Week 10 Journal

Thursday: October 22, 2020

As always, we began class with our infamous quizzes; but I gotta say this one didn’t seem to go too well… happens to the best of us. Anyway, we worked on a google doc to determine how we can develop a love for humanity titled “Planning for More Philanthropia in Ourselves and in the World.” We were asked to answer the following two questions in respect to our assigned aspect: (1) What could you as an individual do to cultivate philanthropia in each of the following aspects? and (2) What could a country, or larger political community, do to cultivate and promote philanthropia such that it may become known to have a love for humanity in each of the following aspects? Our aspect was peacemaking- reconciling two individuals or two groups who are in conflict with one another, becoming a master harmonizer according to the example of Binti or Lysistrata. It was a bit of a challenge for us to come up with some things that could be done, but came to the conclusion that many of them could be interchangeable. (1) Help bring others together, become a mediator for conflicts, be able to listen to and understand others, and educate yourself on different groups and their culture. (2) Promote peace in international relations, be able to work with others, hold events for different countries or political communities that will allow them to come together, have access to free press/media (non-restricted), and represent all groups and people in leadership so that everyone can benefit and is spoken for. How can we become better at some of these things? In order to become a mediator for conflicts you must be open-minded and unbiased. How are you expected to solve conflict if you’re biased towards a certain group? You must be willing to hear both sides, coming up with a solution that ends in fairness for both. You can become better at listening and understanding others by taking your needs out of their equation. When helping others, you should not be biased by your own potential benefits. If you are in a position where your gain also benefits the people, it could be helpful. For example, Moana wanted to sail beyond the reef and her decision to do so ended up benefiting the entire island, its surroundings, and its people.

Monday: October 26, 2020

Today I read through Kallion Chapter 10 and rewatched Moana, which is a fantastic movie; I was so happy to hear that it was part of the course. Many characters in Moana overcame their struggles, often with the help of a mentor or mentee. The movie is introduced with a scary story told by Gramma Tala about the history of the island; in this story we find out that the island, Te Fiti, had a heart with the power to create life itself, and she shared that power with the world. Moana reflects aspects of the heart’s power through her kindness and curiosity, not to mention she doesn’t plan to steal the heart (like many others who had encountered it had). She has a kindness and curiosity that should be shared with the world and in the end we see this shared with the island. Moana and Te Fiti (and her heart) have a purity that provides genuine care for their people; they both want to do good and provide success and happiness for others.

While watching the movie, we were asked to identify elements of mentorship that we’ve seen in the other works we’ve viewed. I thought about certain aspects in the movie in relation to other works and made a connection between Moana and Ned (from Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart). Both of these characters had their own persistence and determination; they’re head-strong. Moana wants to sail the ocean and go beyond the reef, regardless of how many times her father tells her otherwise. Ned wants to essentially normalize being gay- fighting for gay rights, needs, health, safety, etc -no matter how scary or aggressive others claim him to be. Both Moana and Ned were told by others not to do what they had an extreme yearning for. Moana was told time and time again by her father not to sail the ocean, that it provides nothing other than danger. Ned was shot down when it was time for them to pick a team president and everyone vouched for Bruce because he was popular and able to bring others together, seemingly unlike Ned. Many of the people in Ned’s life would try to tell him to change his ways and his tactics in fighting for freedom. It’s difficult not to have any family or friends by your side in pursuing something you love, but luckily they both had a glimpse of that. Moana was able to confide in her grandma- Gramma Tala -and become her mentee, whereas Ned had support from his lover- Felix -right up to the end. He pushed Ned to recognize his true potential as a leader, especially by calling him “Alexander,” his real name. Both characters were told to change something about their yearnings, their goals, and their character, but luckily had a support system that could help them do otherwise.

Another comparison I’d like to make is between Maui and Otalara. I would only apply this comparison to Maui up until he decided to genuinely help Moana, not for himself, but for her. Prior to that I’d compare these two characters by saying that they’re both selfish and will do whatever they deem necessary to pursue their goals. Maui, before he had a change in heart, had no problem deceiving Moana, refusing to help her with her goal (renewing/saving the heart of Te Fiti), or using her to reach his goals. Similarly, Otalara had no problem with deceiving others or sabotaging them so that he could take their place. Unlike Maui, he had no change in heart, rather realized he had been played the moment he was going to be killed. Regardless, Maui and Otalara had their moment of deceit, absent of guilt.

Towards the end of this Kallion chapter were the lyrics to the song “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana. In the first few lines of this song, Moana claims that she wishes she “could be the perfect daughter, but [she] come[s] back to the water, no matter how hard [she tries].” Being that this is a movie I love, I’ve seen it before and I’ve heard the songs, but I had a different reaction to this one when I read it out. For some reason, my mind went to the selflessness of Moana. I thought it was amazing that although her father demanded that she essentially don’t pursue her dreams, she still wanted to please her family (of course including him). This just leads to another great characteristic of Moana, she found love in her heart for anyone and everyone. She found love in her heart for her father, who demanded she not pursue her dream, she found love in her heart for Maui, who’s only initial intention was to use her, and she found love in her heart for Te Ka, who literally was going to kill her. She was able to lead everyone so well because she was able to love everyone, she wanted to see everyone succeed. This draws a comparison between Moana and Cyrus in “The Education of Cyrus.” They both wanted to see those they were leading succeed. If you want to be a great leader, actually care about those you are leading. Want the best for them and help them pursue their goals.

Tuesday: October 27, 2020

In class today we obviously talked about Moana. One topic that was very prevalent was the song “Where You Are” in Moana. I know we talked about this for a long time, but it truly is an amazing piece. And I just have to say that it’s my favorite song in the movie; its message, beat, lyrics, flow, visuals, and everything else about it are lovely. Anyway, let’s talk about the song. The first thing I would like to talk about is seen at 3:08 in the clip for passage 3 on Kallion. In this clip Moana looks to her grandma by the sea, then turns her head and continues walking down the path she’s on. This moment was so sad to me because it seemed to mark a change in character for Moana (at least in this specific clip, not necessarily throughout the entire movie). Earlier in the video, Moana had looked at her grandma by the sea and ran towards her, beginning the scene where they danced together; this time around, she didn’t stray from the path she was on. It felt as if she had actually changed her dreams and no longer yearned to sail the ocean (which of course is not the case, but that’s what it felt like to me). In that moment I felt like I had lost hope for Moana and for her dreams and that she had changed for good (again, I know that didn’t happen, that’s just how that part made me feel). The second thing I would like to talk about we touched on in class, which is the fact that Gramma Tala doesn’t tell, rather offers. This is something I mentioned in class, but in “Where You Are” I appreciate the fact that Gramma Tala is able to say all these wonderful things that implied that Moana should do what her inner voice is telling her (to sail beyond the reef). I love how Gramma Tala was able to say everything she did without blatantly telling Moana what to do. She was able to suggest and offer ideas without direct order, which I believe is a great skill for a mentor to have. It gives Moana a hopeful outlook, allowing her to know that she has someone right by her side (especially when she loves and adores that someone dearly).

There was a specific point made on our “Chalkboard for Ideas in Antiquity” document that I would like to speak on. The point was that “Your location imposes expectations/responsibilities on you that force you to ignore parts of yourself and how you might lead” (Chalkboard Document). Moana’s “role” was to lead her island and its people, but (as it’s been made clear at this point) she wanted to sail beyond the reef. She felt that she was meant to be on the water exploring, but her position on the island seemed to hinder her from that. This makes me think of the adage, “Right place, wrong time.” Much of what we do is dependent on where we are at that specific moment, both physically and mentally, but sometimes everything we want can line up. What was amazing about the end of this movie (other than the fact that there was no longer an evil island and life was renewed and abundant (Te Ka)) was that Moana was able to lead successfully with the completion of her yearning. It was her persistence to travel beyond the reef and explore the ocean (along with many other factors, but this being a large one) that allowed her and Maui to renew the heart of Te Fiti. With the completion of her dream, which was to sail the ocean, she was able to restore the island. The point in what I am saying is that she was able to be such a great leader because of her persistence. It was Moana’s decision to defy her father’s wishes and sail the ocean that allowed the heart of Te Fiti to be renewed, providing flourishment for their island. She never gave up on what she wanted, regardless of what her parents (mainly her father) believed, and it ended in the betterment of everyone and the island.

I just would again like to say that Moana is such a great movie with some great songs, and if you’re looking for inspiration maybe watch this movie.