Well, then prepare yourself for a little history lesson. When I was little, my dad would always tell me stories about wars and battles,” said Arjun. “I got to learn a lot of old-timey war strategies such as formations. One of my favorite formations he told me about was the Chakravyuha. It’s a multi-tiered defensive formation that looks like a blooming lotus if you look at it from above. The warriors would be places in positions where it would be tough to fight and tough to leave. It was used in the battle of Kurukshetra. That was a battle between the Kauravas and Pandavas from the Mahabharata. You know what’s a big coincidence?”

“What,” asked Subha.

“One of the great warriors who died in the Chakravyuha, his name was also Abhimanyu. He fought everyone in that Chakravyuha all by himself. He was courageous and literally fought till his death.”

“Oh, really?” questioned Subha.

“Yes,” exclaimed Arjun. “When our boy grows up, I’m going to tell him stories about this great warrior Abhimanyu and the war stories I know. I hope the stories will inspire him to be just as courageous as his namesake.”

Little did they know, their son was listening to everything they said from the womb. 

Bibliography:

Birth of Abhimanyu. Epified: Mahabharata.

Chakravyuha. Wikipedia.

Author's Note: I watched an Epified: Mahabharata video where more of Arjuna and Subhadra's relationship is shown. There's a part where she is pregnant and the narrator says that Arjuna used to tell Subhadra stories, and Abhimanyu would be listening from the womb. One of them included the strategy of the Chakravyuha. I thought to write a story about how I think an interaction between them would be like. I also had to look up some more on the Chakravyuha so I could actually describe it. 

Wikipedia Trails: From Hastinapur to Qutb Minar

Wikipedia Trails: From Hastinapur to Qutb Minar

I started the trail off with the article about Hastinapur. I was curious to learn more about it because it is one of the kingdoms mentioned in the Mahabharata. I wanted to learn about how modern-day Hastinapur is and how the culture is in that city now.

From that article, I went to the article about the Mughal Empire. I was curious about the Mughal Empire because a few years ago I watched an Indian movie based on a Mughal emperor who took over India. I wanted to learn how long the empire lasted in India and who all the emperors were. 

The next article I went to from that article is the article about the Delhi Sultanate. I wanted to learn more about this because I got to learn a little bit about it when I went to India in 2015. The tour guide would give us some info about the sites we were visiting but I don't remember much of what he said so decided to look more into it. 

The last article I went to was the one about the Qutb Minar. I actually got to visit the Qutb Minar when I went to India in 2015. The whole area is called the Qutub Minar Complex and it is filled with Indo-Islamic architecture that is partially preserved and partially deteriorated. It was really cool to see in person and I wanted to learn more about its history. 

Image Information: personal photo of the Qutb Minar I took.
Photo from January 2015.

Image Information: personal photo of the Qutb Minar with Parso-Arabic and Nagari characters.
Photo from January 2015.

Reading Notes: Epified, Part F

Epified: Mahabharata

 Part F

Pandavas leaving for their exile. Source: Wikimedia.

Continuing from Part E, this part of videos talks about the outcome and aftermath of the dice game. The Pandavas go on their exile and they meet Krishna who wants them to fight the Kauravas. Arjuna receives Shiva's weapon and 

The disrobing of Draupadi was the beginning of their long period of hatred for Duryodhana and the Kauravas. The Kauravas had been so greedy and evil that they called the Pandavas back for another round of dice and mainly to humiliate them again. I think if I were to write a story, I would write about the Pandavas and their emotions of having lost everything and being exiled. I specifically liked the part in the video about them being exiled where they are leaving and the people of Hastinapur are trying to stop them from leaving or are following the Pandavas into their exile. I think it would be something different to write a story from the point-of-view from one of the people in their kingdom. 

Reading Notes: Epified, Part E

Epified: Mahabharata

Part E

Subhadra driving a chariot away from Dwarka with Krishna and Arjuna in it.  Source: Wikimedia.

In this part of the Epified videos, the narrator starts off by talking about Arjuna and Subhadra. The videos also mention one of the parts of the Mahabharata that I hate: the dice game and the outcome of it. 

One part I focused on mainly was in the very beginning of this part of videos when Arjuna brings Subhadra back to his family. Everyone happily greets her except one person, Draupadi. I mean, I don't blame her though. If my husband brought another one home I wouldn't be too happy about it either. There was a difference I noticed about this Epified version and the PDE version. In this version, Arjuna sends Subhadra as a maid to Draupadi. In the chapter, Arjuna and Subhadra of the PDE version, Subhadra herself approached Draupadi and introduced herself as Draupadi's handmaiden. 

Another part I focused on was the son, Abhimanyu. I like that in the video, Birth of Abhimanyu, it shows more of the relationship between Arjuna and Subhadra after their marriage and during her pregnancy. 

I feel like not much was mentioned about either Subhadra or Abhimanyu. Abhimanyu becomes more of a bigger part in the epic around the time the big battle begins between the Pandavas and Kauravas. I could write a story about Abhimanyu's life growing up and his relationship with his mother and father maybe. 

Wikipedia Trails: From Draupadi to Elizabeth of Russia

Wikipedia Trails: From Draupadi to Elizabeth of Russia

Brihadishvara Temple. Source: Wikmedia.  

I started the trail off with Draupadi article. I wanted to read more on her to see if there could be anything on her Wikipedia page that wasn't mentioned in any of the readings. I got to learn some more information of her life with the Pandavas. I also learned that she has over 400 temples dedicated to her throughout various Indian states. 

From that article, I went to the article about Tamil Nadu. I have always been curious about the South Indian states. The languages down in the south are completely different than the ones I've grown up hearing. I got to learn from the article that the language of Tamil was the first language to be recognized as a classical language of India. 

From the Tamil Nadu article, I went to the article about the Seven Years' War. I remembered learning about it in a world history class but I don't remember much about it so I decided to research more. I learned that it spanned over 5 continents and it involved every European great power. It has also been described as "World War Zero" because it was similar in scale to the other wars.

Lastly, I ended at the article of Elizabeth of Russia. I wanted to learn more about her because I've heard of Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, but this was a first to see a Queen Elizabeth of Russia. Elizabeth was the Empress of Russia from 1741 to her in 1762. She led the country throughout two wars: the War of Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War. 

Tech Tip: Blogger Template

Tech Tip: Blogger Template

I used this tech tip because I felt like changing my blog. I got bored with the design. I followed the instructions to see how I could change the design. I decided to change my background image to an image of a place in India. I think it fits well with the theme of this class. 

Week 12: The Long Lost Son

The Long Lost Son

*I have updated this story for my portfolio project and the newer version is here on my website. I gave the story a new name as well. 

Cousins battling. Source: Wikimedia. 

“I can’t wait for the tournament,” Bhima announced loudly to his brother. The five Pandava brothers had been so excited all morning for this tournament. 

This tournament was between them and their cousins, the Kauravas. The purpose of the tournament was to see how much they had learned in their training from Kripacharya and Drona. Their skills would be tested today. Their talents would be exhibited in front of everyone including the royal family and the public. 

“I hope none of my sons get hurt today,” hoped Kunti. She had bene excited for the tournament as well. She knew her sons had all trained so hard. They had so much energy in them that she knew this would be a perfect way for them to exert all of that energy. 

At the tournament, all of the cousins had went and showcased the talents in front of the crowd. The one who stood out the most was her son, Arjuna. Everyone was stunned by his skills in archery and use of weapons. They watched in awe and admiration. She felt immense pride for her son. But then came along a man named Karna.

Karna said he had trained from Parshuram himself, so he wanted to challenge Arjuna. She watched as Karna surpassed all the feats Arjuna had made. She could tell from her son’s face that was getting angrier by the second. She watched as Arjuna refused to let Karna be crowned the victor.

Kunti couldn’t help but stare at Karna. For some reason, she felt a connection to this man. He looked familiar to her. She listened as Kripacharya stepped in and said they couldn’t let him fight if Karna wasn’t from a royal bloodline. They wanted to know his lineage.

“I don’t know about my lineage. All I know from my parents is that I was found in a basket floating down the river. I was brought up a charioteer and his wife, my mother. They are the only family I know,” explained Karna.

Kunti was in shock. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard. “Could this… could he… is this… no, that’s not possible. But it can be. But how?” thought Kunti. She started to panic. She started to feel dizzy and her vision was getting darker. She lost consciousness the moment she realized that Karna was her firstborn. 

Author's Note: I based this story off of an interaction from an Epified: Mahabharata video. In the video, Karna becomes King, Kunti finds out for the first time that the man challenging Arjuna is actually her firstborn she had given up. In the video, the narrator focuses more on the tension between the men, and the part about Kunti fainting is briefly mentioned towards the end. I thought since I had already written a story about Kunti giving about baby Karna in her perspective, I would write this in her perspective as well. 

Bibliography:

Karna becomes King. Epified: Mahabharata.