At this point, I'm only a little past halfway done with The Year of Living Biblically due to the fact that I am so busy, I would have to pull all-nighters just to be close to being done. I promise I'm doing the best that I can. So I can't really summarize the book but I talk about the research which is definitely more important than the summary.
A.J. Jacobs started his research on the Bible months before he began his year of biblical living. He spent hours reading different versions of the bible. He had Christian, Jewish, and hip hop bibles. He then went to write down every single law, which was over 700. He did his best to follow the popular ten commandments along with the more obscure ones. This meant that he had to spend a lot of time overthinking about religion. He also researched by interviewing and having conversations with other religious groups. For example, he out spoke a Jehovah's Witness and flew out to California to talk to a religious film director. A little more than halfway through the book, he goes to Jerusalem.
His goal was to become more religious person but he felt that he was just pretending. This was his flaw. But as he moved forward, it seemed that he found religion by instead of forcing himself to follow the rules, he realized that he wanted to follow them. He looked forward to the challenges that came across him. He hated when he missed his praying or didn't succeed in following a rule because he felt morally wrong. By stopping the tactic of taking the Bible literally, he interpreted it his own way and found peace.
This is the basic idea of the story. In my opinion, his research is strong. In the comments section of his TED Talk about his book (I'll link it below), people were negativity commenting on his research. They were saying things like he didn't actually find God because he looked at the Bible like a set of rules. I find this to be false because everyone has their own style of trying knew experiences; this was just his process. An example of someone who followed a little different was his cousin Gil, who started a cult and started to believe he was God. In this way, his research process was different but he still succeeded in his own way. Therefore, A.J. Jacobs did good research.
Friday, February 24, 2017
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Reading Log #5: Response to Immersion Book
As of right now, I am on page 151 of the book The Year of Living Biblically. This is book about the author himself, A. J. Jacobs. For one year, he decides that he is going to take the bible literally and live a biblical life. He does this because he wants to feel more connected with God in the modern atmosphere of New York City. He vows to follow the 10 Commandments along with over 613 unpopular rules like stoning adulterers, blowing a horn at the beginning of each month, and not wearing mixed fibers. Because it is very overwhelming to focus on all 613 rules every day all day, he tries to focus on one important rule a day while still trying to follow the others to the best of his ability. He also researches about religion every single day intensively. Each day, he talks to different pastors, mentors, or followers to have a conversation about God. He has talked to Rabbis, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, a few crazy characters. To take his research even further, he travels to different states and plans to visit Israel to see different religious communities and sacred cities like Jerusalem.
Where I am in the book, he is on month 5, day 124. He has a lot so far, and I am very impressed by his dedication. There are a couple things they I found interesting in the story so far:
In class, I am working with a team of 4 people to create a presentation to explain Aj's immersion to the rest of the class. My job is to talk about his rules for his project; not just the 613 rules he has to follow, but how he goes about following them. At the moment, I have a Word Document open whenever I am reading to take notes on what's going on in the book. I'm not sure how I'm going to talk for 3 minutes instead of 10 because the guy has so many rules. As stressful as the project is to think about and wondering if I'll finish on time, I am enjoying the book a lot and it's giving me an improved look at religion that I didn't have before.
Where I am in the book, he is on month 5, day 124. He has a lot so far, and I am very impressed by his dedication. There are a couple things they I found interesting in the story so far:
- There is a rule in the bible that says you must kill magicians and sacrifice oxen (pg 8)
- There’s over 3000 versions of the Bible in just English alone (pg 9).
- There are liberal believers who think that Darwinism is real but also the root to racism.
- Aj has a sense of humor and it adds to the story. For example, there is a character that named Mr. Berkowitz that tests Aj's clothes for mixed fibers and always calls to come pray with him. Aj makes fun of him so much that he turned his name into a verb.
In class, I am working with a team of 4 people to create a presentation to explain Aj's immersion to the rest of the class. My job is to talk about his rules for his project; not just the 613 rules he has to follow, but how he goes about following them. At the moment, I have a Word Document open whenever I am reading to take notes on what's going on in the book. I'm not sure how I'm going to talk for 3 minutes instead of 10 because the guy has so many rules. As stressful as the project is to think about and wondering if I'll finish on time, I am enjoying the book a lot and it's giving me an improved look at religion that I didn't have before.
Monday, February 6, 2017
Reading Log #4: 3 More Sources
I continue my research with three more sources focusing on the question: how does being a vegetarian effect me physically, mentally, and emotionally?
The first source was written by Walter C. Willet M.D., who is the chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard's School of Public Health; making him a credible author. His essay talks about the unhealthy side of being a vegetarian and what sort of food a vegetarian should eat. "The all-American vegetarian diet is coke, pizza, and ice cream". A healthy vegetarian diet is lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and few starches and sugars. Willet recommends limiting eggs, fish, or dairy products because evidence shows that high consumption increases the risk of fatal prostate cancer.
Willet's article is helpful to me because it makes me see the darker side of being a vegetarian. My main purpose for this immersion project is to live a healthier lifestyle. If I don't pay attention to what I'm eating I could end up being worse off than if I stayed omnivore. I will use Willet's diet advice to develop a secure plan to eat healthy vegetarian meals.
Find this article here: http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/health-advice/2010/01/11/does-being-vegetarian-mean-healthful-eating-walter-willett-md
My next source is an article written by Harrison Wein, Ph.D. called "Risk in Red Meat?" on the National Institutes of Health's website. In this article, Wein discusses a study done by Dr. Frank Hu of the Harvard School of Public Health. The study was used to find out the risks of red meat intake since past research shows that red meat is related to risks of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer; as articulated in my last reading log. The study had over 37,000 male and 83,000 female participants being in 1980 and every four years the participants would fill out a food questionnaire. The results: almost 24,000 people died during the study. 5,900 were from cardiovascular disease and 9,500 from some form of cancer. These were the people who had the highest consumption of unprocessed and processed red meat. What the scientists calculated was that for every one serving of red meat, the risk of mortality increased by 13% ad any extra serving raised it to 20%. They estimated that if people substitute 1 serving a day with foods like poultry, fish, buts, legumes, dairy and whole grains, their risk would lower 7-9%.
This source is very helpful because it has legitimate statistics that prove that eating red meat is bad for your body. This is something that will keep me in the mindset that I have to eat healthier foods if I want to live a healthy life. It also gives advice like the source above as to want foods I should eat as substitutes. Having these sources to help me make my eating plan makes the project much easier.
Find this article here: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/risk-red-meat
My last source that I will talk about is my primary research: talking to vegetarians at Ball State University. When I talked to Lizzy, I asked her how she felt in the first couple of weeks in being a vegetarian. Lizzy shared that she felt more active and awake therefore it made her an overall happier person. There were a couple reasons as to why this was. Knowing that she was helping the environment put her in a better mood and eating healthier also added to that. Nate Adams, a freshman studying Economics, had a different experience with going vegetarian. He said that he grew up not eating a lot of meat to begin with so when he decided to cut meat out of his diet, he didn't feel any changes to his mood or physically activity. This primary research shows that going vegetarian is different for everyone.
I did primary research because it was difficult to find papers and articles on how people felt emotionally after going vegetarian. I knew that the best way would be just to ask people about it. I found that their experiences being different very fascinating and it makes me want to ask more people about their transition. That is something I will do during the immersion project. I will try to interview at least one person a week about their experience when transitioning into a vegetarian.
Though these are the last 3 sources I will be sharing for now, I will continue my research to get better prepared for my immersion experience in March.
The first source was written by Walter C. Willet M.D., who is the chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard's School of Public Health; making him a credible author. His essay talks about the unhealthy side of being a vegetarian and what sort of food a vegetarian should eat. "The all-American vegetarian diet is coke, pizza, and ice cream". A healthy vegetarian diet is lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and few starches and sugars. Willet recommends limiting eggs, fish, or dairy products because evidence shows that high consumption increases the risk of fatal prostate cancer.
Willet's article is helpful to me because it makes me see the darker side of being a vegetarian. My main purpose for this immersion project is to live a healthier lifestyle. If I don't pay attention to what I'm eating I could end up being worse off than if I stayed omnivore. I will use Willet's diet advice to develop a secure plan to eat healthy vegetarian meals.
Find this article here: http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/health-advice/2010/01/11/does-being-vegetarian-mean-healthful-eating-walter-willett-md
My next source is an article written by Harrison Wein, Ph.D. called "Risk in Red Meat?" on the National Institutes of Health's website. In this article, Wein discusses a study done by Dr. Frank Hu of the Harvard School of Public Health. The study was used to find out the risks of red meat intake since past research shows that red meat is related to risks of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer; as articulated in my last reading log. The study had over 37,000 male and 83,000 female participants being in 1980 and every four years the participants would fill out a food questionnaire. The results: almost 24,000 people died during the study. 5,900 were from cardiovascular disease and 9,500 from some form of cancer. These were the people who had the highest consumption of unprocessed and processed red meat. What the scientists calculated was that for every one serving of red meat, the risk of mortality increased by 13% ad any extra serving raised it to 20%. They estimated that if people substitute 1 serving a day with foods like poultry, fish, buts, legumes, dairy and whole grains, their risk would lower 7-9%.
This source is very helpful because it has legitimate statistics that prove that eating red meat is bad for your body. This is something that will keep me in the mindset that I have to eat healthier foods if I want to live a healthy life. It also gives advice like the source above as to want foods I should eat as substitutes. Having these sources to help me make my eating plan makes the project much easier.
Find this article here: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/risk-red-meat
My last source that I will talk about is my primary research: talking to vegetarians at Ball State University. When I talked to Lizzy, I asked her how she felt in the first couple of weeks in being a vegetarian. Lizzy shared that she felt more active and awake therefore it made her an overall happier person. There were a couple reasons as to why this was. Knowing that she was helping the environment put her in a better mood and eating healthier also added to that. Nate Adams, a freshman studying Economics, had a different experience with going vegetarian. He said that he grew up not eating a lot of meat to begin with so when he decided to cut meat out of his diet, he didn't feel any changes to his mood or physically activity. This primary research shows that going vegetarian is different for everyone.
I did primary research because it was difficult to find papers and articles on how people felt emotionally after going vegetarian. I knew that the best way would be just to ask people about it. I found that their experiences being different very fascinating and it makes me want to ask more people about their transition. That is something I will do during the immersion project. I will try to interview at least one person a week about their experience when transitioning into a vegetarian.
Though these are the last 3 sources I will be sharing for now, I will continue my research to get better prepared for my immersion experience in March.
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Reading Log #3: 3 Sources
For my project, I am answering the question how does being a vegetarian affect me physically, mentally, and emotionally? With that, I have come across a variety of sources that tell me that being a vegetarian will affect me in a positive way.
When researching how being a vegetarian affects me physically, I found a TED Talk given by Mark Bittman; a bestselling cookbook author, journalist, and TV personality. He isn’t the most credible source but he is a journalist, which makes him a powerful researcher. This TED Talk was given in 2007, when people were first starting to realize they needed to change their diets. In his presentation, Bittman went through the history of how food changed and became what it is today: TV dinners and chain restaurants. He says the food everyday Americans consume is unhealthy for their diets and they need to change. He hit a few key points. In America, diabetes, strokes, and cancer are more common than in any other country. This being a direct result of eating meat. Although meat has protein, it is not the only source and it isn't necessary for our diet. Instead, people should try eating green foods and five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
I found this source to be helpful and beneficial because it was a speech given to the public in a way that society can understand. Other sources hit these issues but didn't hit the main point as quickly as Bittman did. Although this isn't the only source I am using to talk about the physical health issues in my immersion project, it definitely helped me get a better understanding of how food has evolved in the past century. It also gave me more insight to the topics that I should research to answer my question.
Turning to the mental side of being vegetarian, I found many sources relating to this topic. One in particular, which, led a academic study was on HuffingtonPost.com called "Vegetarian Diet for a Better Mood?" by Riley Rearden, who is a Nutrition Counselor and Wellness and Motivational Coach. Her article had a link to the BioMed Central Nutrition Journal. Bonnie L Beezhold and Carol S Johnson, both working the Nutrition departments at Benedictine University and Arizona State University. This article focused on three s=aicds: EPA, DHA, and AA, a.k.a., omega-3 fatty acids. They all reside in meats, poultry, and fish and they each effect human brains. Their study had three different groups: the omnivores, pedestrians, and the vegetarians. At the end of the for four weeks. The groups then has to take a stress and anxiety test at the end of the trial. Their conclusions were that the two groups', who ate fish, poultry, and meat, moods were unaffected, while the vegetarians' moods significantly improved.
This source is helpful for me because it gave me the exact information I needed to support that going vegetarian is a good idea. Because every source in the two articles are credible, it makes my argument stronger. The information was also written in a way where the everyday researcher understands what they are reading instead of giving an overwhelming amount of scientific facts.
The last source is the best one I have to explain the emotional aspects of being a vegetarian. IN the databases on Ball State University's website, I was able to come across a graph that showed the anxeity and depression levels of those omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans.
When researching how being a vegetarian affects me physically, I found a TED Talk given by Mark Bittman; a bestselling cookbook author, journalist, and TV personality. He isn’t the most credible source but he is a journalist, which makes him a powerful researcher. This TED Talk was given in 2007, when people were first starting to realize they needed to change their diets. In his presentation, Bittman went through the history of how food changed and became what it is today: TV dinners and chain restaurants. He says the food everyday Americans consume is unhealthy for their diets and they need to change. He hit a few key points. In America, diabetes, strokes, and cancer are more common than in any other country. This being a direct result of eating meat. Although meat has protein, it is not the only source and it isn't necessary for our diet. Instead, people should try eating green foods and five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
I found this source to be helpful and beneficial because it was a speech given to the public in a way that society can understand. Other sources hit these issues but didn't hit the main point as quickly as Bittman did. Although this isn't the only source I am using to talk about the physical health issues in my immersion project, it definitely helped me get a better understanding of how food has evolved in the past century. It also gave me more insight to the topics that I should research to answer my question.
This source is helpful for me because it gave me the exact information I needed to support that going vegetarian is a good idea. Because every source in the two articles are credible, it makes my argument stronger. The information was also written in a way where the everyday researcher understands what they are reading instead of giving an overwhelming amount of scientific facts.
The last source is the best one I have to explain the emotional aspects of being a vegetarian. IN the databases on Ball State University's website, I was able to come across a graph that showed the anxeity and depression levels of those omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans.
This graph by Bonnie Beezhold, in the aforementioned study, Cynthia Radnitz, Amy Rinnie, and Julie Dimatteo, shows the depression, anxiety, and stress levels for the three main types of eaters. Although vegans have the best moods, vegetarians' anxiety and stress levels are better than omnivores'. This shows that because their moods are improved, they are probably better off emotionally.
I like this source because it gives the reader a visual instead of me just going on about fatty acids and mental illness. This physically shows the reader what is going on and it's helpful a scientific analysis.
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