I am in the process of defending my blog grade and rereading all of my blog posts has been a trip down digital memory lane. I would like to think that my perspective hasn't been completely overturned, but a change has subtly occurred. For instance, my first blog post focused on how my sense of morality was derived from my mother's. Now, I find myself pausing and questioning the development of trust. I'm not retracting my words; I still very much believe that the majority of my ideals have been shaped by my mother, who has been the most influential person in my life thus far.
BUT why is it that I can trust her so blindly and comfortably? Why don't I try to push the boundaries of what I am familiar with? Why do I take so much for face value? Perhaps, I am internalizing Leonard and Dana's conflicts: I want to believe in the intrinsic bond and trust of kinship; I want to believe that my truths are true, that reality is reality, that life will be forever as I know it.
... and living like that would make me blissfully ignorant of what I've learned this semester from grappling with all of those mental knot and twists, a labyrinth of lies (untruths, half-truths, gradients of Truth), and don't stop me while I'm on a dramatic roll. For every "why," there seems to be another "why" waiting to be asked. It's a never-ending cycle of trying to look past another illusion.
Ironically, as Janelle has pointed out time and time again, why did I have to be taught this? Why did I lack the ability to critique my own perspective and the influences imposed on me? Why do I take the words of someone who is practically a stranger to heart? The "healthy dose of skepticism" was much more than I had expected. Instead of typical college student worries like finding a job or declaring a major, my mind was plagued by existentialism and reality. Why am I even here? Even basic questions of identity have to be reassessed. In the end, we know so little of what we think we know.
To discover myself, I'll have to do away with the misconceptions accrued over eighteen years of life.
What a terrifying thought.
It's as they say, college is all about taking risks. Who would have known that they came in the form of classes like these?
Interesting thoughts Sabrina, I think many of us can relate. I will take this opportunity to comment on what I got out of this course. This class definitely opened my eyes to question my surroundings, the people I talk to every day, and the "facts" I am presented with daily. If we take everything we hear or see as the "truth" this does not benefit us in the end. Although there may be no "ultimate truth" to discover we should still question the "truths" we are presented with. A healthy dose of skepticism is warranted as we go about our daily lives.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting thoughts that clearly stem from this class. We slightly mentioned this in sociology with regards to the construction of social life. The first generation creates an idea which is then taken as given by the next generation. So, children actually reinforce what they see in adults, even if unintended by the adult, by behaving/believing in a similar way.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the question that Professor Schwartz posed to the class about attending college. Of the 24 students in the class, only one considered not attending college. For most students at Hamilton, going to college is an expected path, self included, and this expectation is imposed upon us by our significant others-teachers, friends, parents, guardians etc. How many of us challenged this expectation? I most certainly did not. I took it as given and will probably impose this expectation on my children and etc.
However, this course, in part, is designed for us to challenge these expectations, as you mention in the post, or, at the very least, acknowledge them.