Breaking Away

(Chapters 1-3)

 

This unit introduces six characters in search of a utopia and foreshadows their different view­ points. It also gives a brief glimpse of the Walden Two community.

 

5

Illustrations

 

The concepts in Walden Two are often illustrated in daily life.  Below are students' illustrations of three concepts in this unit.  Supply additional examples yourself of these or other key concepts in this unit.

 

Experiment (5).  "After successfully completing a six-month drug rehabilitation program I re­turned to my parents' home.  Feeling frightened and self-conscious among old and potential new friends, I secluded myself and kept my interaction with others to a minimum.

 

"I became frustrated and unhappy with this unnatural feeling of introversion, so I decided to experiment with ways to draw myself out.

 

"I tried using the phone a bit and felt somewhat better.  Then I used it more often.  Writing let­ters also made me feel more a part of things.  There was a housecat that everybody ignored.  I made friends with it but that didn't seem to help.  I needed human contact.

 

"I selected and wore clothes that were attractive. They gave me a boost.

 

"As a most important step to get a better hold on my self-confidence, I tried using a latent mas­sage talent.  I took classes, became certified, and started a successful business.

 

"I think it's right to stress the importance of experimenting with one's own life and mixing or sharing with others."

 

Behavioral engineering (10).  "My family spent the summer of my second year in a house on the beach.  All of my half-sisters, who did not live with me during the year, came too.  The excitement of a broken routine and the added attention I was receiving had somewhat disturbed my sleep patterns.  After much protest I would reluctantly go to bed but I would be unable to fall asleep.  I cried until someone came to pick me up, and then I spent the evening happily basking in the at­tention of my family.

 

"Rapidly tiring of this routine, my parents devised an evil plan.  One night they instructed my sisters to let me cry-to teach me to go to sleep without a fuss.  The family gathered in the living room to guard each other from any unwise sympathy that might sabotage the scheme.  I called out to all of them: 'Help me!  Save me Martie!  Save me Susie!  Save me Glenda!  Mommy, Daddy help me!' I cried and I screamed and I appealed to their softer side, but in the interest of family peace they ignored my pleas.  Eventually, I drifted off to sleep forsaking the possibility of rescue.

 

"The next night my parents told me that I could stay up fifteen minutes later because I had not gotten out of bed the night before-and I enjoyed that privilege.  In fact, my parents let me stay up fifteen minutes more every night because ever afterward I went to sleep without com­plaining.  They claim that I never again called out to be saved from the cruel fate of sleep."

 

 

 

 

 

 

6

Control of weather (19).  "I was once a privileged guest at a monastery in the wilds of New York State.  For two weeks, I found myself in a remote, completely self-contained unit, perhaps the only one of this sort in North America.  There was no interference from the outside world, even from the weather.

 

"The six major buildings were designed to interact with one another.  They faced towards the center of a small open area, two buildings on each side, one at each end.  Made of stone from a nearby quarry, and built in a low, secluded valley, they will be there for a long time.

 

"The most interesting part of this construction, for me, was the way the buildings allowed life to continue completely uninterrupted by the heat, cold, rain, or snow.  All of them were connected by enclosed corridors, with alcoves in the hallways.  Each dormitory room opened onto one of these hallways, passing right through the center of each building.  Both the rooms and halls contained large picture windows, giving an awesome view of the mountains, letting in a large amount of light and, when the sun shone, heat as well.

 

"With no significant interference from any ‘outside forces,' including the elements, contempla­tion and prayer continued in smooth fashion, never off schedule.  This design of the buildings gave some control over the weather; it allowed monastic life to go on without any such concerns."