Wednesday, September 30, 2015

The Rise: Arctic Summer: Surrender

[The Rise]

In The Rise, Sarah Lewis references several different narratives when covering the concept of "surrender" (61 - 88). What did you find particularly useful about her discussion? Why? Provide page numbers. 

18 comments:

Jacqueline C. said...

When discussing surrender, there was one quote that stood out to me which goes as follows,"We often need a few failures to get to the goal we're trying to reach (63)." I interpreted this as having to surrender to failing a couple of times, but as long as you get back up and keep trying and finally accomplish the task, it shows strength and perseverance. It is unlikely to do something challenging and get it the first go round. It takes practice and persistence. Everyone has it in them, it is up to them whether or not they are willing to accept the failures and continue trying.

Alexandra J said...

This entire chapter had very inspiring examples/quotes dealing with surrender. The one in particular which stood out to me most was, "How do we stand in a place where we would rather not and expand in ways we never knew we could (80)?" To me, this is one of the hardest things people can do and it takes bravery and a strong mental approach to not only encounter it but conquer it. To me, this quote is about being comfortable with being uncomfortable. If we settle for living in our comfort zones, not only do we not grow but we don't advance in any way. In situations where we are uncomfortable and there is uncertainty, there are opportunities to fail but with failure comes growth. Overall, this quote tells us that we shouldn't be afraid of failure but should accept the lessons that come with failing confidently and without hesitation.

Kiana S said...

What stood out most to me in this chapter is part of a quote where she says "Okay, so this thing that you're trying to do that no human being has done before is hard. And you're shocked? If it wasn't tough, there would be queues or hoards of people out here! (p.78)" This is the most true statement to me in this chapter. The best things to achieve are always the hardest to do. I think that part of what is great about the achievement is going over all of the obstacles to get there.

Jenee B. said...

I found it interesting when she said, "Yet when feelings of failure come with their own form of pain, empowerment through accepting it--surrender-- and pivoting out of it can be more powerful than fighting" (pg. 71). This was useful to me because she clearly explained why surrendering does not always have to mean giving up; with the narratives she gave surrender a new meaning. When thinking of surrender in this way it can help someone to not let their struggles get the best of them, but rather allow them to redirect their efforts to a more successful path. It could also help someone to reshape their vision of success, which could allow them to go farther than they once might have imagined.

Kayleigh E. said...

In this chapter one quote that stood out to me was "Clearly you can't change anything that's going on in this harsh place, but you start to understand its rhythms and seasons. You come to a place of surrender to the physical environment." (it is page 144 on my ereader) I took this to mean that in life you cannot control everything that goes on, so you have to surrender to it. You can get used to the high and low points in life but realize you cannot do anything about it beside decide how you are going to react.

Unknown said...

The concept within this chapter I found most intriguing was on p. 72, "Aikido embodies the idea that when we stop resisting something, we stop giving it power." I think that it says so much towards how we should approach life. A lot of times, I think we don't realize how much power we give to dead situations or circumstances that have already passed, yet the only reason it is still present is because we cannot seem to let it go. I think that alone can be the reason a lot of people do not want to move forward.

Unknown said...

While reading this chapter, I felt uplifted when the authors actually quotes, "You reach a point where you're at the bottom of hell, yet you have your arms crossed and a smile on your face, and you feel like your the luckiest person on Earth" (69). I can relate to this and I also have loved ones that have had every reason in the world to be angry, and yet they seem to be the happiest people. I like the fact that the explorer used books, poems, music, etc. to get him through his journey, to his goal. I think that applies to all situations in which you have a goal to reach... you find things to uplift you, so you won't give up.

-Belainesh N.

Unknown said...

What stood out the most in this chapter was the quote " Clearly you can't change anything that's going on in this harsh place, but you start to understand it's rhythms and seasons. , you come to a place of surrender to the physical environments. (p. 66)" This means a lot as far as the things we go through in our lives as people. Life to me seems like how the arctic is to Saunders. Life can become complicated, but you learn to adapt. Sometimes you make the right choice and keep moving forward. There are times when you feel defeated, but you keep pressing forward.

Unknown said...

The compelling concept of the chapter is that of surrendering. Surrendering to what you believe to be your limits can stop someone's forward movement (Lewis 64). Failure is what makes someone believe they have limits, and once those limits are internalized, it can hinder growth and development. Going outside the scope of what is considered "normal" is how discovery happens. One of the misconceptions that is debunked is the idea of something being the "impossible". Only something can be deemed impossible if society deems it so. The lens that we have been taught to look through is that where norms rule over creativity and discovery. Without the individials who push past the norms, many discoveries would not exist.

Sierra E said...

In this chapter, I found the paragraph on page 72 involving the topics stress and access to information brought up some great points about our need to surrender and how that, in turn, heightens our perceptions. A specific quote that resinated with me was in the middle of that paragraph. It states, "When we are stressed, we lose access to information, and when people are out there on the edge, they need to have access to all the information they can." I think this is so true; although a certain amount of stress is necessary and good for you, overall, an excess amount of stress can cripple the way we approach situations. I think the chapter on the topic of surrender was so relevant for young leaders.

Georgy N said...

A quote on page 73 really caught my attention. "When you surrender enough, you feel the heft of a situation or an environment and can better judge how to move with it." This really resonated with me. Success is more likely when you go into a situation or environment with some knowledge of your destination. When you relax or 'surrender', you leave your mind open to absorb new and important information. To me this means surrender is never a failure. It is a chance to regroup and come back stronger than before.

Mercedes H said...

On the topic regarding surrender, I found the statement "you reach a point where you're at the bottom of hell, yet you have your arms crossed and a smile on your face, and you feel you're the luckiest person on earth" ( pg 69) best fitting. This specific quote meant that even though you are in a give situation, you have come to terms with it and moved on. The real meaning of surrender is to give oneself or yield to, which you have decided not to dwell on any given situation. This chapter discussing surrender was very powerful and intriguing.

Kiara G. said...

What i found the most interesting about the reading was the quote that states, " You could argue that failure is not a punishment and...success is not reward. They're just failure and success. You can choose how to respond" (p.78). I thought this quote was most memorable because in life a lot of us don't view things as successes unless society, or family around us approve of our life choices. We can either accept failure as a life lesson or hold on to it and dwell on what could have been done. I think it is important to do what one values in their own life, and find happiness in things they love to do, not what others think you should be doing.

Unknown said...

When talking about the topic of surrender, I found her statement, "You could argue that failure is not a punishment...success is not a reward....You can choose how to respond" on page 78 to really resonate with me. As an athlete, I am always analyzing my failures and successes of every race. I can either be upset about how I did and dwell on it for the rest of the week, or I can treat it as a stepping stone to my future successes. I think its important to not dwell on the negatives of life and to keep moving forward in your goals.

Unknown said...

The discussion on pg. 73 on surrendering was especially interesting to me because I can identify with "surrendering" different aspects on my life. For my personal life I speak on surrendering situations over to God, but that can be applied to page 73 as well. When we surrender the situation to God, or whomever or whatever one may choose, it gives us a sense of clarity and relief allowing us to have an open mind and a clear head. These things are often the deciding factor in whether good and logical decisions can be made in order to progress and become successful at any task.

Jessica Oranika said...

When talking about surrender, I found page 71 to be particularly interesting where she talks about how surrender doesn't have to be demeaning or embarrassing. She quotes Nietzsche saying, " the demon that you can swallow gives you its power, and the greater life's pain, the greater life's reply." to me this says that accepting your fate can give your more control than struggling to change it.

Quincy S said...

The discussion of surrender on page 71 stood out to me. I found it interesting because it gave me a new perspective of the word surrender, outside of its negative connotation. Lewis states that surrender is usually associated with a white-flag retreat, but "when feelings of failure come with their own form of pain, empowerment through accepting it-surrender- and pivoting out of it can be more powerful than fighting it". I took this as the idea that succumbing to the reality of a situation, allows you to accept it- which then gives you the option of moving past it.

Ajeenah Johnson-Brown said...

This chapter I found to be particularly interesting because usually when I think of surrender I think of an action of someone who is weak. People surrender when they have no fight left in them and are forced to settle.In this chapter, Lewis speaks about surrendering in a way that is almost like assimilating. On page 80 Lewis asks the question, How do we stand in a place where we would rather not and expand in ways we never knew we could? This I felt was interesting because instead of just giving up because things aren't exactly as we pictured you can always make your own way. In life we have all faced this exact situation and at first it seemed impossible, but somehow we made light of an uncomfortable circumstance.