Naval Yard Shooting

The Naval Yard shooting was perpetuated by a former solider, Mr. Alexis,  discharged honorably by the Military. This man was seen as a trusted member of the base after applying to be a contractor there to work on the site. His history before consisted of more recently, after leaving the airport in Virginia, an allegation that he was being followed by three men hunting him with a "microwave machine". He was also known for getting angry easily, once using a gun to vent frustration, and on several occasions he went to the Veteran's affairs department for mental health treatment. Because of these incidents, it does surprise me someone like him would be allowed to work on a military base with access to the things on base. To be honest, I can't really see a correlation between this event and readings we have done over the last few weeks. This was about mental health, and a violent action that occurred from someone's deteriorating mental status. If this could be at all relatable is that maybe humanity in this instance is too trusting of what it's already comfortable with. A man formerly in the navy with a good record from his military career working at a base seems harmless, but what doesn't change on the outside can easily on the inside. Enlightenment thinkers from our reading may have responded to this that society is too trusting, but events like this didn't happen in the 18th century, and therefore no current event on terrorism or mental health can be put together with anything from the 18th century because it simply isnt the same, and was less documented. A quote from Ronald Reagan speaks the best of this, "trust, but verify"

Blog post week 4, Swift and Smith

I really enjoyed the satire by Swift and the second reading by Smith on the commerce of towns and how it improved countries. Swift seemed to mention the degradation of society in Ireland and how to improve it in a satirical way through the children. It was definitely a good change in the reading and more interesting to read. That goes the same for the Smith reading. Swift didn't actually write on something I could relate to my life experiences or situation but I just found it to be something I could get into and understand his meaning in the writing. Swift talked about the problems in Ireland and how a way to fix it basically seemed to be to sell and or eat excess children spawned from prostitution. This was a little bit funny if I understood it correctly. 

In Smiths writing, I again found it interesting when he wrote on how the commerce of towns by farmers, merchants, and other such people in the more re-surging societies from the dark ages into the later medieval and pre industrial era. The idea that merchants and farmers built up the economy under the barons and lords and kings and made more of a difference is impressive. The people in this time period maintained livelihoods with the smallest aspects of life, a whole sheep for rent for a year sometimes in Scotland it said. Things taken for granted today were so difficult to attain in that time period and its strange to think of how things were priced then, and how they're priced now. We have so much and can have so much and maybe thats what Smith was getting at, that we can get these things but our predecessors would have been happy with a sheep for a year. You can make things last longer than you think and live off the land more successfully than you would have thought. Smith says you can reach a higher status and encourages its allowance, but he also makes it clear that its also just as good and maybe even more simple to be simple.

Hutcheson and Smith reading analysis

I started off with the reading by Adam Smith. I didn’t understand it all too well, but it was clear to me, or so I think, that the primary purpose of his writing was to inform people on the feelings of others in a society and how understanding those feelings yourself would be quite difficult to attain. He mentions compassion, sympathy (of course), pain, fear, and moreover references humanity and where its future lies. Again, this particular reading was especially “out there” I think in terms of getting a grasp of a basic understanding of what it was that I read. Definitely finding a summation of this reading could help me find a way to connect this to my own life, but as for now that would be very hard for me to find a proper connection.

Hutcheson however seemed to make more sense to me. He noted that Humans, animals, and nature all had to get along and live in the same place and be able to work and function side by side. He also noted that things will shift and morph and change based on a few different happenings around that area and part in nature. I think that sounds a lot like college and what students cope with here. We’re in a new environment trying to function properly, respectfully, and openly in this new unfamiliar place.  Things change in your life, they don’t and wont ever be the same and I think that’s the message he was getting at, as long as you can adapt to the changes around you and find yourself in the right place, you can thrive in whatever place you deem is beautiful.