Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Tuesday Ramble



The happiest people are those who think the most interesting thoughts.
Interesting thoughts can only live in cultivated minds. Those who decide
to use leisure as a means of mental development, who love good music,
good books, good pictures, good plays at the theater, good company,
good conversation—what are they? They are the happiest people
in the world; and they are not only happy in themselves,
they are the cause of happiness in others.

William Lyon Phelps 
 
Good morning everyone. It's a cold one here in Brooklyn. I've nothing pressing to do today so I am just going to hibernate for the day. I have a few things to do to keep me busy. Going to make a nice meatloaf for dinner and have the new spring schedule for school. Going to choose my classes.
 
Winter has touched the trees on campus but the grass remains just as green.

Yesterday I had two awesome 1 day classes. The first was about the chemistry of sugar. Basically we learned how sugar reacts under different temps, the different stages and how to use each stage in our baking...as if I ever will. Weight Watchers would be proud of me. The trainer had baked chocolate chip cookies--one will the full amount of sugar, one with 2/3 the amount, and one with 1/3 the amount so that we could see and taste the difference. I politely declined to participate.


The second class was about the Morality of Murder, and we were provided with several scenarios. The first was "You are on a fast moving trolley car when you discover the breaks have failed and you have no horn. 5 men are working on the track in front of you. They will be killed. Then you see that there is another track that veers off to the left. There is only one man working there. Do you veer to the left and kill that man but saving 5 or do you continue as you are going and kill all 5. If you veer off do you consider that murder?" What do you think?

This semester I won't be as busy as the last one as there are few courses I really want to take.I definitely won't be going back to Nutritional Enlightenment. The teacher was awful, and I knew more than she did. But I will re-take Mindfulness and Miles of Smiles. The doctor who gives my favorite health course only does so in the fall semester. And I definitely plan on continuing the Spanish course. I'm just hoping that these teeth hold out,


Have a good one.

3 comments:

  1. Interesting moral dilemma! If you intentionally veer off the trolley so it hits the single man, yes, that's the definition of murder. But if you stay on course and the trolley kills five, it's not murder because there's no criminal intent. Now, what to do? Choosing makes you play God to decide who will live and who will die. Why is that your responsibility?

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  2. What an interesting dilemma in the Morality of Murder class. That would be right up my alley.

    It's great, Mary, that you had the strength to say no to the cookies. I doubt I'd have had the willpower myself! Great job! :)

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  3. There are so many grey areas to explore in the Morality of Murder class. It would be fascinating, enlightening and, I suspect, more than a little sad.

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