[Chad Espinoza]

Like Billie, the contrast between the two Buddha's really struck me. I think it is also very interesting that the fat Buddha is much more known than the nearly emaciated version. I suspect the fat Buddha is much more known for the same reason the rich, famous, and beautiful are so well known. Like the people mentioned prior, Buddha has acheived a level of celebrity. In fact, most religious figures do. Their celebrity, which does not have any bearing on the veracity of their claims or lifesyle, caused some people to follow them. This makes me think of celebrity in general. My students love celebrities and are very interested in the finish product of a person's effort and seem to think that success is either immediate or unattainable. I would be very curious to see what my students would produce in an analysis of the two Buddhas. First, I would want them to compare and contrast the images, then I would want them to do explain the cause and effect. It would also be interesting to see my students relate this concept to contemporary celebrities, in an effort to see that one's success in the result of the journey he or she endured. 

[Chad Espinoza]

This seems to be a tale of lost. The fisherman, stumbling on a utopia, is unable to share the location of his findings to others. What is interesting is people's reactions to him. They do not call him crazy, but instead seem to believe him. Sadly, no one is able to find this place. They just accept the lost. This seems to give insight in to the pysche of the Chinese during the era of disunity. The Qin unified the country, but that sense of unity seemed lost with no way to regain it. Instead of denying that there ever was unity, the country mourns and accepts that their memories of unity will remain memories. 

[Chad Espinoza]

After listening to the lecture, it seems that legalism has the advantage of mobilizing people because deals in easy to understand absolutes. The philipsphical foundation, while not perfect, is easy to understand and seems to address two basic drivers of humanity: seeking out pleasure and avoiding pain. By exploiting these two drivers, the Qin wiere able to motivate large amount of people to accomplish many things. I think this presents an interesting question for students to consider. Should a government rule its people by offering citizens large rewards for behaving in a way desired by the government, and punished for not? Most social structures, including school, work this way and we often do not question the legitimacy of this way of functioning. In fact, we, as teacher, often do much to enforce this structure. 

[Chad Espinoza]

The origin story of Japan is incredibly interesting, as it is filled with turmoil, conflict, and chaos. Personally, I have always found origin stories interesting, since they provide tremendous insight into the current character of a particular culture and give plenty of insight into the future of that culture. Regarding Japan, the nation was birthed from chaos and conflict, and neither seem to subside until central power was established tying the islands together. Perhaps to combat that country’s predilection towards chaos, Japan is known as a culture of order. However, that order now seems to have become a form of oppression for the youth. This is made evident by the dangerously low birth rates. The younger generations of Japan simply are disengaging from the expectations of the culture. It seems that Japan has always struggled to find balance and is constantly trying to subdue a tendency towards conflict.

[Chad Espinoza]

During the lecture, I was really struck by the ritual of interpreting the bones for guidance. The acknoweldgement that the interpreters are flawed only led to more greater faith in the system since it cemented the idea that people are flawed, but the gods are untarnished. I took this process as a means to seek assurance and clarity in a world that rarely offers either of these. This caused me to think of an equivalent. What initially came to mind is voting. As teachers, we do our best to instill democratic values into our students. However, it is demonstatively true that voting does not always lead to the best decisions. Yet, whenever a major decision is made through another process, we become very suspicious, even if the decision was a good one. 

[Chad Espinoza]

Hello, my name is Chad Espinoza. I am currently and ELA and ELD teacher at Tajima High School in Echo Park. This is my 5th year teaching high and 8th year teaching overall. I am excited to begin this course. I taught for several years in Korea, and while I learned much, I am still excited to continue to gain insight into such a deep and immense culture. I hope that this course will provide me tremendous insight and knowledge, so that I can effectively share it with my students. 

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