Throughout this course I have had to alter my opinions on contemplative practices. When we were first introduced to contemplative practices I thought of them as a waste of time, something that would only lead to a distraction rather than aiding our learning process. As we have moved through many different practices I have found myself becoming more and more immersed in them and am finding out more and more about myself. I have always been a major advocate for the idea that resolutions to problems or questions mostly occur through conversation and putting thoughts to words but these practices have forced me to challenge that idea. It seems to me that some questions are too large or too personal to be spoken about easily and these kinds of questions have been especially prevalent during this course. When considering these kinds of questions, especially those that pertain to human mortality, contemplative practices have been invaluable. 

Using the methods that have been deployed in this course I have been able to better understand not only the different philosophies when confronting death but my own personal philosophy as well. The practices give me a unique perspective on this as I have narcolepsy which is a sleeping disorder where I will fall asleep with little to no provocation. As we work through these exercises I can feel myself fading towards the darkness that is sleep and to be doing this while debating the momentous topic of human mortality leads to an incredibly sobering, if not terrifying, line of thought. These types of thought fall in line perfectly when addressing Terror Management Theory and how it affects the way we address death. When doing these exercises it forces one to evaluate their distal defenses in order to better understand how they combat their own mortality and how they view their impact on the world. For myself, as someone who is not religious I questioned what my existence amounted to and what I thought my goals should be in order to be a benefit rather than a liability. Going though these very personal journeys has provided me with insight that I doubt I would have found if left to my own devices. Contemplative practices have become a daily occurrence for me and something that I will continue past the end of this course.

Resources and Inspirations

The Worm at the Core. Solomon, Greenberg, and Pyszczynski.

Class Discussions and Practices