May first… it is the beginning of a new month and the end of yet another semester.
At moments in which something has ended, the door has closed in a matter of speech, I feel like I should say something…something profound that makes all that struggle and anxiety worth it. The of X would be the end of this year’s spring semester. I acknowledge that it’s still finals week and I have two more to go, but I feel like it is “good enough” to give my reaction.
This semester had new perils in it like any adventure, even now as I sit in a wooden chair at the local starbucks I feel like adventurer who’s bested the lion in the safari. The peril I’m referring to is was the transitioning back to American Society. Specifically school.
Now this year I found very interesting, perhaps it’s because America radically changed and the schools are now dead-set on pounding out some issue that can’t be resolved so simply in a classroom … or … it’s because I’ve just come back from a society who (quite frankly) didn’t care about Neo-conservatism, The GWOT, or news for that matter. I remember distinctly being the only kid on my block (when I was in Sapporo) that was reading the Japan Times (provided by LC) on the subway/bus home.
I’m questioning the Japanese resilience to either A) Remain ignorant of all that or B) try to not offend by commenting on it. In fact, I felt that society felt a little better when game shows, local dramas among friends, and video games dominated the conversation. Yet this semester catapulted me back into this country who obviously has an opinion about everything.
So if I learned anything it’s a couple of things this semester…(and I’m really struggling to keep this list short!):
- Among biologists: Evolution is fact. And it has permeated through out science as being fact… and I mean ALL science including political science.
- Gender =’s women’s condition. It’s inescapable. When ever you ‘discuss’ gender, women’s issues get brought up. Especially when the overarching subject is Gender IN ASIA. It’s useless to discuss anything else, so as a guy I’ll do what all those people expect men to do… *-sigh-*
- Geopolitics has been my topic of interest since I had a brain to think with. This class didn’t disappoint either. It’s too bad that this class will be canceled until further notice, but on geopolitics the theory that “geography matters” as well as the male argument that “size matters” all are true.
- South Asia… Wow! I didn’t know anything about that place and I’ll be honest. I hesitantly signed up thinking it was about south EAST Asia and it really was SOUTH Asia meaning India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and others. This class didn’t disappoint either and now I am even more inquisitive about those nations. Good stuff about history and especially on theories on governing.
Overall opinion: Like any professor’s dream (I’m speculating) I’m filled with tons of more questions about each area. I feel now more then ever the most compelling knowledge that we’re all connected. Not like Karma, but everything from Biology to Gender to Politics to Third World Humanity… we’re all connected to everything someway and some how. We’ve integrated, evolved, and operate in what Cisco Systems call “The Human Network.” I find that absolutely fascinating and realize what (most likely) every student realizes some point in their education…
I know enough to know that I really don’t know
That’s my hopeless statement of truth. Take it for what it is. It’s not that I’ve failed in trying to learn something, or that I need to take some defeatist position here. It’s just how it is… It even has me questioning most recently
Do we really need hard facts, hard truth, or even a truth to carry on?
Maybe we do… maybe we don’t. We live not knowing a lot of hard truths and carry on ok. I’ll end there leaving you shattered and distraught that maybe what you thought was important might not me… If you really do need something to keep you going maybe this clue will help you
~J out
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