Who says you can't make New Year's resolutions a couple of weeks late? On the first day of the second year of school, I'm resolving to let fewer things piss me off. Specifically, those things that are simply cultural difference or frustrations that I should expect, given the circumstances. For instance, I've been sitting here for an hour and a half, doing nothing, not because there's no work to do, but because we don't know WHAT to do. I'm not angry. It's actually pretty funny. The only thing I'm worried about right now is what I'm going to teach this year, which is very much up in the air. And I'm trying to consider and make peace with every possibility so I don't get needlessly frustrated when it isn't what I wanted or expected.
I could probably sit here and write for hours, but I would start to bore myself and everyone else - an accurate reflection of my current state.
Some papers got mailed to me, and in them were a lot of variously-themed blurbs. Honor rolls, passages, obituaries, weddings, etc. Even my college's had a blurb about me going into Peace Corps. All of these blurbs are as short as possible, starting off with the relevant names and getting through the required information as quickly as possible. It's enough to make you think you really know this person and for a moment, have examined their entire life.
Especially the obits.
I never want an obituary - I say never, because people get repeat obits after 20, 50 years. I don't want people to think they can know me, that they can get a handle on who I am, from 4 sentences...or even 40. If they have to ask around and get to know others who knew me, then maybe they will feel for a few minutes what my life was like. And I feel this same way about everyone else.
I feel cheated when I read an obituary, like seeing a picture of a sunset and being told, "Now you know what Africa is like." I want to know what mistakes this person made, when their lowest moment was, what made them truly happy, what was their biggest regret...and not in a summary, but I want to know why.
Moreover, I want to avoid the trap of normalcy that so many Americans seem to just fall into. Not like that's going to happen...
Peace
John
