February 10, 2013

February 10, 2013

Another Week, Another Blog Post

In sports news, the Iowa State men lost yesterday.  Needless to say, I was not a happy camper during that game.  The Ravens won the Super Bowl.  Old news, I know.  I thoroughly believe that the Buffalo Wild Wings button was pushed to give the 49ers a fighting chance.  Also, did anyone catch the Louisville/Notre Dame game last night?  5 Overtimes! Again, the Buffalo Wild Wings button had something to do with it.  The Irish won if you were wondering.

This past week in class we learned about cultural proficiency.  Easten did an excellent job of incorporating some really good tips regarding different kinds of culture and how we need to be emphatic rather than sympathetic.  For a clearer definition between the two, according to my dictionary.com app on my phone, empathy means the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attidues of another, while sympathy means: (1) harmony of or agreement in feeling, as between persons or on the the part of one person with respect to another; (2) the harmony of feeling naturally existing between persons of like tastes or opinion or of congenial dispositions; and (3) the fact or power of sharing the feelings of another, especially in sorrow or trouble; fellow feeling, compassion, or commiseration.

In simpler terms, empathy means to relate with a person's experiences while sympathy means to relate to a person's feelings.  It's easy to sympathize with someone, but to emphasize with someone is a bit harder.  It's something we as peer mentors need to be conscious of as we continue our course and lead our sections next fall.

In conclusion, I will remind everyone that Valentine's Day is Thursday, in case you need to get something for your significant other quickly before then.  As a history major, I will throw in this historical fact that has nothing to do with love about the holiday.  This Valentine's Day will mark the 84th anniversary of the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, which was the murder of seven mob associates who were caught in a conflict between the Italian mob led by Al Capone and the Irish mob led by Bugs Moran, both based in Chicago.

And with that I will leave you with this quote:
"When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goals; you do not change your decision to get there." - Zig Ziglar

Have an excellent week everyone!
Go State!
Katie