Look into your crystal ball and try to make a prediction of what the future has in store. What do you think is going to happen five years from now? What about ten?
Explain why if you wish.
Month: September 2018
What Gives You Purpose?
The idea of why you do the things you do, what motivates you to take the actions that you take on a daily, weekly, or yearly basis has a name: purpose.
A purpose can be a very personal thing, and it may be unique to each individual. Some may be motivated by money. Others may want to take care of their family or loved ones. Some strive to save lives, or ease the suffering of others. Or living a life of luxury, or seeking approval of your parents, or fulfilling a need to create, or…
Knowing your purposes in life and working to achieve them can be a powerful motivating influence. Conversely, not knowing what your purpose is, or being unable to work toward it can lead to a life full of frustration.
What gives you purpose? What are you doing to fulfill that purpose?
Related questions: Is happiness the most important purpose in life? How do you define success? What makes you you? What makes you the happiest?
Optimistic Or Pessimistic?
If you have to choose one or the other, is ‘optimistic’ or ‘pessimistic’ the better choice? You get to set the criteria.
Welcome to a new feature at Intellectual Roundtable: Throwdown Thursdays! Each Thursday we’ll list a classic pair, and ask you to choose between them. If you want to provide the reasoning for your choice, all the better!
This week, we give you the choice of optimistic or pessimistic. You can decide what that means. Here are a few possibilities:
- Are you an optimistic or a pessimistic person?
- Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future?
- Does being optimistic or pessimistic prepare you better for life?
- Do you prefer that your friends and/or partner are optimistic or pessimistic?
Or come up with an interpretation of your own!
Who Is Your Favorite Author?
Sometimes a particular author seems perfect for you. Do you have one?
Share why if you wish.
How Important Is Respect?
The notion of respect plays an important role in our life and in our culture. We have sayings like, “respect your elders”. Often, it is among the first social lessons parents teach their children. There is even a song that spells it out: R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
With that in mind, it seems natural that some people get upset when disrespect is shown. They might get particularly agitated when the subject matter is something they care passionately about.
However, there is an obvious problem: there are no rules about what deserves respect and what doesn’t. Or how to show it.
In some instances, we codify these rules into laws. For instance, you should respect the sanctity of human life. Then if you do not, there are legal consequences.
But not every issue rises to that level of importance. For those that do not, how should we deal with it when two people disagree?
It might seem important to respect the beliefs of others. But what if one of those beliefs is something you strongly disagree with? Or that you feel places someone else in danger?
For example, let’s consider the issue of spanking. One person might believe that spanking is a good way to discipline a child. Another person may view spanking as child abuse. Should we respect the rights of a parent to raise their child the way they wish, or the beliefs of the person concerned for the welfare of that child?
The scale for what deserves respect is a sliding one, different for each individual. We all have different values, and finding common ground can be challenging.
How important is respect? What should the consequences be for disrespect? Who should decide what should be respected and what shouldn’t?
Related questions: What are our responsibilities to others? How can we encourage debate? What do we have in common? What does it mean to be thankful? Where does authority come from? What beliefs do you have that might be wrong?