Category: Trending on the Web

A Self-Reflection

In 2006, Time magazine’s Person of the Year award went out to “you.” When I visited the LACMA this semester, Mungo Thomson’s art piece displays a mirror designed as the cover of Time and allows participants to view and be in the art. This homage to the magazine caused me to reflect on myself and my time at CMC. Featured in the image is me and one of my closest CMC friends, Tanvi. As we take a picture in the artwork, I can’t help but wonder what the implications of being Person of the Year would be.

time-magazine
Tanvi Bhargava ’17 and Sharon Chiang ’17 at LACMA exhibit

What would I want to be known for as Time magazine’s Person of the Year? I reflect on the legacy I’ve left at school and what I still have yet to accomplish on the bucket list. While I’ve been in CMC, I have founded Music Mania, a music educational program that helps underprivileged students from Uncommon Good build the fundamentals of music theory. In addition, I’ve served as a student coordinator for the Center for Civic Engagement, with my roles ranging from a community service coordinator to leading the SF Alternative Spring Break trip. However, what I think I have learned the most from is balancing schoolwork with life. As I stand in the mirror with Tanvi, I realize how far I’ve come from being at CMC. Slowly but surely, I’ve learned to prioritize relationships above schoolwork without sacrificing studying. In addition, I’ve learned to live in the moment and take each day a step at a time. I couldn’t have imagined high school me taking a whole day off to explore LA’s museums and sights during a busy week. The picture of me in the mirror makes me truly value what is the culmination of my four years at CMC. I am proud of what I’ve accomplished for both society and my personal goals.

So, can we all be Person of the Year? With Thomson’s art piece, he truly puts the viewer of the art in a position of self-reflection, both figuratively and literally. I look forward to what the new art displays at the LACMA will bring me in the future.

By: Sharon Chiang

Abundance without Attachment

This week, I attended Arthur Brooks’ Ath talk on “Abundance without Attachment.” The talk was initially titled, “How to Live Life like a Start-up,” but was later changed. Prior to the talk, I wondered why Brooks would change the talk from something attention-grabbing to the entrepreneurial spirits of CMC to one that was vague; however, by the end of the talk, it was clear why he had done so. The main crux of Brooks’ talk was on the formula to happiness. While there are many economists and businessmen explaining their steps to living a entrepreneurial lifestyle, there are few that elaborate on the importance of happiness.

As a business and government professor with a Ph.D. and an M.Phil. in policy analysis from the Pardee RAND Graduate School, Brooks engaged the audience through his charismatic take on finding happiness in a capitalist society, making tradeoffs between relationships and career, and other relevant insight. Currently, he is the president of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, and a bestselling author.

Before his present accomplishments, Brooks spent 12 years as a classical musician. His transition to economics came after his desire to find a solution to poverty. During his trips to India, capitalism became hard evidence of a powerful tool that lifted poor nations from deep poverty. Brooks then decided that he wanted to be a part of the solution and started his career switch.

The question remains: what does the title even mean? The best way to describe “Abundance without Attachment” in western words is “If you love something, set it free.” Brooks argues that capitalism is not evil. Capitalism is a machine run by people, who can be good or not. The abundance of money that rises through capitalism is not bad; however, the distinction is that the attachment to the abundance of money is what causes dissatisfaction.

What should we value instead? Brooks talks about the four aspects to the formula for happiness, which includes pouring ourselves into:

  1. Faith
  2. Family
  3. Community
  4. Meaningful Work

Brooks’ formula for happiness was not groundbreaking to me since it wasn’t the first time I’ve learned about it. I’ve heard about it from my parents, read about it from psychology experiments, and witnessed it firsthand through the fulfillment of my decade-long friendships and sharing life stories with strangers while traveling abroad. However, coming from Brooks, whose background is intertwined in both music and economics (such as mine), the advice hit close to home. Brooks’ talk was a great reminder to continue prioritizing what is most important in life.

Didn’t make it to the talk? Check out the link featuring Arthur Brooks’ commentary on TED.

By: Sharon Chiang

Emotional Intelligence and its Importance in Career Success

This semester, I decided to take Sociology of Emotions at Pomona College, another one of the 5Cs. Having always wanting to take a sociology class and a genuine interest in the emotions of others and myself, I eagerly signed up. For one of our readings, Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence: Why it can Matter More than IQ, Goleman argues that EQ is a better predictor of success than IQ. After nearly four years of attending CMC, whose unofficial motto is “work hard, play hard,” I can see how my school’s culture of valuing both social events and academics have led to career success for many CMC grads.

For instance, Goleman talks about the five components of EQ:

  1. Self-awareness
  2. Managing emotions
  3. Self-motivation
  4. Empathy
  5. Handling relationships

When evaluating the components of EQ, the five factors boil down to understanding oneself and others as well. Though IQ is important, especially in higher education, the competition of “who attends a more prestigious school” or “who has the highest grade” often causes people to forget that success in academia does not automatically translate to success in career. While intelligence is important in grasping the challenging material within academia, in many career fields, the chances of using that information in daily situations is very rare. However, the constant that appears within any field is knowing how to deal with yourself and other people. CMC offers a variety of social events, including Ath talks, CPB events, and even weekend parties, to get CMCers comfortable in developing bonds with other people and how to handle conflict when it occurs. By encountering these situations early on, before entering the workplace, we are prepared for life beyond pure academia. Knowing how to take care of others and yourself are translatable skills beyond college and the workplace.

By: Sharon Chiang ’17

 

Theatre is Truth, Journalism is Not

Processed with VSCO with f2 preset

This week, I had the pleasure of attending the discussion on politics, art, and the role of the theater in shaping public policy with internationally recognized playwright J.T. Rogers and CMC professor Eric Helland. A 2012 Guggenheim fellow in playwriting and under commission from Lincoln Center Theater and the Royal National Theatre, Rogers hails from an impressive background.

CMC is known as a prestigious liberal arts college with strengths in pre-professional preparation. Though theatre is not a major offered at the college, there were many practical lessons taken away from the talk that deal with developing meaningful connections and experiences that we can apply to our daily lives.

When asked about the role of both journalism and theater, Rogers responded that “While journalism sharpens our minds, the theater can expand our sense of what it means to be human. It is where we can come together in a communal space to hear ideas that grip us, surprise us — even infuriate us — as we learn of things we didn’t know. For me, that is a deeply, thrillingly, political act.” Non-fiction can tell you facts but exclude the emotions that accompany these events.

So how does one write a play? The short answer is by understanding the human experience. Like any great career advice, J.T. Rogers simply says to use what you know. The characters need to be believable, coming from real backgrounds and having authentic human emotions and behaviors. When talking to people about their experiences, Rogers states that what is important is a personal level of understanding, such as how they wake up in the morning, and not just listening to their list of achievements. He seeks to create a conversation, not an interview.

To conclude the talk, Helland asked about how living in a rent-controlled apartment in New York affected the trajectory of Rogers’ career. To Rogers, his experience in New York was pivotal to the beginning of his career. Genius is not alone; genius comes from being in an environment with a lot of creative and ambitious people. This brought me to think about how lucky I am to be attending CMC, a college that not only promotes discussion and exploration of new ideas, but also adds value by being around the impressive people that go here. Rogers’ discussion at the Ath raises more awareness about the role of theatre in politics and even the privilege to attend CMC.

Didn’t make it to the talk? Check out the link featuring J.T. Rogers’ commentary on his latest play Oslo.

By: Sharon Chiang ’17

The Black Mirror and Instagram Likes

 

6855050673_f82c72a6e8_z

I spent my second week of winter break trying to convince my father to like my recently uploaded picture on Instagram.

An hour later, I received a notification acknowledging that my father had double-tapped on my picture- taking it from 59 to 60 likes- a small milestone. In exchange for the favor, I was told to watch “Nosedive,” an episode from the T.V. series Black Mirror.

The episode appears to be set in the future, a world where status and living is defined by an individual’s online rating. Interacting and gaining approval from individuals with higher ratings allows one to boost his/her own rating. A higher rating enables access to a better apartment, modes of transportation, and an elevated standard of living. A low rating can result in discrimination and social isolation, so characters go to considerable lengths to please their colleagues, thereby resulting in interactions characterized by superficiality.

While Black Mirror is dystopian, it is not unimaginable that society may evolve to a similar state. Technology has begun to penetrate all aspects of our lives. Our social media images have become vehicles through which we seek validation for physical beauty and popularity.

I admit that I went on a tech detox for two days after watching Black Mirror. On the third day, I was back scrolling on my Instagram and Facebook feed. This time, however, I tried to appreciate the picture itself rather than examining the number of likes it garnered.  It hasn’t been easy, but I’ve found this to be both pleasant and less toxic.