Unit 8 final exam

Question 1

Harold Kushner argues that people say they want one thing out of life, but they really want something else. What do people say they want? Can one pursue this? What do people really want? How does what people really want relate to what they say they want? Your response should be at least 75 words in length.

According to Kushner (2002), ask the average person what he wants our of life and they will probably reply “All I want is to be happy”. Most people think by pursuing success, they will find happiness. If you read further into the book, you will find that people are happy when their lives have meaning. Kushner (2002) says the three things you must have and do so you can feel that you have lived your life and not wasted it is, belonging to people, accepting pain as part of your life and to know that you have made a difference. I believe one can pursue happiness by doing these three things and serving God.

Kushner, H. (2002). When all you’ve ever wanted isn’t enough: The search for a life that matters. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Question 2

In our textbook, Leading Lives that Matter, we read a series of articles exploring the relationship of work and identity. How much do you think your work is your identity? How much to you think your work should be your identity? Your response should be at least 75 words in length.

According to Schwehn & Bass, (2006), our sense of who we are and what we do for a living, or plan to do for a living are deeply bound together. I think this statement identifies with my sense of who I am and my vocation. I am a safety facilitator so I am constantly thinking about safety at work and when I am not at work. I have caught myself educating Walmart employees on proper ergonomics. I use every example I can to express safety to my son. We were driving past the park while city employees were in a lift hanging Christmas lights. I told my son the employee in the lift wasn’t tied off to the lift and if he fell over the rail, he would fall to the ground and be seriously injured. I try to help others with my knowledge about safety to make their lives better. This gives me a sense of meaning and makes me happy so I think my work is my identity.

Schwehn, M. R., & Bass, D. C. (Eds.). (2006). Leading lives that matter: What we should do and who we should be. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Question 3

Based on the readings in Leading Lives that Matter, what do you think a balanced life is? Do you think some types of work make a balanced life impossible? Do you think a balanced life is a possibility for you? Your response should be at least 75 words in length.

According to Schwehn & Bass, (2006), many of us must or should work primarily in order to live and then seek our sources of fulfillment and lasting achievement elsewhere, in family, friendship, neighborliness, and civic engagement. Living a balanced life includes work, family, friendship, neighbors and civic engagements but at times it is hard to obtain. I think a balanced life is possible for me because I am currently balancing my life to the best of my ability. If work is overwhelming for me one week, I make up to my family by spending more time with them the next week. I think there are professions that would make a balanced life impossible. I think a physician would have a hard time balancing life especially during their residencies when they are working 3 or 4 days straight and then they spend their days off catching up on sleep and household chores.

Schwehn, M. R., & Bass, D. C. (Eds.). (2006). Leading lives that matter: What we should do and who we should be. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Question 4

The Waldorf mission statement talks about educating the whole person emphasizing integrity and equipping students to succeed and to serve the communities where they live and work. How do you see your life—your whole life being a life of integrity, a life of success, and a life of service to the community in which you live and work? Be specific. Your response should be at least 75 words in length.

According to Kushner (2002), human beings have a need to be good. Kushner (2002), also states that we need a life with people and that we must work hard to have a sense of worth. With that said, I see my life as a success because I work hard at work and on my family and friendships. I help people at work by making their job safer. I work hard on having quality time with my family. My son and I put puzzles together, we work in the yard and on the farm together. We go on trips to the zoo, museums, and fishing just to name a few. I serve my community by helping others. I mow a neighbors yard because he can’t mow it himself, I cook for my neighbor because she is sick, I help my neighbor on his farm when he needs help. This balanced life I lead gives my life meaning and makes me happy.

Kushner, H. (2002). When all you’ve ever wanted isn’t enough: The search for a life that matters. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Question 5

Arlie Russell Hochschild writes that many women are discovering a great male secret:

Question 6

Robert Reich, an economist who served in the 1990s as Secretary of Labor, argues that finding a good balance between “making a living and making a life” is getting harder primarily because:

Question 7

What advantage do businesses see in hiring people in temporary positions with limited term contracts?

Question 8

Bonnie Miller-McLemore wrote, “Even if only 8 percent of U.S. mothers and fathers maintain the 1950s arrangement of breadwinner-homemaker,:

Question 9

King Hussein was king of what country?

Question 10

Do you believe a balanced life can be a significant life? Why, or why not? Your response should be at least 75 words in length.

I believe a balanced life can be a significant life especially if we enlarge the temporal perspective, considering a life over time rather than a life at just one of its several stages from youth to old age states Schwehn & Bass, (2006). My life hasn’t always been balanced. When I was a teenager and didn’t have to work, my life revolved around my family and friends. But as I have grown older, I have had to integrate work and new family into the balance of my life and at times, it hasn’t been easy or perfect. I think if you have a partner who helps you with your life, then it makes life easier to balance. There are times when my workload is overwhelming and my husband helps out more with our son so I won’t be so worn out, I fall apart. There are times though our lives are hectic and we both struggle to balance our lives but that just makes us work harder at balancing our lives.

Schwehn, M. R., & Bass, D. C. (Eds.). (2006). Leading lives that matter: What we should do and who we should be. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.