Feedback Thoughts

This Week we read a bit about why feedback is important and how to overcome the stress that can be associated with negative feedback or comparison.

The first article I read was "The Psychology of Comparison and How to Stop" by Ellen Jackson. She doesn't really dive into the psychology of social comparison which was kind of disappointing, but the point of the article was a solid one. She writes that while it's natural to compare ourselves with others, it's not something that always helps us to achieve. I like the philosophy of seeking out intrinsic motivation and finding ways to propel oneself forward with firm and focused goals.

I was going to read an article on Forbes next, but I don't like being forced to disable Adblock.

Instead I read "Why Rejection Hurts So Much and What to Do About It" by Guy Winch. I think I agree with his argument that rejection (even the threat thereof) is one of the most common sources of emotional pain we face. There were a few tips he wrote about that are meant to help curb the pain of rejection, some of which I feel like I already employ. Especially resonant with me is the need to limit self-criticism.

I'm not adverse to feedback so long as I feel like I'm being respected in the process. There's been plenty of times in my life that someone has come to me with constructive criticism about anything from a school project to my personality, and it helps me grow!

A group of businesspeople talking... Maybe giving constructive feedback to each other! (pxhere)

Project Topic Brainstorm

Below are some topic ideas I'm considering for the class project!

“Heroes of Myth and Legend”

The first project idea that stuck out to me was “Heroes of Myth and Legend”. I’d love to write a story of a rags-to-riches hero’s journey. I like some of the twists that the linked storybooks threw in to their heroic stories, so I’ll probably have to think of my own.

"Legendary Creatures"

It would be pretty easy to weave stories about legendary creatures into a hero’s story, so I don’t think I’d have to choose between the topics of “Legendary Creatures” and the above topic. Maybe our noble hero could defeat progressively more terrifying monsters of legend (like Heracles!).

One legendary creature: a griffin as depicted by Wenceslaus Hollar (Wikimedia Commons)

“Stories from the Heptameron”

“Stories from the Heptameron” caught my eye because I had no idea what a Heptameron was. I think the idea of “renaissance urban legends” might be fun to try to adapt to different time periods including the present day. Even if I don’t go with this one for a project, it might be fun to read this unit one week.

“The Kalevala”

“The Kalevala” would be neat to draw inspiration from in my own stories. While of course I haven’t read it yet, it might be a cool idea to adopt the epic poem structure for my own storybook. I could see where that might be a little difficult though as I’m no poet!

Week 2 Story: David's Nutty Winter

There once lived a kind, wise squirrel named David in a dense northern forrest. Being that winter was fast approaching, he and the others of his kind were busily storing nuts away in their reserves. The nut selection was pretty sparse this year, and the ever-thoughtful David knew that there would be many squirrels unable to sufficiently stock their dens.

David decided, “I’ve lived a good life, maybe it’s best that I share my bounty of nuts with those in need.” He visited the neighboring dens one by one, taking his whole stash along.

He stopped at the first den and sang “Hello friends! I have nuts to spare, take something nutty if you care!”

The other squirrels thought this was a bit degrading, but they were facing down the barrel of starvation so they accepted his offer and took some nuts with gratitude.

A nearby grazing deer saw David’s act of generosity and approached him, congratulating his selfless act. “I’ll remember this, David!” she said before returning to her grazing spot.

David continued to a second den and sang “Buddies! Pals! Take my Nuts! I have plenty so here’s your cut!”

The family of squirrels gladly took some tree nuts and acorns, as a cardinal looked on with admiration. The cardinal flew down from her perch and said “David, your kindness is unmatched. I won’t even need to fly south because you’ve warmed my avian heart.”

David nodded and continued to the next den, where he sang “Nuts are great, nuts are tasty, please take mine and please be hasty!” As he was handing nuts to the den’s inhabitants, a hare passed by and said “David, you’re a credit to squirrel-kind”. David smiled at the hare before moving along.

After several more such encounters, David came to a harrowing realization that he had forgotten to earmark any nuts for his own consumption. “Aw, nuts,” he said, realizing that he would likely starve this winter. David was far too prideful of a squirrel to ask for his gifts back. He headed back to his den, happy that he could help his neighbors but troubled by his own situation.

Days later, a very hungry David rested outside his den. The same deer which witnessed his earlier act of kindness passed by, taking immediate concern at David’s emaciated figure. “David, you look awful!” the deer cried. Remembering that David would have done the same for her, she offered, “I can bring you some of the tastiest grasses from the far neck of the woods”.

David wasn’t the grass-eating type but his stomach rumbled and he accepted the offer. The deer trotted off in search of the promised sustenance.

Before the deer returned, the cardinal flew by and noticed David looking worse for wear. She swooped down and offered to fetch david some bird seed she had been saving in her nest for a special occasion. After all, it was the least she could do for such a generous squirrel. David humbly accepted, happy to have such good friends, and the cardinal flew away to retrieve the seed.

Soon enough, David was visited by the hare. David rolled his eyes before the hare had a chance to speak and chided, “Buddha, we’ve been over this, I’m not going to eat your flesh, that’s super weird and it makes everyone uncomfortable.” The hare, rejected and dejected, hopped away.

With the help of his less-weird friends, David was able to make it through the winter, having instilled a culture of mutual generosity in the woodland community.

Author's Note: This story was based on the Buddhist fable of "The Hare that Was not Afraid to Die". The titular hare of this fable preaches that in order to be virtuous, the other woodland animals should give their food to the needy and fast. The hare in that story, and incarnation of Buddha, offers to sacrifice himself so that a hungry traveler may eat. The same hare makes his way into my story, but not as the main character. In a twist, the story of David the squirrel teaches that generosity is often reciprocated, and giving to others in their time of need can yield karmic returns when the tables turn.

Bibliography. "The Hare that Was not Afraid to Die" from Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie L. Shedlock. (Web Source)
Photo: Squirrel eating a nut. (Source: Max Pixel)

Reading Notes: "Origin Stories: The Moon"

This week I read two stories about the origin of the moon.

The Moon captures attention, provoking the question: where did it come from? (Photo: Max Pixel)

First, I read the Laos story “The Man in the Moon” as written by Katherine Neville Fleeson.
What struck me most about this story was how similar the message is to other fables. I feel like I’ve read more than a couple stories of people with the power to change their situation and are never happy with the outcome. It was interesting that in this story, that message was tied up in the creation of the moon.

The second story was an Indian Jataka tale “The Hare that Was not Afraid to Die” as written by Marie L. Shedlock.

The structure of this story is what stood out to me most. It followed a cadence, with the otter, jackal, monkey, and hare having their parts of the story told in repeating sequence. It’s a little like goldilocks in that structural respect (papa bear, baby bear, mama bear, ad infinitum).

The characters were very minimal, which might be a feature of oral tradition. It wasn’t explained why the hare valued himself equally for the meat he could provide as for the knowledge he shared. It might be that the story is better understood as part of a wider buddhist tradition.

Reading Options

I can get behind self-selecting stories to read every week! I hope that I'll be able to find a few I can get inspired by. Below, I've linked some units that caught my eye.

I feel like the story of The Monkey King is one that's popped up in pop culture over the years  ("Wukong" is in a few video games!). It'd be neat to explore his roots in the more traditional sense. I think I'll be reading this unit!

The Robin Hood unit surprised me when I went to check it out because it's organized into ballads instead of long-form stories. Reading a bunch of shorter ballads might be right up the alley of my often-short attention span.

Twenty-Two Goblins caught my eye because of the sheer number of goblins described by the title. Just like the Robin Hood unit, it looks like this one is divided up into short stories, and I'm actually pretty curious to read about Sanskrit depictions of this particular fantasy creature.

Should I expect this kind of goblin? (Wikimedia Commons)