IfYouGiveAMindensenABlog

I'm taking a "Leadership" class right now at my school during it's Winter semester, which is just a 2 week period between Christmas break, and the start of Spring semester. Honestly, as an "ACE facilitator", and just going through multiple "leadership/team building" things, I kind of expected it to be a fairly "repeat"class. I wasn't really expecting to be told or do anything new... silly right?

So, we keep journals for this class, but today I felt the need to blog about my experience first. There is just so much going on in my head right now that a notebook page just seems too confining.

For today, the syllabus says "Group Experience meet in Grand Lobby". Now, because of what I've already said, I looked at that and thought "team building". I was wrong. (SPOILER ALERT: this blog will kind of "disqualify" you from participating in similar experiences)

Once everyone was there, our professor walked over to where we were gathered, and he had 3 other facilitators with him, whom he introduced. There wasn't anybody I didn't recognize. He then let another lady explain what we were going to do. In general, what was going to happen was that we were each going to be given a slip of paper with our name on it, and instructions. We could not talk from that point on, and we couldn't show each other our slips. This is what my slip said:

Follow the captain to the back corner of the lobby. Remain standing. Do not watch the movie.
Do not even turn your head or body toward the movie screen. Do not speak. Wait for further
directions. If one of the captains makes a request of you do as they ask as quickly and
quietly as possible.

My personality is to have a mini 'panic attack' at this point. What are they going to ask me to do? Will it be embarrassing? Am I going to be able to keep still? Wait, what did my paper say again? Shoot! did I forget something? I hope I don't forget anything... etc. :) Sound like you??? Anywho, all this kind of passed through my head in a matter of moments, and I came to the conclusion that I trusted the people facilitating to not ask me to do something that would be bad, and if they did I wouldn't do it, but otherwise, I was okay with following my slip of paper... and then the "experience" began.

They called us out in groups. Starting with the blue group (my paper said red at the top, which I actually didn't notice until after class, my name was written in red though, so I assumed that's what they were talking about), they walked my fellow classmates into the main lobby area. The green group went next. Each group had a 'captain' or facilitator that went with them. I didn't really pay attention to where they went right away, but when Red was called, I followed the rest of my group into the main part of the lobby. We were just heading to the closest back corner, but from that short walk I could see that there was a screen and projector set up in front of which a couple of other students were sitting, and then behind to the back right there was another group of students sitting in chairs facing the screen. We Reds were then told to face the wall, and stand as close together as possible, and to not talk. So that's what I did. Soon after, I could hear the theme music of Batman Begins start to fill the room, and the film proceeded to play. I settled in to my spot. I had seen the movie and could pretty much watch the scenes in my head. :) Every once in awhile, our 'captain' would ask for something to be given her... chap-stick,sweatshirt, shoe, sock, earring, hair-tie... nothing very big. It was generally asked with some urgency, and since my instructions said to respond quickly and quietly, if I had the object I would hand it over unless someone else had already started to give her something. No big deal. Sometimes, I would hear her correct somebody in my group for moving or to stop looking around, but for the most part we were doing a good job of following what at least my slip said. At one point though there was a little 'tension' because someone was asked for something specific they didn't have, which they thought he was 'lying'. This said person, later took off, and ran out of the building and away from the experience entirely.

Through out this time, the movie was still playing, but I could hear other 'captains' asking for stuff from the other group, but there didn't seem to be anything crazy going on. After the one guy ran away, there was definitely a change in the group I was standing in. The guy right next to me, the next time we were asked for something, actually started to talk about, and question our 'captain', and even added a "you can't punish us", basically saying she didn't really have 'power' to enforce what she was asking for...

Our professor eventually called the experience to a close, and we all drew chairs up towards the screen. (The movie was shut off :( ...now I do want to go watch Batman Begins) ...The guy who ran off was called, and he eventually came back, but we started our debrief with out him. And this is where I really started to struggle.

From my understanding, what the experience was supposed to demonstrate was how people respond to 'oppression', and how other people respond to seeing others 'being oppressed'. I came out of the debrief, feeling like I was looked at as being 'weak' for just 'giving in', but I can't help feel that in the end that wasn't a fair evaluation.

Romans 13:1-5 says "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, and agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience."

Now, I realize that we shouldn't just mindlessly follow ANYBODY, but that we should be careful of whom we trust,whom we place ourselves under,and that ultimately, we answer to God FIRST before any human authority. However, I had already DECIDED in advance that it was okay to TRUST the people in authority, and I ALREADY knew my LIMITS going in, and nothing they asked crossed the line. Furthermore, I strongly believe that "God is our refuge and strength. An ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not FEAR..." (Psalm 46:1-2a). This verse honestly passed through my brain as I was standing facing the wall, but with that same thought I realized "I am NOT in TROUBLE". There was NOTHING TO FEAR to begin with. So, even though, it could be seen as 'weak' and 'mindless' to simply hand over my sweatshirt when asked, there was actually a LOT of thought that went into that DECISION to be obedient.

• I didn't have a good reason to disobey
• If this was some type of scenario we were supposed to be acting out my lack of adherence to what I was told could effect the overall purpose for the experience
• I didn't know what was written on other people's slips. As far as I knew, they were INSTRUCTED to 'rebel', and I was NOT.

As the debrief continued, we were told about the 'by-stander effect' which is generally associated with EMERGENCY situations, and shows how people in crowds will tend to not help someone in need out of fear of standing out, or assuming that someone else will help. It's kind of sad to think about, but at the same time, in this experience there wasn't that kind of need. None of my classmates were being hurt, or abused; physically OR verbal. So, we were made to stand for 32 minutes facing a wall, and we weren't allowed to watch a movie. So, we had to stand close together, and give our 'captain' some of our things. So? I'm not being hurt, I know I'm getting those things back. I'm not hurting anyone else, or being asked to take something from someone else. In fact, as far as I knew, it was potentially MORE of risk to NOT obey because I could negatively effect the scenario that the facilitators were trying to present.

Side note: As someone who has had to facilitate different activities, it is ESPECIALLY FRUSTRATING when people don't listen and can't seem to wait patiently for/or follow basic instructions, and can't seem to let me say ANYTHING without being told WHY, or asking some other question... and most of the time I was trying to organize a FUN event, that quickly became UN-FUN because no one would listen, or follow instructions. All of this played a part in my response.

Continuing on, we eventually took a break, and then headed back to our normal 'classroom'. There, our professor kind of proceeded with the discussion of social/psychological experiments. The one we specifically talked about was The Standford Prison experiment, which to save time, I'll just insert a link to the Youtube video here.

Something that was emphasized in our original debrief, and after this movie was the idea of being observant, and being aware of the bigger picture. "There is ALWAYS more going on". In the Standford experiment, there was a 'prisoner' who forgot that he wasn't REALLY a prisoner, but after being reminded that he really was just a student participating in an experiment he was able to calm down, and be rational again. It was his in-ability to remain rational that made him freak out in the first place. This I believe is key, and something that should have been said about the experience we went through in class. Just like the 'prisoners', we were just students in an activity. We weren't really being 'oppressed'. There was nothing to get freaked out about, which is why, it's kind of upsetting to be told that is really what it takes for the experience to be 'successful'. I feel like our experience matches more closely with the Prison than with the By-stander Effect. The people who remained rational I believe are the people who TRULY responded correctly, as opposed to the people who got upset, just because they didn't LIKE what was going on.
Responding out of discomfort, or dislike is DIFFERENT than responding because something is morally or ethically WRONG. One I believe to be belligerence, the other demonstrates a true sense of justice and compassion. The former seems more selfish, the latter selfless.

Now,I am not a perfect person, and I certainly am often afraid. In fact, on my way home today, as I was processing through some of this, I drove passed a car that was blocking a lane, and the boy clearly was stuck. He was going through his trunk though, and seemed to 'know' what to do. I didn't know how I could help, so at first I drove past... which is usually my excuse. "I wouldn't be any help" or "I am a girl". However, I realized I at least had a phone I could offer in case maybe he didn't have one so I turned around, drove back and asked if he needed help. He didn't, but still, it was evidence to me that there are certainly times when I'm not the one to quickly jump to help someone in need. Also, in my attempt to defend myself in class today, I was challenged with the idea that there probably were areas/things that I did compromise on, or let go unchallenged in my life that were subtle things, or things that just weren't blatantly terrible. That really made me think, and I am sure there are areas/things that I should be less compliant about. This experience just wasn't one of them.

I pray to God though, that HE will give me the strength and the courage to ACT according to HIS WILL, and through HIS POWER, if/when a situation comes up in which I DO need to speak/act out against some kind of authority, and I believe He will.

"No temptation has seized you accept what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, But when you are tempted he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." (1 Corinthians 10:13) Now, I will probably write a whole OTHER blog about this verse, but in summary, the Greek word for 'temptation', can also be translated as 'to test'. There is NO real difference except in the WHO. If it's God doing something...He's TESTING. If it is the devil...he's TEMPTING. Otherwise, the words are the same. God allows things for a reason, often we don't know the reason, but we are told that He will be there with us, and will help us. :)

God is GOOD!♥