Blog #32 -Mark Zbarsky -Period 2- 5/7/20

Aim: How can students be controlled?
Aim: How is a man conflicted between both the desire to conform and the need to be an
individual?

Today we discussed the meaning of freedom and how it is used in our society. Some ideas
discussed were the ability to make your own decisions and the right to control your thoughts and
actions, to an extent.

We answered a survey as well as other questions that entailed thought-provoking ideas that
most of us would have never thought of before. One of these questions asked, “Those who
would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor
safety.” Some other questions asked about our society and our morals, such as, “The
government can create rules that make its citizens very restricted.” In my opinion, while the
government does have the literal power to do that, their power only comes from the people
allowing them to rule us and they should not do that, as they would lose supporters.

When discussing the aim, we talked about how people, in general, like to be together and are
social, but no one wants to have nothing of their own. People struggle to find that balance in
their life and this leads to some people not using their voice and their beliefs as they lean too far
to one side. This allows for the government/people in power to use their authority to sway
people over to that side and get more power over them, as they follow the government entirely
without thinking.

REFLECTION
I learned about how I would think in some scenarios that I had never thought of before, and I
learned it in a way that would affect my future thinking. I can use this to think more thoroughly
certain situations, however, I’m not sure where else this lesson would be useful in everyday life.