Prompt #2: What does the individual owe the community? And vise versa?

The individual is nothing without his/her community. What is a man with no one to talk to, no one to care for, no one to love? Most people take their community for granted, but each individual has an obligation to their given community. It is the individual's duty to contribute something to the community and work together toward everyone's best interest. The individual could not live a life of worth without a community because society and other people provide possibilities of higher joy for the individual. Given the importance of community to an individual, the individual should do everything in his power to protect the community. In the case of the Maxine Kingston excerpt, the aunt dishonored the community. This was an interesting example for this point since women were not respected equally and she "didn't have a choice," but nonetheless she wronged her community by offending the honor of their family. Given she was stuck in a moral dilemma and would be harmed either way, she chose to try and hide the dishonorable pregnancy rather than resist the rapist. Either way, she would risk her life, but by resisiting the rape, she may would be defending the honor of herself, her husband, and the community. I know it is not fair to judge, but she is still morally blameworthly for wronging herself and the community. She had a duty toward the community and family's honor.
At the same time, the community wronged the "no named woman" as an individual and her whole family by raiding their house. It is the community's duty to protect its members, and though she was a great dishonor, the raid upon the house was completely unjustified. A community is obviously made of a number of individuals. Its function is to ensure the the security of all and best interest of the majority. A community is more than just a group of people. A community is comprised of relationships that should ideally be based on empathy, caring, and love. When an individual has a problem, such as the case of the aunt, the community is suppose to come together and lift individual off his/her knees, supporting the individual through the tough times, not condemn them, ravage their home, and break their will for living. Previously, I held the aunt blameworthy for her actions, but it did in no way justify the communities extreme course of action. The community was completely unwarranted in their pilaging violence.
All in all, both the individual and the community have obligations to the other. Both sides, especially the community, must be held responsible for their actions. I say that because once the community has wronged an individual, punishment is hard to allocate; therefore, justice enforced by the community should be thought over and made sure the fit the crime. The lone human is weak. The individual will always make mistakes without fail, but community wrongdoings can always be prevented with some effort by community members.

Prompt #1: Can and should one live the unquestioned life?

In Mark Twain's article, the unquestioned life is a life of predictability, a life of conformity. It is a life that has been designed by the expectations of others and accepted by the individual. It is possible to live the unquestioned life, yet still ask questions. Living the unquestioned life does not mean you are ignorant at all. In fact, even a philosophy professor may be living the unquestioned life if the case was that his parents wanted him to be a philosopher Ph.D. and he merely complied. It is very difficult to not live the unquestioned life because conformity is all around us, but it is very possible. There is a difference between simply conforming and reasoning to a genuine agreement.

Many people tend to like others simply because they dress, act, and believe in the same things they do. If the similarities are justified, then so is the affinity, but many times, the similiarities are created to attract those affinities . This is the aspect in our nature that feeds comformity. People's lives and their opinions should be genuine, and thoroughly reasoned through.

Conformity is the alcohol that slowly poisons our minds, yet brings us much pleasure. Doing whatever everyone else is seen doing gives a feeling of false security, and false confidence. People use conformity to cover up their insecurity of being different. As a side effect, it can also cover up their greatness. Mother Teresa, Bill Gates, Martin Luther King Jr., Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ghandi, and Muhammad Ali are some of the greatest people at what they did. They weren't afraid to be different. They weren't afraid to lead. They weren't afraid to be great. When was the last time someone great conformed to society?

One of my friend's favorite quotes is a quote by Marianne Williamson. I think his choice is very justified.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

-Marianne Williamson