There are many similarities between the three parables which we're included in "Zen Parables" and "Existentialism" by Jean-Paul Sartre on how they see the world views. One similarity that i noticed both had was how in both they look at human behavior as a universal picture, not individually. For example our decisions also affect people around us, not just us; making us responsible for mankind. I think this way because Sartre says thing like, "Thus, our responsibility is much greater than we might have supposed, because it involves all mankind" and saying that every man should ask him self, "What would happen if everybody looked at things this way" meaning that we might think we don't affect mankind but we really are at the end; like asking yourself if it is okay for other people to do it even though your doing it yourself. I also saw this in "Learning To Be Silent" the boys promised each other that they will be silent for a whole week. When the first boy talked by accident all of them talked after him because they pointing out to him that he had talked. If the first boy wouldn't had talked then he wouldn't had gotten corrected; at the end they all talked and broke a promise showing how the first boy affected the three other boys making him responsible for them breaking there promises.
I couldn't really find any differences they both had the same idea saying how humans decisions/actions affects others also. The only difference i could say i found was very obvious the "Zen Parables" were composed of three separate mini stories which we're, "Muddy Road, A Parable, and Learning To Be Silent." They all informed us with different lessons such as living in the present, and just forgetting of what you believed in the past like Ediko believing that, "Monks don't go near females" saying that it is "dangerous"; looking at the bright side in the darkest situations like in "A Parable", and how everything we do there will be consequences like in "Learning To be Silent". "Existentialism" had all these ideas but in the format kind of like an informative article or of an essay because at the end it seems as a conclusion; he restates what he believed.
I believe, as well as the authors, that every action has a reaction. Whether our actions are big or small, they all have a response. These actions can also be good or bad. I watched a movie awhile back about a kid who thought that the community, and possibly the world, could be much happier if we all did three nice things for other people every day. Opening doors, paying for a random person’s coffee, helping an elderly person cross the street, etc. Once people starting doing these actions, the overall mood of the community was much happier that before. Clearly these actions made a big impact on the community. The community, and even the nation, can also be negatively affected by bad actions. The story, “Learning to be Silent,” show a very important theme; no action goes unseen. When the first of the three boys speaks, the other boys just have to point it out. We as a whole have this instinct to point things out. The other two boys could’ve used hand actions to say he was out, but instead they had to verbally point it out. The first boy wasn’t responsible for the other two getting out, because it was not his responsibility to keep them quiet, it was their own. Some people think some of the things they do are unseen by other, but they’re wrong. These actions can, and will be seen by people, cameras, “Big Brother,” etc. We are all individually different, but for the most part act the same.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your similarities. I believe that both the passages express how the way we live our lives not only affects other but helps us find out what kind of person we are. The first 3 short stories are similar in the way that they all have a hidden meaning and they all have a similar meaning then when we go on the read the second passage it really brings all the concepts together by say that we learn what kind people we are and what kind of people we need to be by living our lives and seeing the world. I also agree with you when you say that you can't find any differences. The only difference you could maybe says about how the passages are written and how they get the moral of the story across.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with the similarities you bring in. Both passages express a similar message as one another by stating that they both look at human behavior as a universal picture. Also they both talk about the same idea on how humans decisions/actions affect one another. In the story "Learning to be Silent," When the first of the three boys speaks, the other two just point it out. They verbally told the boy he was out, instead of using hand actions to say it. This goes to show that no action goes unseen. They all broke the promise because the first boy talked and it affected the other boys making him responsible for their actions. We don't think we contribute much in this world because of how many people there are and what we're doing, but we actually do. We all work together without realizing it. I also agree with the second passage about how we learn what kind of people we are by going out seeing the world and living our lives. The only difference i could see that i agree with you is how both passages are written differently, but have the same idea. We don't only affect our own lives, but we affect the lives of others as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of your similarities. The readings both showed how big of an impact one decision can make not on just one person but also many people. For example, in the parable, "Learning to be Silent," one pupil talking not only broke the promise he made with his friends, but it led to them breaking the promise as well because they spoke up and pointed it out to him. Similarly, in the reading written by Jean-Paul Sartre, he describes a French soldier that has two choices. One being, he can go to England to join the army to fight in the war to avenge his deceased family members, which would leave his mother in despair. Secondly, he can choose to stay with his mother; however, he will not be able to contribute to the army. Both choices show that each choice has its repercussions on different people. The decisions we make are not only for ourselves but also for other people.
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