• One paragraph summary of the key idea summarizing the major idea of the section.
The key idea that summarizes the main idea of the introduciton/prelection section is what I believe to be metanoia, which is a movement away from self-centeredness and ignorance and toward truth and charity, involving a change in mind and heart. This section included many short stories and handouts in which the key idea involved change towards a better way of living. Stories such as "Icarus and Daedelus" and Plato's "Allegory of the Cave", clips about Deion Sanders and Eric Clapton, and a letter from John Horman all involved a movement away from sin and ignorance towards a better way of life. Each story itself displayed a person who lived a sinful and harmful lifestyle until they performed an examination of their life and lifestyle to better their lives, which thus relates itself to a key quote we studied from Socrates, "The unexamined life is not worth living". Socrates quote relates to metanoia because the quote challenges us to examine our lives to fully live them. Upon examination, we are to realize what we must change to live a fuller life, and this change is a metanoia. Towards the end of the section, the class studied the Five Foundational Lessons, which establish the lessons we need to understand to fully examine and live our life, and move towards a better lifestyle. All the stories, clips, handouts, and discussions of each class had the same underlying topic of metanoia, the movement away from self-centredness, ignorance, and sin, towards truth, justice, grace and love.
• List and explain three of the most important ideas you want to remember from this week.
1.)Metanoia-Metanoia is the movement away from self-centeredness, sin and ignorance torwards truth and righteousness. Metanoia involves an examination of one's life, and using this examination to improve that life and converting that life into the right and just way of living. Change is one's mind and heart, relating to a person emotionally and intellectually, is key in metanoia.
2.)"The Unexamined Life is not Worth Living."-This quote is from the philosopher Aristotle. This quote relates back to metanoia, another key idea of the section. The quote's message is that if one does not examine and realize how they live and what they do, then their life is not worth living. Thus, to fully live our lives, we must examine our lives on a daily basis and change whatever is needed to make our life more worth living. This quote also applies greatly to the schoolwide Examen, as the entire SLUH community stops to examine their actions over the course of the day.
3.)The Five Foundational Lessons-The Five Foundational Lessons are lessons that we should use to improve our life and morals. The Five Lessons can be paraphrased as thus: 1)I am always making decsions that will affect me and others and determine my character. 2)I am biased. 3) The value judgements I make determine my action and my mental health and happiness rests on these judgements. 4) Any change in my beliefs about life will change my life and its quality. 5) The most important decisons I make need to be faith based.
These five lessons are what we need as individuals to examine and live the best life for ourselves and those around us. Following these lessons in life will help us to examine our life and experience metanoia for the better.
•One or two good images that remind you of key ideas.
