Author: jdeboe (Page 1 of 2)

Creating long-term transformations in our world has always been a problem, simply because our world is not the same all around. We all exist within smaller, complex systems that make up the entire planet. These systems often differ in many ways. This is what makes solving wicked problems so difficult, since coming up with a solution for one particular issue does not guarantee that it will work for that same issue all throughout the world. Leaving many people to assume that the fight for worldwide change is impossible. However, we often forget to look at the small similarities between the systems that govern our societies. As we do start to recognize these patterns, we begin to realize that large scale change is not as difficult as it may seem at first glance. 

Adrienne Marie Brown shows in the beginning sections of “Emergent Strategies” that the most crucial step in making changes in our world is by learning about natural systems. As explained in the introduction, we are often greatly affected by changes in other ecosystems around us and vice versa. If we want to make real changes that can benefit more than just one or two regions of the world, a basic understanding of the natural systems around us is a necessity. That means learning how to sustain our population and the population of other animals that share the planet with us. “I want to understand how we humans do that-how we earn a place on this precious planet, get in the ‘right relationship’ with it. So I am focusing on the ways creatures and ecosystems function together in and with the natural world” (5). Despite so many efforts being made to leave Earth behind in the future, we often forget to notice the perfect planet we already live on. The chances of life existing at all are slim, if this planet managed to get it right, then we should spend more time trying to heal it instead of abandoning it. 

The most intriguing part of Brown’s plans for understanding natural systems is the use of emergent strategies. The term emergent strategy is best explained by breaking down the meanings of the individual words. Emergent simply means looking at multiple different layers of interactions between systems. If two ecosystems were to be closely related based on similar patterns, this relationship could help people learn how to change or sustain one ecosystem by affecting the other. “But emergence shows us that adaptation and evolution depend more upon critical, deep, and authentic connections, a thread that can be tugged for support and resilience… Dare I say love. And we know how to connect-we long for it” (14). Strategies, on the other hand, refer to the steps taken to accomplish some sort of feat. Together, emergent strategies are measures made to change certain systems based on the relationships outside and within them. This is important because many patterns in nature are often ignored or not investigated because they may not have seemed so significant at first. However, Brown argues that these patterns could be the key to solving problems throughout multiple different systems, simplifying the way we look at complexity in the natural world. 

So what’s the point? Yes, these ideas are useful for people wanting to make changes in their communities, states, or even countries. But how does this apply to water equity and the Mississippi River? How can emergent strategies be used to solve problems along one of the largest rivers in the Americas? Well, despite how different certain communities along the Mississippi may be, they all share common advantages and disadvantages. Many of these cities experience massive flooding from the river, yet they also have access to easy transportation thanks to the river. In mapping the Mississippi, we can notice the similarities in nearby communities and use that to our advantage. For example, efforts made to minimize flooding in one city could also be used in another city with the same problem. Implementing Brown’s ideas in real life could be the key to changing our goals from just a vision to a reality. 

All in all, the systems in our world are a lot more connected than we may realize. Many different cities and states along the Mississippi River share common problems that can be solved by noticing the patterns within them. Even beyond our country, there are several massive rivers throughout the world that may pose the same problems for the people who live along them. Water equity along the Mississippi River is an issue in and of itself, but it is not the only water related issue that is faced in our world today. If we can learn to recognize the patterns within our vicinity, we can also learn to apply these solutions to other systems around the world, making real change not just for our country, but for our entire planet. 

In every story, there are clearly defined protagonists, heroes, and antagonists, villains. The reality of these stories is that they would be vastly different if told from the POV of the “villains”. Nobody wants to see themselves as the enemy or the bad guy in their story. Instead, we tend to try and either justify the actions that we made or sweep those actions under the rug. In the case of US history, it is clear now that we were not always the good guys. For example, our treatment of Native Americans was terrible in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. The US government originally tried to act as if all the massacres and relocations never happened, but this did not work for long. Eventually, the government had to own up to their cruel treatment of the natives and admit that they were the bad guys in this situation. However, the concept of “good” or “bad” is often based on the perspective of the audience, an idea that is explored throughout Bruce Upholdt’s “The Great River”. 

For most novels or pieces of literature that discuss the old relationship between the US government and Native Americans, they are often told in the perspective of the natives, in order for the audience to get the best glimpse of how bad the US treated them. “The Great River” is not like these texts though. Bruce Upholdt’s piece actually starts out with the point of view of a group of settlers reaching the Mississippi River. As the story progresses, it becomes apparent that the settlers did not want anything to do with the land near the Mississippi Valley. “He seemed unimpressed, repeatedly grading this floodplain territory as second-rate land. Robbins, too, had his doubts: when his former general offered a patch of the Arkansas floodplain as a part of his ‘war bounty,’ the surveyor declined, figuring it would be too much work to wring out a profit” (72-73). The groups of explorers that were sent out to survey the new land first thought that the land could not be profitable due to its depth and its cluster of bushes and trees. Not everyone shared this same opinion though. President Thomas Jefferson, the man who was encouraging settlers to explore the Mississippi River, believed that it could serve as an “empire for liberty” (75). This ideology led Thomas Jefferson to suggest the removal of natives from their tribal lands, a proposal that kicked off decades of mistreatment. Perspective is most important in this. While the settlers and Thomas Jefferson may not see themselves as the bad guys yet, since they are just trying to explore the land that they won from the British, the actions that they take to do so make them a bad guy for the natives who have been living there for hundreds of years. 

Along with giving a description of the settlers who traveled to the Mississippi Valley, the author also shows just how influential the Mississippi River was too. Even though President Jefferson wanted the river under US control, the Mississippi was not exactly “all good”. “A bad flood had liquefied forty miles of land, and even after the waters receded, there would be hazards to contend with: ‘the poisonous effects of Half dried mud, putrid fish, & Vegetable matter-almost impenetrable cane brakes, and swarms of mosketoes,’ the surveyor wrote” (82). The Mississippi River had a history of flooding, which often damaged the land around it and brought along other problems. Once the government began to realize how often these floods can occur, systems were put in place to try and “control” the once revered river. However, Jefferson was not the only man who truly admired the river. The author makes a quick nod to an account of a settler named Fink, published by Morgan Neville in 1828. In this story, Fink strives to live a peaceful life in the wilderness, while ironically killing any Indigenous person who got in his way. Once this narrative was sent throughout the country, it not only portrayed the idea of opportunities out west, but also the idea that the natives were insignificant. 

The author goes on to talk about how tension between the Native Americans and the US government grew harsher. While the settlers continued to get into confrontations with the natives, the US was once again waging war against Great Britain. In the War of 1812, the British returned to America, and this time, they recruited local soldiers to help them win the war. “Many Indigenous people, subscribing to the theory that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, had allied with the crown. Two Shawnee brothers-one a prophet, the other a soldier-set up the headquarters for a burgeoning anti-American movement in the unconquered territory along the Wabash River” (83). With supplies from Britain, the natives were finally able to fight back. But this was only the beginning of the conflict. The war was ended by General Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, who would later go on to continue his attacks against the Native Americans. After Andrew Jackson was made president in 1829, his violence towards the natives shifted from small battles to massacres and large relocations. The author clearly wanted the audience to realize that the mistreatment of the Native Americans was not just a single centralized occurrence. Rather, it was a slow progression from negotiating to outright murdering innocent natives. It was a cycle that continued from president to president, from war to war, for over a century. 

Many people often wonder why settlers, and later the US government, could order for the killing and relocating of thousands of Native Americans for tens of years. Bruce Upholdt does a great job at answering this question by first showing the perspective of the “bad guys”. The members of a young country who were determined to carve out their own destiny by taking the resources that laid out west became lost in their ambitions and started to put conquest over the lives of native populations. It is important to note that throughout all of this, neither side saw themselves as the villains in this conflict. Each group was simply looking out for their own interests. The US government just let their arrogance and self-entitlement drive them to greater lengths. Which is why it is important to always look at a situation outside of your own POV. If not, you could end up as the villain of your own story without even noticing it. 

Part of growing up is reflecting on how your parents raised you and what you would have done differently. Some may resent their parents and their teaching methods, while others look back, wishing that they would have listened. But it’s only after the death of a parent when people start to realize how significant their mom or dad in their lives. This is a theme explored in a piece of literary text known as “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” by Sherman Alexie. Throughout the chapters of this text, the author tries to display the impact that the death of his mother had on his life. Beyond just reflecting on his mother’s teachings, the author also goes on to discuss themes on death and parental influence. 

In Chapter 38 of this text, titled “Eulogy”, the author repeated mentions how “My mother was a dictionary” (116). He continues this theme by explaining that his mother was one of the only remaining tribal members who could speak the old language. She would sing the old songs, teach her children a few phrases, and tell stories of the past, but she never taught her kids how to speak the language. When the speaker had to bury his mother, he was not just saying goodbye to a loved one, but also to an entire culture. “She knew words that have been spoken for thousands of years / She knew words that will never be spoken again / I wish I could build tombstones for each of those words” (119). The speaker truly wanted to honor those old memories and traditions. He reflects on how his mother never attempted to teach him the language, but he also starts to realize why this was the case. “She always said to me, ‘English will be your best weapon.’” (120). It is only after his mother’s death that they realize how important that lesson truly was. The author’s understanding of English and its literature is what lead him to use writing as a form of expression. Even after her death, the author’s mother is still teaching him lessons. 

Most people see death as an unfortunate ending. Funeral services are seen as events of mourning more often than not. However, the author begins to get a new perspective on life and death while commemorating the memories of his mother. When the speaker is with their cousin, they ask him if he killed the deer that her used in the venison stew. His cousin replies with a simple “Yes”. To which he responds “‘Thank you for hunting.’” (112). These seem like strange questions to ask in a regular context, but with the author being forced to come to terms with death, he begins to ponder if death was really “bad”. Sure, death can bring the loss of significant individuals, but it can also provide food to people or allow for the growth of new plant life. The author now sees death as a stepping off point, instead of an end. Just because his mother has passed on does not mean that the impact that she left in her life is gone as well. It is evident throughout the chapters in this piece of literature that the teachings of the author’s mother are still sticking to him. It’s as though his mother is living on through his own actions. 

One of the most difficult challenges parents face when raising children is trying to balance teaching and nurturing. While it usually takes a while for the children to notice how crucial their parent’s teachings were in their lives, the parents’ nurturing is often the most impactful in a child’s life. In Chapters 36 and 37, the author looks back on how his mother’s nurturing was not enough to keep him around. In the chapter titled “Utensil”, the author says “Thank you for your imperfect love. / It almost worked. It mostly worked / Or partly worked. It was almost enough” (114). Even though the author is now grateful for the love that his mother showed him, he knows that it never truly helped him become the man that she wanted him to be. However, he goes on to clarify that this was not his mother’s fault. “Yes, my mother was a better mother / To my sisters and brothers, / But they were better children / Than me, the prodigal who yearned / And spurned and never returned” (115). The author was the kid who just wanted to get away. Not to say that he resented his mother, but he was too young and careless to cherish the love and affection that his mother provided. His siblings chose to stay close, while he chose to leave and live his own life. A choice that he did not yet know that he would go on to regret. 

Altogether, death in the family was the one thing that forced the author to reflect on his mother’s life and her influence on him. Not only that, but the author also looks at death in a new way. His mother’s death was not the end of her teaching, it was the beginning of a new chapter in his life that made him finally understand what she was trying to tell him. Now leaving him with one final question to answer: “How will I honor my mother’s life?”. 

Some obstacles that people come across in their daily lives tend to be shared among others who are from the same generation as them. A good example of this would be the COVID-19 Pandemic, which negatively impacted multiple generations of people. Or the modern-day inflation problem. These examples have one thing in common, they are both shared struggles in the Gen Z population. 

The Gen Z population largely use TikTok as their main social media cite, with 60% of TikTok users being “Gen Zers”. One of the main issues that I see TikTok creators discuss in their videos is “trying to get by in our current economy”. Many of the TikTok creators I see who are from my generation post content such as cheap meals to make, ways to earn quick money, and reactions to other creators talking about inflation. It is evident that Gen Z is well aware of the struggle they are going through in the process of becoming an adult. Many adults are barely getting by with a paycheck that would have allowed them to live a good life just a few years ago. Hashtags such as #worklife or #corporatelife are being used by these creators as they are now realizing how difficult the next few years are going to be for them. 

However, many people in my generation do not know exactly why it is getting harder to make enough money nowadays. While inflation is a major issue, money exchange also plays an important role in this topic. For a full generation of people to understand how to navigate the economy, they would need to also understand what statistics factor in to how much money they can earn. With many creators on TikTok having a decent understanding of our modern-day economy, the best way to get the idea out would be to post videos about the statistics of money exchange on the website, with the right hashtags, so people will start reacting to it and spreading awareness on the subject. This would allow people who do not have much prior knowledge of economics to learn more about what they are getting into as adults. 

While not every Gen Z creator on TikTok is posting informational videos online, there is a good number of people who are. There is also a big number of users who watch these videos and either repost them or comment on them. Gen Z may not have the best reputation, but many of them do have a strong knowledge base and a drive to learn more as they go through the biggest transition of their lives. 

Autonomy is a word that starts getting thrown around when a teenager begins to reach the point of adulthood. As kids, we are taught to rely on our parents to make tough decisions and to call the shots. Nevertheless, as we start to age, and we are given more responsibilities, we start yearning for something more: freedom. We want to be able to make choices on our own without the input of an adult. One of the first steps in this journey towards independence is getting a car. While receiving a car may not be so world changing in the long run, since it eventually becomes a necessity for most adults, it is a major milestone in a teenager’s growth. This point is best illustrated by a photo essay published by The New York Times, known as “The First Car”. 

The first image of the photo essay perfectly demonstrates one main aspect of teenagers having their own cars, that is the ability to create a safe space for them and their friends. Before getting a car, most teenagers do not have an environment that is strictly ‘theirs’. At home, teenagers may have their own room, unless they share one with a sibling, but even then, their room is still inside their parents’ home. Even at high school, while they may be away from their parents, the kids are still surrounded by teachers and fellow students. Not to mention that the pressure of class work does not exactly make for a relaxing environment. A line from the introductory paragraph of the photo essay sums it up best: “For many young people, their first car grants them a freedom to explore their city on an intimate level, with their windows down and music blasting – and away from the prying eyes of parents.” Being free to drive around and go wherever you want with your closest friends allows for bonding time, not only with your friends, but with your environment. Whether that environment be a small suburban area or a big city, having a car lets you familiarize yourself with your surroundings in a more comfortable setting. However, that was not the only point that the essay had to make about the autonomy of getting your first car. 

There are multiple perspectives of the impact of first getting a car explored throughout this essay. One that stands out among the rest is the idea that a car can act not only as a means of getting to a destination, but also as a second home. The feeling of having controlling parents is a common ground for many teens across the country. But when a vehicle is introduced into the dynamic, it can give kids a taste of freedom that they have never experienced before. The independence these teens are seeking is not always just from parents either. With the internet and social media playing a crucial role in our daily lives, the world is more stimulating now than it ever was before. Many high school aged kids are looking for a release, a space they can have where it is just them and their closest friends. The photos in this essay perfectly illustrate this concept. Each one of them shows a group of teenagers laughing and conversing either in the back seat of a car or just outside one. The phrase “It is not about the destination, it is about the journey” is true for these kids. The reality of the situation is that most kids do not want a car just so they can go to faraway places, but so they can just go on a drive and leave all their worries behind them. Upon taking a further look at these images, one can tell just how important driving is to adolescents. 

Besides having the similarity of containing multiple teenagers in one shot, these photos also do a wonderful job at showing the surroundings. For having such a passionate desire to get a car, one would expect the teens to be going to various places, like the movies, or a nice restaurant, but that is not what these images display. Many of the images just outside of a car are taken on a hill, by a sunset, or near a body of water. Additionally, they all seem to take place right next to an open road. These are places that many adults would drive past daily and not give a second glance to. It appears that, despite what adults may think, these teens are acknowledging their surroundings and taking them in as if it were their last time seeing them again. “‘I want to hang on to this as long as possible.’” In a time when the most fulfillment that people get on a day-to-day basis is seeing how many likes their post on Instagram gets, it is refreshing to see that there are still kids out there who are capable of living in the moment. 

Besides the meaning that the pictures in this photo essay are really trying to display, the images are still impressive on an artistic level. Not every picture shown is taken inside of a car. Many of the images attempt to highlight the places that a car could take you. The mountains, the hills, the beaches, they all truly exemplify the creativity behind the photographer. The photos also go along great with the quotes in the essay. For example, 20-year-old Ankha Cros-Roig explains: “‘Growing up in L.A., it’s such a big city and the public transportation is so terrible. Getting a car I felt like I could actually do anything and go anywhere.’” This idea perfectly matches the feelings set forth by the creative images. The writer and the photographer both knew exactly how to make the images match the text in a way that invoked the same emotions. 

Overall, this photo essay does an excellent job at highlighting one main story in two separate ways. From the ideas given through the quotes, to the imagery displayed in the pictures, every point managed to correlate with one another in a way that could make the reader truly understand the impact of receiving your first car as a teenager. While there were other photo essays in the Where We Are series that had some depth to them, this one truly stood out as a piece that was both relatable and insightful. If I were to create a photo essay about a topic that was important to me, I would look back at “The First Car” as inspiration on how to make a cohesive photo essay. 

Throughout my time in high school, I had written several essays and given multiple oral presentations. While my presentation skills did not improve much until my Public Speaking class, my writing skills had constantly progressed. However, I always knew that my essays and speeches could have been better. I was not exactly sure what to change, but with college slowly approaching, I started to believe that there was more I could do to further develop those skills. Now that I am in school again and enrolled in a Transdisciplinary Communication course, I have a list of goals I want to reach during my time in this class. 

The English classes that I took in high school helped me learn how to effectively communicate my ideas through papers and essays. Unfortunately, finding creative ways to display my knowledge has never been my strong suit. I often found myself repeating the same words or phrases throughout a single paper. So, my first objective would be to widen my vocabulary in a way that allows me to show my understanding of a certain subject without sounding bland or repetitive. I want to be able to write a compelling argument or illustrate a talking point in a way that shows my full understanding of the issue at hand. But my goals for writing do not just stop at the writing itself. 

Another issue I came across in high school was finding the right sources for accurate information. I was told early on that Wikipedia was not a reliable source when looking for facts. When I reached my junior year of high school, I was also told that the Google search engine, as a whole, was not the best place to look for dependable data. After that, I started using the school search engine for information on essay topics, which was even more difficult since the school search engine never had enough sources to write an entire essay with. As a result, my essays began to feel emptier, like I was just filling the gaps in info with long, drawn-out sentences. I know now that I will need to discover better ways to find credible sources for college essays. Whether that be through finding more educational search engines or exploring the Lovejoy Library. Either way, broadening my number of sources will be beneficial for me going forward. Along with that, being able to communicate newfound knowledge with others is also a skill that I will need to further develop. 

Learning new things and developing them into my daily life has always been a great skill of mine. Sharing those topics with others has never been my strong suit though. I often feel unqualified to teach others on a subject matter that I just recently learned about. Even though I know on the inside that I have enough knowledge to share my newfound information with my peers. My hope is that being a part of CODES will help me learn to engage in conversations with a group of people who have a similar knowledge base as I do. So that not only can I teach others what I have learned, but so that they can in turn teach me things that I might not have known previously. Moreover, I am also hoping to be able to take charge of many of these discussions. 

I have never been the kind of person to take the leadership role during group discussions in high school. Part of that goes back to my fear of being too inexperienced to lead a group in certain conversations. I have always wanted to be the man who speaks up first and is able to represent a small number of people in front of a larger audience, but I was just used to standing in the background throughout high school. However, CODES gives me the perfect opportunity to develop these skills. One of my goals is to start speaking up more when a topic that I have some knowledge about is brought up. Overtime, this will give me the confidence to take charge in a group setting, even though I will not always have the answer. I want to be able to assume a leadership role inside and outside of the classroom. This brings me to my last main goal for my time in CODES, which is to be able to not only think like a leader but talk like one too. 

I would say that I have always been a good writer, especially in high school. The one thing I have struggled with in English classes is giving oral presentations. One thing my Public Speaking class taught me is that the way you draft a paper is different from the way you give a speech. However, I still spent most of that class trying to give speeches as if they were an essay I was writing. I want to adapt to different techniques of presenting to perfect my speaking skills while I am in college. Once again, the CODES program is my chance to improve on those skills before I need to use them in my regular adult life. 

My abilities in writing, speaking, and collaborating were constantly improving throughout my high school years. Even though some of those skills did not develop to the level that I had wished for, I still have time to work on them. No matter what kind of job I get, I know that it will involve sharing ideas with people through writing or speaking. Which is why I am excited about the CODES program. This is my opportunity to practice my abilities and learn what exactly I need to improve on before my time in college is over. Thankfully, I already know exactly where to start.