Week 2: Describe Limits Assignment
Humanities 100 Online

 If you have the courage to think through a problem, you sometimes come to a point where you realize there is no technical solution. You realize that you have certain material and moral limits to what you can do to solve the problem.  Just as you learn your physical limits (how much you can drink, how far you can swim, how long you can go without sleep), you also learn your psychological and intellectual limits. 

Your writing assignment for your journal is in two parts:

First, look up "reciprocal altruism" in a search engine like Google or Yahoo.  Read enough to be able to describe briefly what reciprocal altruism means and the conditions necessary for it to occur (100 words or less). If you quote from a source, set off quote and source.

Second, describe a relationship that would get better if you followed the rules below.  Reflect on each rule and provide specific examples. Propose a 6th rule which you find from past experience works to improve relationships.  

Rule 1:  Define and be able to express your standards.

Rule 2:  Don't think and act out of context.  This is especially true for people from low context cultures (I do it my way) living in high context cultures (we don't do things that way around here). Also, do not be bullied or bully in the context.

Rule 3:  Don't bluff.  Interpersonal consistency (credible, truthful, and sincere) is the first virtue of thoughtfulness.

Rule 4:  Don't feel obliged to have an opinion.

Rule 5. Master your self.