The Ethics of Psytrance

For his civic engagement project, Jackson planned an event to highlight the music of psytrance.  This student argues that local, small scale music gatherings are important to create community. Large, for-profit music festivals can be dangerous and often degrade the environment and promote substance abuse. Small, local music gatherings have the potential to build community based on a shared love of music. Participants were encourage to “pay it forward” by bringing non-perishable items to donate to the local foodshelf. Jackson described his project as being, “important because we are trying to teach people that by caring for yourself, others, the earth and your community, instead of money and your ego, one can make the world a better place.”

When reflecting upon his project, the student stated that, “This project allowed me to see how ethics can be applied in everyday life. I was able to see how working together with other people to do good things, even if they are small things, is a step in the right direction to making the world a better place for all to live in.” Jackson summarized what he learned from this experience by emphasizing that, “People can make a difference.”

For more information, see the e-portfolio for this project.