My Plan For The Praxis Assignment Is To Try My Best To Do We

My Plan For The Praxis Assignment Is To Try My Best To Do Good Things

My plan for the praxis assignment is to try my best to do good things for stray cats. In my neighborhood, there are always several stray cats around, and I usually ignore them. However, for this day, I will buy them cat food and feed them. The reason I want to do this is that I previously thought stray cats were dirty and could carry bacteria, but recently I got my first cat and started to realize that stray cats also deserve care. I will also buy more cat food to give to my neighbors and encourage them to feed stray cats when they see them, expressing my gratitude for their effort.

From my understanding, animals are also a part of society, and helping stray animals benefits the community. Participating in this act of kindness aligns with the value of social justice, emphasizing the importance of equitable treatment for all beings. This act embodies the collective value of social justice, which is about the fair and equitable distribution of resources and care, extending moral consideration to animals that often lack advocacy in human society.

Paper For Above instruction

On my designated day to embody social justice through caring for stray cats, I operationalized social justice by making conscious decisions that promote the equitable treatment of animals and enhance community welfare. This approach aligns with the broader definition of social justice as not only addressing human disparities but also extending compassion and responsibility to non-human members of society. My actions—buying and distributing cat food among stray cats and encouraging neighbors to participate—serve to reduce suffering and promote kindness, thus embodying a collective responsibility towards vulnerable beings.

My efforts targeted the community of stray cats around my neighborhood, as well as my neighbors. The cats are a vulnerable group, often neglected and misunderstood. By feeding them, I aimed to acknowledge their existence and provide them with basic needs, which is a tangible step towards fostering a more compassionate environment. Engaging my neighbors in this process further amplifies the collective effort, encouraging a shared responsibility towards these animals and urging community members to extend their care beyond individual actions.

The response of my neighbors varied; some appreciated the gesture, expressed gratitude, and promised to help feed the stray cats whenever they saw them. Others were indifferent, and a few welcomed the idea with enthusiasm, offering to contribute in different ways, such as volunteering or providing additional supplies. These responses demonstrate that even small acts of social justice can influence community attitudes, fostering a culture of compassion and shared responsibility. The act of encouraging neighbors to participate helps to mainstream empathy and collective care, creating a ripple effect that can promote long-term community well-being.

Compared to my usual behavior, the “social justice me” was more intentional and conscious of my moral responsibilities towards animals. In regular life, I might ignore stray cats or choose not to think about their well-being. However, during this day, my focus was explicitly directed towards embodying kindness and responsibility, which altered my routine behaviors. Situational factors made this possible—such as the awareness of the assignment, my decision to actively seek out opportunities to help, and the visible needs of the stray cats. These external stimuli nudged me to act in ways that I might not normally consider, illustrating how environment and context influence moral behavior.

This exercise also highlighted the internal psychological costs and benefits of acting in accordance with social justice principles. On the one hand, I experienced a sense of vulnerability when approaching neighbors or engaging in unfamiliar interactions, especially when they responded indifferently or skeptically. On the other hand, there was a profound sense of satisfaction, connection, and moral integrity from contributing positively to the welfare of animals and the community. The benefits—feeling morally aligned, fostering community bonds, and promoting compassion—seem to outweigh the temporary discomforts or social risks involved in such altruistic acts.

This activity deepened my understanding of my own privilege in the context of human-animal relations. As a human with resources and social standing, I can choose to act compassionately without facing the systemic barriers that might prevent others from doing so, such as economic hardship or social exclusion. Recognizing this privilege obliges me to act responsibly and advocate for those who lack a voice—animals and marginalized groups—thereby exercising my accountability. The act of caring for stray cats exemplifies how privilege can be leveraged to promote equity in issues beyond human social inequalities, extending justice to non-human life forms.

Overall, this exercise reinforced the interconnectedness of societal and ecological justice. It demonstrated that small, consistent actions rooted in a sense of moral responsibility can contribute to a more equitable and compassionate society. It also showed the importance of context, cultural norms, and individual awareness in shaping moral actions. Such reflections inspire ongoing commitment to social justice, emphasizing that embodying these values requires continual practice, reflection, and community engagement.

References

  • Nelson, G., & Prilleltensky, I. (2005). Community psychology: In pursuit of wellness and liberation. Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Prilleltensky, I., & Nelson, G. (2002). An ecological approach to community psychology practice. American Journal of Community Psychology, 30(1), 1-24.
  • Langhout, R. D., et al. (2013). The praxis assignment: Experiential learning in a large social-community psychology class. Journal of Community Psychology, 41(4), 535-548.
  • Nelson, G., & Prilleltensky, I. (2010). Community psychology: In pursuit of wellness and liberation. Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Scott Plous. (2005). Social Psychology Day of Compassion. Wesleyan University.
  • Sen, A. (2009). The idea of justice. Harvard University Press.
  • Fraser, N. (2008). Scales of justice: Reimagining political space in a globalizing world. Columbia University Press.
  • Wallerstein, N., & Duran, B. (2010). The conceptual, historical, and practice roots of community-based participatory research and represented US minority and indigenous populations. Community-Based Participatory Research for Health, 27-52.
  • Baumrind, D. (1991). The role of discipline in the development of self-regulation. Developmental Psychobiology, 24(2), 109-125.
  • Freire, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Continuum International Publishing Group.