Don't Rain on My Parade!

I am a total sucker for a good Broadway musical or almost any musical for that matter (unless Zac Efron is in it). I just always seem to find inspiration in them. It’s as though my inner being is awakened by the music and the dancing. “Don't tell me not to live, Just sit and putter, Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter. Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade” (lyrics from Don’t Rain on My Parade). I know, I know, this doesn’t really fit into Truth in Society and my learning. Or does it? This song in particular is all about seizing the moment and making the most of ‘your’ life. Personally, it has served as inspiration and motivation for me in the past few weeks. When we began this semester I was so gung-ho and ready for a new start with new direction. From our class chats before the break I was under the impression that most of my classmates were feeling this way as well. However, it seems that since we have started in January there are fewer and fewer people who come to class or are participating. I was a little discouraged by this, but I am learning that my learning process has to be a personal decision. It can’t be based on what others are or aren’t doing, it’s me making a choice and taking the steps to learn.

Anyways, journalism class has proved to be a little depressing. During the class and for homework much of our attention has been focused on wars, journalists who are on the front lines, people being forced to make life/death choices and so on. Yes, it is a little dreary, but it’s all a part of life. I am realizing the good and the bad are what make life, life. So once I embraced that mindset I was able to see beyond the surface of what we were talking about. All of these people, in each situation, have a life and a story unique from everyone else. These journalists, whose work we have been reading, have realized this. They have done more than just see the significance of a life though. They have also seen the many choices that people are faced with and the issues of ‘right and wrong.’ They have dared to write about the controversies and explore questions such as ‘was Eichman an evil man or can a rational man commit such acts?’ The answers to such questions are never easy, but a good journalist goes beyond the ‘surface stories’ and will ask/explore such questions. There was also a lot of debate within in the class about the picture of the ‘Falling Man’ was necessary. I believe that it was. Many people were taking the sides of the families who lost someone in 9/11, saying that the families would not want to look at that picture or relive the death of a loved one. However, as easy as it is for us to take such sides, we have not been that family member (of that specific situation). After watching that documentary it was more obvious that the people who had lost a loved one did not mind looking at this photo. I mean, 9/11 happened and it was beyond horrible. This picture allows so many of us to put into perspective what so many people had to choose to do. The Falling Man is representative of all of the people who lost their lives that day. It is horrible, but at the same time it opens up a door of reality and truth for everyone to see (if they want).

Russ has really been trying to get us to read and react differently to what we are reading. It’s more than comprehension. We are being asked to read in between the lines of writing and get closer to the root of what an author is really saying. I am still having a hard time getting my head wrapped around this. This is the first time a teacher has asked me to do something like this and it is harder than it sounds. However, the more exercises that we do with this the more the fuzziness is starting to clear and I am making more sense of what I am reading.

So Mary Magdalene- a saintly sinner, a whore, a lover of Jesus, a revolutionary? There are so many terms out there being used that I was not really aware of. There is a tonne of controversy surrounding the life and the choice of Mary of Magdalene. It was interesting to read the article “The Saintly Sinner” and hear so many thoughts on the manner. There are many conversations that are surrounding this issue and it was interesting to hear some of them. As I combine what I am learning in Religious Studies and in English it was easy to see that the author, Joan Acocella, was swaying us to side with her views on the matter. She quite subtly added at the end that she believed that the gospel of John was the accurate portrayal of Mary.

A Bit of Everything

Man, it has only been two weeks back at school and I am slacking off already! I totally forgot to post a learning journal last week. Oops! So this will be a two-in-one deal.

It seemed like first semester in TiS we focused a lot on English and Religious Studies and Journalism did not get as much attention. When Michael, Thom and Russ explained the new schedule for the beginning of this semester I was really excited about the new direction that the class is taking. It just feels like there is more unity and a better sense of direction within the class. It seems like the profs are on the same page and because of this my motivation for learning and also my love for learning have both increased.

English hasn’t been our main focus yet. However, what Russ has been helping us with has been carried over into all of our other subjects. He has really helped us read sentences differently and gain more insight into what the author is actually saying. I am so guilty for just reading (and not re-reading) and assuming that what I am reading on the surface is what the author is trying to communicate. I am realizing that this is generally not the case. When Russ first asked us to work with sentences that he had slightly changed I was not sure what exactly he wanted us to do. This happened again when we read paragraphs from two pieces of writing. When he explained what he was looking for and what he wanted us to begin to see it clicked and I saw it. I am finally seeing how most writers lace their writing with sarcasm or nonchalantly toss in a few clues that lead me to see what they are really saying. As I am learning this and being taught to see what is not made obvious, my love for reading has grown. Sometimes a simple reading can turn into a treasure hunt for the meaning in the words.

Religion and sexuality, the end of the world, ‘The Passion of the Christ’ according to Mel Gibson have all helped create a very interesting time in religious studies. I have never heard the many opinions about Mary Magdalene’s importance in the Bible and the conspiracies that surround her relationship with Jesus. There are so many conversations that are involved in this topic and before this reading I was not aware of that. Conspiracies have always interested me to an extent, but I do not think about them a lot or analyse their authenticity. Maybe I should. I loved listening to Russ discuss the role that conspiracy theories play in our world. Many of them are very well explained and therefore are believable. However, in the same breathe most of them, once you consider what they are telling us, are absolutely ludicrous. This was interesting to hear, especially in the context of Religious Studies. It helped too, that Russ seemed so sarcastic and hilarious, for me at least, as he explained this.

I have never thought too much about the role that journalists play when stories of war are being told. It is a little strange that I haven’t been more curious about this because I am interested in both telling people’s stories and also war and the many effects it has on individuals and places. I have gained a new and deeper appreciation for people such as Ernie Pyle, Hannah Arendt and John Hersey. While reading ‘Hiroshima’ I realized how much of the story we miss sometimes when we rely solely on ‘our’ news broadcasters. I am not in any way disqualifying the importance they have. However, sometimes I forget that underneath the bomb that was just dropped there are civilians-people with stories and lives. I think this was the biggest wake up call for me in journalism this week. I am glad that Hersey was able to write in a way that gave an outsider like me such a personal glimpse of underneath the mushroom cloud. It was also a little unnerving as I read Hannah Arendt’s story. The many people who orchestrated the holocaust were ‘normal’ and sane people. Their idea of normality seems so skewed to us, but at the time they believed they were just following orders. I mean did they not seem the injustices they were committing? What a human being is capable of (both good and bad) really astonishes me. The amount of power that some people hold or have held (Hitler) makes me realize how careful I have to be when choosing to follow someone and even something. I could write quite a lot about all that I have learned in Journalism. However, it all comes down to the risks we are willing to take to tell the stories of people. There are so many stories that NEED to be told from many different viewpoints. It is not just about relaying the facts it is about sharing PEOPLE’s stories.

I don’t really feel like writing a learning journal this week. Not because I haven’t learned anything, but because there is a lot of it that I don’t think I can communicate or things that I know readers will not be able to understand. But, here I go anyways. . .

It is true that you never really know how much you care about someone or something until it is gone. Many times I have had to learn this the hard way. But does it always have to be that way? Can I learn to grasp my affection and care in the present instead of being flooded with regrets in the future? I am beginning to think in some ways this is possible. It will be very hard, but not unobtainable. I am realizing that I tend to get too caught up in the future and the unknowns and I miss out on the present. This is such a bad habit. I mean it is healthy to live with a long term perspective to an extent, but I cannot allow that perspective to cloud what I have right here and right now. For me this is simply being thankful for all that I have (and in some cases don’t have), for living with inextinguishable passion, embracing hardship, loving those who surround me, smiling, and the list goes on. I know, I know you are probably thinking about how cheesy and corny I always sound, but it’s just the way that I make connections in life. And simple realizations like that make my life make more sense.

I find it frustrating and hard to learn and have motivation to learn when people around me do not want to learn. It’s easier to move forward when there is support along with you or people with the same (or a similar) goal and focuses. And when this is absent I tend to lose motivation and the goals that I once had set. It is a bad habit to get into, because as humans we are not fully dependable and I need to come to terms with the fact that I can’t let my learning be fully dependent on others. Does that make sense? Of course, my learning will be enhanced and enriched with people moving in similar directions as me. I have been notching this happening to an extent in Truth in Society and what makes this harder is that we are getting close to presenting our research to the rest of the class and there are many who just aren’t doing that. And they have that choice, but it makes it hard for us who are making something of an effort. Shoot, I did not mean to get into a rant so I will stop. BUT. . .I am learning how to learn for the pleasure of gaining knowledge and insight and not just a grade in red ink.

Oh and did I mention that there are virtually no books published on Somalia pirates? I know, it was expected as it is such a current topic and issue. However, I have been able to find quite few resourceful and insightful academic articles. I am becoming more familiar with EBSCO and the library search engines to find such articles. Coming across ‘useful’ information on our groups topic is a little tricky, but I have learned quite a bit about Somalia government (or lack thereof). I will admit that ‘pirates’ seemed to be a strange topic to puruse. However, I am understaning that we are using pirates as a venue to delve into much deeper subjects. And it all comes back to how do people come to believe what they do. What do Somalia pirates choose to do what they do/How does their mindset shift? Does government style and power affect its people? I am interested to see where my research leads to next. . .

CHEERS!

JOURNEY

“Love is not a fight, but it is something worth fighting for”. Those are lyrics from a song that seems to have found new meaning in my life. I know it may seem random to begin my learning journal with these words, but they have challenged me and taught me a lot in the past few weeks. I think my perception of love was slightly skewed, not shallow, just a little off track. When people say the word ‘love’ we automatically assume romantic love-or at least I do. But it is so much more than that. Love is a verb. It is an action and it is a choice. Even when situations in life are less than ideal we have to make the choice to love people or let the situations get the best of us. I am learning that all of the people who are closest to me and the little girl who lives on the street by herself and all those in between deserve my love. Not in a mushy way, but with humility and selfless giving. I am so far from perfection in this area, but I am being so challenged to make love a choice and not just an empty feeling.

On a completely other note, but maybe not so far removed, I can finally use the F drive! I think a sicker may be in order. I did not actually have too much difficulty with it, but I am feeling much more comfortable with that system, along with researching. I thought I would never quite catch on to all of our professors tricks (which I haven’t), but I think I am at least a baby step closer. I was getting a frustrated with how little useful information I was finding, but slowly I think I am improving on how and where I locate useful information. Our professors have been very patient with helping me with all of this and also my fellow ‘Truth in Society-iers’ have been so helpful in sharing what works and what does not work for them. The profs also challenged us to continue making our work and our reports more professional. I am finding that it is the little things and ‘simple’ things that make our work seem more professional- minor things (that are not minor at all) such as including our names, full citations, in-text citations, etc. This is so simple, but effective.

We had another slight ‘confrontation’ in the class, if you could call it that. And I must say that there is some drama boiling to the top of the class. I am glad that it is surfacing and I really hope that we have all learned from it and can move on from it to a new level of learning and also respect for one another.

Oh, and did I mention that I am excited about the direction that our Inquires are taking? I was so confused about what the final outcome of this work would be and now that I have a better understanding I seem to have more motivation to actually do all of the work and do it well. I guess that alone taught me that asking questions and questioning the process that the profs are leading us in is okay and needed in our journey to amazing discoveries.

PS. I have a new appreciation for many of my class mates after the formal on the weekend. They are some of the greatest people in life and they all keep me going and grounded in some way. Cheers!

I Just Wasn't Ready

“I have learned that there is no point to give an answer to a question that hasn’t been asked yet. People are will hear only what they are ready to hear.” Those were the words (or something along those lines) of Russ Hunt in class yesterday. I have heard Russ say that before and I guess I just considered it to be academic ramble. Turns out, I was not able to understand what he was saying because I was not ready to hear what he was saying. This may sound so simple, but for me it served as a small turning point in my life and the way I perceive learning. Let’s just say it took me a while to reach this point! I have felt torn the past few weeks in Truth in Society class because there are students who are keeping an open mind to the professors, the teaching style, the topics we are researching, etc. And then there are those who are quite the opposite and seem to bash everything we do as soon as we leave the class. Some days I just feel like ripping my hair out. Personally, during high school I often questioned and wondered why we were ‘marked’ and assessed in certain ways and why the emphasis was put on a grade rather than how we reach certain points of understanding and interests. So, as soon as I heard about the Aquinas program I knew I had found my opportunity to learn in a less conservative way. I have had to force myself at many times to keep striving to learn and deepen my knowledge eve if it may seem ludicrous on the surface. There have been many people questioning the professors and how they are teaching us. I won’t lie; there are days when I have my doubts as well. But seriously, like think about it. This program has been running for almost twenty years and our profs are all very qualified. So, although many times I don’t understand the direction that we as a class are taking I trust that the professors are pointing us in the right direction and they are also giving us freedom to lead ourselves. I was glad that Justin spoke up yesterday; I was not feeling all of the things he was. However, I think it was important that someone finally just addressed concerns or questions that they had instead of just complaining outside of class. There were areas of the class such as marking, learning reflections, etc that were still unclear to me and now I finally have a better understanding of them. So thanks for speaking up Justin.

I am getting ticked at how some people continue to question everything we do. WE ARE NOT IN HIGH SCHOOL ANYMORE. We are at a liberal arts school so it is more than expected that classes, marking, teaching methods, etc will be different. And I say bring it on. Don’t you find it refreshing, I do! Finally, I have the chance to learn and be taught in a manner that is more ‘real life’. In four years or so we will be graduated and in the ‘real world’ we will hopefully be working and marks will no longer be our motivation for working. We will have other motivations; one of the most important will probably be how people respond to our work. Truth in Society is preparing me for that. Yeah, it is new and different, but it is real and we are benefiting in ways that we cannot understand yet.

I am gaining more appreciation for our professors and their patience with me and our whole class. I am a slow learner, so thanks for coming to my level and asking me to step up. Challenges are so healthy for me. I used to think I was a decent researcher. HAHAHAHAHA. Not so much! I am so thankful that we have and are being taught how to conduct more academic research. It makes a big difference to know to research a topic from beginning to end. I still have a long way to go. But I am glad that even something as simple as using the resources the library offers is becoming easier for me.

All Together Again

It was strange being back with all of our three classes being combined into one. I was really growing to like the diversity of having the three disciplines taught separately, but I also enjoy the ‘group’ aspect of Truth in Society as well. I was curious to know what we were going to be researching or focussing on for the next few weeks. I would have never guessed it would be pirates! I was very surprised when the prompt asked us to ink shed about all that we knew about pirates. I guess this caught me off guard simply because when I think pirates I generally think Disney and fiction. However, as the week went on I quickly realized that the world of pirates is a realistic and mysterious place. I am excited to be looking deep into many questions and topics that relate to pirates/piracy.

This week though, I think the biggest eye opener for me was attending the Mark Hennick lecture. Man, I was not expecting that level of emotion or honesty that he displayed. I admire his courage for being able to share such personal experiences with so many people. That puts him in a vulnerable position, but he gained a lot of respect from me personally. It is amazing that he is using his experiences and his past experiences to make a change. He is proof that hope and second chances exist.

I found it funny when Thom came into class yesterday and told us that we are lousy researchers. It is true, but he was super blunt about it and got right to the point-which I prefer anyways. I am glad that the professors took the time to show us how do quality research and where to begin the process. I get really overwhelmed with the mass amounts of information available to us and I usually get lost and very frustrated in the process of researching. The foundation that they provided us with is proving to be very helpful and useful as I delve into a world of pirates.

Can I Ask You a Question?

When Michael Camp assigned us our ‘turning point’ story assignment I really did not think that it was a big deal. I figured that I would be challenged academically a bit, but that would be it. Man was I wrong. I love how this assignment once again proved to me that learning does not only happen in the class or by reading or writing. Learning is an ongoing process if you are allowing your mind to be open and allow it to shift frames and perspectives.

I was partnered with Stephanie and that in itself was amazing for me. Timing is such a beautiful thing, well at least it has been in my life. During the time of our interview there were quite a few personal issues that sprung up out of nowhere in my life and I was stuck in moments of confusion, unknown, and resentment. We all go through these times I think. In the midst of trying to make some sense of my mess I sat down with Stephanie for our interview. I am glad that I recorded her as she spoke and answered my questions, because I was consumed in all that she was saying. Her story mirrored a bit of what I was experiencing, and her ‘ending’ or more appropriately her new beginning at the end of the dark tunnel really gave me a kick in the butt. Perseverance is so important. And as she interviewed me and I told her about experiences from Rwanda and my passion for that place I felt like I was back there. It brought back a lot of emotions, but allowed me to reconnect in a way with something that is so close to me.