Participants for February 1st LiveBlog:
Carolyn Foote:
Carolyn is a techno librarian at a large public suburban high school, Westlake High School, in Austin, Texas.
Christian Long:
Christian is a high school English teacher and coach working at a college-prep, preK-12, independent school in Ft. Worth, TX. In addition to working in schools as a teacher and coach for over ten years (prior to his return in the fall of 07), he spent several years working with architects/planners, educational and technology leaders, policy makers, and communities to design and build schools from pre-K through the university level. This work took place throughout the United States and around the world.
Jennifer Wagner:
Jennifer is a Planner and Technology Coordinator from Murrieta, CA. She is the creator of Technospud Projects that encourages teachers to use technology tools in their classrooms. She speaks nationally at many conferences as well as conducts her own seminars.
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Jennifer Wagner here from So Californina
Welcome Jennifer
hey jennifer thanks for joining
Personally, I have a difficult time understanding symphony. Is anyone else having an issue with this?
I'm in from Texas!
(mebeam crashed my computer, so I am now back :)
I didn't ever really think about symphony and using int in everyday life but i realized that I have been using it in my math class for these things that we do called angle puzzles where there are a buch of shapes and you have to find all of the angle measures. But to find the angle measures you have to look at the big picture and see everything that is there.
Delaney, I also didn't really connect with this chapter. The idea just didn't "wow" me.
Delaney- I am having the same issue but I think, at least for me, it's the way Pink writes his book that confuses me.
Yea Delaney I definitely understood design and story much better than symphony. In my opinion it doesn't really deserve it's own chapter, the ideas in it should be blended in with other "senses."
Delany
I am having a little bit of trouble with symphony also because I think that sometimes it is way more important to look at all the pieces that make up the whole and not just the whole picture.
I'm thinking of symphony as how you connect different ideas together that at first seemed unrelated.
Like maybe you go to an art museum and see a painting of a window and it reminds you of "fischbowl" process for example?
Delaney, I agree with you I am confused about what symphony is about.Can anyone explain it in their own words?
Well Kalyn, I am understanding most of Pink's other chapters. This is the first one I have had trouble relating with. That is why I am so confused about the chapter...
Do you think it is the TITLE that is the problem?? The word SYMPHONY to me brings a different image than what this chapter seemed to talk about.
Delaney, I agree. I think symphony makes sense for the most part, but I don't really connect with it. I think symphony is basically everything working together, and since it's more detailed than that, I think it confuses me.
But I also think that seeing the "relationships" Pink talk of are of real inmportance in the chapter, that is the big think Pink is trying to get across
I totally agree with that. Symphony is a sense that can be incorporated into the other senses. That's what the book is about-A Whole New Mind, not The Six New Senses.
Kelsey-
I agree, except I believe that we need both approaches to be the most successful.
I agree with Kalyn. But I think that Pink is trying to make us realize how important every aspect of life is and how nothing can work without the other. It's more detailed than just the big picture.
Kelsey- You are right. It was really interesting for me to know that I apply symphony to math. The angle puzzles are really interesting because you have to look at the whole picture and find the hidden “shapes” in order to find the angle measures. You can't just skim the picture.
JenW,
Maybe it is because I do think of this more as "synthesis"--that is, pulling ideas together.
But maybe using a word like Symphony, that we don't relate to as well, is a way of making the idea fresher?
Jen
Yes I think that it does because when I think of symphony I think of music and all the different instruments that make that symphony good. So I think that it is more than just seeing the whole thing, I think that it is more important to see all the small parts that make something larger.
Rose-I don't really understand what you mean-what kind of relationships?
Can someone also explain what a boundary crosser is?
I think that symphony is simply finding relationships between almost everything in life. By finding relationships it helps us understand things in a higher level because we understand it in terms of another thing and we understand what it is not.
I think the title is good... How it talks about working together and such is similar to how an actual symphony works- its many sounds working together as one.
When I hear the word symphony and do not think about all the things that Daniel Pink talks about. Yes, I think of things that go together in harmony but I have a hard time grasping Daniel Pink's thoughts.
Jen, I would agree with you in a way. When i hear the word symphony I think of an orchestra and music and everything. I think it's hard to train yourself to go beyond just what we think when we hear that word. Is that kinda what you meant?
jenw- You bring up a great point. The title may be something that is throwing us off. Maybe calling it something like "The big picture" would be better.
Caryn, good point. One of the ideas of symphony is that it can connect seemingly unrelated ideas togeather, and integrating this idea into the other chapters would be a great example.
I definitly think that negative people are of major importance in our lives, b/c by them we sort our issues, and instictivly compare lives to which our may be better and lift us for a bit... plus it's reality
Joe
I do think that we need both approaches but I think that in some cases there are appropriate times to look at the whole picture and appropriate times to look at all the small parts.
When I think about the symphony chapter, all I can recall is points about the business world and for me , it's really hard to relate to that.
@kelsiel -- Yes, to me a symphony brings to thought of an entire group working together -- yet it ends up being ONE song. I guess if I think more deeply about the title, that is what this chapter IS talking about - - however, I still think there could have been a better title.
JenW- I agree with you. I think of symphony in the musical way. But if you think about it, Daniel Pink sums up symphony as the ability to fit things together so it blends. When music is created, a bunch of different instruments were combined to make a beautiful sound and they blend together. So in a way, Daniel Pink's definition of symphony is the same as the one we think about.
Jennifer- It says on the blog taht your job is a planner and technology coordinator. How does your job involve symphony? Do you agree with Pinks book?
But I think that what he's getting at in this chapter is really important when you think about something that is an innovation or a new idea.
Sometimes it's putting two things together that don't seem to have any connection at all, and because you understand each of them, you're able to come up with something new.
(like his peanut butter cup example).
So my question is, do you have to understand something really well, to then be able to connect it to some other content area or something completely different?
But I also think that of all the chapters, this is one that did affect me the most......and I am wondering if perhaps of age difference and life experiences thus far??
Wonderfish, that's a really good point. I can relate to design and story more than symphony, and like you said, I can only remember the big picture also.
Why are we having more trouble connecting to symphony, as opposed to easily connecting to design and story?
I really agree with Catherine. I think that it's harder for us to connect to this becuase all it talks about how it will impact our careers. As freshman, that is a really hard concept for most of us to grasp.
I think as a librarian it makes sense to me. Because I work with teachers in different subject areas. So I may see something one teacher is doing in Art, and make a connection with something another teacher is doing in history. And then you can see a new way to do something out of the two.
I also have a hard time understanding symphony. I didn't really get what Daniel Pink's drawing had to do with making your life flow together. Could someone help me?
How is symphony used in the army and other jobs?
@oliviao I am still working through the book (smiles) And to be good at my job, I do need symphony every day -- but it does take effort to look past the obvious and to take time to view other options than just the easiest ones to take.
I'm wondering how this relates to our life. How do you guys symphonize your lives?
It may be harder to connect to symphony, because many of us already naturally see the big picture, and it's just telling us what we already know.
erinp-b/c we tell stories, and draw design, we don't have experience really with symphony
Jen w- I do think age affects the perception of this book greatly. All the adults seem to really love this book and think it is a great eye opener. However most of the students here don’t like the book and can’t wait to be done with it. So I think age also affects the way you think about it, because the adults have many more life experiences.
I think just like Jenw said, we are younger with less life experience. personally a lot of Pink's ideas and thoughts are to complex for me. So, maybe the people who are older understand it better; therefore understanding symphony better. We can't connect to it as well.
Erin-
I think we are having a harder time with symphony because it relates less to us as teenagers than it might to older more experienced people. Design and story are obvious impacts on our everyday lives, and symphony is a little foreign to us, especially since we know so little about the world.
I think just like Jenw said, we are younger with less life experience. personally a lot of Pink's ideas and thoughts are to complex for me. So, maybe the people who are older understand it better; therefore understanding symphony better. We can't connect to it as well.
Erin
I think that it might be because we see design and story happening a lot more in our daily lives and we don't really notice the symphony part. I think that we use symphony in daily life but I think that we just don't realize it or understand that we are using it. Where on the other had we have grown up with stories and designs and we really understand the concept of those two senses.
Lisa, I'm with you on the picture thing. The chapter made sense to me, but that part didn't seem to fit.
Kelsey L I completely agree, some situations are easier to persieve if we look at the little things that make up the big picture. Other times it is more helpful to look at the big picture as opposed to the little things that make it up...it all depends on the situation.
To me, what he was trying to illustrate with the drawing was getting out of his "box." His box was he can't draw (or thought he couldn't).
Sometimes when we are in a certain box, we can't see the other possibilities.
By taking the class, he got out of his box. Then he could think about things differently because now he could "see" the relationships on the paper differently.
Carolyn, I think that when we put two things together like a Peanut Butter Cup, I don't think that we have to understand something to the point where we are analyzing it. I think that a brilliant inspirtation is spur of the moment and is not something that we analyze. However you do have to have a basic understanding of the two objects you are combining.
I think symphony can be more than just relating to jobs and stuff. I think that in order for symphony to be relevant, we have to be able to see meaning in life. We can still have meaning in our lives and we need symphony to pull the different parts of our lives together, like school, social events, sports, family and friends. What do you guys think?
Carolyn- that's an interesting point. I believe the good teachers of the "conceptual age" will be great at doing what you do as a librarian, bringing two seemingly different learning tools together. Ex: bringing design and other right brain activities into subjects like math and history.
During the day, I think I syphomize because I multi-task, using math in science, English in History and vice-versa. We also take everything we learned from school, home. The life at school really affects life at home.
So I just typed a very long post and it wouldn't post. So basically, I can see symphony in music as everyone else does, but how can we mesh together aspects of life besides music in order to fulfill symphony?
@kennaw -- Grins, I didn't mean to dismiss it as an age thing. I just know -- as you get older, as you take on even more responsibilities than you have now -- and also become responsible for others than yourself, this book might change more. Hmmm, make sense??
Caryn S- I symphonize my life by having a schedule that i sort of base my life around every day (except for the weekends of course. Symphony is so much more than relationships, it has to do with how you live your life.
@carolyn -- do you think that using the Reeses peanut butter cup was something that this age student would have understood right away?? I mean the commercial is VIVID in our minds -- but when was it last on TV?? Hmmm, not sure.
I dont really see how I use symphony in my life but I guess I see the "big picture" Pink talks about. I know there are ways I do use the symphony in my life but I honestly can't think of any times.
In everyone's response to my question, I really agree. Everyone tells at least 2 stories a day, and design has a big impact on our life, too. I don't think many of us look at the big picture, because it's not as important to us right now.
Caryn, I try to in cooperate symphony in to my life by managing my time and having some kind of flow in my life.
I also see this chapter as a challenge. I was just looking through the exercises.
I think he's not just talking about connecting ideas in our lives, he's talking about connecting ideas that MIGHT NOT SEEM TO BE RELATED with one another.
So connected very different fields or very different ideas--
His exercise where he suggests that you go buy magazines that are totally unrelated to your interests and then look through them and see how they connect to something you do. It's a great way to break out of your usual way of thinking.
So I think that's what this chapter is challenging us to do.
Someone asked about what a boundary crosser is? I think that's what it is--crossing between two totally unrelated things.
Like a student who is great in math and great in art, can see the relationships and can make "new" connections between those two things.
In the inner circle catherine is talking about how you dont live your life now and matt says to live like theres no tomorow. Who do you agree with? You dont have a life now or you do?
So is multi-tasking using symphony?
Olivia-if you plan your life around single days, is that really symphonizing? Is the "big picture" people try to work for a day, a year, or a lifetime?
@Kalynk -- Just using this blog today is using symphony -- grins!! And I don't recognize symphony in my life, unless I take the time to really search for it or to implement it -- it is easy to stay complacent.....symphony takes to step to making things bigger than complacent -- right?? Perhaps??
Alyssa (in discussion) you are completely correct! You will never get anywhere in life if you sit back and hope it comes to you. You have to put an effort in and do something to add to the big picture...every little thing we do in life adds to the big picture. In my opinion the little things are more important because they are what create the big picture.
Just a thought..... if you don't understand the main concept of symphony, not that I get all of it, try connecting it to yourself. I dance all the time. I also had to help choreograph parts of a dance before we started competing them. When you're a choreographer you have to think of ways to make the moves flow with the music, and everyone has to flow together too. You might not understand this because you're not a dancer, but not everyone does the same movement at the same time. People do different movements at the same time. When you choreograph this to happen you have to think about how to blend everyone together and make it look good. To be successful you want to make it look good all together-the big picture. Just like football, basketball, baseball, and other sports. Everyone has to work together and fit together to make the play work. Does that make any sense to anyone? Or am i just rambling on and on and on.....
I find myself lately putting off HW and putting off school, maybe b/c I'm sick, but probably b/c I'm finding the big picture that my life isn't confined to school and I want to have experiences that are positive..anybody feel like that?
I think it is hard for us to understand symphony because just like everyone in the center circle said, Lisa in particular :) said that our next moments are not guaranteed. For me it is hard to understand symphony without meaning.
Symphony seems to be more subconcious than conscious, with the exception of when you're drawing or making some sort of art, you think about it more, but usually I don't consciously make connections and such, which is basically what symphony is- making connections between two separate things. Sometimes I'm walking the halls when something I had been pondering earlier suddenly falls into place and I see the connections between that and something else. Or one time I'm thinking about, I walked out of a movie and half an hour earlier I saw how the entire plot tied together, why people had the motives they did. I love it when that happens.
Kalyn I completely agree with you I can think of countless time a day when I use story and design, but when I try and think of when I use symphony I can not think of a time.
I really agree with Matt in the inner circle. I think that unless you live life like there is no tomorrow, then you really aren't living. These are the days that we need to cherish while we are young enough to really do what we want. Homework is important and all, but there is a difference between living life and really living life. The big picture is what we are going to see when we look back and see the life we lived and the resluts it created.
I think that to have a successful life we need to think out of the box, do something better, more and not just go through life on cruise control.
Carolyn, about the box idea. I think that sometimes we think and live in a box because we have been told that we think that way and then follow that way because we don't think there is another option. I think that this narrows our way of thought.
I like what Matt(inner circle) is saying about how you need to live every day like it was your last. That is one thing that I am really trying to do. If you are just waiting for life to come to you, you may never appreciate it and enjoy it. If you wait too long, it may be too late. Just remember you are never going to get this day back, are you satisfied with it?
To the inner circle: life is all about BALANCE!!!!
matthewg--that's one of the things I identify with symphony.
When you've really put two ideas together and see it a new way, it's like "wow that's cool"--you "feel" it.
matthewg--that's one of the things I identify with symphony.
When you've really put two ideas together and see it a new way, it's like "wow that's cool"--you "feel" it.
Caryn S- I think that we should base our lives looseley around the big picture of our whole lifetime but everyday we should try to make the best of.
nice metephor Kelsie i agree
Carolyn Foote, I never though about the art class Pink took in that way, that is very interesting.
Emilyh--right--so how do we get out of that box?
How do we "scrub our eyes clean?"
Kenna, I totally get what you are saying don't worry ;). In volleybal it's the same thing, we have to work as a team using simple skills to help win each individual point (little things) until we have won the entire game (the big picture). You make perfect sense.
caryoln
I think that we do need to connect things that we don't really think could connect.
In my history class my teacher has us connect things like spoons, tissues, rubber bands, etc. to history and I think that when we connect things that we don't think can be connected it helps us to remember and to see beyond just a spoon and to think of things in a new way.
Rose- I totally have been feeling like that lately. In the past, school was my first priority. I had motivation to do my homework and do it as well as I possibly could. Lately I haven't really cared. I do my homework by going through the motions and I've been trying to spend my time doing things I love instead of things that could possibly help me in the future.
Live for today.
Okay so I have a question for all of you.... Do you agree with what Pink says about seeing the big picture? I think that he makes it seem like that's the proper way to live to. What do you think?
Kalyn, I do agree with Pink, but not so much with what you said. I believe that being able to see the big picture is very important, but I don't think that he is trying to press this as the "way to live".
Cat...can you elaborate a litlle??
A good way to "get out of that box" is to look at a situation from someone else's perspective. I do that all the time when I have an argument with my parents. I can't say the same for them, though.
I thought about what he said when you have an item that isn't working -- instead of just deciding it doesn't work -- you find a way to make it work, really was interesting.
And the chocolate chip cookie comment --- YES!!! It did come from an idea or a taste that someone liked enough to share.
But do I share things like that? Hmmm, do you??
Kenna-- Not at all! I think that is a great point. If you are playing a sport and not working together as a team your team doesn't have a very good chance of winning.
Carolyn, I think that we get out of the "box" by first identifying the label that we are living by or people associate us with and then whenever we think that way ,we notice it and change our words or reaction. The first step is noticing when we follow that label.
Exactly what I feel like Caryn, thanks for putting that to words
I agree with what Amber said about balancing out the two extremes of living. I believe everyday is a gift and everyday deserves your best shot but you also have to live everyday for the future. It is confusing!
Matthew, that sounds really similar to emphathy!
There is time for work and time for play.... life is not all about work or just about play.... life would be horrible with only one and not the other.
I agree with what the people in the inner circle are saying about living your life like it is your last. I believe that there is no limit on how much you can "live" but we can not forget about the school work part of life(no matter haw much I want to)
kalyn- I think Pink is just presenting the big picture idea as a differnt way to look at anything. I don' think he is telling us it is a way we need to live our life.
There is time for work and time for play.... life is not all about work or just about play.... life would be horrible with only one and not the other.
I do not know if Daniel Pink is right or wrong. I don't think it's right that he says living in symphony is the only way to live life, but I'm not sure he's saying that. I think that in order for you to live a satisfied life in your own opinion, you have to live the way you want. That way of living will be different for everyone.
Mattthewg
I totally agree with you, because when I get in a fight with my mom I try to see her point of view, but when I try to bring that into play and try to have her feel what I feel she just closes her mind off and doesn't even try to see it my way.
Kenna and Agolden,
So if you think about dance or volleyball, and there's a problem you can't figure out, like the dance won't work out right or something.
And then you see a commercial on tv, and you think--aha, that's how we could solve that problem--to me, that's Symphony.
Random point- The iPhone is a great example of symphony. Three totally different things: a phone, music player, and a computer, combined into one "big picture." It's been selling like mad
@ jeffrey
It is really similar to empathy. All of the chapters relate, and I've found that it's relatively easy to use each one to compliment another.
Catherine, I think that is really what symphony is all about. We have to incorporate work into play and play into work.
The inner circle is talking about how other classes relate with each other. In my history class the other day we had to look at some picture form WWII and tell a story about it. There was a picture of a distressed women and you could tell that her body language was telling a story.
And what is kind of ironic, Play is another sense
Kalyn-I think Pink kind of contradicts himself. Like you said, he presents the idea of having to live each day as a part of a lifetime.
On the other hand, I'd say live life day by day-do the things you want, and don't make yourself miserable in the hope that you'll be happy later.
Pink also says symphonize, and I think that is exactly the answer-find a balance between living life for today and living life for tomorrow.
So in terms of the inner circle discussion--
I wonder if part of what makes life exciting for me personally is making those connections between things.
I think that is really fun.
I get bored when I start looking at things the same way all the time.
So, how do change up how we look at things? sometimes we're tired, have too much to do, etc. How do we refresh ourselves so that we can "see" things better or be more an active part of things, whether it's school or home, or work...?
Cat, ok but in your opinion do you think that those who live their lives one sided live less fulfilled then others?
does anyone else feels tension in the inner circle?
Kaylyn K- I know you asked this a while ago, but i dont agree with Pinks idea of the big picture. Some people know what their plans for the future are and some dont and it doesnt matter either way as long as you live your life.
Molly and Jeff- I get what your saying I just feel he is really slanted in his writing. I know it's just his opinion but to me it feels like his way is the only way.
Catherine, I agree. If life was all work then I don't think life would be fun or worthwhile really. But if all we had was play, that could cause problems too because life would be like a big joke, since we would just play around all day. I definetly agree that there is a time for work and a time for play.
Kelsie, Ashley, and Kenna:
I totally can relate symphony to sports. Sports are often a bunch of little fundamentals which build the big picture. If everyone contributes and does their best then the team comes together and plays well.
I agree with you Matt that all of the senses go together in symphony, and all of the senses are intertwined with one another.
I feel the tension in the inner circle.
Yeah Rose-Catherine is a one extreme(live life for tomorrow) and Matt and Alyssa are the other (live life for today).
Which way do you lean?
Raeann-- To kinda elaborate on your last blog... Last year at Cherry Hills Mrs. Loomis and Mrs. Clark totally worked together and incorperated Language Arts with History. We would have a project that counted for both classes. Totally symphony :)
No, because everyone is different. Everyone has a different balance point, or fulcrum (ha ha ERE) within themselves. I think it depends on their personality and interests.
Rose, I agree it seems like people are disagreeing with each other and trying to persaude them to see their point of view. There are 2 sides in the inner circle.
Carolyn Foote~
You do have a point, but is that almost like invention then because you see something that sparks an idea in you that you then want to invent? Like inventing a dance? Or what do you mean?
Carolyn
I think that for some people it is very hard for them to look at things differently and they just want to be able to know what is going to happen next, they don't want anything unexpected to happen.
But on the other hand I think that people can change how they look at something by trying new things looking at it in a different point of view and try to have an open mind about everything.
I guess i really lean on the Matt/alyssa side, even if i dont always live that way
Carloyn Foote- I agree with you that excitement and surpirse makes life fun. Its boring to have no change. When i get bored with myu lifestyle at home i rearrange all the furniture in my room and play a different type of music. I hate being bored and i love change. But some people are really attached to things and dont like change. For example, when my little sisters girl scout pencil broke in half, she cried and tired to fix it. I think it depends on the person.
That is a very good point Lisa. I play volley ball and if my team did not bring all the little thing together to create the big picture, we would not be able to play the game.
Caryn- I am a little bit of both during school I am very "live life for tomorrow" but on the weekend I am very "live life for today."
Lisa, to tell you the truth athletics are really the only thing I am relating symphony to...this chapter was definitely a tough one for me so sports are playing a big part in my understanding. Is there anything else you can relate it to that might help understand it?
Kennaw,
I sort of think that is what Daniel Pink is getting at--we can invent something new because we saw outside of the box, and then we could look back at something we were doing(like his drawing) but see it in a new way.
And sometimes that leads to invention(like the iPhone someone mentioned earlier) or a new dance or whatever it is....?
@ caryn s
I tend to live life both for tomorrow and for today. In other words, I'm not all out for either. If I get ten dollars, I usually put five away and keep the other five to spend sometime in the near future, and that's really helped me, because I can enjoy life now, and be prepared tomorrow.
Jselz- I like examples like that. Symphony is incredibly difficult for me to comprehend unless I have images like that.
It is one of those "Ah-ha!" moments.
So Rose, do you think about the aftermath of your actions? How far ahead do you plan for?
I agree Rose. Live in today because today will become tomorrow and you will never be able to get it back.
Catherine- Don't you think that having some sort of plan is important though?
I am all living for today I love not knowing what is going to happen next and just going with the flow. I love being spontaneous and living my life to the fullest.
Olivia, I know I am a person who doesn't like change in my surroundings that much but I don't think that my life is boring. I think for me I have incorporated new thinkgs while keeping the onld things.
Matt- I think people need to take a page from your book- if everyone lived with five dollars in their pocket, there would be a balance in everyone's life.
Ashley-- I agree. It is hard for me to relate symphony to a lot of things. Like I have ideas and stuff going on in my head like thoughts and everything, but sports are definately one of the only things I am realting this to.
That is a really good point Cat. If you don't live life today and wait for tomorrow, you will always be waiting for something and maybe miss out.
I agree that living for "in the day" is very important -- however, there are so many things I am looking forward to -- that is it easy to miss today by hoping for tomorrow. And that is what I personally need to be aware of and not waste today by hoping for tomorrow.
kelseyl, oliviao--
I agree that part of liking change is probably personal.
Just like the inner circle some wanting to live for today/some live for tomorrow.
Maybe sometimes it's good to just "observe the other side" and let people think the way they want. But to go, hmmm, that's interesting....what would it be like to look at things that way?
and to just listen to each other?
Caryn-i do think of what my actions might concoct, but I like to think "at least i'll have fun this long"...it doesn't sound very moral but yes that is sometimes my look
Having a plan is important, but having a plan for life is pointless because life is not predictable.
Emily- I know what you mean, if you dont like change it doesnt mean your life is boring. You are less maintenece than me because i get bored really easy so i feel i have to change my life around.
Kayln, I guess it is good to have a plan but by having a plan don't you just set yourself up for disappointment?
What if everyone lived life for today. What would Government be like? Little planning, and utter chaos. Everyone in Government would be acting on their own motives and it would fall apart.
I think details are an important aspect of life. If we always just saw the "Big Picture" we'd miss little details like snowflakes, finger prints, and stars. The little details in the world make life beautiful.
Kelsie-
Ok thank you, ha i thought maybe I was one of the only ones having a hard time.
Anyone-What else (other than sports) can we relate this to so that we may have a better understanding for the chapter?
Yes Rose but doesn't that bother you sometimes? I know I'm beginning to take down my overly cautious boundaries, but does it ever cross your mind that you'll pay for what you do?
Carolyn Foote~
Okay! I get what you're saying now. I agree with it too. Invention makes you think outside of your minds boundaries in order to make something original. So does that then tie into boundary crosser? In order to invent something to do you have to cross your minds boundaries?
Having a plan is very helpful -- it helps you see where you have been, where you are going, gives you some sense of what is going.......but don't limit yourself so much that your plan DRIVES you so much that you don't have time for flexibility, spontaneous events, and the unexpected!!
Cat, that is exactly what I mean by setting yourself up for disappointment? (great point!)
Jen W, I know that I waste today by hoping for tomorrow all the time. I think that I am doing that because I am trying to live my life and I anticipate that the day that I am looking forward to will bring that.
cat- That is a good point. You should have some sort of plan on how to live your life. Life however is not in your control. A lot of things factor in and make it what it is. So there is no way of plannig everything. You just need to take things as they come.
lisa,
But don't you think sometimes we need people who can see the big picture? Like in Government for example? Or in teaching?
Someone who can pull ideas together and help us make sense of them, or see patterns that are happening?
Like a coach in sports--they need to be able to see the whole team as a pattern, as well as see the little details.
Wow that is so true Matt. The government would truly in utter chaos.
I think that for some people it is just hard for them to see other points of view because in their mind they have such a stong opinion and aren't even willing to listen to the other side. But I think that it is a very good skill to have to be able to listen to other people because you might learn about them and be able to have your own opinion but also be able to listen to other opinions.
Ashley-take a look at Matt G's comment about his ten dollars-I think that's a simplified version of symphonizing the pieces and the end product.
The inner circle is saying the book would be better if we were older but we can not always wait to explore things. If we always put things off will we ever get to those things?
caryn-no it really doenst bother me much b/c my actions arent serious enough to land me in deep hot water
Catherine- Why do you find having a plan for life pointless? I mean to get a good job or have the job you want when your older all you can do is plan for it because we are only freshman and we have to prepare for the working world when we get out of college.
@emilyh -- I agree with you -- very much. There are so many exciting things I have on my calendar, that I cannot wait to happen!! I am sure you do too!! I just sometimes get so excited for tomorrow, that I don't enjoy today.
So then does your outlook on life need to be separated from work?
People can not always wait to live we have to do things now.
Catherine- you said having a plan for life is pointless.
I see where you are coming from, but i feel like that is a very bold statement. If we don't have at least some sort of plan for life, how can we survive? Life will be fun, but it will not be balanced.
Not that we need to plan our entire future, but we need to partially have an idea of what we're doing with our lives and partially go with the flow.
Carolyn Foote- I believe that every person has a story and a different way of life. To listen to other tell about how they live their lifes and such would give me ideas for my own life. Every person forms their stroy from all the different relationships in their lives, which relates back to symphony. Some dont like change which i think makes them less maintenece while other need change so as not to be bored and they are a bit hgiher maintence. Which isnt bad or good, just a way of life. Which one are you or do you disagree?
Matt G- That is really a good point about government. That is where we need to find a balance, like what you talked about with the 10 dollars. I guess we can't be completely on one side.
Thank you so much for the chat -- my phone has rung and I need to go help a teacher. Thanks for letting me be a part. I usually don't work with High School students -- and this has been great.
If you always wait for tomorrow, tomorrow may never come. So you need to live for today and plan a little bit for tomorrow.
Carolyn Foote - I totally agree! We do need people who can see life as a whole picture. I think each person needs to find a balance between enjoying little details and seeing the "Big Picture." Thanks for your commment!
raelangas,
I think maybe it's easier to understand if you are a little older, but on the other hand, I think it's a great time to think about how to look at things differently.
I think some of the exercises at the end of the chapter are some great ways to think about how to do that.
My example is--I use the Flickr.com website to put my pictures up. I noticed there was a website where you could use people's flickr pictures of letters of the alphabet to spell things.
I thought, how cool--taking pictures of just "letters" or words.
So it helped me see photography differently. Now I take photos of interesting words or letters all the time and I never would have noticed them before.
I don't think that you have to be any certain age to have an "aha" moment!
Kayln, say you are planing to go to a this college and are almost certain that you can get in... and one day in the mail you receive a letter from the college and you were denied the acceptance... then what do you do???
Joe, I don't know if anyone commented about your iPhone idea so I will. I am having a hard time understanding this chapter and really the only thing I am relating to is sports so your phoen example is really helpful. How do you think they came up with the idea because something like that had never been thought of before, do you think they had symphony in mind when creating it?
No, Cat, I don't think so. That's what this whole chapter is about-every aspect of your life needs to be blended with every other aspect.
Thanks Jennifer! It was great having your input.
Jen, I do not think that being excited about things in the future is a bad thing.
Everyone- What first comes to mind when you hear the word symphony? What does it make you think of? Is the name of the chapter related to what you think? Why or why not?
Reading this book applies to us a lot in the sense of education and learning, and gives us information to store away for when whe set out into the real world and get a job. I don't think we have to be old for the ideas of AWNM to be applicable.
Ashley, besides sports, the only other thing I can think of is music. A song can be 3 minutes long but there's so much work that went into that one song, to make it flow and sound good. They have to add the music and the singing and getting it to sound right takes a lot of time, and when we listen to songs we don't really think about how long it took to make the song, we listen to the big picture, the song as a whole.
But that and sports are really the only things I can relate symphony to.
Thank you for blogging with us Jennifer!
I dont think your setting yourself up for dissappointment because you have a plan. I think "living today as your last day" everyday would set you up for more failer than it would if you have a plan. I say this because having a plan you understand you it can fail.
Olivia, I think that people who don't like change are low maintenene and people who like change are high maintenance. I think it depends on your personality. I think people who don't like change are people who attach themselves to things so that they have an emotional relationship with them. This can be bad and good.
OliviaO,
I dont' think you should call yourself "high maintenance" because you like change.
I think we can learn to provide change in our own lives, so we aren't expecting others to do that for us, but we're bringing in new ideas for ourselves by doing things like you said--rearranging our space, or however we do that.
I like variety, but I also like some things to stay the same! so maybe I'm a mix!
Catherine- Even if you don't get into a big named college you can still go to a community college and still get a good job.
Caryn,
But what if the government was based on "live in today", it would be totally corrupt just like Matt said
Thanks all!
Jenw,
Bye!! I think your points about living in the moment are always important.
Again, Kalyn, in our society people have to find a balance. Yes, live life for today, but you have to have a plan,if anything a loose one, in order to have that opportunity tomorrow.
It was fun--thanks for inviting me toparticipate!
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