Where Do I Fit in Now? What I Want to be Remembered For?

1. BACKGROUND FACTS
• “In 2010, Whitey Basson the CEO of Shoprite earned ZAR 620,000,000.00.”
• “Every day some 20,000 children die prematurely from poverty related causes, mostly treatable diseases.”
• Nicky Oppenheimer, the wealthiest South African, has a net worth of about ZAR 90 Billion (https://www(dot)forbes(dot)com/profile/nicky-oppenheimer/?list=africa-billionaires Accessed 2017)
• One out of every five South Africans lives below the food poverty line (Source: http://beta2(dot)statssa(dot)gov(dot)za/?p=2591 Accessed 2015)
2. INTRODUCTION (written for me by Prof Eccles)
In assignments 2, 3 and 4 we have, as a group, reflected on the facts above. We debated whether it was ok for Whitey Basson to earn ZAR 620 million in a single year. Some of us thought this was a reflection of a job done excellently. Some of us thought that this was morally outrageous.
We debated the fact that 20,000 children die prematurely. Although most of us thought that this was a problem, we saw how other ethical interpretations were possible.
And in the final analysis we considered the possibility that these two scenarios might in fact be linked. On the basis of this, we debated whether the whole picture looked ok. I think it is safe to say that most of us were left feeling a bit uneasy about things.
That is all well and good. But what about me? In this short essay, I’m going to think about this question. I’ll start out by trying to figure out where I currently fit in in this picture. Then I’m going to think forward in time. Specifically I’m going to imagine what I hope my legacy will have been over the course of the good (eudaimonic) life I have lived. In formulating this vision of a life well lived, I’m going to make reference to key virtues or excellences (arête) that I think I will need to develop in order to achieve this good life. And I’m going to think about the sort of problems that these excellences might present if taken too far or not far enough.
3. WHERE DO I FIT IN NOW? (200 words)
• An evaluation of where you fit in (the site https://www(dot)saldru(dot)uct(dot)ac(dot)za/income-comparison-tool/ might help you to do this a bit more objectively);
• A description of what this means in terms of your day to day life – your challenges and your privileges; and
• An evaluation of what you think about this location – how this location makes you feel.
This should be at least 200 words long.>
4. AT THE END OF MY LIFE …… (300 words)
< Here you need to predict the legacy you think you would like to leave. You should tell us the things that you hope that people will remember about you when your time on earth has come to an end. What you say is entirely up to you, but the aim is for you to imagine what it will look like, at the end of the day, for you to make the claim: “I have lived a good life!”
In answering this, you must make sensible reference to key arête that you will need to develop, and the role that you imagine phronesis will have played in navigating life’s complexities.
This should be at least 300 words long.>
5. CONCLUSION (100 words)
This should be at least 100 words long.>