General Education Capstone

Paying it Forward

The following topic(s) will demonstrate what the discussion is about, but feel free to branch off or expand on the topics. In addition to this discussion, you will be asked to craft a 150 word reflection on what you have learned through this conversation and post it to the Reflection Journal. The more active you are in this part of the discussion, the more you will have to draw from in your reflection, so get involved, be active, help out your classmates when they need it, and, most of all, enjoy the conversation. Topic: William Penn is credited with saying, “I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.” This statement is similar to the idea behind “paying it forward,” or, performing a random act of kindness for a stranger, who in turn would do another random act of kindness for another stranger, and so on. This is a philosophy popularized recently by Starbucks and the media. If money were no issue, what is something that you would do for another person or group of persons to “pay it forward” (besides buying them a cup of coffee in the drive thru line)? Why would you like to do it? What do you hope would be the outcome of this act? After considering this, do you feel that it would “make a difference”?