From my current perspective, I cannot very easily separate the various aspects of this global human culture from every other aspect. But I spend much of my awake time each week at a University; so most of my observations about us, my interactions with others of us, my own sense of what I am or am not accomplishing in my life is experienced here.
A few years ago I went through a period of questioning what I was doing for money (aka, my job, my career); and even though there were far more aspects of my job that I enjoyed than not, I still wondered if this was what I really wanted to continue doing. As I quandered over other options and possibilities, I ultimately ended up telling myself that 'at least I was doing no harm' in my work here at the university. My argument ended up not being very convincing to my self.
I looked around me at the students, faculty, and staff here, many of whom I had very rewarding relationships with, and realized that, even so, we were really all about keeping the cultural machinery going. We were still engaged in the business of keeping the embers of rememberance thoroughly doused...most of the time. I think this was the point at which I consciously decided that, given every opportunity here, I would inspire as much doubt as I reasonably could without running the risk of alienation (even though I do feel like a member of an alien nation).
Daniel Quinn's My Ishmael gives a very interesting perspective on the system of education that has evolved in this culture.
No comments:
Post a Comment