LC Exercise #5 Part 2: Laugh Yoga Session

After having our laugh yoga session in class, I really wanted to try it out with some friends, but never really ended up doing it. Although it was definitely fun in class, I thought it would have been even better if I was good friends with the people because then no one would feel awkward. So this past Saturday I tried it with a small group of five friends, and if I had known how much of a success it was going to be I would have definitely done it sooner.

I kind of improvised because I didn’t remember all the different activities, but I started off with chanting “Hee, hee! Ho, ho, ho!” (I couldn’t remember what it actually was!), poking themselves, handshakes, “putting on lotion”, rowing in a line, adding “ha’s” in a line (we just starting at the front again until we couldn’t go any higher), saying random things in a circle, and I made up a few of my own (jumping high fives with one big “HA!” and whispering “ha’s” into someone’s ear, getting louder and louder). A lot of what made it funny though was that people didn’t always stick to the rules of each exercise. They seemed to really get into it and like it, and by the end we were in a giant pig pile on the floor hysterically laughing.

The feedback I got was all positive, but also I could just tell from their genuine laughter that they had enjoyed it. They all seemed skeptical at the beginning, and were really surprised when it actually turned out well. Eric said something like, “No offense, but at first I thought this was going to suck- but it was actually good!” and Payal said “Gabi! Wait..! That was actually so fun!”. It also definitely had a lasting effect as well because a couple hours later Raichel randomly started giggling, and we were all confused, and she could barely get it out, “…Eric’s face! During laugh yoga!”. So obviously the happiness lasted even after the session was over.

It was a really good group to do it in because it did not take long to get a lot of genuine laughter. I felt more myself around them, so it was easier for me to get into it as well. I wasn’t necessarily nervous to try I with them, but I was just nervous for whether it’d be fun or not- but it definitely was because no one really held back!

LC Exercise #5 Part 1: Well That Was Easy, We're Friends Now

My younger sister Mimi:

(She didn’t really ask me to do much, I just spent more time with her during our normal activities and tried to avoid our normal fighting)
11/20/11-11/27/11

Sunday: Do homework/listen to music together --- actually cooperate for once because I always was okay (“said yes”) to her (mostly horrible) song choices

Monday: Walk home together; Let her borrow some clothes (normally I say no or get really annoyed and give her a hard time about it)

Tuesday: [Her birthday!] Hang out with her and her friend

Wednesday: Watch TV together; Play board game with her and my other sister Lili

Thursday: [Thanksgiving] Hang out all day with her and our cousins; Leave them and go hang out in her room when they start to get annoying

Friday: Clung to her and her friend at a Chinese Exchange goodbye party my mom decided to host; After the party just talk and watch TV together all night --- we told each other so much!

Saturday: (Nothing, we were separate all day)

Sunday: Crazy dancing/music session; Watch a movie together

My sister and I are constantly bugging each other- we don’t get a long very well most of the time. One day we had another one of our normal screaming matches, so then I decided I was going to try this exercise on her because I’m just sick of always fighting and it bothers me when people always ask me why we’re not close. What was great is that I really didn’t have to go out of my way at all really, yet our relationship actually changed so much. We basically just decided that we don’t want to fight anymore.

I really didn’t expect this huge transformation, but on Friday night when we just actually told each other about our lives (before we really didn’t tell each other personal stuff) we became so much closer. I trust her more now, we understand each other better, and we both don’t want to constantly be clashing over dumb things anymore. The rest of the week was fairly normal, but still helpful as well; we barely fought, we share better, and now we’re able to tell each other things. It’s not like our relationship was horrible before, I guess the fighting was fairly normal, but we were just really distant, so it’s nice that I feel I can confide in her now. Mimi also feels the same way, as she told me how she also likes being able to tell me things and that she too does not want to argue anymore. She told me, “Rachel (her best friend) and Liz (her best friend’s older sister) are so close and I just always wished we had that! We just need to like stop freaking out at each other over stupid stuff!”.

My week didn’t necessarily change that much; it was mostly over break so I had a lot of extra time. Normally though on school weeks the only time we really see is each other is when we do homework in the same room because we both have really crazy schedules. I think now though we’ll spend less time fighting and we’ll also be able to hang out with each other’s friends more. The time we spent together that week was definitely well spent, even though a lot of it was just chilling out (maybe if I told her about the exercise beforehand we would have done more?). She really is one of the few people I can truly be completely myself around (we literally are so weird together), so it’s great that we have more of the running around/being crazy/laughing times instead of the pissing-me-off times!

LC Movie Test: As Good As It Gets

Somehow Melvin, a mean, old man who suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Carol, a kind waitress who’s son suffers from severe asthma, and Simon, a talented artist who is left broke and in the hospital from a robbery and needs the help of his parents whom he hasn’t spoken to in years, all somehow change each other’s lives through compassion, cooperation, and altruism. Melvin learns to be nicer and more accepting of others from both Simon and Carol, both playing a part in him getting over his OCD. For Simon, Carol helps him by simply listening to him, urging him to make the first step in contacting his parents, and making him want to paint again, and Melvin helps him learn to stand up for himself. Carol felt better about herself from Simon’s drawings, and Melvin gave her son a doctor and gave her love. In unlikely circumstances they were able to come together in the most unexpected ways. Melvin, although seemingly callous and unpleasant, looses that exterior after being treated with compassion, and through altruistic acts and slowly opening up, he is able to win Carol’s heart. Carol and Simon go from complete strangers to saying “I love you” to each other because of compassion and cooperation. Simon is able to open up to Carol because she shows she cares, and then they help each other feel better by drawing (finds the motivation to be an artist again) and being drawn (feels beautiful and appreciated). Eventually, although they have nothing in common and have all been through a lot, they begin to actually love each other because of the ways they’ve had an impact on each other.

Kin Selection Theory:

Carol, who is normally compassionate and forgiving and does not let Melvin’s comments affect her, finally tells him off because he said something as cruel as “sounds like your son is going to die soon too”. She yells at him, insults him, and threatens to kick him out of the restaurant for good if he ever says anything about her son again. Why does she act so strongly when it’s about her son, yet not when he insults other customers or even her? Because of kin selection; her son’s well-being greatly affects her well-being, and her highest priority is making sure he’s healthy and happy. She feels the urge to stand up for him because she cares about him so much; whatever hurts her son hurts her.

Reciprocal Altruism:

Melvin helped Simon learn to stand up for himself, and also helped him by looking after his dog, driving him to his parents, and letting him have the extra room in his apartment when he had no where to go. Later when Melvin is the one in need, Simon helps by giving him a pep talk to go get Carol. This is reciprocal altruism because he wanted to return the favor. Melvin may have said some really hurtful things to Simon, but ultimately he did help him when he needed it most, so Simon felt almost obligated to try to help him where he could, even if it was only boosting his confidence and helping him make the right decision.

Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis:

During Melvin, Simon, and Carol’s road trip to Simon’s parents, Carol decides to pull over the car so that she can really talk to Simon about his problems and help him feel better. She feels empathy for him; she understands his sadness, so she wants to help him by simply listening to him. Because of the Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis, her urge to reach out to him comes from her sharing his feelings. She may not have been in the same situation, but she knows his pain. She gives him her full attention without judgment, and then gives him advice on what to do next: take the first step and talk with his parents. 

LC Blog #4: Q&A on Altruism and Human Nature

1) How are we able to forget all the problems we know exist and continue on with our daily lives even if we actually do care?

Constantly I feel guilt for not helping when I know I should and could. One moment I’ll be watching an ad on TV about starving kids in Africa or reading an article about the child sex slavery problem- and I’ll feel horrible, and incredibly sympathetic, and also motivated to do something- but then a little while later when it’s off my mind I obviously go back to my normal life, indulging in luxuries I don’t even recognize as luxuries like going to the movies, doing homework, eating! Maybe this is more of a personal problem, but we are all aware of issues in the world and issues in our own communities, yet most of us are able to put them out of our minds and go on as usual because it doesn’t directly affect us. I find that to be a huge flaw in human nature. Some people might say, well it’s nice to help other people, but you should really only feel responsible for your “group”, whether that be your family, your community, your country, etc, because we need to look out for ourselves. That is how it is in the animal world, that is how it naturally is suppose to be, some would argue. Being so connected today though, we are able to know and understand what is happening on the other side of the country, or on the other side of the world, and are capable of helping, and because of that I feel we are in fact responsible for our species as a whole. To actually answer the question, we probably don’t help people we don’t have a direct relationship with because of sympathetic paralysis; if we were to take on all the issues of the world, we wouldn’t be able to function! “Nature’s wisdom has turned off our empathy before we can become overwrought and crippled with unhappiness at the suffering of others”^[1]. In my eyes though, that is a poor excuse; taking on the world’s pain is too much, but helping where you can rather than ignoring things is quite possible- yet it is not done nearly enough. As discussed when learning about kin selection, those who view everyone as their kin are the ones who are truly defined as altruists. This goes to show that some people overcome sympathetic paralysis- which makes me wonder why some people can’t.

2) If humans are biologically altruistic how come we have such a terrible history of wars, genocide, terrorism, etc.? How come there seems to be just as much bad as good in the world?

During our entire study of altruism I have wondered, if studies have shown that people are biologically good, how come there is still so much evil in the human race? I guess this depends on a variety of factors- infinite factors really. People as individuals have different experiences that shape them as they grow up; living circumstances, differences in culture and education that change their views, etc. Also, some people are just not capable of having compassion for those outside their “kin selection group”, they are selfish and uncompassionate towards people they don’t believe they have a connection to. Some studies have also shown that we are born preprogrammed with a sense of morality; “we generally do not commit wrong acts because we recognize that they are wrong and because we do not want to pay the emotional price of doing something we perceive as wrong”^[2]. The problem with that is that a lot of times people don’t realize what they’re doing is wrong due to cognitive dissonance. Small acts of unkindness lead to more and more cruelty because one step at a time they become worse and worse, justifying their actions every time by saying that theirprevious action was justified^[3]. Yet another reason is our obedience to authority figures; even if we realize we are doing something wrong, we feel we have to simply because we were told to and don’t feel we are the ones responsible. For example, in class you told us that some previous Nazi’s were interviewed and they said “we were just doing what we were told to”, and also in the Milgram Study 66% of people finished the experiment in which they were told to shock people at extremely dangerous levels. Studies also show that evil can spread just as much as goodness, which explains why there seems to be such a balance between good and bad in the world. It’s saddening that the power of good and evil seem to be fairly equal.

3) Why has our cultured evolved to believe caring isn’t cool?

Somehow along the way, it has in a sense become un-cool to care. I will admit that my generation tends to be rather self-centered, rude, materialistic, and inconsiderate towards others. People rarely stick up for each other and actually feel awkward showing compassion towards those outside their small group of people they feel responsible for. This was especially prevalent in middle school, although as we have grown up we definitely have gotten better. There are most definitely exceptions to this as well, but it seems to me that people are afraid to show kindness. This might be because we feel more vulnerable and almost weak when we care about something, but I am still greatly confused by this question. Why does being “bad” make you cool? Life would just be better for everyone is people were always nice to each other, but instead many people choose to try to bring other people down.

Unfortunately I don’t believe there is actually such a thing as “doing something out of the kindness of your heart”; psychological egoism controls every good deed we do! This is not to say that everything is selfish, but in way- even if it is at a cost to you- anything good you’ve ever done has benefited you somehow. You may feel like a better person, feel like your life has more meaning, or another person’s happiness brings you happiness, etc., etc. In the moment, your actual reason for helping may solely be for that other person, but why actually do something? Because you get the satisfaction of helping someone. “The real motive of these actions was that they fulfilled some need of the self….This “something” is usually referred to as a “good feeling” or avoidance of bad feelings”^[4]. Personally, I never thought that I was an altruist, but learning about these things made me realize, that I really do only do nice things because it makes me happy! The theory of psychological hedonism says that we only help others because we want to “experience pleasure or avoid pain”- and rather unfortunately, I believe that’s true (mostly because that has been my experience with things). It’s not entirely bad though, helping others is a great way to make everyone including yourself happy, and so everyone wins!

^[1] = “Why People May Not Help” Packet Hand Out

^[2] = “Is Morality Natural?” Article by Marc D. Hauser, Ph.D.

^[3] = Mistakes Were Made, But Not By Me by Carol Travis and Elliot Aronson

^[4] = “The Case Against Altruism” Packet Hand Out

APUSH Podcast #3: The Significance of Reconstruction

Before this unit, I was part of the 80% of high school students who did not know about Reconstruction. I had no idea that African Americans actually did have equal rights under federal law, but that state governments ignored it; I did not know such a progressive time period was even attempted. As Eric Foner said, “Reconstruction was a historical process” from which the United States “came to terms with consequences of the civil war”- the most important one being the issue of what to do with the 4 million freed blacks. This raised numerous problems like citizenship, the continued issue of the states’ power vs. the federal government’s power, affirmative action, and the relationship between economic and political power. I feel as though the laws addressed all of these issues well though, it was just the lack of enforcement that lead to its failure. Foner made some very interesting points, and showed really just how much has changed in such a little time span, from Reconstruction to now.

For 50 years the Reconstruction Period was seen as too radical, but this view has changed, and now many believe it was not radical enough. Foner explains that this was due mostly because of the racial norms; until the 1960’s there was still a great deal of discrimination towards blacks, but now almost everyone believes in equality. Many believed that it was a mistake to give African Americans the right to vote and that the radical republicans in office gave them too many rights too soon. Today, most people feel the opposite; they should have been given complete equality right away. I also believe that the fact that the North didn’t understand Southern race relations doesn’t actually matter; eventually with enough effort and force, those race relations could have been permanently changed. A common point of view now is that if they had kept troops in the South for longer and done a better job enforcing these new laws after leaving, then the South maybe would not have treated blacks so terribly because they would have learned to accept and abide by those laws. The laws and amendments passed during Reconstruction were incredibly progressive for their time and could have significantly and positively effected race relations had they been better enforced. By no means was it a mistake to give African Americans the rights they deserved (especially since they helped fight to save the Union), but they had to be more strongly protected, particularly in the South. As Foner brilliantly put it, “the problem wasn’t that it was attempted, but that it failed”.

Another point that Foner touched upon was how equality wasn’t a normal thing in that time period. Today we take that for granted, as it is just expected, but back then it was a very radical idea. It’s so hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that it never occurred to most whites that they should be treating blacks better. White supremacy was incredibly popular in the South, so spreading equality was especially difficult there. Foner shocked me when he said that terrorist groups like the Klu Klux Klan actually killed more Americans than Osama Bin Laden did on September 11^th. That to me is absolutely horrifying that people actually believed they had the right to kill other people because they thought they were inferior. It was also estimated that over 4,000 lynchings occurred in the South, most of which were of blacks. These things make me ashamed of our country, but also at the same time extremely proud that we were able to overcome that and are becoming closer and closer to racial equality all the time. Equality seemed nearly impossible at that dark time in our history, but now I feel we’ve almost achieved it.

During Reconstruction a major issue was state governments ignoring the laws made to protect blacks’ rights. Foners said, “We didn’t need a new constitution, we just needed enforcement!” This is because the Civil Rights Laws and the new amendments were not repealed, they were just simply violated through things like disenfranchisement and violence. The law might have said “separate but equal”, but that was never actually the case. What I found interesting was that the 14^th Amendment actually gave more power to the federal government for once, since normally the Constitution was based around limiting the powers of the federal government, and yet it was still violated by the states. “Just to write it in the books was not enough”, the Southern states’ governments didn’t abide by the Constitution when it came to issues like voting and segregation. This seemed to go against everything the North was fighting for during the Civil War because the states had so much power and could basically choose which rights they would allow African Americans to have. It bothers me so much that race relations could have improved so much and so much sooner had the lawsactually protected blacks.

Eric Foner really just made me realize how much the government was responsible for all these problems. The key to avoiding most of this was really just enforcement, but they failed to do that. Reconstruction was probably the worst part of America’s history, as it is so unbelievable now that people could have harbored so much hate for others based on the color of their skin.

LC Exercise #4 Part 1: All The Good I Might Do Before I Die

PROBLEMS	ACTIONS
Global Poverty	I really want to work for a non-profit, especially focusing on education* (for both boys AND girls!) all over the world
Unhappiness	I can do small everyday things to make the people around me happier; a smile, a wave, a compliment, a hug, are all tiny things that can have a large impact
Orphans	Really random, but I’ve always wanted to adopt kids in the future!!
Environmental Issues	Make small changes to my habits (to lower my ecological footprint) to eventually actually make a difference
*All the Evil in the World (War/Violence/Crime/Genocide/Terrorism, etc.)	As part of promoting education in third world countries, I think the Love Course should be available to every student around the world. Only half way through the course, and I already believe it has made me a better person- so think if everyone became a better person! Compassion CAN be taught, or it least people can become more aware of it, so it’s literally the answer to all our problems! You don’t fight terrorism with war; you fight it with education, and love!

(That’s all I can think of for now, but there is so much more!)

The change I really wanted to focus on was being more environmentally friendly, mostly because it was one of the only ones that was really possible for me to do at this time in my life, and also I really do care about the environment, but rarely do much to help. The others, although I feel like I’m putting some of them off, I know will eventually get done if I choose to still do them when I get to that point, and as for making people happier with little things, I am also trying to make that more habitual. Already I try to be environmentally friendly, but obviously there is so, so, so much more I could be doing. So I tried to do all the things I already knew I should be doing, and tried to make them into a normal part of my daily routine. Not only do I only use reusable water bottles, but I convinced my mom to no longer even buy disposable plastic water bottles, so that the rest of my family no longer has the choice. Also, a lot of girls on my soccer team always leave their plastic bottles on the fields, so someone always has to take an armful on them to the trash at the end of every practice or game- but now I take them home with me in my bag in order to recycle them (why people can’t just pick up after themselves is beyond me). I also added a recycling bin to my room for when I'm too lazy to take something downstairs to recycle it. We also purchased more reusable bags for grocery shopping and got nightlights for around the house so we don’t have to leave hallway lights on. Although I already tried to do this before, I am trying to really make it a habit to turn off the lights if I’m not in a room, turn of my computer at night and when I’m not home, turn off the faucet while brushing my teeth, and take shorter showers (although, this last one is definitely a struggle). Also, when I go to my SAT class in Boston every weekend, my friends and I now take the subway instead of driving (there’s not really any public transportation options in Sharon), and I am trying to walk home more or it least carpool. These small actions may not make a huge impact, but doing them everyday will eventually add up, especially when I get the rest of my family involved too. It feels nice to finally do something; before I just talked about how awful humans are to nature, but now I’m actually doing something about it instead of being hypocritical. I like actually "be[ing] the change [I] wish to see in the world" -Gandhi. You don’t need to be able to afford a hybrid and solar panels to start being environmentally friendly, the tiny things help too!

LC Exercise #4 Part 2: Andrew McMake-a-Difference

Andrew McMahon originally inspired me simply because of his amazing music. Then one day I found out he had just gotten over cancer, which made him even more of a hero to me and gave his music an even deeper meaning. Andrew McMahon created the bands Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin, which has been one of my favorite bands ever since I got their first album. Their music is just so important to me in a way I can’t even understand. Andrew’s lyrics are truly amazing, and are able to evoke so much emotion from so many people. He also had/has so much drive, working hard to make his high school band take off, and then abandoning it when he was ready to become a more serious musician. No matter what happened, he kept writing songs and making music. When Andrew was 22 years old he was suddenly diagnosed with leukemia, which was incredibly ironic because he had named the band after his friend’s younger brother who had childhood leukemia, and he also wrote many songs referencing hospitals, doctors, and sickness before he knew he had the disease. His uncle also died of cancer, and his family swears his uncle’s talent was somehow transferred to him. When I saw his documentary about his journey battling cancer I was shocked by how positive he tried to stay, being able to joke about it and just trying to get through it in best way possible when he knew his chances of living were so low. He even contracted pneumonia, which is the killer of most cancer patients, and later got shingles, but he worked through all of it. To be so hopeful when he was so close to death is an incredible thing. Even after watching his movie about it I still couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for him, what it must be like for so many cancer patients out there. He also started the Dear Jack Foundation which works with other organizations for research, financial aid to families, and helping people cope with the disease. He’s not only creative and sincere and honest in his music, but he also survived cancer and continued to do what he loved. What makes Andrew McMahon one of my heroes was his ability to overcome, his strength, but also his acceptance of his vulnerability, his humility, his passion for what he does, how down to earth he is, his bravery, the way he was able to channel all his emotions into such amazing music, just who is he. Before I was just a fan, but I truly look up to him. I have never had leukemia, I’ve never had to go through anything even close to that, but I hope if I ever have to that I will react the same way he did.

My story is extremely boring compared to his; I’m still sort of figuring out what my strengths are and what I want to do exactly. Although our goals are very different, Andrew McMahon showed me that you don’t need to be anyone particularly special to make a difference- he’s not exceptionally virtuous or anything, he just did what he had to do with the circumstances he was in, and just by doing what he loved to do he helped people in some way. Like him, just by doing what I love, traveling, I can help people and have a lasting impact. Although I am still very unclear in what exactly I will be doing in this field, I know that I want to work for a non-profit organization in a foreign country, where I get to both live in different places and help people in need. Already I feel I am capable of so much because I have the passion and motivation. Once I start something, I go full out, not allowing failure, and always forcing myself to finish what I started. Also, I feel that just having this drive to do something will get me anywhere; I just have to initiate it. Somehow I will either save lives or improve lives where there is need simply because I want to. I’m creative, so I can come up with new ideas and solutions and different ways of doing things, and I am always ready to and love to learn, which will help me achieve any goal I make for myself. Although my bravery has not been put to the test like Andrew McMahon’s was and my dream is very different from his, I still relate to him because of his fervor, dedication, and enthusiasm for what he does, which I believe are the key ingredients for making a difference.

Suggested Watching/Listening:

Dear Jack (the movie, you can find it on hulu.com) and the song “Swim” (don’t watch the music video, it kills it!) (…and obviously every other song he’s ever written.)

APUSH Podcast #2: War Between Neighbors

As someone who strongly believed that the cause of the war was sectionalism, I was quite surprised and taken aback by Ayers’ idea of how similar the North and South really were. He described how mostly we look back at the causes of the Civil War and search for the opposites, like abolitionists versus secessionists, and industry versus plantations, in order to give an explanation for the horrific and bloody battles and the huge amounts of casualties on both sides. He argued that this wasn’t the case though; that the North and South were far more alike than we were lead to believe. Ayers also brought up another very interesting point that if any event during the course of the war was altered, then a completely different outcome might have occurred. Every decision and every battle ultimately lead to a reunited and truly free country- but history could have been easily changed!

Just like abolitionists weren’t the majority in the North even in 1861, secessionists also weren’t the majority in the South; so the two regions really weren’t polar opposites like many people like to think. Focusing on Augusta County, Virginia, although they eventually did secede, at the beginning they were Unionists. This was astonishing to me because I originally thought that since slavery was a huge part of their economy and lives that most Virginians welcomed the idea of secession. Though they were pro-slavery, in fact “slavery had never been more prosperous” and Virginia was the “largest slave state of all”, they fought against secession. They knew that if war broke out, it would occur right where they were, and also that slavery in their state would be more likely to be protected if they did not try to go against the Union. This makes perfect sense, yet I really thought more people believed more strongly in secession in the beginning. In a matter of months though, Virginians changed their minds and joined South Carolina in the Confederacy. Even Ayers was shocked about how once they left the Union, their doubt also left. (Cognitive dissonance explains this though; once they made that irrevocable decision to secede, and put so much into that decision, they couldn’t afford to be doubtful; they had to believe in what they were doing completely, justifying their decision by saying God wanted them to secede.) The North also had a change in heart when this occurred. Just over the soon-to-be-border in Pennsylvania, they sympathized with the South. As soon as Southern states started to secede though, that sympathy was replaced with hate, and they were now ready to fight them. Ayers also touched on how their economies weren’t complete opposites either. Yes, it was slave states and free states, but 96% of Northerners were farmers, so this “agrarian society” associated only with the South, was not only limited to that region. The North may be like the South, but is the South really like the North? Ayers stating how the South also had plenty of railroads and industry seemed contradictory to everything else we had studied in class, so on that point I am left confused. Ayers’ ideas definitely gave a great counterargument to my beliefs of what the main cause of the war was, and left me wondering how such an incredibly costly war could have come from such seemingly moderate positions on both sides.

History could have easily changed at any point in the Civil War. It started with the fact that both the North and South greatly underestimated each other; both sides believing that it would be just one big battle, or it least that the war wouldn’t last long. The North, having greater resources, would seem the more likely winner, but in the beginning of the Civil War it seemed that the Confederacy was going to win. When Ayers said, “the best thing the Confederacy could have done would have been to loose in 1862”, I actually laughed to myself; how incredibly true! And ironic! If the North had had a quicker victory, slavery would have continued. Although it probably wouldn’t have lasted up to today, the outcome of slavery might have been very different. As Ayers pointed out, it could have been a gradual emancipation, there might have been compensation since they wouldn’t have been in war debt, or colonization might have occurred, which would have had the greatest impact on American history because all the challenges regarding race faced after the Civil War would have been avoided and thus never overcome. All the millions of people who died in the Civil War may not have actually meant to have risked their lives for slaves, but essentially every person was necessary in freeing them and changing the history of our country tremendously. To me, the idea that small, seemingly insignificant occurrences make such a large impact on the outcome of things is astounding. If things did not work out the exact way that they did, we almost definitely would be living in a very different type of society today.