Reflect on the concept map that you created in the previous exercise and consider the Dan Gilbert video from module one. Discuss your protected values and how far you are willing to go to support those values. Explore the level of protection associated with each of your major values identified in the concept map and detail your thoughts on each. Finally, discuss how those protected values would influence your decision-making.
I chose peaceful protest/assembly, marriage equality and religious freedom as my protected values, and I reviewed how I exercise these values every day.
Though I have not protested recently, I am very active in letter-writing campaigns, calling the offices of representatives to speak on or out against proposed legislation, and enjoy speaking my mind online. At times, I feel that I need to do more - it has become quite easy through the internet to feel like one is making an impact without really doing anything. I donate to causes that I am very passionate about, particularly women's rights issues. I need to trust that my money is going to a cause, and not into someone's pockets. As Julie Irwin and Jonathan Baron discussed in "Values and Decisions" in Chapter 14, people may say they are very passionate about issues, but when it comes to actually supporting those passions, their money, time and energy tends to fall short. I believe that highlighting events in which citizens are prohibited or punished for gathering peacefully through as many means as I can - by face-to-face conversations, Facebook posts, tweets, blogs and letters - I am living out my passion.
Marriage equality has been a topic I have been very outspoken for, for as long as I've known it was an issue. My first discovery of this issue was when I was in grade school, and I saw a CNN story on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," a policy barring gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the military. When I asked my mother about the details of such a rule, she explained that stating one's preference in dating and intimacy would get them harassed, ostracized and physically assaulted in the military. It changed the way I felt about the Armed Forces. Both of my parents are veterans; I only saw military personnel as heroes. I could not believe that people with such high stature would stoop so low as to bully others who have sacrificed just as much for this country as they have. It was offensive to me that a professional would find it moral or entertaining to hurt another professional. At that time, I had no understanding of the progress the military had made from its inception - I assumed that the military had always been open to all citizens, regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation.
In high school, I joined a multicultural Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Ally (LGBTA) group. During my membership, I joined GLSEN, Inc., the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, a national LGBTA organization that fights the discrimination of LGBT people. This organization solidified my association with the plight of gay people. I started the Day of Silence at my high school, a passive protest against anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. We petitioned the school to allow the group to decorate a hall for the annual International Week, and with four other high schools, petitioned the School District of Philadelphia to recognize October as Gay and Lesbian History Month.
In much the same way as LGBT issues are a passion, religious freedom is as well. I was raised in a household where all religious text was available. Growing up in a multicultural community, I had friends who were from a plethora of backgrounds, with various religious beliefs. My mother was involved in the Jewish community and most of my friends were Christian or Catholic. The experience of attending multiple religious services allowed for me to gain an appreciation of all backgrounds, and I enjoyed figuring out my own beliefs through learning about others and questioning my own. I went through phases of being religious, non-religious spiritual, and non-spiritual. In my teenage years, I aligned myself with atheist and agnostic beliefs, and even came up with my own religion that I named wrote documents about. When I started college, I began to research the Unitarian Universalist church, and I presently feel that it best describes my beliefs about the universe and provides a way to converse with others about their beliefs. At times, I identify as a follower of Judah and I am questioned for a multitude of reasons. I do not "look Jewish.: I do not wear a Star of David. Some have an "ah-ha" moment as they reference stereotypes I fit which they note as proof that I am Jewish, like being thrifty and enjoying financial wellness books. I am assumed to hate those who are Muslim, which is a huge offense. It saddens me that some try to align with me over a presumed hatred of others. At these instances, I must not only fervently disagree with their sentiments, but pull out the soapbox to discuss the reasons why xenophobia and religious hatred are going to be the downfall of our country and of civilization. Going to bat against hatred is a sport we should all participate in! Like our lives, our minds are always (or at least, should be) changing and expanding with each piece of new information. I am happy to be open-minded to the love the world provides us.
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