I Am A Reader, Not A Writer: Team Abnegation

Showing posts with label Team Abnegation. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Do Something Selfless - #TeamAbnegation Tuesday

This week's Team Abnegation Tuesday Task is simple....

Do Something Selfless today!

I started a giveaway a couple days ago and am including the rafflecopter in this post as well.

You can enter once per day so keep up those Selfless deeds!!

Enter to win a copy of Insurgent or a $10 Amazon gift code.

Giveaway Details:
Contest open to anyone who can legally enter.
Ends 4/30/12
You may enter once per day.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Divergent Week - #TeamErudite - The Intelligent

The next faction I'm featuring as part of Divergent Week is Erudite.

ERUDITE:
1. Having or showing great knowledge or learning. Having or showing extensive scholarship; learned.

Clothing:
Erudite must wear something blue at all times.

Initiation:
Details unknown other than lots of studying and likely IQ testing.

Manifesto:

"We submit the following statements as truth:

"Ignorance" is defined not as stupidity but as lack of knowledge.

Lack of knowledge inevitable leads to disconnect among people with differences.

Lack of understanding leads to a disconnect among people with differences.

Disconnection among people with differences leads to conflict.

Knowledge is the only logical solution to the problem of conflict.

Therefore, we propose that in order to eliminate conflict, we must eliminate the disconnect among those with differences by correcting the lack of understanding that arises from ignorance with knowledge.
The areas in which people must be educated are:

Sociology: So that the individual understands how society at large functions.

Psychology: So that the individual understands how a person functions within the society.

Mathematics: So that the individual is prepared for further study in science, engineering, medicine, and technology.

Science: So that the individual better understands how the world operates. So that the individual's study in other areas is supplemented. So that as many individuals as possible area prepared to enter the fields devoted to innovation and progress.

Communication: So that the individual knows how to speak and write clearly and effectivly.

History: So that the individual understands the mistakes and successes that have led us to this point. So that the individual learns to emulate those successes and avoid those mistakes.

Leaders must not be chosen base on charisma, popularity, or ease of communication, all of which are misleading and have little to do with the efficiency of a political leader. An objective standard must be used in order to determine who is best fit to lead. That standard will be an intelligence test, administered to all adults when the present leader reaches fifty-five or begins to decline is function in a demonstrable way.

Those who, after rigorous studying, do not meet a minimum intelligence requirement will be exiled from the faction so they can be made useful. This is not an act of elitism but rather one of practicality: Those who are not intelligent enough to engage in the roles assigned to us-- roles that require a considerable mental capacity--are better suited to menial work than to faction work. Menial work is required for the survival of society, and is therefore just as important as faction work.

Information must always be made available to all faction members at all times. The withholding of information is punishable by reprimand, imprisonment, and, eventually, exile. Every question that can be answered must be answered or at least engaged. Illogical thought processes must be challenged when they arise. Wrong answers must be corrected. Correct answers must be affirmed. If an answer to a question is unclear, it must be put to debate. All debates require evidence. Any controversial thought or idea must be supplemented by evidence in order to reduce the potential for conflict.

Intelligence must be used for the benefit, and not to the detriment, of society. Those who use intelligence for their own personal gain or to the detriment of others have not properly borne the responsibility of their gift, and are not welcome in our faction.

It bears repeating: Intelligence is a gift, not a right. It must not be wielded not as a weapon but as a tool for the betterment of others.

Quotes Erudite would likely agree with:

To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge. ~Copernicus

The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while conditions are still unfavourable. Favourable conditions never come. ~C.S. Lewis

A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be. ~Albert Einstein

Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers. ~Alfred Lord Tennyson

To acquire knowledge, one must study.To acquire wisdom one must observe. ~Marilyn vos Savant

Wisdom is a virtue seldom explored. ~Monk Frost

Be a life long learner, not a life long student. You can't rob the world of your mind. ~unknown

Learning is my Lifestyle. ~unknown

If you think that education is expensive, try ignorance. ~Derek Bok

Are you Intelligent enough to be part of Erudite?

TeamErudite:
Again I'm going to be a little "selfless" here and encourage you to support Team Erudite today.

They have a great group giveaway going on:
http://ya-sisterhood.blogspot.com/2012/04/encyclopedia-of-erudite-elites-ultimate.html

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Divergent Week: #TeamCandor - The Honest

The first faction I'm featuring as part of Divergent Week is Candor.

The Candor faction prizes the truth,

the whole truth,

and nothing but the truth.

They serve as the law,

and as reporters and administrators.

Above all,

they strive to be honest in their dealings with others.

CANDOR:
1. the state or quality of being frank, open, and sincere in speech or expression; candidness.
2. freedom from bias; fairness; impartiality.

Clothing:
Candor sees the truth as black and white, so that is what they wear.

Initiation:
Lie detector tests followed by truth serum.

Manifesto:

Dishonesty is Rampant. Dishonesty is Temporary. Dishonesty Makes Evil Possible.

As it stands now, lies pervade society, families, and even the internal life of the individual. One group lies to another group, parents lie to children, children lie to parents, friends lie to friends, individuals lie to themselves. Dishonesty has become so integral to the way we relate to one another that we rarely find ourselves in authentic relationships with others. Our dark secrets remain our own. Yet it is our dark secrets that cause conflict. When we are dishonest with the people around us, we begin to hate ourselves for lying; when we are dishonest with ourselves, we can never even attempt to correct the flaws we find within us, the flaws we are so desperate to hide from our loved ones, the flaws that make us lie.

What has become clear is that lies are just a temporary solution to a permanent problem. Lying to spare a person’s feelings, even when the truth would help them to improve, damages them in the long run. Lying to protect yourself lasts for so long before the truth emerges. Like a wild animal, the truth is too powerful to remain caged. These are examples we can clearly see in our own lives, yet we fail to understand that they do not just apply to the dynamic between ourselves and our neighbors, or ourselves and our friends.

What is society but a web of individual-to individual relationships? And what is conflict except one’s person’s dark secret crashing into another person’s dark secret? Dishonesty is a veil that shields one person from another. Dishonesty allows evil to persist, hidden from the eyes of those who would fight it.

Dishonesty Leads to Suspicion. Suspicion Leads to Conflict. Honesty Leads to Peace.

We have a vision of an honest world. In this world, parents do not lie to their children, and children do not lie to their parents; friends do not lie to one another; spouses do not lie to each other. When we are asked our opinions we are free to give them without having to consider any other responses. When we are asked our opinions we are free to give them without having to consider any other responses. When we engage in conversation with to others, we do not have to evaluate their intentions, because they are transparent. We have no suspicion, and no one suspects us.

And most of all–yes, above all else–we are free to expose our dark secrets because we know the dark secrets of our neighbors, our friends, our spouses, our children, our parents, and our enemies. We know that while we are flawed in a unique way, we are not unique because we are flawed. Therefore we can be authentic. We have no suspicions. And we are at peace with those around us.

Truth Makes Us Transparent. Truth Makes Us Strong. Truth Makes Us Inextricable.

We will raise our children to tell the truth. We will do this by encouraging them to speak their minds at every moment. For the child, withholding words is the same as lying.

We will be honest with our children even at the expense of their feelings. The only reason people cannot bear honesty now is because they were not raised hearing the truth about themselves, and they can’t stand to. If children are raised to hear both honest praise and honest criticism, they will not be so fragile as to crumble beneath the scrutiny of their peers. A life of truth makes us strong.

Adulthood will be defined as a time at which each member of society is capable of bearing every other member’s dark secrets, just as every other member will bear theirs. Therefore each member will be subjecting to The Full Unveiling, in which every hidden part of their life is laid bare before their fellow members. They, too, will see the hidden parts of their fellow members’ lives. In this way we bear one another’s secrets. In this way we become inextricable.

Truth Makes Us Inextricable.

Quotes Candor would likely agree with:

Lying to others might be wrong, but lying to yourself is just a tragedy ~Mary Alison

Freedom is for honest people. No man who is not himself honest can be free – he is his own trap. ~unknown

Honestly, it's the honest one you need to watch out for because you can never predict when they're gonna do something incredibly... stupid ~Jack Sparrow

In our lives, when we do not create something out of total honesty, it cannot last long. ~Henry Chang

The world changes in direct proportion to the number of people willing to be honest about their lives. ~Armistead Maupin

I feel the greatest gift we can give to anybody is the gift of our honest self. ~Fred Rogers

It is discouraging how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit. ~Noel Coward

If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything. ~Mark Twain

For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth - to know the worst and provide for it. ~Patrick Henry

Honest people are never touchy about the matter of being trusted. ~Ayn Rand

Shut Up and Start Saying what Your Really Thinking ~Rev. Solomon N. Seagal

No legacy is so rich as honesty. ~Shakespeare

Honest men fear neither the light nor the dark. ~Thomas Fuller

Are you Honest Enough to be part of Candor?

TeamCandor:
I'm going to have to be a little "selfless" here and encourage you to support Team Candor.

Damaris and the girls from Good Choice Reading have put together a huge giveaway. It's one you must stop by and enter because they are giving away an iPad2, even I clicked their links for a chance to win the amazing giveaway: http://www.goodchoicereading.com/2012/04/choose-teamcandor-and-win.html

I Am #TeamDivergent

Grab a button: http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/p/divergentnation.html

Show your support!
http://bit.ly/GD4TnQ

One Choice Transformed Me - I AM DIVERGENT

One choice can transform you! I Am Divergent!
Show your support!
http://bit.ly/GD4TnQ

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

We will always cause trouble for them... #DivergentNation

We can't be confined to one way of thinking, and that terrifies our leaders. It means we can't be controlled. And it means that no matter what they do, we will always cause trouble for them.

Show your support!
http://bit.ly/GD4TnQ

It's my choice now... #DivergentNation

You have a choice... what will you choose?

Show your support!
http://bit.ly/GD4TnQ

It will be difficult but I will become something else #DivergentNation

It will be difficult to break the habits of thinking Abnegation instilled in me... But I will find new habits, new thoughts, new rules. I will become something else.

Show your support!
http://bit.ly/GD4TnQ

Are you like me? Are you Divergent?

Are you like me? Are you Divergent?

Show your support!
http://bit.ly/GD4TnQ

I don't care about the factions...

Show your support!
http://bit.ly/GD4TnQ

I want to be brave, selfless, smart, kind & honest - Animated #DivergentNation

Show your support!
http://bit.ly/GD4TnQ

I guess I am what I have always been... #DivergentNation

Show your support!
http://bit.ly/GD4TnQ

I Am Divergent and I Can't be Controlled - Animated Graphic #DivergentNation

Show your support!
http://bit.ly/GD4TnQ

I Am Divergent! - New Buttons #DivergentNation

Show your support!
http://bit.ly/GD4TnQ

What's been going on in my head... Divergent Week on I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

Two and a half weeks ago I received a surprise in the mail from HarperTeen....

An Advanced Reader Copy of Insurgent. Divergent is one of my favorite books so I was really excited to get an early copy of Insurgent.

With the book was a letter stating I along with 9 others had been assigned to the faction Abnegation. We are to promote our faction by driving traffic to these links: http://bit.ly/choose_abnegation & http://bit.ly/abnegationfaction.

The 8 members of Team Abnegation who chose to take part in this challenge got to work promoting as best we could. Giveaways, Team Abnegation Tuesdays and lots of tweets & posts. It has been a blast! I have an amazing team!!

TEAM ABNEGATION

However I have many friends in other factions, people I usually work with instead of against. I really didn't like working "against" those friends instead of with them. And many friend who weren't assign to a faction whom I tried to recruit to Abnegation. I've wished many times that this challenge had been set up differently.

One week into this challenge I was rereading Divergent and came across this quote.

I think we've made a mistake. We've all started to put down the virtues of the other factions in the process of bolstering our own. I don't want to do that. I want to be brave, and selfless, and smart, and kind, and honest.

It really hit me that while Abnegation has a lot to offer so do all of the other factions. While I believe this challenge put on by HarperTeen was marketing genius I think the possibility exists that done differently it could have been better for everyone involved.

I may be "Abnegation" as far as this challenge and will continue to support my team. I'll be trying to get you to click those links until the end of the month.

However Tris & Four were once Abnegation too. Like the two of them "I can't be controlled" and will be playing this game my own way from here on out.

The next week will be "Divergent Week" here on this blog. Each day I'll be focusing on a different faction and what they have of offer. I'll be "bolstering" the virtues of each faction.

Divergent Week Schedule

Wednesday - Candor
Thursday - Erudite
Friday - Dauntless
Saturday - Amity
Sunday - The Factionless
Monday - Divergent
Tuesday - Abnegation

"We can't be confined to one way of thinking, and that terrifies our leaders. It means we can't be controlled. And it means that no matter what they do, we will always cause trouble for them.”

Hopefully I won't be causing too much "trouble" as that's not my intent. I don't know what HarperTeen has planned for the remaining two weeks of this challenge but I do know that I'm going to have fun and play by my own rules from here on out!

Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly. ~Dahli Lama

If I'd observed all the rules, I'd never have got anywhere. ~Marilyn Monroe

If you obey all the rules, you'll miss all the fun. ~Katherine Hepburn

Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. But the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. ~Apple

Rules are for people who don't know how to get around them. ~Tori Harrison

There are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something. ~Thomas Edison

Another shout out to Amanda from BookLove101 & Jenna from Making the Grade for the amazing graphics they created for me!
Grab the amazing graphics: