Exercise about looking at what we do or what we value with a fresh perspective

his exercise encourages us to look much deeper at who we are both as individuals and as a society.
It’s about looking at what we do or what we value with a fresh perspective.
Each activity encourages you to answer the questions as a way of exploring assumptions and some
common situations in life that we take for granted. There are 2 scenarios provided. The blank space
is so that you can write your own. You can test your fellow classmates with your scenarios in stylized
interview sessions where one of you is the alien and the other is the travel guide.
ALIEN TRAVEL GUIDE
Scenario 1
You are conducting a tour for aliens who
are visiting earth and observing humans.
You’re all in their spaceship when you fly
over a football stadium. One of the aliens
is confused, and turns to you for help. Try
answering these questions:
What is a game, and why do humans
play them?
What are “teams” and why are they so
important for humans to be part of?
Why is it these games seem to get
more attention than other matters on
your planet, like disease and poverty?
Why do humans get so emotional
and even violent when watching
games?
What would happen if no human
could ever play these games again?
Scenario 2
You are chatting with a group of aliens
on a tour of a local library. While you all
mingle, one of the aliens picks up a
volume about the history of global war
and conflict. The alien turns to you and
asks you these questions:
What is war and why do humans
wage it upon each other?
Humans seem to feel that warfare is
often the only way to resolve conflict.
Why is this so?
How do you decide who wins and
who loses? How do you know this is
accurate?
How does warfare affect those who
can’t or won’t participate?
What legacy do you feel these wars will
provide for your future generations?
Scenario 3
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WHAT WOULD HAPPEN?
This exercise is designed to help you think laterally and discover new ways of looking at the
world. Answer these questions using creative and constructive thinking. You can use as much
detail as you like. For fun, try to think of your own “What Would Happen?” questions!
What would happen if …
… there were suddenly no computers, tablets, or phones of any kind anywhere on Earth?
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… we had to live in a world without electricity?
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… you woke up one morning to discover you had changed into a cartoon character?
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… all the animals in the world could suddenly communicate with us in our own language?
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… you discovered your best friend was a superhero?
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