The writing prompt background: Nachiketa (character in Upanishads) demands the Lord of Death an answer: Do we exist after death or not? – a question that, we could say, is the same as asking, How should I live? What matters? Thoreau asks us what our lives are for: For what exactly are we willing to change minutes, hours, days, months and years of our “life”? Suzuki finds his students becoming exceedingly serious one day as they are harvesting fruit. He climbs the tree and throws fruit down at them (p. 116). This is a way of asking them, “what matters?”
The writing prompt: Discuss these three questioners. ( this is what I need expansion on) In what ways are they asking the same question? In what ways do their questions differ? Then move to assess the questioners and their questions.( this is what I need expansion on) Which questions do you perhaps object to – and why? Which questions, if any, do you resonate with so strongly that you might consider changing things in your life? Remember Nachiketa’s insistence to his father that sacrifice of our “best” cows (not to mention our favorite amusements) may be necessary to real personal or spiritual development. In a final paragraph, construct a small plan for the future. Call it “My Walden.” Your experiment could be something simple that you could begin now with small adjustments in your life. Or something big that requires much planning and commitment.
My personal intake to add: The three questioners are asking the same question of “for what are we here for (on earth) and why?” They also differ because Nachiketa in the Upanishads referred to what is after life on earth and Thoreau’s refers to what matters during life on earth. And Thoreau makes me think about my daily actions and decisions that result in time of my life spent. Thoreau’s is an interesting question because it makes me think about what I am wasting or using my precious time in my life for? It also makes me think about why I do certain things and how is it benefitting me. Are there things I could wick out of my life to become happier? That is a question that resonates with me the most and would prompt me to change things in my life that I trade minutes, hours, and days for. This question could also help me to prioritize and figure out the best, most productive way to use my time. I am a little confused on the message from Suzuki when he throws the fruit down from the tree. I am not sure how his message is “what matters” so I would object to his question based on how he is asking and presenting it. “My Walden” would be an experiment in learning how to better balance my responsibilities in my life. My responsibilities continue to grow as I get older. I am almost done with college and after that I really need to take control of my life and make decisions based on what I want and who I want to become. I have to be willing to put my fear aside and know that if I don’t put myself out there, I will continue to be stuck with no goals or unhappiness. My experiment would include prioritization, accountability, and ownership. I need to balance the various aspects in my life better and as my experiment takes place, I should take a step back every so often and evaluate how I am doing and if I am achieving the desired outcome. I would often reevaluate and try hard to identify changes that need to be made and not be afraid to make those changes. I have provided enough feedback for you to supply an answer in my own words to some of the questions. I have struggled on how to analyze and assess the questioners which is why I am looking for help from paperhelp.org